The emergency sirens blared.
Red lights filled the hallway as hundreds, maybe thousands, of people ran away from the impact point, desperately trying to reach the escape pods as fast as they could.
A few minutes earlier, a huge meteorite somehow managed to slip past the radar of Earth's greatest spaceship, the Celestial Voyager, and hit it right in the middle, splitting the ship in two. With the damage so severe and no control over the engine, the two halves of the spaceship were quickly sucked into the nearest black hole that the scientists had been studying.
Among the crowd of panicked people was Elazul, a middle-aged man with the appearance of a twenty-five-year-old. He fought against the flow of people, determined to save his friend and savior, who also happened to be the secret love of his life.
"I have to find Kathrina as fast as possible!" he muttered.
*****
back in time, Elazul.
20 years ago, after his graduation.
Elazul graduated just like everyone else. His scores weren't the best or the worst among his peers. He wasn’t anyone special, whether in background, skills, or looks. He was just a common young man, as ordinary as they come.
After he graduated from the Diamond Academy, he started looking for a job and managed to work at a small company.
Not too long after that, his life started spiraling downward. He lost his parents in a car accident, became depressed from the sadness, lost his job, and spent all his savings on alcohol and drugs.
In the span of two years, Elazul transformed from a nice young man into a skinny degenerate, living by stealing food and hiding in the dark, damp corners of the city.
He lived like that for about five years before Kathrina found him and somehow invited him to join her on a new mission into space.
Even after a long time on the mission, Elazul never knew why Kathrina helped him that day.
After accepting Kathrina's invitation, he joined a rehabilitation program to overcome his drug addiction. Then he participated in the training, dedicating himself to proving that Kathrina’s invitation was not a mistake.
*****
Celestial Voyager, present time.
Elazul ran as fast as he could toward the research laboratory, the place where Kathrina was usually found working on her projects.
In this state of emergency, Elazul ignored every limiter he’d set for himself and sprinted with all his strength. Each step left a dent on the metal floor as he moved so quickly that people began to avoid him for fear of getting hurt.
Soon, he arrived at the laboratory and found Kathrina busy at her computer, reading data on the screen while adjusting her tools.
"Kathrina, we have to leave! Right now!" Elazul said in a panic.
"You go, El. I’ll keep working on my research," Kathrina replied calmly.
"Do you know what happened to our spaceship? We have to leave!" Elazul half-shouted as he approached her.
"I know, El. That’s why I said you have to leave. This research is too important to me, and I won’t abandon it, not even if I’m at death’s door," Kathrina said, her focus unwavering on the screen.
Elazul felt frustrated by Kathrina’s actions. Of course, he knew her and her obsession with research and science, but he never expected her to be this stubborn.
"Well, then I can only apologize to you," Elazul whispered.
******
back in time, Elazul.
16 years ago, guard training.
Elazul started his training in his late twenties. He was older compared to his peers, but not too old to begin.
His skinny and weak body, due to years of addiction and poor nutrition, was a hindrance during the early days of his training. Even then, Elazul kept trying his best to train his body and mind.
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Six months into his training, Elazul had improved a lot. He was no longer skinny and weak, as muscle became apparent on his thickened body.
His fellow trainees, who once looked at Elazul with mockery in their eyes, began to respect him for his effort and became friendly with him.
But even with the positive environment, Elazul kept his focus and pushed himself to train as hard as he could, all for one thing: to repay Kathrina's kindness that had pulled him out of the garbage of his life.
Nine months into his training, Elazul, and several others were chosen by the mission director to enter a program called Re:Life—a program where people had their bodies injected with secret chemicals and technology to strengthen their physical bodies and add random special abilities.
Unfortunately, the project’s fatality rate was still quite high, which meant that the mission director needed their agreement before proceeding. Elazul quickly accepted and became the first person to enter the program.
Soon, Elazul was put in a glass tube where he was sedated, and the scientists, including Kathrina, began to inject him with various chemicals and monitored his changes.
Even when sedated and barely conscious, Elazul could feel his body screaming in pain. It was as if the scientists were burning his body in a cremation chamber while fixing him at the same time.
After what felt like years of pain and fire, Elazul finally woke up in a medical room, where he found Kathrina looking at him with a worried face.
*****
Celestial Voyager, present time.
Elazul grabbed Kathrina by her waist and began to lift her up, only to be hit on the back of his head by a heavy device.
"Ouch! You could crack my head with that, girl!" said Elazul, annoyed.
"As if that metallic body of yours can even get cracked. I’m the one who made you, El. I know how tough you’ve become since the Re:Life program," Kathrina said as she returned to her research.
"Kat, we have to leave! Your life will be in danger, and I can’t accept that!" Elazul said, frustrated.
"No! I said no, and you can’t make me go! Give up, El. Just leave if you want. I will stay."
Elazul began to look around in panic. The walls started to creak as the gravitational pull began to tear everything outside. He knew from the communication device on his hip that people were already leaving the spaceship using escape ships. If he didn’t get Kathrina out soon, both of them would be left stranded and sucked into the black hole.
"What can make you leave, Kat? I will do anything as long as you come with me," Elazul said weakly, already giving up on using brute force.
"Simple, tell me how you feel about me, and I’ll consider leaving the spaceship," she said flatly.
"What?"
"Do you think I didn’t know? The way you looked at me since we were in the academy. The way you looked at me when I found you in the dirty corner you called home. Even now, when you ignore everything in your path just to get me to safety. Spill it now, El. I’m waiting," she said, looking at Elazul with a serious face.
Elazul felt like time was slowing down. That serious face of Kathrina’s was always something he loved to see every day, from way back at the academy until now. He started thinking and realized that the only thing that made him strong enough to endure the pain and boredom of this whole space mission was Kathrina’s serious face.
And just like a switch, Elazul began to pour out his feelings for Kathrina.
"Yes. I love you. I’ve loved you since we were classmates in the academy. I loved you when you found me in the dump. I loved you even more when I began my training as a guard and even more when I saw your face after I woke up from the program." Elazul took a deep breath for a moment, then continued his confession.
"I love you so much now that I can’t bear to think you might die in this spaceship. Not when I have the power to prevent it. So please, for the love in my heart and for the kindness you gave me, please leave with me. I can save you, I can protect you. As long as my heart still beats, I will be here to keep you safe."
Kathrina looked at Elazul, eye to eye, as his expression softened. No more serious face, there was only the look of a woman who finally found happiness beyond her wildest dreams.
"That is so sweet, El, especially since it was from you. It makes me want to kiss you so much from happiness. Unfortunately, I can’t accept it now," Kathrina said.
"I want you to know that I also love you, probably as much as you do, but I won’t accept your love. I hope that’s enough for you to leave me here and save yourself," she continued and quickly returned to her research.
Elazul was left confused, unable to comprehend what had just happened. One moment she asked him to confess, and then suddenly she rejected him like a confused teenager.
"For once, I don’t care about your opinion," Elazul said.
Once again, he grabbed her, ignoring her wild resistance and her attempts to attack him with anything she could grab. He rushed as fast as he could, leaving the laboratory and heading toward the escape ship.
"Guard Chief, wait for me! I’m carrying Scientist Kathrina to the escape ship right now!" shouted Elazul into his communication device.
“F*CK YOU, EL! PUT ME DOWN, YOU SKINNY DRUG ADDICT! YOU WASTE OF HUMAN LIFE! PUT ME DOWN!” Kathrina roared, but Elazul ignored her.
Soon enough, Elazul arrived at the escape site where his Guard Chief was standing nervously, waiting for him.
“Quick, boy! Quick! The spaceship is about to break apart!” said the Guard Chief.
Elazul quickly threw Kathrina into the escape ship, surprising the other passengers, and then quickly pushed the Guard Chief into the escape ship as well.
“Keep her in there, Chief! That crazy woman wants to die with her research instead of escaping and being useful for humanity,” said Elazul as he closed the escape ship’s door to prevent Kathrina from escaping.
Just as the escape ship’s door closed, the escape site suddenly exploded into pieces, pulling Elazul into the black hole.
“NOOO!!! EL!!! NOOO!!!!” Kathrina roared.
She suddenly started crying like crazy and shouting Elazul’s name repeatedly. She even began hitting the escape ship’s door as if trying to break it. The Guard Chief had to pull her back and tie her to the chair just to ensure she didn’t put everyone else in danger.
“Nooo… El… forgive me… please come back…” Kathrina sobbed.
Meanwhile, Elazul could see the escape ship moving away from the black hole’s gravitational pull. He felt his heart calm and happy, knowing the love of his life was safe from immediate death. He put two fingers to his lips and blew a kiss to the escaping ship.
“Goodbye, my savior and the love of my life. May we find each other in the next life.”
With that goodbye, Elazul quickly fell into the black hole together with the Celestial Voyager debris, getting stretched and lost into nothingness forever.