The cart was small, but just big enough for Gira to perch on the back, his legs dangling off the edge. The road beneath them was rough, littered with pebbles and debris, making every bump and jolt feel exaggerated as they slowly rumbled along toward "Town.”

“So Lucas, what’s that thing pulling the cart anyway? Gira asked, kicking his feet as they bounced over another bump.

“This little guy? He’s Shredder, a Pelamüs—a mammal native to this planet,” Lucas explained, glancing back.

“Cool. What’s a mammal?” Gira responded, tilting his head back to see an upside-down view of Lucas.

“Uhh, it’s a class of animal.” Lucas said, blankly. “Funny enough, we’re mammals too.”

“But we don’t look anything like Shredder.” Gira pointed out.

“On the outside, sure, but inside? We’re actually pretty similar—how we live, how we’re born,” Lucas explained.

“Hmmmmm… So how was I born?” Gira asked, his eyes glued to the faded fracture in the sky.

“Your mom gave birth to you.”

“Mom?” The word hit Gira like a sudden pang, a solemn sting piercing through his heart. It was a term that felt both familiar and alien, tugging at something deep within. He glanced back toward the old tower as a strange sadness settled in.

Lucas, noticing the shift in demeanor, turned briefly to see the strange boy bumping up and down with the cart.

“Were you visiting your mom’s grave back there?” He asked softly.

“Grave? Where?” He turned back, confused, with the same clueless look as earlier.

“Ugh, never mind.” Lucas sighed, turning his focus back to the road.

"Wait, no! Please explain!” Gira begged, leaning over the bags and boxes.

Lucas hesitated but finally gave in after feeling Gira’s eager gaze on his neck. “Well, that old tower is an old Vivant structure. It holds the instructions to start a technological civilization. A couple years ago, there was a settlement beneath it—a small town of scholars. Then, eleven years ago, the Shattering happened, and our world was cut off. This place was a port planet, relying on trade for everything. We had no infrastructure to survive without the outside world. So towers like that became our only hope.” He paused, taking a breath, before continuing. “ But, with our connection severed, space pirates known as the Rak’da started raiding. You see, Vivant Tech sells for a fortune. So…” Lucas trailed off, realizing he had just dumped a ton of information on Gira. He glanced back, unsure if the boy was even processing it. “Do you follow?”

"Yup, 100%.”

Lucas turned around, squinting skeptically at Gira. “Are you sure?”

"Yeah, I do.” He said turning to face Lucas. "Hey, what’s with that look?”

“I’m having a hard time trusting that you understand me considering how slow you seem.”

“Hey! I’m not slow!” Gira grumbled. "My brain’s just… you know, warming up.”

"Right,” Lucas said, raising an eyebrow. “Then explain to me what I just told you.”

“Easy,” Gira began confidently. “This planet was for trade or something, right? But then something shattered, and then people couldn’t come or go anymore. So you guys started running out of food. Lucky there was that magic tower over yonder with all sorts of useful info. But unlucky for you, it’s basically made of money, so some greedy robot lizards started trying to steal it. That part I don’t really get, because how do you steal a building.”

Lucas blinked, his eyebrows lifting in surprise. "Oh wow, you actually kind of got it. That’s…shocking. But wait—how do you know the Rak’da are lizards?”

“There were a bunch of dead ones in the field over there,” Gira said while pointing back past the tower. “ I just kind of assumed those corpses were Rak’da.”

Lucas’s face paled slightly, his voice tightening. “Wait. Where did you come from?” Lucas asked with a tinge of concern in his tone.

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"Oh, some nice pink forest that smelled good. Why?”

“You WHAT?” Lucas yanked the reins, bringing the cart to an abrupt stop.

“Wha—” Gira bit his tongue when he was thrown off balance by the sudden halt.

“How are you alive? How long did you spend in there?” Lucas demanded.

"Ow, my tongue...” Gira muttered, poking his tongue out. “I think I spent the night in there. Actually, now that I think about it, I might’ve been born in there.”

“Ignoring that last bit, did you really spend a night there naked?” Lucas asked incredulously.

“Are you deaf? I literally just told you I came from there.” Gira shot back, upset about his tongue.

“Ugh. It must’ve been pure luck—just so you know, that place has abyssal Kyyr. It’s all pretty but people go missing in there all the time. And the worst part is, no one knows why.”

“Seems like a nice place to go missing in.” Gira responded with an annoyingly nostalgic look on his face.

Lucas sighed and resumed the ride, regaining his composure. "Well, I’m guessing you weren’t there to visit graves, then.”

"Yup, I literally saw the big tower and thought it looked neat.” Gira said nonchalantly. "Anyways, can you keep telling me the story?”

Lucas sighed, shaking his head. “I'm not a fan of how you phrased that, but fine, I’ll continue.” He took a deep breath before continuing. “So, after we lost connection to the ORPA—the big empire we used to be a part of—the Rak’da started openly attacking and harvesting the planet in full force. And to make things worse, with the translates, mostly severed, the Kyyr quality here became extremely low, except for the abyssal condensation—”

“Wait, before you keep going—what’s Kyyr? And this abyss? Oh, and is the Shattering that big, pretty crack in the sky?” Gira asked, pointing to the faded fracture that was barely visible against the sunlight.

Lucas glanced up at the sky, nodding. “You got it. The Shattering was the event that caused the fracture in the sky. I was a little kid when it happened but I still remember it clearly. It was—”

"Beautiful!” Gira interrupted, his eyes gleaming with the memory of the crimson sky.

“That’s right. Disturbingly beautiful.” Lucas sighed. “As for Kyyr, it’s hard to explain, but in the simplest of terms, it’s our ability to cause change.”

“So… hypothetically, if I smack you on the back of the head, that’s Kyyr?” Gira interrupted, crawling over the bags, hand poised to strike.

“Technically yes but—hey, don’t hit me!” Lucas protested as he lowered his head.

“I was kidding.” Gira flashed an irritating grin.

“How old is this annoying little...” Lucas whispered to himself.

“I’m not annoying. I’m endearing. I think. Plus, your explanation stinks.”

“I told you I’m not good at explaining Kyyr. But the abyss, that’s easy.”

“Alright, but if the explanation sucks, I’ll really smack you.” Gira said, slinking to the back of the cart.

Lowering his head defensively, Lucas made sure Gira was at the back end of the cart before he continued. “So the Abyss is like Evil Kyyr,” he paused.

SMACK!

“OUCH, I’M DRIVING!” Lucas yelped.

“That explanation was purposely bad, wasn’t it.” Gira said, looking down at Lucas, who was rubbing the spot where Gira had smacked him.

“But that’s pretty much what it is,” Lucas grumbled defensively. “Also, what happened to your personality?”

“I guess my brain finally warmed up.” Gira replied with a shrug.

Lucas squinted at him, suspicion creeping into his voice. “Are you some kind of new abyssal thing wearing human skin?”

“Hmmm, perhaps.” Gira said thoughtfully.

“Anyway,” Lucas sighed, shaking his head, “we really got off topic. The point is, the town there got destroyed. The only people who visit that place are family members of those who died defending the tower. Also, I really hope you didn’t touch the Rak'da bodies—they’re so filthy that nothing on this planet even consumes their corpses.”

"Well, I touched them a little bit, but nothing really happened,” Gira replied casually.

Lucas froze, eyeing him with concern. “Seeing how you’re so full of spirit, it seems you avoided their fluids. Just so you know, their blood is beyond poisonous to humans. Just touching it can kill you.”

"Well, I’m pretty, not dead, so we’re all good.” Gira said with a carefree grin, giving Lucas a thumbs up.

Lucas rolled his eyes. "Right. So... do you remember anything new yet?”

Gira frowned, tilting his head. “Oi, I told you, I didn’t forget anything; I just... Hmmm, it’s complicated. But I feel like I’m not forgetting anything. Although that doesn’t mean I didn’t forget it, wait... So did I forget so much? I’m like a new person.”

“You seem like some weirdo with amnesia—or brain damage—so when we get to town, we’re going straight to a doctor.”

“You’re a good guy, Lucas. Want to be friends?” Gira said, unfazed by the brain damage comment.

Lucas blinked, taken off guard. “Oh, uh—where’s this coming from?”

“Because you’re a good guy.” Gira said, flashing a simple, honest smile.

“I mean. I. Sure, let’s be friends. Why not? I don’t have that many friends around my age anyway.” Lucas paused, eyeing Gira with curiosity. “Actually, how old are you, Gira?”

“Around a day or so,” he replied, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

Lucas groaned. "Actually, I take it back; you’re giving me a headache.”

“Too late! You can’t take it back. Sorry, Best Bud.” Gira shot back his grin, growing smug.

“Ugh,” Lucas gave in, “we’re almost there so just hang tight for a little longer.”

As the little cart rattled down the rough path, they passed fields of flowers and strange, towering trees. Massive, empty buildings dotted the landscape, and there was even the occasional Rak’da corpse along the way. The sky remained cloudless, and the warm breeze brushed gently against them as they traveled.

Gira would occasionally ask about the things they saw, but because of Luca’s bad explanations, he didn’t learn much except some local history. Meandering paths were laid before them as Shredder, ever diligent, pulled the little cart without complaint. The vistas were sparse and eerily empty, until, from afar, the landscape was finally interrupted by the strange structure that comprised the port city of Krreat.