?"Are you sure this is the right way, Niko?" Blade asked with a skeptical tone, staring at the intersecting tree-root alleys in front of them.

  ?Niko adjusted his goggles with a confident flair. "Relax, Blade! Even though this is our first time coming down to this area, as long as we have ROT, we will never get lost."

  ?BEEP-boop-beep! ROT spun in the air, flashing a green light proudly for being trusted by its master.

  ?"If we do end up getting lost," Blade glared sharply at the little robot, his hand hovering over the hilt of Yami-Kiri. "I'll chop this iron ball into toaster spare parts."

  ?BZZT! ROT let out a sound that sounded exactly like a scoff, then deliberately flew out of Blade's reach.

  ?After quite a long journey down the rocky hill, the scenery began to change. The shabby city lights pierced through the thick fog, and the hustle and bustle of the slum city started to become deafening. Meanwhile, various kinds of aliens passed by in the street market, which was run-down but full of life.

  ?"See? ROT never fails to track coordinates," Niko said proudly as they arrived at the center of the market. "Now, what we need to do is complete Master Jiren's mission."

  ?Niko reached into his pocket and pulled out a parchment scroll containing the shopping list. When he opened it, the scroll unrolled until its end touched the dusty ground.

  ?Niko and Blade gulped. The list was incredibly long.

  ?So they started looking around. Niko couldn't stop gaping at slimy merchants selling giant earthworm meat, or winged races offering heating crystals.

  ?An hour later, an argument erupted in the middle of the market.

  ?"Hey! Bookworm!" Blade growled.

  ?Niko turned around. Behind him, Blade was limping along with a scowl on his face. The normally cool-looking swordsman was now carrying two giant sacks of rice, a basket full of strange vegetables, and an iron tin full of meat.

  ?"Can you tell your iron ball to carry some of this stuff?!" Blade protested, the veins in his neck bulging.

  ?BEEP! ROT deliberately landed on top of the pile of rice sacks Blade was carrying instead, adding to the swordsman's burden while playing a victory melody.

  ?"Be patient, Blade. Your muscles are being trained, after all," Niko laughed.

  ?Halfway down the road, their steps halted. There was a commotion that caught their attention. Dozens of aliens had formed a large circle, cheering and waving betting money.

  ?In the middle of that circle, there was a flat concrete arena. Two figures were fighting—or rather, a one-sided massacre was taking place.

  ?A Gorgonid alien, who had cracked skin resembling stone, was being beaten to a pulp by a giant four-armed alien.

  ?"Hey, wait..." Niko narrowed his eyes. "Isn't that the Gorgonid race from the village we passed below Master Jiren's hill?"

  ?"Yeah, you're right," Blade replied, his eyes following the movements in the arena. "Their stone skin is distinctive. But their attacks are extremely slow."

  ?One solid punch landed on the stone alien's jaw. Shards of its stone skin flew into the air. That final punch was so hard it sent the Gorgonid flying out of the arena, rolling on the dirt, and landing right at Niko's feet.

  ?The audience erupted in laughter and jeers. "You weak pebble!" shouted one of the spectators.

  ?"Hey, Mister! Are you okay?!" Niko immediately crouched down, supporting the battered alien's head.

  ?The Gorgonid opened his swollen eyes with great difficulty. The last thing he saw was Niko's worried face trying to wake him up, before his consciousness faded completely.

  ?"Blade! Help me, we have to help him!" Niko exclaimed in panic.

  ?After dragging the stone alien into a quieter, narrow alley and giving him some first aid, the Gorgonid finally regained consciousness. He groaned softly, rubbed his cracked head, and looked at Niko, Blade, and ROT floating above him.

  ?"Wh... where am I?" he asked with a hoarse voice that grated like two stones rubbing together.

  ?"You're safe. You passed out after being used as a living punching bag back there," Blade answered flatly, leaning against the brick wall.

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  ?"Why were you fighting that four-armed monster, Mister?" Niko asked sympathetically. "Do you guys have a problem?"

  ?The Gorgonid smiled bitterly, adjusting his sitting position. "Oh, it's nothing, Kid. I... I was just participating in a bet."

  ?"A bet?" Niko repeated, confused.

  ?"Yes," the stone alien answered, staring at his trembling palms. "If I could win, or at least last a few minutes, I would get a little money from the bookie. If I lost... that giant guy wouldn't get anything. He accepted the fight because they needed entertainment, and he knew he would definitely win against a pathetic alien like me."

  ?Niko fell silent. His heart sank hearing the desperate tone from the man.

  ?The Gorgonid slowly stood up, bearing the pain in his legs. "I have to go home. Someone is waiting for me there. Thank you for pulling me off the street, young men."

  ?"Hey, are you sure you're okay, Mister?" Niko stepped forward. "Do you want us to help walk you home? Your village is far from here, down the hill over there, right?"

  ?"No need, Kid. I'm already fine. Thank you," the alien declined with a forced smile. He then turned and hobbled out of the alley, his footsteps looking completely unconvincing.

  ?Niko watched the stone man leave with a sad look. "I feel so bad for him. Are you sure we don't want to help escort him home, Blade?"

  ?THUD!

  ?A sack of wheat landed right on Niko's stomach, making him bend over.

  ?"Before you think about other people, help me carry these things first, Bookworm," Blade grumbled, shouldering the rest of his load and heading toward the road home.

  “Back at the shack on the hill, …”

  ?Lucas was sitting cross-legged on the wooden floor, both his hands tightly gripping the worn parchment paper he had just read. His heart was still beating fast from reading the prophecy about the 'three young men'.

  ?SLIDE!

  ?The sudden sound of the shack's sliding door opening made Lucas jump in surprise. In a panic, he immediately slipped the parchment into a random thick book nearby, exactly a second before Master Jiren stepped inside.

  ?"Oi." Jiren stood in the doorway, narrowing his eyes at Lucas, who was sitting in the middle of a sea of books and junk. "Are you cleaning the house, or making a rat's nest?"

  ?"I—I'm just taking these out to organize them back into the box, Master! Hehe..." Lucas laughed awkwardly, cold sweat dripping down his temple.

  ?Jiren squinted, staring at Lucas with full suspicion. The naive young man tried to act as if nothing happened, but his expression clearly showed he was hiding something.

  ?"Are you hiding something?" Jiren investigated, stepping inside.

  ?"Huh? No way!"

  ?Jiren didn't answer. His eyes caught a worn photograph lying on the floor, not far from Lucas's knee. The old man bent down and picked it up.

  ?Silence for a moment. Jiren's sharp eyes stared at a photo of his past self alongside a young man smiling cheerfully.

  ?"This..." Jiren's voice softened for a second before returning to its hoarse and flat tone. "This is my nephew, and also one of my former students. I trained him when he was around your age."

  ?"Whoa!" Lucas tried to change the subject. "Master had a student before us? He must have been incredibly strong and talented, huh!"

  ?"He was very strong," Jiren gave a small nod. "But who knows where he is now. He never even visits this old man anymore. That little flea."

  ?With a casual motion, Jiren tossed the photo back into Lucas's lap. "Stop chatting. Hurry up and clean this place before the others get back."

  ?"Yes! Of course, Master!" Lucas nodded hard. His mouth felt itchy. He really wanted to ask about the prophecy paper, but seeing Jiren's face tightly sealed with secrets, Lucas hesitated and ultimately dropped the intention.

  ?Hours passed. The sun began to lean toward the western horizon.

  ?Niko, Blade, and ROT finally arrived at the shack's yard, panting heavily.

  ?"Whoa, you're back," Jiren greeted from afar. The old man was sitting relaxed in his rocking chair, sipping warm tea.

  ?The three arrivals looked as if they had just returned from a battlefield.

  ?"Where is... Lucas?" Niko asked between pants, resting his hands on his knees.

  ?"Oh, he said he wanted to train his Output some more. He ran down the hill," Jiren answered casually.

  ?"Whoa..." Niko shook his head in amazement. "Ever since he managed to condense his Lux, Lucas has become really enthusiastic about training!"

  ?Blade, without saying a single word, directly threw all of his groceries at ROT. CRASH! The little robot instantly sank beneath a pile of vegetables and meat boxes, leaving only one twitching antenna visible.

  ?"I have to train too," Blade muttered, staring at his hands. "I can't let him leave me behind."

  ?"I want to as well..." Niko immediately dropped himself onto the dusty ground, lying spread-eagle like a starfish. "But... maybe later. I feel like my bones are going to fall apart."

  ?That night. Far below the hill, in the Gorgonid village settlement.

  ?The battered stone alien from earlier that afternoon hobbled across the dark dirt road. He stopped in front of a very rickety bamboo shack, then slowly pushed the door open.

  ?"Dad!"

  ?A small Gorgonid child ran to welcome him. However, the child's smile instantly vanished upon seeing their father's condition.

  ?"You're home? But... why is your body all cracked? You were fighting again, weren't you?!" the little child scolded. "I told you, fighting is not good, Dad!"

  ?The father knelt, enduring the stinging pain all over his body, and forced a warm smile—the smile that always made his child feel safe. He gently rubbed Arin's stone head.

  ?"Dad is fine. I just tripped while working."

  ?The man then stood up and walked deeper into the dimly lit room of the shack. In the corner of the room, on top of a thin straw mat, lay another Gorgonid child. The child laid completely still, breathing very slowly, and their stone skin looked like it was peeling away like ash. They were severely ill.

  ?Seeing his helpless child, the father's defenses crumbled.

  ?His smile faded. His large shoulders began to tremble. Slowly, he knelt beside the straw mat. Tears leaked from his eyes, flowing past his cracked cheeks, and fell to the dirt floor.

  ?"Forgive me, my child..." he muttered with a trembling voice, bowing his head deeply. "Forgive your useless father. Today... I came home with nothing."

  ?The man gathered his unconscious child's body into his embrace, weeping in silence beneath the dim candlelight.

  ?"Dad promises," he whispered into his child's ear, tightening his embrace. "Dad will do whatever it takes. I promise... I will make it so you can play again."

  ?To be continued...