2025 November 12, 5:15
???, Dis Pater
Briar’s eyes shot open. He panted; each breath heavier than the last. A black bag covered his face, leaving Briar in complete darkness. Briar attempted to move; he felt the pressure of ropes holding him in place. He swung his legs around and felt the area around him. He was sitting on an iron chair and seemingly tied to it. Briar opened his mouth to yell, but before he could, he heard the opening of a door. Briar immediately went limp, pretending to keep himself being awake a secret. He heard the footsteps of two people passing by him. He heard the two people conversing.
“He’s still sleeping? You sure you didn’t kill him?” the voice spoke.
“Come on! No way humans are that fragile,” the other voice responded.
Briar heard footsteps coming towards him. He took slow and quiet breaths in an attempt to slow down his heart rate. The footsteps stopped in front of him. Briar felt a cold and rough hand touch his chest. He heard heavy breathing in front of him. The other voice spoke. “See, he has a pulse. That means they’re alive, right?”
“Thankfully, you didn’t kill him,” the first voice let out a sigh. “Boss said he came here with that long life.”
“How much can we get off this guy? A couple hundred? A thousand?” the other voice questioned.
“Let me see,” the other voice came closer. Briar felt a clawed hand grab his hair. It rotated and turned his head. The first voice spoke. “No damage, no scars or impurities. He looks like a young one. I’d say 750,000 Angor.”
“750,000 Angor!” the other voice yelled. “That’s more than we’ve gotten this month! You must have done the math wrong or something!”
“It’s more because we’re not just selling random tourists. This is a human. They’re underdeveloped. It’s actually illegal for us to even interact with them. These things are so rare you only ever find them in one galaxy. Isn’t that crazy! Even us harenae travel more than this sucker.”
“That fancy bastard got ahold of him. He must be pulling the same scheme!” the other voice roared. “We should force him to show us his stocks!”
Briar ran through his thoughts, careful to remain still. How’d I get myself stuck like this? I’m trapped by aliens in the middle of nowhere. How am I going to get out of this?
Briar’s thoughts were interrupted by a distant knock on the door. The first voice spoke. “I’ll get it, probably the boss. I’ll be back soon.”
Footsteps walked away, and the sound of an open door followed. Briar heard the door shut behind them. The other voice laughed. “Don’t get how Hearse can know so much about humans. All I know is you’re going to get me a brand-new gun!”
A thought came to Briar. He started convulsing and coughing as violently as he could.
The other voice gasped. “Hey, what’s wrong with you?”
Briar slurred out words, making sure to speak slowly and in a lower tone. “Allergic... to rope... can’t breathe... bag on head...”
Briar heard the man scatter. He heard the snapping of rope. He felt someone grab at his neck. The black bag fell off his head, and Briar got his first glimpse of the room. The interior of the room was a mess, with several objects and junk scattered on the floor. There was one metal door in the corner of the room, and several flags of a red hand adorned the walls. The air in the room smelled like burned rubber. Briar spotted a refrigerator in the corner of the room.
He looked at the man in front of him. Briar recognized the yellow skin and three eyes. The man was a harenae, the horns on the top of his head we’re slanted right and he had a scar over his mouth. He wore a similar poncho to the harenae on the Night of Sin; the only difference, the massive symbol of a red hand on its front.
Briar purposely threw himself onto the ground. The harenae stepped back, his face covered in panic. He crouched down to Briar. “What’s going on? Tell me!”
Briar pointed towards the refrigerator and mumbled, “Water, I need water.”
The harenae quickly rushed to the refrigerator, swinging the fridge door open. He rummaged through it frantically. Briar spotted a metal pipe on the ground as he lay there. He quickly grabbed it and rose up as quietly as he could. Briar raised the pipe above his head and snuck up behind the harenae. The harenae turned back. Briar immediately swung down. The metal pipe hit his head, and the harenae fell limp to the ground, a pipe-sized dent in his forehead.
Briar dropped the pipe onto the ground and looked around the room. His eyes darted back to his chair. He quickly picked up the chair, positioned the backboard underneath the doorknob, and placed the chair at a forty-five-degree angle.
Briar looked around the room for anything useful. He glanced down at the unconscious harenae and searched his pockets. Briar took his gun and placed it at his side before continuing to search through the pockets. He found a navy device resembling an old phone from the 1990s. It had big buttons that displayed numbers, and below those numbers were letters of the alphabet.
Briar pressed random numbers. The phone rang before a robotic voice spoke: “Number not recognized or out of order. Please try again.”
Briar walked around the room frantically, trying to think of any numbers he had heard of. Suddenly, he heard the door handle shake. The chair stopped the door from opening.
Briar heard a voice from beyond the door. “Ivok! Ivok! Why is the door locked!?”
Briar panicked. He repeated to himself over and over, “Think! Think! Numbers, numbers, numbers!”
“Ivok!” the voice yelled. Briar heard several bangs on the door. “i should have stayed with Mr. Moon and Phobos! . . . wait Phobos!
A memory suddenly came to Briar’s mind. He remembered what Phobos said: “I start to care when you start bringing the U.W.G to my door with your bullshit!”
Briar spoke to himself. “U.W.G! They must be some type of police force. If I could find the number for them, they could save me! What could it be?”
2025 November 12, 5:25
The Night of Sin, Dis Pater
Mr. Moon slammed a card on the table. The three harenae groaned and complained. Grill reluctantly pushed a pile of Angor towards Mr. Moon. Mr. Moon checked his fingernail, showing off a smug smile.
“That makes six in a row. Told you I could do it, Phobos.”
Phobos rolled his eyes and looked away in embarrassment. Mr. Moon stored the Angor in his pockets.
“I have a feeling my partner has gotten himself in trouble. I will be leaving now.”
Grill stood up and placed his hand on Mr. Moon's shoulder. “Come on, give the kid some time.”
“I thought harenae could barely walk,” Mr. Moon pointed out. “You stood awfully fast, didn’t you?”
Mr. Moon slapped away Grill’s hand. Both Smurr and Kars stood up in response. Mr. Moon poked Grill in the head.
“I will be taking my leave now.”
Grill quickly took the red rifle out from his waist and aimed it at Mr. Moon's head. Both Smurr and Kars raised up similar guns in response. Grill snarled, “I don’t think you will, Mr. Moon.”
The attention of everyone focused on Mr. Moon. Mr. Moon reached into his pocket.
“If it must be that way, then I'll have to—”
“Silence!” Phobos exclaimed.
The entire bar went into deep silence. The room remained so quiet that even a pin drop could be heard, as if the world itself was waiting for Phobos. Phobos continued, “I don’t condone violence in my bar. So, you can leave or let me join. Am I clear?”
Grill groaned before signaling his boys to lower their guns. Grill whispered in Mr. Moon's ear, “You’re dead.”
Grill and his gang left through the door, slamming it behind them. Mr. Moon watched as they left. He turned back to Phobos.
“Don’t worry, old friend. I'll make sure this fool won’t do any damage to your establishment.” Mr. Moon winked before exiting the building.
The wind had picked up, and the amount of dust in the air increased. The storm made visibility difficult, and the sound of wind hitting buildings was deafening. Mr. Moon stepped out into the dust storm; he saw the three harenae in the middle of the street. Their eyes darted at him the second he left the building. Mr. Moon walked out onto the street across from them. He looked Grill in the eyes. Grill’s hand stayed clenched onto his rifle.
Mr. Moon held out his open hand forward. “Julia, hand me my umbrella.”
Space above Mr. Moon's hand warped, creating a spiral in space itself. Several black shards erupted from the ripped space, each shard glistening a bright white. The thousands of shards connected together, forming a long dark umbrella in Mr. Moon’s hand. Mr. Moon opened the umbrella and held it above his head. In his other hand, he took out his revolver. Mr. Moon smirked. “I'm ready, let us begin”
2025 November 12, 5:27
???, Dis Pater
Briar frantically pranced around the room, the banging and yelling getting louder, each one a reminder of his fleeting time. Briar looked at the numbers on the phone and then at the letters below them. An idea came to mind. He pressed 8 for U, then he pressed 9 for W, and finally, he pressed 4 for G. The phone started ringing. Briar waited in painful anticipation.
He suddenly heard a voice from the phone. “United World Guru. How can we help you?”
Briar immediately yelled into the phone, “I need help! I'm on the planet Dis Pater, and these people kidnapped me, and they’re going to sell me off.”
The U.W.G responder spoke, "I’m going to need you to calm down. Operatives have already been sent to your location. Can you tell me the race of the perpetrators?”
“Harenae, they’re harenae! There are two of them! I think I managed to knock one out, but the other is looking for me! Please hurry!”
“Harenae, of course, it's them, no lives,” the U.W.G responder scoffed. “Find a place to hide and try to stay safe as long as you can. We’re tracking your location and sending field units.”
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Briar looks to the gun on the ground; he immediately picks it up. He clenched it in his right hand, aimed directly at the door. His other hand clenched the phone tightly. Suddenly, a yellow hand broke a hole through the door. The hand pushed the chair out of the way. The door burst open and the other harenae stepped in. Briar closed his eyes tightly, immediately pressed the trigger again and again. Briar continued to press the trigger until the gun stopped firing, each shot flashing the room in a white light, and with each press, Briar shivered and shook more and more. Briar opened his eyes slowly, and the harenae sat slouched against the door, several bullet holes in his torso and one in his head. Green blood seeped from each bullet hole. Briar threw the gun across the room. He looked at his hands, and he felt a painful nausea as if he was about to pass out. Briar panicked. “I killed him, I killed someone, I really killed someone! He was going to kill me though, so I'm justified, right... yes! He’s not even human!”
Briar hears loud sirens outside. He hears distant footsteps approaching. His heart races as he looks around the room. Briar ran through the open door. The door opened in the hallway branching in two directions.
Briar hears the heavy clanking of metal to his left. He quickly turns over to the source of the noise. In the middle of the hallway, he sees a figure slowly approaching. The figure had a slender figure. They were covered in a suit of armor. Plates of dark gray metal covered the majority of the figure’s body, bent and shaped to fit them perfectly. A purple glow seeped from the space between the plates. The figure’s boots were hefty, and at their back, there were what appeared to be thrusters. The figure wore a helmet, the design was sleek and smooth. It was made from the same material as the armor, and the helmet had a glowing purple eye on the left side. The figure emanated a menacing aura; they placed their fingers underneath the helmet on their neck. Their voice was robotic, monotone. “Suspect located, engaging.”
Suddenly, instantly, the figure entered a running stance. The purple across their entire armor set pulsed white. Briar immediately turned right. He ran as fast as he could, his heart pounding as he ran down the hallway. Fast metal footsteps followed him from behind, each footstep followed by another, not even a second later. Briar knew the figure was gaining on him. He saw an open door at the end of the hallway. Briar exerted himself, entering a full sprint. His legs felt as if they were going to fall off. The distance between Briar and the door shortened at a rapid pace. Briar burst through the door and found himself in what looked to be a bedroom. In his panic, Briar couldn’t even process his surroundings. Briar looked back, and the figure had caught up to him. The figure leapt off the ground, and they wrapped their legs around Briar’s neck, causing him to fall backward onto the ground. The figure was sitting on Briar’s chest, their legs still tied around his neck. Briar tried to rise up, but the weight of the figure’s armor rendered him immobile, and the figure’s leg lock around his neck made it hard for Briar to breathe. The figure looked Briar in the eyes. “Running away from a U.W.G field agent is a crime. Aren’t you aware of that?”
“The U.W.G,” Briar thought, “this is the universe's police force, they are so much cooler looking than I thought... wait, I called them! Why am I getting arrested? Why are they on top of me?”
Briar tried to speak but only gasps of air exited his mouth. The U.W.G officer held their hand above Briar’s face. Black electricity sparked at their fingertips. “Where’s the hostage? Or do you want to get electrified?”
A second U.W.G officer entered the room. He wore the same outfit but had a much more prominent figure. The U.W.G on top of Briar looked back. They playfully waved. “Aithne! I got the suspect. Want to help me rough him up so we can find the hostage?”
The other U.W.G officer sighed. “Euri, I swear I'm going to kill you one day.”
The officer on top of Briar shrugged. “Wait, what? I caught him. I deserve praise.”
Aithne slammed his face into his palm, making a clanking noise. “Euri, that is the hostage. The suspects are Harenae, not human.”
“Then where are they, smart guy?” Euri responded. Aithne pointed back. “You passed them, one dead, one knocked out. I had to do your job and apprehend the bastard!”
Aithne pressed a button underneath his mask. The mask unravels and shifts into a collar, revealing his face. Aithne’s head was a black skull covered in a lava-like substance. The skull surprisingly bent and twisted to show expression, and the slots for its eyes were occupied by two glowing pearls. The lava flowed upwards from his head like a flame. Aithne’s eye sighed. His voice, without the filter, was hollow and resonant. “You’re lucky I’m here.”
Euri pressed the same button under her mask. Her mask dropped, revealing her face. Euri had bright pink skin, her eyes were captivating blue, and her hair, from top to bottom, was a gradient from purple to pink in a bob with bangs. Underneath her ear, there were small gills. Her teeth were sharp and triangular. Her voice was booming but also light. “These masks are so suffocating.”
“You can get off him now, Euri,” Aithne suggested. Euri gasped. “I forgot!”
Euri jumped up, releasing her lock on Briar. Briar took a deep breath before rising to his feet. Briar pants, “Why... did you... choke me?”
“Why did you run away?” Euri teased. “I thought you were a suspect.”
“In his defense, the U.W.G outfit isn’t exactly inviting,” Aithne butted in.
Euri yelled, “Whose side are you on?”
“Justice, that’s my side,” Aithne answered, his gaze hardening.
“Justice, that’s my side,” Euri mimicked Aithne, lowering her voice as low as possible. “That’s what you sound like.”
“Uh, excuse me,” Briar interrupted, “Can I leave now?”
“No, you can’t. You’re human, correct?” Aithne questioned. “You’re not supposed to be here. We’re going to have to bring you with us to The Glade so we can find out what happened here.”
“That’s a human!” Euri circled Briar ecstatically, looking at him from all sides. “This is my first time seeing an underdeveloped species before! This is so cool!”
Briar awkwardly pushed Euri to the side. “I can’t go to The Glade or whatever it’s called. I need to get back to Mr. Moon.”
Euri suddenly stopped. Briar saw a bright passion in her eyes. “You said Mr. Moon. Like THE Mr. Moon?!”
“Who are we talking about?” Aithne inquired. “Are they the one that brought you here?”
Euri rolled her eyes. “Of course, you wouldn’t know Mr. Moon. He’s like the coolest person in the entire world!”
“You’re really a fan,” Aithne pointed out.
Euri chirped, “Am I?! Of course, I am! Come on, can we see him, please?”
Aithne sighed, reaching into his suit's collar. “We have to anyway; we need to get answers from him.”
Euri quickly turned around, standing face-to-face with Briar. “You heard him! Now tell us where he is.”
“Last I saw him was in that big town... Hell’s Haven,” Briar recalled. “That’s what it was called. He was at the Night of Sin!”
“We have our location,” Aithne said, taking a swig from the flask. He coughed. “Let’s get going.”
Euri suddenly grabbed Briar, lifting him over her shoulders. Aithne and Euri’s masks suddenly sprang back up. Briar flailed in Euri’s arms, attempting to break free. “I can walk on my own!”
2025 November 12, 5:35
Hell’s Paradise, Dis Pater
Grill and Moon stood across from each other, idle, waiting for the other to make their move. Grill grunted, quickly raising his rifle. He pulled the trigger, rapidly firing bolts of electricity.
Mr. Moon lowered his umbrella in front of him. The electricity bounced off and dispersed across its surface. Grill continued holding down the trigger, his rifle maintaining the same rate of fire. Suddenly, Grill’s rifle stopped. He quickly went to reload it.
Mr. Moon raised his revolver and fired. The bullet struck Grill’s rifle, causing it to burst in his grasp. The rifle exploded into a small blast of fire, burning Grill’s hands and charring them. Grill yelled in pain, rapidly shaking his hands. He looked at Kars and Smurr, shouting while gripping his hands together, “Why are you idiots just standing there?! Kill him!”
Kars and Smurr quickly took out their rifles. The cap of Mr. Moon’s umbrella rotated and spun, pulsating white like a heartbeat. Kars and Smurr’s guns suddenly pulsated, slamming into the ground and breaking out of their grasp. The guns clipped into the ground upon impact, leaving only the handles sticking out.
Kars ran forward. Mr. Moon closed his umbrella, and the tip extended to reveal a thin blade. Kars swung at Mr. Moon, but Mr. Moon quickly sidestepped the strike. Kars followed up, attempting to grab Mr. Moon, but Moon stepped back, raised his revolver, and fired. The bullet pierced Kars’ head, and he fell to the ground.
Mr. Moon quickly ducked to avoid an incoming punch from Smurr. Smurr swung again, but Mr. Moon swung his umbrella, cleanly severing Smurr’s hand. Smurr backed away, staring at his dismembered hand in horror. He screamed as he gripped his wrist with his remaining hand, his eyes twitching.
Smurr looked up at Mr. Moon, who walked toward him with his umbrella blade dragging against the sand, leaving a green trail behind. Mr. Moon’s expression was joyless, sending shivers down Smurr’s spine.
Grill watched as Mr. Moon took a quick step forward. In an instant, Mr. Moon decapitated Smurr. Smurr’s head hit the ground with a green splatter of Harenae blood, rolling across the sand.
Grill turned and ran, ignoring the pain in his hands. He looked back, the dust storm only allowing him to see Mr. Moon's silhouette. Mr. Moon followed, raising his revolver and firing. The bullet struck Grill’s leg, causing him to fall.
Grill clawed at the ground, trying to pull himself forward. Mr. Moon stood over him, raising his umbrella. Grill turned onto his back and yelled, “Don’t! I’ll leave! I’ll give you whatever you want—money, women, fame. Don’t you hear me?!”
Mr. Moon looked into his eyes, his face filled with disgust. “I hear you. Now, never speak again.”
He thrust his umbrella down, piercing Grill’s chest. Grill yelled and twitched before his eyes closed, and he became limp.
Mr. Moon stood above Grill as a feeling of melancholy washed over him. He crouched down and touched Grill’s forehead. A white fire ignited, quickly spreading over Grill’s body. The fire burned away skin and bone until nothing remained. When the fire disappeared, only a white orchid was left in its place.
Mr. Moon stood up, staring at the orchid. “I’m done, Julia.”
His umbrella shattered into several pieces, the fragments orbiting each other in a sphere before disappearing in a white glow. He stood blankly, gazing at the white orchid, until he heard footsteps. Turning, he saw Aithne and Euri. Briar was flailing in Euri’s arms.
A smile returned to Mr. Moon’s face. “Wisp! You’re okay. What happened?”
Euri dropped Briar, who hit the ground face-first with a groan. He stood up slowly, brushing himself off.
Mr. Moon looked at the two U.W.G. officers and extended his hand. “Who do I have the pleasure of meeting?”
Euri ecstatically shook his hand. “I’m Euri! I can’t even explain how happy I am to meet you!”
“A fan? That’s quite rare for me,” Mr. Moon chuckled. “Would you like a souvenir? Or maybe an autograph?”
“How about both!” Euri clasped his hand with both of hers.
Aithne stepped between them, forcing Euri to let go. He took off his mask and addressed Mr. Moon. “As you probably already know, we’re with the U.W.G. Your friend here was recently kidnapped by a Harenae species trafficking group. As you can see, we managed to save him.”
“It was what I feared was happening. I appreciate your help,” Mr. Moon replied.
Aithne pointed to Briar. “That is a human, an underdeveloped species. It’s a crime across the entire Ouroboros to interact with one unless the species evolves enough to leave their galaxy. Explain yourself.”
Briar tried to interject, “Wait, I tried to tell you—”
Aithne quickly moved his hand to cover Briar’s mouth, staring into Mr. Moon’s eyes. “You… I want your story.”
“You want the full story? Why I have him traveling with me?” Mr. Moon clarified. “Very well. His race, humanity, was attacked by the Arenenna. They took a chunk of his planet along with a portion of his population. I took him with me to help restore his planet. Afterward, I plan to remove the memories of the invasion so that everything returns to normal.”
“See?” Euri punched Aithne’s shoulder. “He’s a good guy. I told you. The Arenenna are at fault!”
Aithne squinted. “How can I trust you? How do I know you won’t sell him off or use him for some sick purpose?”
“You could check his planet. Earth, Milky Way, Wonder’s Edge,” Mr. Moon explained. “And trust me, if I had bad intentions for this Wisp here… you wouldn’t have found him.”
The four stood in silence before Mr. Moon laughed. “I’m joking. I’m no monster.”
Aithne’s mask rose back up. He turned to Euri. “We’re leaving. Now.”
“Wait, why so soon?” Euri moped. “We’ve been here for like five minutes!”
“We’re checking Earth.” Aithne began walking toward the city’s exit. “Come on! Don’t keep me waiting.”
“Bye, Moon! Bye, dude!” Euri waved before jogging to catch up with Aithne.
Briar sighed. “I never want to come back to this planet again.”
“I’m glad you’re okay, Wisp,” Mr. Moon grinned.
Briar looked up at Mr. Moon, his mouth twitching. “Thank you. It means a lot.”
Mr. Moon waved his hand toward the sky. “Julia, come pick us up.”
Briar heard the train horn. It phased through some of the buildings on the right, stopping in front of them. Both Briar and Mr. Moon entered the train, sitting across from each other.
The train’s horn blared again as Briar felt it start to move. He looked out the window, seeing the same tunnel of vibrant colors and shining lights he had seen before. “Are we going to the subspace highway?”
Mr. Moon’s eyes lit up in surprise. “How did you know?”
“These colors—I saw them whenever we left or entered the highway,” Briar explained.
Mr. Moon smirked, chuckling to himself. “Good catch. Julia travels outside of space itself. These highways are called the ‘Streamlines.’ I’m surprised you noticed.”
“Why not go straight to the errand?” Briar asked. “Actually, now that I think of it, he didn’t give us an option.”
“I need to get something from the highway first. And Phobos always asks the same thing of me. He always asks for a special mineral that makes his flames burn brighter.”
“A special mineral? Where?” Briar inquired.
“Avaritia. The planet has a mountain with a boatload of it,” Mr. Moon responded.
The train suddenly stopped, revealing the subspace highway outside. Mr. Moon stood up. “I’ll be back in an instant.”
Mr. Moon exited the train. Briar waited in his seat, playing with his fingers. He suddenly heard a thud, followed by a wince of pain. He stood up and looked around, walking down the endless train hall.
He heard another thud behind him and quickly turned around. Briar saw Euri stood in the hall, her face filled with surprise and panic. She waved her hands. “I can explain.”
2025 November 12, 6:59
The Night of Sin,Dis Pater.
Phobos cleaned cups at the counter. Over time, people slowly left until the bar was empty. Phobos muttered to himself, “Should probably close down shop.”
He floated over the counter and walked toward the door, reaching his hand for the handle. Suddenly, the door swung open.
A creature stood at the door. It had a slim humanoid figure, several times taller than Phobos, forcing it to crouch to meet his eye level. The creature’s dark, smooth skin hung loosely on its frame. It had large, bulging eyes with red irises and elongated black pupils. Its massive, unnatural yellow smile stretched from ear to ear.
The creature was draped in a black rag made of white fur hanging over its back. Its voice was sinister and quiet, barely passing a whisper. “My good sir, have you seen a man who goes by Mr. Moon?”
Phobos squinted, he looked at the creature up and it chuckled, blinking slowly, its eyes out of sync.
“Sorry to bother you…I’ll be taking my leave now”