We Are Jokers
The wind was silent, the sky ash-colored. Earth—once bustling with life—now stood in lifeless ruins. Dust rose in the air, drifting through the cracked earth like forgotten memories. Zafer stared ahead, tears pooling in his eyes, his fists clenched tightly with anger.
Then, with a shimmer in the air, three more portals opened behind them. Out stepped the final three members of the Jokers, cloaked in matching robes. One of them, a tall figure with sharp eyes, carried a heavy metallic suitcase. It thudded against the ground, breaking the silence further.
Even among the new Jokers, confusion was setting in. "What the hell happened here?" Alex muttered, scanning the destroyed wasteland. "There's a lot we need answers for. But first—" he turned to Jacob—"let's locate the hideout."
Jacob remained still, a strange expression on his face. "Alex... we're standing on it."
Alex narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?"
Jacob pointed to the dead portal platform behind them broken , cracked, and half-buried beneath rubble. "That was our portal. And that was our base."
Alex stared in disbelief. "Fantastic. Just fantastic. So we're stuck here now? Brilliant."
Jacob kept calm. "Don't worry. It's repairable. But I'll need two to three weeks and some rare resources to get it working again."
Alex sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Great. Well, better than being stuck here forever. Do we have anywhere else to stay?"
"There's a basement bunker below. Still intact," Jacob replied.
"Alright, that's fine." Alex turned to the group. "Let's head down, regroup, and reintroduce ourselves to zafer. Feels like we've been scattered for too long."
Jacob walked ahead, scanning the cracked ground. After a few moments of searching, he pressed a hidden panel on the surface. With a low rumble, a staircase revealed itself, leading into the depths below. "Let's move," alex said. Tina passed Alex and smirked. "We're already moving, idiot. You're the slow one."
"Hey you! I'm the captain, show some respect! Tina? Hello?" Alex called after her.
The group burst into laughter.
Beneath the surface, they found themselves in a well-maintained underground facility. Though not as advanced as their off-world bases, it still pulsed with alien tech far beyond human understanding.
Zafer looked around, wide-eyed. "This… this place is still functioning?"
Alex grinned. "Surprised? You really thought a few explosions could take out our tech? This bunker's built by some of the best minds across the galaxy."
Zafer said "So what about the destroyed portal up there…was it not yours"
"Yeah, that's ours too," Alex said, waving dismissively. "But let's not dwell on that mess. Come on—we've got some introductions to make."
Everyone gathered around in the center room, taking seats or leaning against the walls. Alex stood in the middle.
"Alright," he began. "Since we're gonna be stuck here for a bit, let's do this properly. Zafer, you've met a few of us—but now you'll meet the full crew."
He pointed to himself. "I'm Alex, the captain of the Jokers. I'm a Xelyari (alien spieces), from the planet Xelyarius."
Tina stepped forward next. "Name's Tina, I'm the medic here. Species: Velumari, from Velum planet."
"I'm Eden and iam the vice captain of jokers From Arqenon planet. I'm an Arqen."
"I'm Ema, but most know me as Ghost Blade. I'm also an Arqen."
A lean man raised his hand casually. "I'm Jacob. A Syntri, from Syntarius. A planet known for the highest recorded intelligence levels in the cosmos."
A tall, flame-eyed woman stepped forward. "I'm Lily. I'm a Ravol, from the volcanic planet Ravolyn."
Another voice chimed in. "I'm Ali, another proud Xelyari."
A soft-spoken pair spoke next. "Fani, and this is my twin brother Mani. Both Arqen."
Last, a sharp-eyed woman crossed her arms. "Alia. I'm a Ravol too."
Alex clapped his hands. "And there you have it. That's the whole squad. We're the Jokers."
Zafer asked why do you guys have human names
Alex said "its a long story but in short we were prisoners in the cosmic jail but we escaped and came here to hide and we liked you earthlings alot and especially your names so we give our selves new identity and changed our names to the ones we liked. Now Zafer " expression serious. " it's your turn, Earthling. Who are you? What happened here? What were you doing on Xelyarius? Who was that other human with you in battle? And most importantly what's your goal?"
Zafer looked at the group, then at the ruin above. His hands tightened into fists.
"You want answers?" he said, voice low. "It all began fifteen years ago…"
He paused. His eyes burned with rage.
"When those bastards came out of nowhere. No warning. No reason. Just death. The Myronyx showed up… and they started slaughtering us."
Silence filled the room.
My name is Zafer.
And it all began… fifteen years ago.
Flashback: 15 Years Ago
Back then, I was just a normal high school student. The son of a world-renowned scientist. Life was good—simple, warm, filled with dreams. My mother and father were my entire world. We laughed together. We dreamed together. But none of us could've imagined what was coming.
Humanity had made incredible advances in science and technology. Eventually, we discovered that we weren't alone in the universe. Other intelligent species existed out there in the dark expanse of space. We called them aliens… but that word doesn't do justice to what they truly are. You might know them by different names now. But back then, we called them what little we understood—mysterious, powerful, unknown.
Everything seemed peaceful at first.
But on the day I turned eleven. my birthday that when everything began to fall apart.
That was the day my father disappeared.
One moment he was with us… the next, gone—vanished without a trace. My mother did everything she could to find him. She searched tirelessly, knocking on doors that wouldn't open, begging for answers that never came. The world moved on. Everyone assumed he was dead. But my mother… she refused to give up hope.
Nine months later, the sky turned red.
That's when they came. Like a calamity from the stars, the Myronx descended upon us. They didn't speak. They didn't explain. They attacked. Without mercy. Without warning. They tore through our cities, our homes, our lives. Nobody knew what we'd done to deserve such wrath.
The human military fought back with everything they had. But we weren't ready. We were infants trying to battle gods. In the end… we lost. Not just the war, but everything.
The Myronx didn't stop at destruction. They began taking people selectively. The weak were left behind to die. The strong… were captured. Nobody knows why.
Me and my mother—we were left to die. Abandoned in a world reduced to ash and ruin.
But they didn't just leave destruction behind.
They left a virus. A vile sickness that infected the survivors. Humans began turning into monsters—twisted, mindless beings driven by violence and hunger. My mother… she was infected too. But even in her final moments, she fought it. Fought the urge to hurt me to kill me.
Instead… she took her own life.
She looked at me with tears in her eyes… and chose death over harming her only son.
I was fifteen.
That was the day I swore vengeance.
I made a promise to her.
To the world.
To myself.
I would make them pay for what they did.
But I was weak. So weak, I could barely fight the monsters they'd left behind. Three years passed. Three years of survival. Pain. Hunger. Hatred. And then… he appeared.
The Magi.
A man cloaked in mystery and power. He stood before me with an offer:
"Join the Trials. Fight. Win. And I will give you strength. A new life. Power to crush those who wronged you."
I wasn't the only one he approached.
Many others were chosen. Humans… survivors… broken souls with a fire still burning inside.
And that's how I ended up on Xelyarius.
That cursed, war-scarred planet.
Where death dances with the living.
Where the Trials began.
Where everything truly started. The pain. The blood. The reckoning. That was no game. That was war.
And
I was ready to finish what they started.
To be continued…