Colliding worlds [Alezander & Hideki] (Private)

[-Hideki-]

Kjartan

Age: 30 years

Height: 1.83m

Hair colour: brown

Eye colour: light-grey

Home country: Aeternum

Occupation: Assassin; spy; smuggler

Sexual orientation: bisexual; prefers men

Biography: Kjartan was born as the child of a beggar and a legionary who was passing through the empires capital city Aurora. He never saw his father and doesn’t really memorise his mother because she sold him to a noble family when he was two years of age to not let her son or her starve to death.

 

At the noble families mansion he grew up as their servant and property. He got taken under the wings of the middle-aged and harsh cook’s maid who looked after him and taught him what work he had to do and how the work was done.

 

While he worked for the family, he longed to be free, whenever he saw the others around him.

He wanted to be taught by a scholar as well, who would sit outside with the students – if the weather was good enough- and teach them interesting things about nature, construction, life and culture.

A servant however was not supposed to take part in the lessons or to have a scholar, so he’d often hide under the bushes to listen and observe what the man taught his students.

And most of the times the cook’s maid would find him and drag him back into the mansion for work.

 

The opportunity to be a free man presented itself when he was eighteen. He had always imagined and dreamed about being free, being someone else, somewhere else, so he couldn’t let the chance pass him by, even though the price was high.

The younger brother of the family he served wanted him to eliminate his older brother, his brothers wife and his cousin, in order to become the only possible heir, in return he’d grant Kjartan freedom.

 

He took the deal and soon realised that the scheming, egoistical, greedy and power hungry nature of people was rather lucrative, so he became an assassin whose clients were mostly noble people and government officials.

 

That was what he did for a living, until one day he stopped murdering people for money but started to work as a spy and a smuggler only.

 

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He sat on the white marble stone seats in the round, light hall that was build out of exclusive and luxurious materials. Normally he wasn’t supposed to be in that hall, no one who wasn’t a representative was usually allowed to enter the hall, but now he was sitting there among all those men with the different coloured robes. Each colour stood for a different caste.

 

The lower ranks were filled with the men in grey robes who represented the commoners.

Over them sat high military men in red robes and the scholars in green.

Looking further up Kjartan saw a colour he knew too well, blue, the representatives of nobility.

Above all the other men, on the highest rank sat four men. The most respected and honoured men in the empire, the council of the elders.

 

They all were in their eighties or even older and every single one of them had achieved something great for the caste they represented. Their robes were snow white and only the hem on the sleeve showed which caste they had once belonged to.

 

He was placed on the lowest rank somewhere near the entrance. His face was hidden by the hood of his black robe and a mask that covered most of his face. Only his mouth was to see in the shadow.

The man leaned there as if the marble ranks were in his private quarters, casually and without any tension.

 

His eyes got stuck on two gigantic statues that showed two of their national heroes next to the entrance. Kjartan couldn’t imagine that they had been that handsome and perfect but he sure liked the sight of the statues that were supposed to be impressive and to transport the message of how powerful the nation was. The man hidden under the black hood however thought the statues were more erotic and hot than a sign of power and heroism. Maybe it was just him though.

 

It was loud around him. The representatives of all castes were debating, arguing, even fighting.

Kjartan laughed silently and his thin lips formed a wide smile. They were fighting over him.

Not as a person but whether he was worthy of their trust and able to be of use to the empire or not.

 

 

A while ago a different species had landed on their planet. No one knew where they had come from, who they were and what they wanted at the beginning but it soon got clear, that they came to take over their home. And that was what they did.

 

The species was called humans and some foolish tribes thought that they were actually gods and gave them all they wanted.

The population of Aeternum was smarter than that though. They were able to see what those people really were and what intentions they had. And they were determined to fight the invaders to make them leave their planet, before the humans could destroy even more than they already had destroyed.

 

He, Kjartan, was the one who was supposed to pretend to voluntarily become a servant of the humans to reveal their secrets and to understand the technology they were using.

The humans had some crazy tools with them, different from their own tools and much more efficient as far as he could judge it. In the eyes of the humans, they all were primitive and underdeveloped.

 

Their arrogance was one thing he didn’t like about them and he actually thought, that they, despite of their technology were primitive themselves. They had a primitive way of thinking and a primitive philosophy.

And now the government of Aeternum was holding a conference to decide how they should operate to get rid of the humans.

 

“This is not a job for some lowlife sneaky murderer without any notion of loyalty and discipline. It is a job for the glorious army of Aeternum. And even if it would work and he’d get his dirty little hands on information and their technology, how would he be able to analyse their technology. This man has never been schooled, has he? All he knows is how to profit from the worst in people to gain wealth himself” Shouted a legionary who had just rose from his seat through the hall for everyone to hear.

“He isn’t supposed to do that. He is supposed to deliver the information to us.” An elderly scholar in green said having trouble to speak loud enough for everyone to hear him.

 

“And who tells you that he does that, hm? The humans could just offer him more money and he’d betray us in a heart beat. This man has been a bloody servant, he probably hates his own kin and waits for vengeance.” The military man added when a lean, tall ginger elegantly rose from his seat in the above rank straightening his blue robe. “He was our servant and we’ve always treated him well. I also released him into freedom when he and I turned eighteen, be assured that he has no reason to hold a grudge against any of us.” Spoke the voice of the man who once made Kjartan kill his brother.

 

Amused Kjartan listened to what flattering things the men in the hall had to say about him. Apparently they mistrusted him and he couldn’t really hold that against them. He wouldn’t trust himself either if he were them.

Smiling he sat there trying to grasp as many conversations as he could, when he saw that a blond man in a green robe had risen from his seat. The middle-aged man walked down until he had reached the podium in the middle of the round hall, he coughed and rose his voice:” Gentlemen, may I have your attention!” he asked and it took a while but he got the attention he wanted, of course he did, after all, it was his fault that they were discussing about Kjartan in the first place.

 

It had been Dylan, the medic and scholar whose idea that all had been.

“My dear friends, please reconsider. I know Kjartan and I am sure that he is the right one, no, the only one for that job. We need a man who acts like the humans servant, who gathers information, who is able to deceive them into believing that he is on their side, we don’t need a soldier, we don’t need a man of honour, we need a spy, someone who is able to forget his own morale and values, someone for the dirty work. And Kjartan is someone like that, he has those abilities and he actually knows what it means to be a servant.” He spoke and had to pause because the men in the hall started to mummer.

 

Kjartan could see how Dylan held something into the air. It was that human thing that he had found at one of his work trips and what he had given Dylan to tell him what that was and what it was able to do.

Dylan however hadn’t had a clue as well but they both had been able to figure out what it did. It took pictures of everything. Of people, of things, of nature and no artist was needed to paint it. It was like a mirror; just that the reflection of the moment got captured as long as it wasn’t deleted.

 

The spy could hear how the medic explained the device and how it would be useful to them for that mission to the other men and they now seemed a little more confident that Kjartan would be able to achieve at least something.

 

“We still can’t trust him though! Even if he promises to hold his word and to act for our planet and our nation, there is no way we could believe the promises of a man like that.”, objected a really young commoner in a grey robe.

“You’re wrong! Kjartan is trustworthy. He keeps his promises, I know he does. He once promised me something and he has never broken his promise.”

 

It took them some time until they decided to vote in favour of the idea or against it.

The nobles, scholars and commoners voted in favour of Dylan’s idea and for Kjartan to get the mission, the military caste voted against.

That meant the representatives had decided and now it was on the elders to let the decision pass or to object it.

 

As soon as the elders got presented with the result, one of them started to object right away.

The old man’s sleeve had a grey hem and the only thing that was to see under the white hood was his grey long beard. “This is a disgrace for our nation! We ought to wipe those humans away with the power of our honourable men and just fury. We shouldn’t send some criminal vermin to steel and understand their technology. We don’t need those useless devices, we are better than them.” His voice broke because he was too old to yell at the conference for such a long time.

“Besides, this criminal element is not even a citizen of Aeternum, he has no caste, he is not a part of our society and he can’t be trusted. He owes us nothing and he is nothing. A promise of nothing has no worth whatsoever. I’m not fooled by that little scholar and his little speech. I don’t care that this scum satisfied that man, services and promises like that don’t qualify him for anything. I object that mission and I demand that we throw that murderer into prison and soon after bring him to justice.”

 

Kjartan could see how Dylan’s face turned red, even though the words had nothing to do with the promise he had actually meant and what had been said was overall incorrect.

The assassin rose from his seat and walked into the middle of the hall, all eyes were on him now because he wasn’t supposed to speak, let alone to back talk to the council of elders.

 

“First let me say what an honour it is to be called a whore by a member of the council of elders, honestly, I mean it, I am so proud.” He said in a playful tone. “I have to express my objection about the ‘throw him into a prison cell and then off with his head thing’ though because I was promised to be able to leave that place as a free man, with my head where it belongs. Only under those conditions I attended that conference and as you clearly are honourable men, you don’t want to break your word do you?”

 

Kjartan started to walk around in the circle while he was speaking to the men in the room.

“I also didn’t agree to come here because of the money or to just get another mission because I could have plenty of lucrative jobs which are much less dangerous and no suicide missions. I want to do that because I think that it is the right thing to do.” He started his explanation.

“This is about our home, our planet that is taken from us. Yes, I might not be a friend of our system but this planet is my home, our problems are ours to solve. And why would you think that just because I for sure think that no one should be property and a servant and that people shouldn’t be put into castes or thrown out of the castes, I would cooperate with the humans who came here in order to own everything on this planet and to make our home and people their servants? It doesn’t make much sense, does it?”

 

He could see some questioning faces and some were thinking. Now he could even get those who were unsure as to trust him or not.

“For the humans it doesn’t matter which caste one belongs to or if one belongs to a caste at all or from which nation one is, they look down on all of us and they want to take away what is ours and I won't just let them. It’s our species against theirs!” he ended his speech and the men started talking again until someone shouted “Silence!”

 

After the shout the men looked up to the council of the elders again. And one could see how one old man stood up from his seat. His long white hair was falling over his shoulders down to the floor. He must not have cut his hair for decades. The hem of his sleeve was blue.

The elder who formally belonged to the noble caste started to speak in a gentle tone:” You are right young man. This is not the time to mistrust each other, if we don’t stand together, we’ll lose. And this seems to be the only option worth trying. If we were to just attack them, we’d lose instantly. We need to understand their technology and their plans, maybe there’ll be a small chance for our planet left.”

 

After the final decision only the grey elder had objected, blue and green had voted in favour and red had abstained. With that the decision was final, Kjartan would go on his mission.

 

With a big smile on his face he walked through the door that was guarded by the two statues of their attractive national heroes.

He saw Dylan walking in front of him and attempted to catch up with him. When he had been on the brink of death after a mission it had been Dylan who had saved his life but in return Kjartan had had to promise him something and he had promised it and didn’t ever break his word.

 

“Dylan!” he exclaimed and when the middle-aged man looked the younger one in the eyes he turned red again remembering what the elder had said. “Where are you going?” Kjartan wanted to know. “Home.” Dylan answered.

Kjartan wasn’t happy with the answer. “Home? Come on, let’s go for a drink. It has been your idea that just got passed after all. I’ll invite you.” He insisted.

 

 

Two month later:

 

It was a hot summer day and Kjartan was transporting boxes for his human masters. He had been a fake servant for them for quite a while now and the more time he had spend with them, the more he had come to detest them and their arrogance. Captain Carlson, the man he had worked for the past time, was a ruthless jerk and sometimes Kjartan even wished himself back to the days of being a servant at the mansion.

 

Kjartan had told the humans that he was from a small, poor tribe that had nothing to do with the great empire Aeternum and he also pretended to admire the humans as gods. The assassin was a good actor.

 

Now he was on his way to a human he hadn't met before. Not that it mattered, in his experience they were all the same. He was supposed to bring the boxes to that humans place and then accompany him during his travels because they needed someone who knew the region.

 

Those humans seemed rather dependant and clueless to him. Without their technological devices they were lost on his home planet. Unfortunately they had those devices and knew how to properly use them.

 

He couldn’t possibly understand though, how some tribes could be dumb enough to think that they were gods. To think that there was anything like gods was dumb already but those creatures? Gods?

Their species didn’t even look that much different from them, even though they had tiny, strangely shaped ears that looked ridiculous and their build seemed clumsier than theirs.

 

Kjartan arrived at the place he was supposed to bring the boxes to. Since that had been the last box, he knocked on the door to let the human know of the arrival of the boxes and also his arrival.

The Captain had said that the guy was a researcher but he hadn’t said what research he did.

[Alezander]

Fukushiro Merlin (Merle)

Age: 23 years

Height: 1.70m

Eye color: teal

Hair color: Mainly black with patches of reddish gray

Home country: Japan

Occupation: Assistant researcher

Sexual Orientation: Pansexual

Biography:

 

For as long as he could remember, Merlin despised his life and the family he had. As an only child, he had no siblings to speak of. His parents, both brilliant researchers working at the front lines of scientific advancement, were indifferent towards him and seldom paid attention to him unless he was needed for regular tests. Merlin was a designer baby, tailored especially by his parents to be a test subject for an experiment which later gained them recognition in the scientific community. As a result of tweaking around with genes in order to draw out certain traits, Merlin's eyes turned out a solid shade of teal despite being Asian and his hair became a muddled coat of merle.

 

To young Merlin, the checkups were like trips to hell. His blood was drawn from his arm on a daily basis. Sometimes, they let him run on a treadmill, monitoring his vitals as they made him breathe in some sort of gas that always made him want to stop and puke. Then there was a completely white room where they made him solve puzzles, nearly driving him crazy. He wasn't allowed outside except when he went for school, which he attended while wearing long sleeves for the entirety of the year to hide his blackened arms. By the time he was six years old, Merlin was diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome.

 

The tests were reduced to once a month only when Merlin, in a rare display of protest, set his mother's computer on fire on his sixteenth birthday, which he deemed the perfect gift to celebrate acquiring his masters degree in environmental science. She was furious, which was the only time Merlin saw so much emotion on her face. In her anger, she refused to see him, let alone be in the same room as him.

 

Relishing his newfound freedom, Merlin continued his schooling for studying was his pleasure. Yet even without the experiments, he was still haunted by the selfishness of his parents. He was especially teased because of his odd features and his occasional uncontrollable grunting and clicking his teeth, that by the time he received his doctorate in biochemistry at the age of twenty two, only one friend of his remained.

 

Merlin or Merle, as his close friend Kazu usually calls him, is a hardworking and sincere young man with a genuine love for the world he lives in. Although he detests his parents, he shares their natural interest in the hand of nature. He believed that despite the garbage and the unbearable heat, beloved Earth was once, and is still splendidly beautiful. Surely, a planet so lovely can't be the only one in the universe, can it? So when he caught word that a big project to colonize a new planet was in the works, he knew he definitely had to be on that ship.

 

And yet his parents had a different plan for him. One day a lady was brought before Merlin, and was introduced as the woman who would become his wife.

 

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Twenty one years old:

 

"Ridiculous."

 

The young man muttered under his breath as he rolled his teal eyes in disagreement. Acting the role of a good, obedient child did that to him. He could hate the situation he was in for as much as he wanted, nothing he said was going to be considered anyway. Except that for the moment, he had more than enough of his parents' bullshit and their failing attempts at parenting.

 

"Look good in fifteen minutes, Mer. We'll leave then."

 

His mother, or rather, the woman who was distastefully playing the role, ordered him curtly as she applied minimal makeup on her eternally stoic face. The young man watched her put on lipstick that was a shade redder than what she normally used on her research conferences, wondering when he started loathing this woman, a brilliant scientist he once used to genuinely admire, so much.

 

"No."

 

"Yes, you will."

 

I'm so tired of this. He clicked his tongue before retreating to his room to dress himself, preferably as unpresentable as he could.

 

"You're getting married? Man, I envy."

 

His friend Kazu said, giving a playful slap on his hunched back two weeks back. Kazu was six years older than himself, yet he had the vitality of a pubescent teen riding the most thrilling roller-coaster there is aside from working on his research.

 

Are you kidding? I'm the one envying here.

 

The young man sighed, washing up and shaving then throwing on a thin cotton shirt under a casual coat. He played around with his outfit, wondering how horrified his marriage partner would be if he came in wearing his favorite red sneakers.

 

"I should spike my hair up."

 

He mumbled as he styled his hair into a wonky W which exposed the reddish gray patches underneath the black, but then decided to ditch it at the last minute. It would be stupid to disrespect his prospective wife just because he was vehemently against the marriage.

 

The drive to the courthouse was short yet terrifyingly intense. There was electricity in the air as his mother clenched her jaw while his father fidgeted in his seat. They obviously disapproved of his attire but said nothing about it. The young man couldn't resist a triumphant smirk forming on his lips as he sat between his parents.

 

Oh, I'm being so childish.

 

"Good afternoon, doctor. Good afternoon."

 

A petite lady rushed to greet them as soon as they entered the courtroom. Her ginger hair flowed softly with her peach colored dress as she gracefully moved about, exchanging cheek kisses with the newcomers. The young man shied away after having her plant a smooch on his cheek. She smelled good.

 

"I'm glad you're here. Brenda has been so nervous about this but since you're here, she'll be fine now."

 

She turned around and motioned at another lady, one having hair slightly darker than hers, sitting on one of the pews to join them. The darker haired girl looked ready to puke her brains out as she stood slowly, carefully making her way to where they stood. She looked at her mother nervously, who gave her an encouraging look, before duly introducing herself.

 

"H-Hello. I'm Brenweilla Han. I'm a neurologist for the third colonizing ship Dairo. I help prepare our pioneers for their journey to terra incognita in the newfound planet."

 

A fucking neurologist. The young man mentally cursed, casting a side glance to his mother who was suppressing a smirk of her own. He knew she wasn't done with those tests yet. Under the pretense of being husband and wife, his mother would have successfully planted a scientist to monitor him twenty-four seven, three-six-five a year. Among his conditions, his recurring symptoms of Tourette's would most likely be the point of interest, especially since he's already had it for almost six years now and had no signs of going away. The young man glared his displeasure to his mother in a futile attempt to rebel against her.

 

If you think you got away, dear son, you're awfully mistaken, her eyes seemed to say.

 

Oh yeah? Watch me.

 

"An honor meeting you, Lady Han. My name is Merlin Fukushiro." He reached for her hand and kissed it, giving her a bright smile. "I hope you don't mind marrying a Tourette's patient."

 

It was amusing how everyone else listening on them audibly drew a breath with his unexpected revelation. Merlin watched her blink several times in surprise. His condition was hereditary, but it wasn't passed on from his parents to him. It was a result of them toying with his genes.

 

"Oh." She answered, but then shyly added. "I don't mind, sir Fukushiro."

 

Why is she so...

 

"Good day, ladies and gents."

 

A large man sporting nearly a only third of his hair left entered the room, the hem of his toga trailing after him. He quickly dabbed sweat away from his face just as he strode to sit on the bench. The formalities lasted for about five minutes. Then there was picture taking and other celebratory practices, hand shaking and all the rest. Merlin personally had fun, much to his surprise. The judge was a good man, and he had the tendency to prattle for a long time about society, his previous cases, threats from ex criminals towards him, even his bad case of arthritis. Merlin considered asking him to be his child's godfather.

 

Merlin mentally scoffed. As if.

 

"A two shot of the newly wed, please."

 

The hired photographer said and in an instant, Merlin and Brenweilla were smiling as required at the camera, her slim arm hooked to his. And for a moment Merlin felt a pang in his chest. It was wrong. This girl could have liked someone else, promised her life to the man she really loved. Yet here she was, married in a court hall with only their parents present, to a man she only knew for less than ten minutes. She should be happy for herself, he should be happy for himself. His gaze searched her face. She looked genuinely happy to him. It was puzzling.

It's not supposed to be like this.

 

Twenty two years old:

 

"You should seriously spend some time with your wife, Merle. She'll get lonely."

 

"Kazu, I came here to train. Stop being a nag and do some training yourself."

 

"Nah, I'm good. I got the call. I got in."

 

"Really?" Merlin sat up so quickly he banged his head on the hibernating pod's lid. "Which ship are you on?"

 

"The Dairo." His friend replied, grinning from ear to ear as he shared the news. "I'm leaving in a month."

 

Merlin bit his lip. The Dairo was the last ship to leave unless the government decided to fund more. It was his last chance. But the Dairo?

I'm getting on that ship. Definitely.

 

Merlin left the training facility and rushed to his house, the place where he, his parents, Brenweilla and her mother shared since last year. Quickly, he packed his things, all his clothes, his binoculars, his favorite baseball cap. He wasn't sure what he would say to his parents, to his wife. All he knew was that he was getting the heck out of there. Dairo was his last chance. He couldn't miss it.

 

"So it's today."

 

A woman spoke. Merlin stiffened. He knew that voice. He turned around to find her at the door. Brenweilla. She knew all this time, he realized. Without meeting his eyes, she entered the room and helped him arrange the clutter inside his bag. When that was finished, she left for the bathroom and came back with his bottle of styling wax in her hand. Wordlessly, she smeared some on her palm and massaged his hair. Merlin stood in silence, watching the lines of her tender eyes start to wet. She was crying.

 

"Thank you for everything, Merlin." She whispered, before slowly pulling back and showing him a mirror. His hair was styled a wonky W.

 

"Ella..."

 

She put her finger on her lips to shush him. She led him to the back of the house where the garage was. She made sure that he was in the car and a driver was on the wheel when she spoke again.

 

"I have something to tell you, though."

 

Merlin swallowed and nodded. Brenweilla gave him that cheeky smile she always had whenever she's excited about something. She stepped closer to the car so she could whisper to him.

 

"I'm pregnant."

 

What?

 

"I'm kidding, silly."

 

She giggled when she saw Merlin freeze in shock.

 

"Bye, Merlin."

 

There was so many emotions swirling in his chest. It made him hesitate, but seeing the way she stopped her tears from coming out gave him strength. He wondered if what she said was a joke after all.

 

"Thank you, Ella."

 

Twenty three years old, present:

 

"Geez, Merle. When are you ever going to karaoke with me?"

 

"Never, Kazu. There's an entire planet out there, I have no time to sing nursery rhymes with you."

 

The two were in the first colony's main laboratory center. Working as assistant researchers meant counting bacteria, watering the hybrid flora, taking notes for experiments every three hours, cleaning and maintaining equipment, checking laboratory supplies, and basically just running around on errands. It was really just an odd jobs kind of thing, and although Merlin wanted to do more, he was happy with his work.

 

"This thing's seriously heavy, though."

 

Kazu said, grunting as he carried the boxed samples on his shoulder. Every now and then, he would pause and shift the load to his other shoulder. Merlin watched him worriedly, and tried to warn his friend.

 

"Kazu, be careful. That thing has water so if you move it like that-"

 

A deafening crash echoed through the hallways when the box hit the floor and water flowed from it. Merlin and Kazu stood rigid, unable to move or speak. A scowling military uniformed came, saw the scene and the assistants, left, and came back with a senior researcher. Merlin felt his blood rise to his head in a second.

 

Shit.

 

"You do realize many divers risked their lives in unknown waters to obtain that specimen, do you?" The man said, emphasizing the word.

 

The two of them could only bow their heads and nod. The senior kept quiet for a few minutes that Merlin could hear his heart hammering loudly in his chest.

 

"Aren't you going to pick that up?"

 

They quickly turned the broken container right side up, catching a glimpse of a fat blue tentacle inside. When they looked up, the senior was sighing.

 

"There's a local coming to our post today. Whoever is responsible for this is going with him to gather another batch of samples." The old man said. "So, which one of you dropped it?"

 

Kazu was immediately apologizing. "I'm so sorry sir, it was-"

 

"It was me!" Merlin screamed. Kazu looked at him like he was crazy. "It was me, I dropped the sample while we were transporting it to the labs."

 

"Very well. Pack your things and drop by my office before you leave. I'll give you a list of some other samples I'd like you to pick up."

 

The senior researcher instructed and left. Merlin watched him leave, his heart racing as the fact settled in. Finally, finally he was going out to see the planet. It didn't take him long to go to his quarters, Kazu railing behind.

 

"You idiot! Did you hear what the professor said? Divers risked-"

 

"I know, Kazu, I know! Now are you going to keep nagging me or are you going to help me pack?" Merlin snapped back, then immediately regretted it. His friend was worried, of course. Heck, even he wouldn't be able to sleep if Kazu went outside to an unknown world.

 

"I'll help you. It's just, it was all my fault."

 

"Don't sweat it, Kazu. I've always wanted to do this anyway."

 

"But, with a local. What if he's dangerous, even a spy?"

 

Merlin sighed, zipped his bag close and pulled his baseball cap low on his head. He gave Kazu a light punch. "There's no way that could be, right?"

 

"But-"

 

"Bye, mom." Merlin was already out the door when he crashed nose first into someone. He was rubbing his nose when he looked up to a face that somehow... intimidated the hell out of him. It was unreasonable. The man had a strong build, a tall frame. Captivating pale grey eyes. Then Merlin noticed the ears.

 

Oh, the local.

 

"Merlin? Who's there?"

 

"It's just him, Kazu. The local dude. Take care of the boxes that just arrived. We're leaving now!"

 

Merlin hastily left for the main office, pulling the local behind him all the way. There was no time for introductions. They could do that later. For now, it was just all about getting the list and getting out there.

 

"Professor."

 

Merlin announced his arrival, glancing once at the local beside him. He had such a handsome appearance that Merlin was certain that even among locals, he must be an eye turn. The senior researcher from earlier arrived and issued the assistant an electronic tablet, instructing him to ask for backup immediately if things got too difficult and to come back alive and in one piece. It scared Merlin a little, but he was determined. Plus, he had the local with him.

 

"I knew your mother, Merlin. She told me to look after you." The professor said, his lips somewhat pressed together. "Off you go."

 

Hearing the senior's words, Merlin felt a strange sense of loneliness surge in his chest before fading away. There's no way he'd miss her, right?

 

Again, he pulled the local along, a bit more roughly this time. He couldn't wait to see it, the planet. He was going out. He was finally going out! Merlin signalled to the military guard that he was going out. He recognized him, and then they were through.

 

Goddamn.

 

The air, it was... so fresh. There was the scent of... life that was so different, yet so familiar. It was so different, yet it smelled nostalgic to him. Merlin's ears searched for the sounds of creatures moving and leaves dancing. With the brightest smile he ever had, Merlin turned to the man beside him, revelling in the way he perfectly he blended with this planet in which he was born and instantly he was seized with the need to be friends with him. Quickly, he turned the tablet on and loaded the translator app.

 

"I'm Merlin. And you?"

[-Hideki-]

The door opened shortly after he had knocked and before he could open his mouth a man ran into him. Kjartan looked down to the human and he immediately knew that this was not another soldier. The researcher looked different from the humans he had seen so far. He was shorter and slimmer than the tall, muscular men he had been surrounded by while serving Captain Carlson.

Maybe that was how researcher humans generally looked like.

 

The shorter man rubbed his nose but he didn’t say a word to Kjartan, so the assassin thought that he should introduce himself and make his report. It didn’t come to that though, because the human unbidden grabbed his wrist and pulled him inside of the building.

 

The brunette man suspected nothing good when the human dragged him along. This man was probably even worse than Carlson. Sure, Carlson hadn’t had much respect for anything on their planet and he embraced his own ignorance but at least he didn’t pull and push the local people around as if they were some piece of furniture, an inanimate object that one couldn’t talk to and one could just drag along however one wanted to like that man did. This was a new low, even for the humans.

 

Not only the human looked and acted differently though, the building was different too. It was blinding and white and the light hurt in his eyes and made him dizzy for a moment. The artificial light in the casern had been bad enough but this was yet another level, he wouldn’t be able to be in that building for much longer without vomiting on the white, clean floor.

 

They came to a hold in the office of some other human who seemed to be the other mans superior. That guy didn’t notice Kjartan too and he probably thought it was normal to drag the local people around like a thing. Their blabbering was uninteresting to him so he didn’t make the effort to listen.

 

And as soon as they had said what they wanted to say the young man pulled him along again, this time even rougher and more inconsiderate. When they passed by a military man Kjartan bowed his head as a greeting because he had learned that they liked it when one showed respect to them what wasn’t much different from their own legionaries.

 

The human soldiers however looked weird. They had no armour and there was absolutely no red or another impressive colour on their uniforms. He had seen filth green, grey and brown instead.

 

Kjartan was relieved when he finally was outside again and that the human had now let go of his wrist. He took a deep breath and then looked at the person he had been told to accompany on a journey. Much to his surprise the facial expression of the researcher had changed. That guy smiled brightly like a toddler who just got his favourite candy.

 

He raised one eyebrow and examined the man sceptically. Then he noticed how the other pulled that weird, flat device out that every human seemed to have and to use 24/7. Kjartan had often asked himself what would happen to the humans if they wouldn’t have that device anymore because they seemed to use it just as naturally as he was using his arms and his eyes.

 

When the humans lips moved he knew what he used the device for now. It was supposed to help him understand Kjartan’s language. The humans translated things with those devices and they apparently didn’t realise that the machine often messed up completely.

 

It didn’t matter though, because Kjartan had learned their main language. The humans on their planet usually communicated in one language and this language he had started to learn in preparation of his mission. When you wanted to infiltrate and gather information, you had to understand your enemy.

 

At first the man had thought that the humans only had this one language but he had been able to find out that it wasn’t the case. During the time of serving at the casern he could hear other languages to. When Private Vassili Novikov had talked to a moving picture of what he suspected to be a human female over the same device the researcher held in hand now or when Lieutenant König had played cards with Colonel Wagner for example.

 

He had never heard Carlson speak in another language though. Carlson probably was from the place that language was required on the mission. And that meant that Carlson’s place was probably the most influential and powerful place where the humans had come from. Just like the empire was here. One could find people speaking the language of Aeternum everywhere on their planet, even commoners. While most people, except from the scholars and some nobles, in Aeternum themselves usually couldn’t speak another language. Kjartan was an exception. His job required him to know more than one language.

 

Kjartan heard how the researcher introduced himself while he still was sceptical about the happiness that man eradiated all of a sudden.

The brunette bowed before the researcher to keep the charade intact that he somehow admired them and said, with his body bowing and his eyes looking up to the man in front of him:”My name is Kjartan, Sir, at your service.”

 

He knew it wouldn’t matter what name he told the human because he wouldn’t care to memorise it anyway. In the two month that he had spent under Carlson’s command, Carlson had called him either Tal or Jan. Even Kjartan’s file had written “Tal” on it.

 

The lack of interest about the native people was good for Kjartan. Even though he had prepared a whole story about his fake life as a member of that small tribe, no one had ever asked him something about it. A local person could have told in a second that Kjartan wasn’t from there. He didn’t look like one of them and he didn’t behave like one of them. It was obvious from which region Kjartan was but the humans couldn’t see the difference.

 

The fake servant often wondered whether the humans could recognise and see anything of their environment at all. To him they seemed blind. Blind to everything but themselves and their devices they used the whole day. They even seemed to be bond more to their technology than to other humans.

 

The spy straightened himself and looked the human in the eyes. His eye colour was unnaturally intense. The colour was similar to the blue eyes of Carlson but the intensity was completely different.

“May I inform you that you don’t need a translator to communicate with me, Sir? I’ve learned to speak the language of yours and I’ve learned to read your script as well.” He informed the human.

 

A gust of wind blew through his hair and played with the light fabric of his dark clothes. He pulled out a black leather ribbon and bound his hair into a ponytail what revealed his ears completely.

[Alezander]

Merlin was beyond mesmerized when the local spoke. His voice was just as how one would expect from someone who looked as he did. Low, thick and "manly", making the human wonder if he should really call the other a "man". For a moment, Merlin considered the possibility that this person was actually not male. The human cocked his head to the side while he thought. He had to be open about many things, he couldn't help being like that. Being a scientist did that to him.

 

It can't be... right?

 

Then Merlin remembered how the senior researcher from earlier called the local a "him", prompting a mental sigh of relief from Merlin. He would have hated it if this was a lady, especially after how crudely he treated the other earlier, pulling and dragging him around the buildings. But since he was male, the researcher could make full use of him without having to hold back.

 

So... Kjartan.

 

Merlin realized that from now on, his survival depended on Kjartan. If he wasn't careful, Merlin could lose his head without even realizing it, depending if he treated the other properly or not. Merlin hadn't forgotten how he felt intimidated by the local earlier. Merlin had to raise his head to look him in the eye, making the researcher feel small next to him. Still, Kjartan's introduction was strikingly elaborate, as if he had prepared meticulously for this moment. Not to mention, he spoke in fluent English. His use of the language wasn't exactly perfect, with a bit of an accent buried underneath his words, but he was good enough to actually get his point across while making full use of his features. Kjartan's movements. It was, to a point, annoyingly human.

 

It pissed Merlin off.

 

Who does he think he is, talking to me like that? It was quite a turn off, like being ecstatically excited over the richest, most chocolatey moist cake in the universe then discovering at the first bite that it was just a poorly made chiffon cake. Merlin was a researcher. Observing was a skill he used around the clock. There was no way he would not notice how carefully calculated Kjartan's movements were. The local was emulating human behavior, and Merlin hated that. He wanted Kjartan to act like himself, like his people. Merlin wished to see how Kjartan interacted with his environment naturally, without worry for his human companion.

 

But no, Kjartan even went ahead and told Merlin to not worry, that he had already learned the prominent human language and even its written form.

 

So what? I can do that too.

 

Merlin's earlier bliss evaporated, his wide smile having left his face. He was so disappointed that the feeling threatened to consume him and ruin his day.

 

"Kjah... Khaja... Khr..."

 

Merlin tried saying the other's name, clicking his tongue when he found it too difficult to pronounce, realizing how ill equipped he was for this trip regarding communication. The researcher mentally kicked himself for not studying ahead and also noted to learn the local's language as quickly as he could.

 

Suddenly the wind picked up and Kjartan duly tied his brown hair up, momentarily distracting the researcher from his dismay. Merlin found himself transfixed. As he thought, Kjartan was handsome, at least in Merlin's opinion, but what really drew his attention were the ears. His ears were pointed like an elf's, yet longer and more upturned, the tips reaching up to about his forehead. Merlin wondered if they were soft or springy, and how sensitive they would be.

 

"K-Kjartan." Merlin said the named, nearly twisting his tongue in the effort, hoping he pronounced it properly and that the local wasn't secretly laughing at him in his mind. Merlin blushed slightly under the other's gaze, but he fought it off. He had to sound tough, like he was in charge.

 

"I don't appreciate you speaking in English, a human language. You will use your own language while we're together, or I won't talk to you at all. You don't have to worry about me."

 

Merlin instructed, determined that if he could not stop Kjartan from acting like a human, at least he should tell his companion to use his native language. The researcher wanted to hear him talk without having to hide his accent.

 

Without waiting for a reply, Merlin stomped away from the large gate from where they came from and towards the forest, where countless life forms dwelled, waiting for him to study them and categorize them and just awe his brains out. Merlin reached the edge of the clearing and started making his way carefully through the underbrush, his teal eyes practically sparkling at the greeting of new smells, sounds and weird colors around him. Before long, Kjartan was far from his mind, and Merlin foraged through on his own, his favorite red sneakers soon caked with the planet's pale mud. Merlin was so entranced, he didn't mind. Instead, he wondered how much salt comprised the soil on which he stood, and the sort of worms living buried in it.

 

Suddenly, just above his right shoulder, Merlin heard a very familiar sound. It was the sort of sound a rattlesnake made, repetitive and obviously used as a fair warning. Merlin froze, his breath held. He knew he should back away slowly and carefully, yet it was so close, he feared that it whatever it was, it would strike if he so much as moved a muscle.

 

Kjartan. He strained his ears for his companion's footsteps, but he could hear none. Merlin slightly regretted the way he spoke to him, thinking that maybe Kjartan was really just trying to make thing's easier for the human as a form of hospitality. Maybe that, or he was showing off to Merlin how much he could out-human an actual human.

 

I wanted to touch his ears.

 

The rattling sound continued, getting ever closer. Merlin felt his chest tighten. And for one dreadful moment, Merlin remembered his parents' faces. His mother's cold, indifference. His father's perpetual reluctance.

 

Merlin wanted to laugh, but the lump in his throat prevented him from doing so.

 

You were brilliant, you stupid parents.

 

Then there was weight on his shoulder. Merlin's heart raced and he clenched his jaw, refusing to move but when he felt a wet warmth brush his cheek, he couldn't help jerking away in reflex, prompting the creature to bite his nape on impulse. He heard the sound of his skin being pierced and the creature squeak from where it balanced on his shoulder before his senses proceeded to shut down, his sense of touch first. Merlin couldn't feel anything. His body which turned cold then hot in an instant fell to the forest floor. His nose broke upon impact, but Merlin was numb. He had been paralyzed and he only caught a glimpse of the fluffy, flat faced creature as it peed on his hand before it ran off on its small legs, blue and black striped tail fanning the air after it.

 

Then it was dark.

[-Hideki-]

As soon as the happiness had come over the human, it already had left and his mood seemed to swing completely from one extreme into the other without Kjartan being able to find a logical explanation for his behaviour. The human seemed disappointed, angered even. Laying his head over to the right a little he observed the man, curious as to what he would do next.

 

What followed was the short humans stuttering while he apparently was trying to say something. At first Kjartan didn’t know what was going on and he thought that the other was choking but then he realised that it was his name he wanted to say. Apparently the man had already forgotten his name in a couple of seconds that was the record so far. Motionless Kjartan looked at the other man wondering what name he would come up with, hopefully not ‘Tal’.

 

When Merlin spoke the name Kjartan’s eyes widened and his eye brows were lifted in surprise. The human had said his real name. Well, he had had a little trouble with the pronunciation but it still came very close to how he really was called.

 

The next words of the man weren’t less surprising but they also amused him at the same time. Even though the human tried to sound authoritative and strong, Kjartan could clearly tell that he was rather intimidated and insecure in that situation. The guy was simply bluffing and that was something the assassin had seen people do dozens of times. People who pretended to not fear death when in reality they were shitting their pants.

 

But just as he couldn’t see a reason as to why he was angry about him, he also couldn’t understand why the other was intimidated by him. The humans in the casern hadn’t been intimidated by any local at all. Carlson had been clear, demanding and when the Captain had been mad one had to run for cover.

 

It wasn’t the first order that he had ever heard. As a servant being ordered around had been just a part of everyday life. He knew how orders were delivered and this man had probably never ordered another man around in his whole life. Kjartan could see how Merlin struggled to come across as in charge and control and it was so funny to the native man, that a slight amused smile could be spotted on his face.

 

What the human actually said was a mystery to him though. Why was he offended by Kjartan speaking in the human’s language? From his experience the humans wanted the locals to speak their language. The more a local acted like them and seemed to assimilate to their way of life, the more they trusted him and the better they’d treat him. There had never been a human who had made the attempt to learn any of the local languages. And even if this one didn’t think that their way and their language was the best there was – what was highly unlikely- it was still practical that Kjartan was able to communicate to Merlin who wasn’t able to speak any of their languages and would have needed a flawed tool to translate his speech what would have led to miscommunication.

 

When the shorter man threatened Kjartan that he wouldn’t talk to him if he didn’t switch to a local tongue, he was bursting out in laughter on the inside but kept a straight face on the outside. This human acted like a stubborn child.

“We don’t have to talk if you don’t wish to speak to me, Sir Merlin, that’s your decision.” He said indifferently still using the human language while he walked after the stomping angered guy.

 

Kjartan sighed to himself. This human didn’t show normal human behaviour. He also seemed severely emotional and Kjartan couldn’t understand him at all. There was no doubt that this journey with that man would be much more tiring than being the servant for the military men.

 

Merlin seemed to be incredibly naive in Kjartan’s eyes, because he just ran into the forest without a clue where he was heading towards. And while the human heedlessly walked his way, the assassin followed him completely soundless. The amount of insects, animals and plants Kjartan had to kill off so that they wouldn’t make the humans life an end without the man even realising it, was remarkable.

The researcher didn’t seem blind to his environment though, he wasn’t like Carlson who walked through a path and simply destroyed everything that crossed his way, but as fascinated as he seemed to be he was only focussed on the details that were of interest to him and lost the overall image and his other surroundings out of sight.

 

Just when Kjartan had fought off an aggressive creeper that had wanted to drag Merlin into its mouth to devour him alive, the human had suddenly disappeared out of the brunette’s sight.

“What an idiot!” he thought, now running to find the lost human who wouldn’t survive a minute alone in that forest.

 

He came to late though. When he saw the human, he was lying unconscious on the ground and Kjartan could see a small creature disappearing into the undergrowth. He had got bitten by what they simply called a plysch. It wasn’t the deadliest creature but without the antidote it could endanger a grown man’s life. Kjartan scratched his forehead. This human was a complete moron and now he had to carry the can for him and make it right because it probably wouldn’t end well for him if the human were to die in his company.

 

While the situation overall was unpleasant, there was one golden opportunity that Kjartan needed to take. He hunkered down before the unconscious Merlin and searched for every technological device the man had with him and took them all. Kjartan hid the things in the pockets of the inside of his robe, checked the human again to see if he had forgotten something and then finally lifted the black haired man off of the forest ground.

 

That Kjartan knew a secret shortcut was the humans luck. Even with the shortcut the way to where he wanted to take him was still far but not long enough that he would die on the way. The assassin ran trying to not let the weight of the human slow him down. He wasn’t that heavy but he was unhandy and he had to take care that he would not get caught on plants and trees.

 

 

Finally, Kjartan could see the gigantic, old tree in which someone seemed to live because it had a door. The tree was surrounded by dark green grass, a large pond, plants and mushrooms. Opposite to the massive tree there was a little hill with a normal sized tree that looked microscopic in comparison to the other one. The normal tree had dark and light blue glimmering leaves and sitting under the tree the assassin could see the person he had come for.

 

“Meran!” he exclaimed and the faun moved his head into Kjartan’s direction. Meran had red hair, red fur and piercing green eyes. His horns had the colour of pearls and he smiled when he saw Kjartan. The faun stood up and walked towards him but his welcoming expression changed when he saw what Kjartan was carrying on his back.

 

“No! No, no, no, no!” Meran shouted, violently shaking his head. “Are you completely mental Kjartan!?” he asked in a really old language that only very few native people still knew about and that was only spoken by those who lived in the forest. “What on earth are you thinking, bringing that thing here!? We should keep away from them. I don’t want them here. I am lucky enough that the forest has managed to protect my home from them so far and you are bringing one of those human things straight to my door. Hence with it!”

 

It took a few minutes until the upset faun had calmed down enough so that Kjartan could say something. “I know and I wouldn’t have brought him here if it weren’t that urgent.” He started. “He got bitten by a plysch!” Kjartan informed the faun. Meran, who was now grumpily examining Kjartan and the human just barked:” Good!” and wanted to head for his tree house already.

“No, it isn’t. You need to help him.” Kjartan requested.

 

Meran stopped abruptly, freezing where he stood. Slowly he turned around to face the assassin and the unconscious human again. “What?” he asked as if Kjartan had just lost his last intact brain cell.

“Forget it! I am not helping one of them and you shouldn’t help them either. Get rid of him and stay away from these creatures I tell you boy.” The faun suggested when Kjartan’s voice was to hear again.

“Meran, don’t do it for him, do it for me, when he dies while in my company it won’t be good for me, nor the mission. Everything I had worked for the last two months would have been a waste then.” He explained and Meran couldn’t believe what he had heard. “What? In your company? What are you doing with the humans? Does Dylan know of that?” he demanded to know. Kjartan sighed. “Yes, he knows it. It was Dylan’s idea to begin with.” The faun was speechless. “Dylan’s idea? Has everyone gone mad these days, even my own student?” he asked disappointed, shook his head again and headed further towards his house.

The brown haired man stopped the faun again. “Meran, it isn’t what you’re thinking. I’ll explain everything to you later but first you need to make sure that the human won’t die.”

The red headed faun sighed and took a deep breath:”Fine. Put him there, I’ll help him.” Meran pointed at something that looked like a bed made out of different leaves.

 

“You are the best Meran!” Kjartan said relieved, if Meran would take care of the human everything would turn out alright. “Is Shaya inside?” Kjartan asked, “I have to talk to her.”

Meran nodded. “Yes, she is there.”

 

The assassin opened the door in the tree, entered the house and closed the door behind him. Everything in the house was made out of its own wood. The table, the cupboards, everything! Kjartan loved how Meran’s house smelled and he thought that it was the cosiest house that he had ever seen in his life time.

 

His grey eyes wandered around in the huge room when they found the person he was searching for preparing a balm. The young woman was slender and thin, she had now curves and a boyish built. Her face however was incredibly feminine, with full lips and golden eyes. Her hair was just as golden as her eyes and braided into many tiny braids that she had bound together in a ponytail.

“Hello Shaya my dear.” Kjartan greeted her, this time in the language of Aeternum, smiling coquettishly. She turned around with a knowing look on her face. “Kjartan, to what do we owe the honour of your visit?” she asked him and Kjartan walked to the huge wooden table. “Some trouble on a mission had caused me to come here. However, that is irrelevant, I have a favour to ask you.” He explained and Shaya rolled her golden eyes. “What a surprise.” She snorted ironically.

 

“You have to deliver something to Dylan for me!” he requested and Shaya laughed a joyless laugh.

“Dylan! Of course!” She remarked, took a seat next to the table and crossed her long legs. “And what made you think that I’ll play your little mercury again? What is it that I should deliver to Dylan for you? A smutty letter?” the woman mocked him in a bitchy tone.

 

Kjartan smiled, then he leaned over the table and watched her directly in the eyes:“Listen, it has nothing to do with me or Dylan. It is bigger than that.”

Shaya snorted again:”Oh, really and what might that be?” she asked sarcastically when Kjartan emptied his robe from the devices that he had taken from the unconscious Merlin.

Now Shaya’s eyes widened and baffled she stared at the human technology on the wooden table.

“Holy shit! Where did you get that from?”

The assassin grinned satisfied because he knew Shaya well enough.

 

“This needs to arrive at Dylan’s house in Aurora as soon as possible! I’d do it but I don’t have the time. If you did that for me I’d owe you one Shaya.” He emphasised and stared into her golden eyes with his grey ones. The woman rose from her seat. ”You already owe me far more than just one Kjartan.” She reminded him, bringing her face closer to his. He could smell her and feel her breath now. “But I’ll do it!” she assured him stepping back again.

 

Shaya was a professional smuggler and as soon as she had packed and hidden the human technological devices in her luggage, she brought herself on the way.

While Kjartan accompanied her to the door, he thought about how the human would react if he realised that his technology was lost. He’d probably lose his mind.

The assassin once had witnessed the reaction of Carlson when a company had lost a machine. The Captain had reacted as if someone had stabbed his own child in the chest with a poisoned blade.

Kjartan couldn’t even remember if he had ever seen someone who has been that angry ever before.

 

Smirking amused at the thought of Merlin’s loss of his devices he stood there, leaning at the door frame looking after Shaya how she disappeared into the forest.

Meran came to him. He seemed a little out of breath and was holding a tool that he had built from a poison fang. “Your human will make it. He won’t wake up until it’s night though.” He informed him. “Thank you Meran, you are the best.” Kjartan complimented the faun and then randomly said while nodding into Shaya’s direction:”She is quite something isn’t she?”

The faun looked at Kjartan questioningly. “Yes, she is complicated and exhausting!” he let the other man know. Kjartan laughed:”I’m quite sure she could exhaust me even though I have excellent stamina.” Meran didn’t think that was funny. “This was not what I have meant! You’re disgusting Kjartan, clean up your mind!” he screamed, jumped up and slapped him at the back of his head.

 

The two men disappeared in the house for a while where Kjartan explained everything about Dylan’s plan and the conference to the faun before they decided to spend the day outside and to keep an eye on the human and to be there when he would wake up.

When the night was near, Meran and Kjartan caught some Lumis in glasses - insects that shone in white light in the night – so that they could oversee the area without a problem.

 

It felt great to Kjartan to talk to his own kind again. Sure, Meran was a different species than him too but he was one of them, he belonged to that planet, was at home there and was natural there. The humans weren’t. Meran the former mentor of Dylan, now mentor of Shaya, was also a good friend to him.

They sat under the blue leaved tree, the wind blowing through their hair, stroking their faces while they played old songs on their flutes, when suddenly Kjartan realised that the human was about to regain consciousness. He pushed Meran a little with his elbow, pointing into the direction of the bed of leaves Merlin was lying in. It took a few seconds and they both could look into teal eyes.

 

Kjartan turned back to Meran, grinning amused. ”I didn’t know that a plysch bite could harm a god but at least he seems to be still with us.” The brunette mocked the human in the ancient language the faun and he spoke together. The faun laughed loudly and then started to play a happy song on his flute.

 

Still grinning Kjartan rose up from the ground and walked over to Merlin, placing himself in front of the man. “Ah, hello Sir Daydreamer, finally you’re awake again. You’ve got bitten by a plysch.” He informed the man. “You were lucky that Meran was ready to help you. I have to advise you to not run around in the forest alone again. Everything here lives and some life forms are rather dangerous.”

 

He didn’t know how the place the humans were from looked like, if they had forests like that one there too but he couldn’t really imagine it. In his mind the humans place was grey, concreted, lifeless and full of their technology. Maybe, he thought, they had ruined their own place and had to look for another place to destroy now.

[Alezander]

White. Everything was blindingly white. There was the stinging smell of antiseptic, then the clanking of metallic instruments against each other. It was those again. Those goddamned tests. Just as always, a white clad scientist entered the room through the door on the right relative to where he sat, the straps holding his arms tightly down in case he resisted and hurt himself. The person, who was completely covered from head to toe, flashed a stiff smile at him as if to calm an animal down. It always made him feel sick whenever they looked at him like that.

 

"Okay, Mer. Let's get this finished quick."

 

The person would say in a singsong, as if mocking him, while another white clad person would cover his eyes and hold his head down. Then a light prick on his arm, followed by the sensation of his blood being drawn. Too much. They always took too much. No wonder he would get teased at school so much. His arms forever bruised, his frequent blackouts. He couldn't take anymore of this.

 

"You dirty motherfuckers."

 

He heard his childish voice say, which surprised him. There was the clicking of professional heels, then an answer in the form of a woman's voice answered.

 

"Don't say that."

 

Her voice rang in his head. The hands that covered his eyes were removed, and he saw her. The other white clothed people were gone, so were the straps. Suddenly he was standing and looking up to her. He had become his child self.

 

"You are more beautiful than that."

 

He voice was sweet and soothing. She bent down so she could be face to face with him. Tenderly, she caressed his face, a soft smile on her face, one that he always loved to see.

 

"Ella."

 

"Merlin."

 

She replied, her hand finding his. Her auburn hair falling as a curtain when she kissed his hand. Watching her was painful and nostalgic. Admittedly, more often that not, he imagined what would have become of him if he stayed with her, if he had a family with her, if he grew old with her.

 

If he fell in love with her.

 

"Don't be sorry, Merlin. You know that if I could, I would have gone with you." She said, patting his small chest, her light touch heavier than the boxes of samples he had to carry everyday. Why did he leave this woman again?

 

"Ella."

 

He tried to say, but she was standing to leave, her back already turned to him.

 

"Take care of yourself, Merlin dear."

 

 

 

The first thing that registered when Merlin woke up was the pain. The back of his neck burned if he so much as moved. His nose didn't hurt as much as he expected, just that it had swollen a bit and it felt kind of clogged so he breathed carefully through his mouth. With his eyes closed, he figured that he was lying down on his back above some leaves or possibly other vegetative material, given the way the bed smelled.

 

There was the sound of music being played. To the human, the song sounded like those of from long ago, during a time when instruments were made from actual wood and were played by skilled artists. On Earth, music was deemed irrelevant by society, and was seldom appreciated by the people. Usually, the few who remained creating and loving music were treated as deviants, useless individuals and burdens to society. Merlin himself couldn't understand the idea of music either until he read an old research about the effect of different genres to a person's intelligence and emotional wavelength. His opinion about music changed after that.

 

Merlin focused on his ears, slightly trying to shift his position so he could hear more. The sounds were fascinating, but his effort to move prompted a belated pang from the bite on his nape. Merlin groaned, his voice alerting the ones who tended to him.

 

Ella.

 

The human opened his eyes, and found, instead of her soft loving eyes, a browned wooden ceiling. There was a voice he somewhat knew, but it spoke in a language which Merlin didn't know. A laugh followed from one who sounded different to the first. Merlin felt himself tense. There were at least two of them, and they were definitely not humans. Then there was the sound of footsteps. Someone was headed over to where Merlin was. In a moment, teal eyes locked with pale grey ones.

 

Kjartan.

 

He looked down, an amused grin on his face as he spoke to Merlin in English. Again. Merlin knew he was supposed to be grateful for the other's efforts for helping him when he really needed it, and for not abandoning him when he was most helpless. But why, he looked mockingly at Merlin, like he was the stupidest of scums. He talked formally, even calling Merlin "Sir", but the human could feel it. It didn't take a genius to figure it out. Kjartan looked down on him.

Ella, why did I come here? Why did I leave you?

Merlin felt his chest tighten, an uncontrollable feeling sweeping in his body. It hurt, even more than the bite on his neck, even more than his broken nose. Merlin could feel his saliva thickening, his throat constricting. Then there was the burning sensation behind his eyes. His body buzzed as his entire being was reduced to the unbearable pain in his chest. It was humiliating and unbecoming, but he couldn't fight it, nor did he want to. He was crying.

 

Merlin closed his eyes yet again, his hot tears flowing down the sides of his face. He reached for Kjartan's cloak, his fingers curling around the fabric when he found it, tightening until his knuckles were white and his fingertips cold. He won't let Kjartan go anywhere.

Watch me cry, you mean jerk, Merlin thought. Although thank you for helping me.

 

"Kjartan you idiot. I only wanted to be friends but you had to draw the master-servant line between us. How am I supposed to talk to you normally if you keep being so freaking formal? I mean, I'm not a soldier, so at least be a little more sociable, won't you? I'm sorry I was rude when we first met. I was just frustrated that you turned out to be this super intelligent, super sexy man who looked bored as hell to be with me. Fine, so I have an inferiority complex, sorry about that."

 

The researcher babbled and cursed in Japanese as the tears went, relying on the fact that Kjartan could only understand English.

 

"I was just so excited to be outside, then you go calling me 'Sir' so I entered the forest alone because I'm not a 'Sir', I'm just Merlin, for goodness' sake. Didn't I tell you my name? But you know what? I was hoping you would catch up and we could walk together. So maybe it was lame getting bitten by a... a, what did you call it? A plysch? Even when it bit me and peed on me, I thought it was so cute, cuter than you. I'm really thankful you saved my life but you don't have to be so smug about it, do you? I think you're really cool but then you're just really mean."

 

It felt like some hours passed when Merlin finally calmed down and settled for light sniffles, his face a blushing, sloppy mess, but Merlin didn't care. If Kjartan didn't become a better person after seeing him cry, then maybe Merlin should just give up trying to be friends with him.

 

Merlin was still holding onto Kjartan's cloak when he wiped his face with his sleeves, feeling refreshed after his outburst and wondering if he surprised the other.

 

"Thank you, Kjartan."

 

The researcher said while looking away, not even bothering to check if he pronounced the other's name properly. He would just probably make fun of the human anyway.

 

After that, Merlin kept quiet for the rest of the evening. The human made a mental note not to talk or make any excessive movements, partly because of his injuries but mostly because there was another creature in the room. This other creature seemed displeased to have Merlin in his home, often speaking to Kjartan and referring to the human in an accusatory or mocking tone. Although Merlin took offense about this, the scientist in him easily overshadowed the unpleasantness.

 

The creature had the figure of a faun, a mythological creature that Merlin read about when he was young. The human was immensely attracted to the way the faun named Meran, as Kjartan mentioned earlier, walked while balancing on two goat-like legs. In Earth, humans were the only animals to predominantly walk on two legs. Here in this planet, multiple species did. Not just the fact that the faun walked on two legs was interesting though. It was the fact that the faun was sentient. Now, Merlin thought, if this planet was indeed a younger version of Earth, then was it possibly that fauns were actually real? Even sentient ones?

 

The thought was just so alluring, that Merlin realized that he should take note of his hypothesis. That was when he realized that his bag was nowhere to be found. Not only that, his pockets, formerly filled with his devices and other research equipment, was alarmingly empty. The human's eyes widened as he thought of an explanation to this horror. Could he have dropped them at the forest floor when he was bitten? He did make sure to properly close his pockets before he left his quarters, though. And even if his things fell out accidentally, they was no way that all of them slipped out at the same time... right?

 

Merlin looked over to where the locals sat on the ground, playing their flutes and talking. It would have made a pretty picture, Merlin thought, if they weren't so hateful toward him.

There's no way Kjartan would steal my things, Merlin thought, trying to convince himself but wasn't exactly successful. Sure, the gray eyed local was a mean jerk and a sarcastic ass, but surely, surely he wasn't a thief, or worse, a spy.

 

Right?

"What if he's dangerous, even a spy?"

 

His friend's words echoed on Merlin's mind but the researcher shook the bad thoughts away. It could be that he was still intimidated by Kjartan, but it would do no good if Merlin kept thinking that way. Then an idea popped in the human's head.

That's right. Kazu.

 

The night before the Dairo's launch date, the two of them, Kazu and Merlin, installed microchips on their bodies. The chips, which were the result of Kazu's thirteen-year-old research, were thin as paper, and were cleverly hidden inside the ear, underneath the skin behind the ear, on a shoulder, on both sides of the hip bone, and underneath all fingernails and toenails. If Merlin tapped his index finger with the right sequence, he could contact his friend without needing an external device.

 

The human waited until Kjartan and Meran were settled down for the night. The faun had earlier begrudgingly "spoon" fed him, if what he used earlier was even called a spoon. Merlin bowed his head in thanks, hoping to convey his gratefulness without having to use words. Now night had fallen on this side of the planet, and rather than silence, an impressive chorus of animal calls disturbed the night air. Merlin listened on in amazement, his ears straining to filter out the different sounds. The human sighed, frustrated as hell. If he had even just his tablet with him, he could have prepared a crude recording to analyze later at the labs.

 

Merlin waited a bit more, until he felt it safe to contact his friend.

 

 

The human waited. It was possible that his friend was already asleep, but it was more believable that he was still up partying hard with other young researchers.

 

 

Merlin clicked his tongue. The idiot was probably flirting with some chick at the moment.

 

 

 

 

Merlin tapped his finger furiously, trying to spell his message in Morse code.

 

 

Kazu was already using the call function at his end. Merlin could hear faint voices at the back. Good, the chip in his ear was working properly.

 

"Kjartan? Who's that?"

 

Merlin explained, already seeing Kazu's spiky hair in his head.

 

"Ah, right. But Merle, why won't you use the call? I want to hear your voice."

 

Merlin was tapping as fast as he could as he told his friend everything that happened, minus his dream and the part where he cried.

 

"That guy sounds really rude. The faun too, though it's thanks to them you're alive." Kazu said, worry lacing his voice. "Make sure to thank them, Merle. And don't roll your eyes like that."

How the hell did he know I was rolling my eyes?

 

"Want me to come after you?" His friend offered. To be honest, it would be reassuring if Kazu was with him. But then there would be no one to report to the higher ups in case something bad happened to Merlin, nor there would be someone to order transport drones for the samples or request for additional equipment.

 

Because here was Merlin's plan. He would continue on this journey, with or without his gadgets, whether or not Kjartan helped him. He already memorized the samples he was told to collect so with regards to that, he'd contact Kazu to prepare the pickup using transport drones. His friend will also help him submit his reports.

 

It's not hard. Merlin assured himself. Brenweilla would have said the same thing.

 

"Do you need anything else, Merle?"

 

Kazu's voice crackled in his ear. Merlin felt the corners of his mouth curling upward.

 

 

He meant it. Really, Merlin did. But Kazu wasn't convinced.

 

"Uh huh. Anything else?"

 

Merlin thought for a moment.

 

There was a laugh at the other end. Merlin felt himself blush, mentally promising to give Kazu a nice solid kick the next time they meet.

 

"Oh, Merle, you're so cute. Now, repeat after me."

 

Then Kazu said the word, coughing when he finished. It was that hard to pronounce.

 

 

"Right."

 

Merlin laughed quietly. Somehow talking with a friend did miracles to his mood. Maybe that was what happened to Kjartan earlier. He was talking and playing that song earlier with Meran. Maybe he wasn't being mean to Merlin but rather, was genuinely in a good mood. That would make Merlin the asshole for ruining their reunion.

 

"Sleep well, Merle."

 

 

And with that, Merlin cut the connection. If ever Kjartan was a spy and he stole Merlin's equipment, it wouldn't do if suddenly Merlin had new stuff the next day. Kjartan would be suspicious about how Merlin managed to contact his superiors. Well, not like he'd find the chips anyway. Kjartan could search Merlin's entire body as much as he wanted, still he'd never find them.

 

Merlin watched the luminescent insects trapped in a jar that Meran placed next to the human earlier. The insects, Lumis they were called, were lazily swirling around until they formed a sort of cloud. Merlin watched them move in a manner similar to the way couples he saw dance during social events back on Earth. Sensual, beautiful. Lovely. Kjartan's world was lovely.

 

"Drei..." Merlin mumbled, trying to pronounce the word that Kazu taught him earlier. "Drei... chs... chp... klra... ah, fuck it."

 

The human reached for his nape, feeling the bite marks and the balm that the faun had applied earlier.

 

It's going to leave I scar.

 

He thought, smiling as he slowly drifted to sleep.

[-Hideki-]

Suddenly, while Kjartan was waiting for a move or a word from the human, the muscles in Merlin’s face seemed to twitch and soon after his eyes drenched and water ran over his cheeks. Startled for a moment he turned around:” Meran!” he exclaimed in a worried tone because he didn’t know what was wrong with the human. Maybe the bite of the plysch caused other symptoms in humans than it did in them.

If that was the case the man could still be in danger and Meran’s help and the fauns medical knowledge was needed. Kjartan wouldn’t be able to save him.

 

When he felt a grab on his black cloak, he turned his face to the human again looking into his drenching face and then down to where Merlin’s fingers were crawled into the dark fabric.

Now he knew what the human had. It wasn’t the plysch bite, the man was crying.

 

The assassin had never seen a human cry and he would never have thought that they were able to do something like that. He couldn’t hide that he was completely surprised by that and that he didn’t have an idea why the other was suddenly bursting into tears.

His crying face reminded Kjartan about the girl who had been a fellow servant in the mansion back in the early days. Most of the time he had met her, the girl had been drowning in her own tears.

It had turned out that she had been tortured and been mistreated and beaten by a guardsman.

That had coursed so many psychological damage to the girl that regardless of being ten years of age she would piss herself and whenever that had happened to her, she would cry even more.

Kjartan, who had been the same age back then, had never been able to see innocent people cry. He had tried to comfort her. He had held her in his arms regardless of the dirt and the disgusting stench, because it hadn’t been her fault that she had been in that condition.

But even though one day Kjartan had killed the guardsman, the girl had hung herself at the age of fifteen while Kjartan had been lying under the bushes listening to the scholar and after that making out with the handsome cousin of his masters sons, the same he had killed years after that in order to gain his freedom.

 

The story had no happy end and he still didn’t know what to do when a human was crying. Was he supposed to comfort him and hold him in his arms? Was he supposed to say something? Or would the other feel insulted by that? He was a man after all and on his planet men either didn’t cry, didn’t cry in front of other people or felt bad for doing it. Women on the other hand were more prone to crying in front of others and wanted to be comforted. It could have been completely different with the humans though. Maybe it was vice versa. How was he supposed to know how humans acted when they cried, when he had thought that they weren’t even able to do such a thing?

 

His dilemma as to how he should act when a human man cried in front of him got overshadowed by Merlin calling Kjartan an idiot. What followed was much more interesting and unbelievable than the insult. Humans insulted their local servants all the time but never had he heard that a human had wanted to become friends with a local. This was completely absurd. Was it possible that it hadn’t been the human that had been bitten by the plysch but him and he was actually now lying somewhere in the forest and his mind was creating that scenario? He pinched himself and he could definitely feel it.

 

Merlin didn’t stop there though; he went even further, telling him that he thought he was intelligent, even sexy. To think that the other must have seen him as a fellow man and not like a creature that was far beneath him. This wasn’t possible. Humans weren’t able to value another species and see them as their equal. They thought they were stupid and underdeveloped and they ridiculed their ears and looks.

How often had he seen the human soldiers touching and grabbing their servant’s ears, pulling or stroking them without permission while laughing their arses off? They would never do such a thing to another human but the locals were just some animals in their eyes.

 

Kjartan was proud about himself that he had been able to stop every human who had tried from touching his ears. Yes, he was acting as a servant but he wasn’t one and that he wouldn’t let any of them do. The human who would lay his hands on Kjartans ears would lose the same hands.

 

In the last few weeks before he had left for the journey the ear grabbing had become better after it had gone out of hand when some soldier had found out what could be done by doing that before.

Carlson had officially forbidden to grab the local's ears then, not because he cared for the locals, but because he didn’t want his men to act like savages.

 

And here there was this human telling him that he had thought of him as attractive, he couldn’t believe it. Even more unbelieving he looked at the man, when he told him that he had an inferiority complex. Humans had no feelings of inferiority at all! Humans felt superior to all other life forms and wanted everyone to adhere to their way of life and to admire them. Was Merlin even a human? He didn’t seem like one to Kjartan anymore.

 

Suddenly the man switched languages while he cursed angrily. Kjartan knew that while one was angry it could happen that a person switched to his mother tongue. It had happened to him too before. More interesting to him was that Merlin spoke a human language he had never heard before and it made him somewhat curious which human ethnicity this human who acted so unlike any human was part of. All in all Kjartan could notice an increasing interest in the man himself now.

 

He wanted to speak but then the other spoke to him in the language he knew again. Kjartan couldn’t understand how the human had come to think of him as mean or rude. In his memory it had been the other who had been rude and unprofessional. He had pulled him through that building, thrown a tantrum without an obvious reason and had run off. But there he was calling Kjartan mean. There was no logic behind that in the local’s eyes, so he shrugged the accusation off and sighed.

 

“I caught up with you, Merlin.” He informed the other and continued:”I was rather busy fighting off all the predators that were aiming for a nice meal. And while I was doing that, you disappeared. I can’t properly protect you, if you heedlessly run around as if the forest was your playground without keeping contact with me.” The grey eyes looked openly and directly into the humans face. “You thought it was cute, yes, and that’s exactly the problem I meant. It looks harmless but it isn’t. Judging creatures by the outside won’t do you any good, it is naive. I am sorry if my honesty after you woke up seemed rude or insulting to you, but I am telling you to be aware and careful while in the forest, because you seemingly are unaware and I don’t want you to lose your head to a creeper when we continue our journey.”

 

There obviously was a misunderstanding going on there and Kjartan took a deep breath and looked up to the gigantic trees crown before he spoke to Merlin again:“I didn’t save your life, so why would I be smug about it. Meran saved you and I think you owe him your thanks, because unlike me, he isn’t at the service of you and your people.” He explained and pulled his cloak out of the grip of the other man. “Your body still seems exhausted, you should rest.”, he then said and left Merlin be.

 

Kjartan tried to enjoy the time he spend at the faun’s place, he even played a little more on the flute but Merlin just wouldn’t leave his thoughts. The words that the other had said, about wanting to be his friend, about being attracted to him and wanting him to find him interesting, it just seemed so surreal, that he wasn’t able to stop thinking about it. Even the devices on their way to Aurora didn’t really get any attention in his thoughts anymore. It just circled around the human who acted unlike a human, so he decided that he had to talk to him again.

 

Kjartan left the small hill to go over to the side where the bed of leaves was. He stepped beside Merlin and said:”May I?”, pointing at the ground next to the bed. The local didn’t wait for an answer though and just sat down in tailor fashion next to the other man.

 

“Are you sure, that you are a real human?” he asked him straight away. “I have never stumbled across a human who wanted to be friends with one of us. Friendship requires that you see the other as your equal and to your species we aren’t equal.” He explained. “I interacted with you, as I always interact with your people because that is what is deemed appropriate if you are merely seen as a servant. Never would I have thought that you wanted to talk to me on a personal level. Your behaviour isn’t normal for a human but I apologise, if I offended you by being formal with you.”

 

The door of the tree was opened and Meran stepped outside. He left the door open when he shouted Kjartan’s name over and over again. Kjartan ignored the faun.

“If you like we could make a new start.” He offered Merlin. “Hello, I am Kjartan.” The local man gave him his hand and waited whether he would take it or leave it.

 

Then he asked:”May I ask you from which human tribe you actually are?” Much to his surprise this really interested him. It was of no use to his mission and wouldn’t be of any help to know that but it was the first time that he was interested to know something out of personal curiosity about a human person.

“You spoke in another language; I haven’t heard that one before. And you also look a little different from Carlson and the other men at the casern. I’m just curious though, feel free to ignore me.”

 

 

When he had stood up again and was ready to leave, he memorised something that he had forgotten. Carlson had given him a letter that he had been supposed to hand over at the researchers headquarters. But since Merlin had dragged him along with him and he hadn’t had the opportunity to say and much less do something, he had forgotten it. Kjartan didn’t know what was written in that letter. It must have been important because normally the letters were either send through their technological devices or weren’t sealed. This one was sealed though and even though Kjartan had tried; he hadn’t been able to read it through the blank envelope without opening it and breaking the seal.

 

It contained a letter to the leading researcher of the department that would now go to Merlin because Kjartan hadn’t been advised to whom he shall give it. Since he hadn’t been able to say a word when he had knocked at that door, it wasn’t even clear whether or not Merlin’s department was the right one. But Kjartan didn’t know that. He was unaware of the system of the human’s research and science departments.

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Prof. Dr. Van Leeuwen,

 

I am sending you my local servant Tal in order to accompany your researchers on their mission.

He assured me to know the forest and to be able to be of help to your men. I can’t risk sending in our soldiers again, since from the last five I had send out to explore the region together with four military scientists, only two men returned.

 

As soon as he and the equipment arrive I want you to start the exploration immediately. I’ll be awaiting your report. The earlier we know whether that god forsaken forest harbours the resources we need, the better. I can’t wait to send in the workers and the troops and bulldoze the place.

 

Tal speaks English, with an unpleasant accent; he is strong and healthy and descended from the tribe of the Talavar. Please note that I am just lending him to you. I want him back when your men return, since he is not quite as useless as the others of his kind. You find a copy of his file with his picture to identify him attached to the letter.

 

Signed

Captain Theodor Carlson

 

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Kjartan handed the human the letter. “The Captain said I shall give it to the researcher who will pick me up; he said that you’d know what to do with it.”

 

When Kjartan returned inside of Meran’s house, where the human had no access too because Meran didn’t want him in his house, the assassin found himself pressed against the wall by the strong arms of the faun.

 

“What are you doing with the human!? This is dangerous, Kjartan! He is dangerous!” he shouted, shaking the much younger man. “He doesn’t seem to be like the others Meran, he said, he wanted to be friends with me. I want to find out more about him. He can even cry, did you know that humans could cry?” Kjartan expressed his interest. “No, you don’t!” Meran cut him off. “This human isn’t different. No one of them is different. He lies to you, he manipulates you with those words. He doesn’t want to be your friend, he wants your trust to use you.” the former mentor of Dylan scolded the assassin.

 

“Who knows whether humans are able to cry or not? This could just be another of their technological devices that made it look like he cried to gain a reaction from you.” The faun went on.

Kjartan laughed:”Don’t be ridiculous Meran. His devices are on the way to Dylan.”

The faun grinned cynically:”The ones your eyes can see, Kjartan! The ones you don’t see are still here, inside of him.”

 

The brunette male looked at Meran as if the medic had lost it. “Are you kidding me? He can’t have technology in his body.” The faun pressed the other up against the wall again:”Yes, he can and he has. It is possible to implant things into a body. And they have far more knowledge about technology than we have. They probably can make the device interact with the body. I’ve had my eyes on that human the whole time after he had opened his eyes again, because I don’t trust him. He had done something with his fingers that looked like code signs. He was able to communicate with some of his people. Every minute one of their troops could arrive here and crash my home and me, depending on what he had said to his contact person.” Kjartan froze, he couldn’t comprehend that.

 

He looked defeated and the faun let go of him and spoke again, but this time in a softer tone. “What do you think they are doing here Kjartan? When I treated him, it was obvious that his body functions the way yours does. It wasn’t a coincidence or a sign that those humans came down from the sky. They had outsmarted their own nature a long time ago. They travelled here on purpose because this place has the right living conditions for them. Those humans are too powerful for their own good. They can’t even understand the repercussions of their own actions completely themselves. And they wouldn’t have come here if they had no desperate need for a new place and that means something is wrong with theirs.” Meran gave the other a speech. “The mission you are on, Kjartan, is honourable and shows good will, but there is no way it will have any effect. There is not enough time for any of our scholars to understand their technology completely. And if you ask me, nor should our people, because I can’t say that they’d be able to act reasonable and responsible with so much power as well.

If I were you boy, I would run from the human, return to Aeternum and try to live at the fullest as long as this place is still yours. Have you seen the places of those tribes, who invited the humans in and admired them, there is nothing left of them. You can only be thankful that your elders had been smarter than that.”

 

It was true, the humans had never been granted access to the empire. Rumours had it, that the aggressive grey elder had told Carlson to suck his arse in front of the Captains superiors. Kjartan could have killed for seeing that. He smirked, but the funny scenery in his head was broken by the words of the faun. “So just leave and go sleep around or whatever you do when you’re not working.” He suggested.

 

This distracted Kjartan from the actual subject, what did he do in his free time since Dylan had saved him from certain death years ago? He wasn’t sleeping around as much anymore. Actually he tried to seduce Dylan ever since as his main hobby but he usually hadn’t had any luck with that. Teasing the middle-aged scholar was still always fun though. And to his own surprise Dylan had been so drunk on the day of the conference that led to Kjartan’s mission being passed, and he had been so vulnerable because he felt guilty because it had been his idea and for sending Kjartan on such a mission, that the assassin had got through to him with his approaches.

 

Whenever Kjartan thought about the lusty facial expression Dylan had made, about the others body and his noises, it was enough to make him horny. The scholar however had regretted it as soon as he had been sober again, calling it a mistake that shall never happen again a bit too often.

“You know, I don’t do that as frequently anymore. Dylan is my main target. You should have heard his moans, they are worth gold.” He provoked Meran and it worked. “Shut your trap! You are talking about my former student here; he is like a son for me.” With a smirk on the pale face Kjartan made a sexual moan and as soon as the sound had left his thin lips, the faun had thrown a red tubercule at his head, barking:”Grow up already!”

“Autsch!” expressed the assassin and scratched his head.

 

What Meran had said to him had worried him though. So he had decided to write a letter to Dylan in which he explained what the faun had said about technological devices in the human’s body. The medic had assured Kjartan that he would give the letter to scholar Aetheniel when he would visit in a few days so that he could take it with him to Aurora for him.

 

But it hadn't really helped. The imagination that soon human troops would destroy his friends home, just because he had brought Merlin here to get medical help, bugged him and made him feel guilty. He wasn’t an innocent or morale man but that he couldn’t live with.

 

So he poured Merlin a drink, a healthy and not even that bad tasting green juice and went outside again. “Hey, you must be thirsty!” he assumed and handed the glass over to the human and then he sat down on the ground again. “I am not quite sure if I am in a position to ask you that but since you had said you wanted to be my friend, I’ll risk it.” He started, taking a deep breath. “Why did you contact someone?” he nodded to the human’s hand. “Is something going wrong with our journey? Did I displease you? I hope nothing is wrong with our journey or my services. If so, Carlson would probably be rather unpleased with me when I return to him.”

[Alezander]

Merlin was half dozing off as he listened to the music Kjartan and his faun friend made. The human liked the way the sounds made him feel, serene and slightly nostalgic. So when Kjartan sat right next to where the researcher was lying down, Merlin didn't have much of a resistance, and so Merlin shifted to his side so he could look at the other in the eye. It was probably the closest they have been so far and the proximity made the human's heart race for a reason unknown, though the most probable cause would be embarrassment. Merlin realized how stupid and insecure he must have sounded while he cried. But what was so impressive was how Kjartan didn't lose his cool, and instead patiently explained to the human the parts he misunderstood.

 

Merlin took the proximity as a chance to stare at Kjartan's face while the other spoke. As he already thought before, Kjartan was one damn attractive man, leading the human to imagine how his friend Kazu would have probably already jumped Kjartan if it was him traveling with the local. That idiot was a good friend and a brilliant scientist, but he was undeniably one promiscuous bastard when given the chance. Good thing I was the one who came, Merlin thought.

 

"I'm human, last time I checked." Merlin couldn't help but smile when Kjartan asked. For once, the other looked genuinely intrigued about him. The attention made him happy, that Merlin proceeded to answer as honestly as he could.

 

"I think I expected too much from you even though we barely know each other. I should have known you were just doing as you were told, but see, I was in that lab center for a year and a half, and all the people I ever saw and talked with were soldiers, researchers, the cafeteria lady, and Kazu. It was so boring, you know what I mean? Oh, Kazu is the other guy I was with in my quarters, by the way. I was so excited to see your planet that I automatically assumed you would be this kind tour guide who would instantly be my friend."

 

Merlin explained, wondering if he was talking too fast for Kjartan to understand. "I don't like ordering people around or treating others like animals. I've been on the receiving end before, so I know how degrading it feels."

 

The human fingered his inner arm as he spoke. His arm already healed a long time ago, but sometimes, when Merlin remembered the way he was treated as a test subject by his very own parents just like in his dream, the pain sort of comes back.

 

"I'm sorry too, for being so unreasonable." Merlin said, getting embarrassed again after the honest talk but just as when the human thought it was over, Kjartan offered his hand to Merlin as a sign of their new start, this time as friends. No, maybe friends were too soon. As equals. Yeah, that sounds about right. The human felt himself swallow as he took the other's hand. "I-I'm Merlin. No 'Sir' this time, please."

 

Why in heaven's name am I stuttering again? Merlin was about to combust from embarrassment. Kazu always teased him about that. Merlin could get shy over the stupidest, most mundane of things. It's because everything has a meaning to me, Merlin thought. He was the type to get lost in his head just thinking about the what-if's and could-be's in anything and everything. He knew it wasn't healthy for him, but he couldn't help it anyway.

 

Now here was Kjartan asking, actually throwing questions at him. It made Merlin wonder if Kjartan was asking this out of curiosity or courtesy. But Merlin was happy with this change in things that he readily replied.

 

"I'm Japanese and I lived in Japan. It's a country fully concreted and technologically advanced now, but from what I read, there used to be these beautiful trees that were once worshiped and celebrated by my people. They were called cherry blossoms, sakura in our language. It's a beautiful place with beautiful people. Japanese people normally have raven hair and really dark irises. Mine are a bit different because... um..."

 

The researcher faltered, thinking it was too soon to talk about his childhood. He probably won't find it interesting anyway, Merlin was sure of it when Kjartan stood up to leave, but then turned back to give Merlin a letter which the researcher saw was from a certain Captain Carlson addressed to Prof. Dr. Van Leeuwen, the director of the main laboratory center in the First Colony. Merlin knew this man, particularly because this was the scientist Kazu and he served as assistants for a year now.

 

The man was considered a living legend by most scientists after he succeeded drawing out the impressive medicinal capabilities of a certain flower which the humans called Lady Éire. This happened before Merlin arrived on the planet so he only heard the story from his seniors. Dr. Van, escorted by an entire platoon of soldiers, stumbled upon a stone formation which was obviously an altar of some sorts. At the center of it was a single blossom of Lady Éire, a blood red flower that has petals that gradually turn transparent at the tips. The scientist, marveling at its beauty, had his escorts secure it along with other specimens in the area. This act sparked a skirmish between the natives and his men which the humans barely won, thus supplementing to the kindling hatred and resistance the citizens of the Empire of Aeternum, the planet's strongest and most technologically, culturally developed country. Although his scientific victory was cause for celebration, others disagreed with Dr. Van's actions when he thoughtlessly plucked the flower.

 

Merlin always thought how ironic the flower's name was. The word 'Éire' was from Gaelic 'Éiru', meaning 'goddess of the land'. But then if mispronounced, 'eire' meant 'burden'. It was obvious that the flower was some kind of representation for the locals' goddess or god, or at least that was what Merlin suspected. The human accepted the letter, deciding to keep it safe and sealed so he could hand it to the professor when Merlin returned.

 

Merlin was about to go to sleep so he could recover faster when he heard shouting inside the house. The human was worried so he sat up and left the bed of leaves, albeit with some struggle. He knew it was rather pointless since he couldn't understand a single thing but he had to look, just to make sure that no one was being hurt or something. Merlin watched as the faun Meran and Kjartan talked, wondering if he should step in but then decided against it. After a while, Kjartan looked troubled and was heading back to where Merlin was. Quickly, the human snuck back to bed when Kjartan came back. He handed the human a green colored juice which Merlin accepted but didn't drink. After that intense talk with Meran, there could be no way that this was just another friendly chat. Merlin eyed the drink, wondering if it was spiked or alcoholic and wishing that he had a testing strip that instant so he could check. Merlin swore his heart almost leaped out his chest when Kjartan asked him why he contacted someone. Now that was a problem. The question wasn't a 'did you' but a 'why did you'. Kjartan sounded like he was pretty sure that Merlin did contact someone, which was not a good thing.

I can't let him find out, not yet.

 

"Wh-What? I didn't contact someone though? I was lying here the whole time." The human answered, trying to act innocent in front of the local.

Calm down, for fuck's sake. Quick, Merlin, think up an excuse.

 

"If you're talking about my hand, um, it's an embarrassing story so I kind of want you to keep it a secret."

 

That's right, everyone likes keeping a secret.

 

"I have this genetic condition, it's called the Tourette's syndrome. When I'm stressed or just triggered in any way, I kind of get these repetitive motor tics that I can't help unless I suppress them really hard. But then if I keep stopping them, they pile up until one day they overflow. By that time, I can't stop myself. It's uncontrollable, like what just happened to my hand."

 

Merlin finished, mentally applauded himself for dodging the question. His mother would have been proud. Now, Merlin mentally put on his game face, time to turn the tables.

 

"By the way. Kjartan, do you happen to know where my bag is? And I kind of lost some of my things. I think they fell off my pockets when you brought me here. Did you see them?"

 

Merlin asked, watching Kjartan's face carefully for an answer. As much as Merlin longed to be friends with Kjartan, the human knew that it would not do if the other turned out to be of questionable character. There was the danger of being betrayed after all, and Merlin would really hate it if that happened. He wanted to believe that even though humans, Merlin's own people, could be really horrible monsters, Kjartan and his people weren't the same. Maybe he was reading too much into it, maybe he was just being paranoid. But most of all, Merlin didn't mind if Kjartan proved his suspicions wrong.

 

Come on, give me a reason to trust you.

[-Hideki-]

Not changing his facial expression he thought about what he had learned in the short time that he had spend with this human by only asking a few questions. What he had learned was irrelevant to his mission but it had made him understand who and what the humans actually were a bit better.

 

Merlin had told him that there once had been trees on the land that he was from and that those trees had been admired by the people. And this reminded Kjartan of some tribes on their planet who still admired and worshipped trees. He didn’t know if there had been a time when the citizens of Aeternum had admired trees too, he just knew that they didn’t do such a thing anymore. The empire worshiped their war heroes and national legends and sometimes it seemed that they admired gold and luxury as well but no trees or nature.

 

He understood what Meran had said to him now and he caught himself thinking that the humans probably weren’t that different from them after all. Maybe they and their home had really once been like his before they had invented those tools and devices and decided to turn their land into a concreted wasteland.

 

This was bad. He needed the answer to the question whom the human had contacted and why he had done so immediately to safe what he could if necessary. Concern overwhelmed him when he imagined Meran’s house and the entire forest to turn into a concreted place with cement buildings just like the casern he had served in. It was horrifying.

 

What he got was disappointing in more than one way. First, he didn’t get the information he needed that badly and second, the other man was a painfully bad liar. He stuttered, got nervous, seemed insecure and tried too hard to seem innocent. The assassin had seen more confident and much more practised liars and he had figured them out. People were inclined to lie and tried to save themselves at all costs when it came to their own heads, lives or properties.

To see through lies and to lie was something Kjartan had learned from a very young age to survive and it had become a part of his profession later in his life.

 

He believed him that he had the condition with the weird name he had never heard about before though because that obviously was the truth but that he told him the truth about that condition didn’t mean that he had told him the truth before. It was pointless to ask further questions though; he had to wait for what would happen because he had no other choice.

 

“I apologise, I shouldn’t have asked and made assumptions in the first place. I assure you to keep your secret.” He said as if he had believed him and attempted to leave the human alone again. When he had stood up the other man had a question for him though.

 

Seeming genuinely surprised he looked into Merlin’s eyes as if he was an open book for Merlin to read.

“You’ve lost your things and your bag in the forest?” he asked, with a worried facial expression.

“I haven’t seen them but I have to be honest and say that I didn’t pay attention to your things and bag when I saw you unconscious on the ground. My immediate reaction was to bring you here for the help that you needed as fast as possible.” Kjartan explained looking troubled. “I know this was a mistake and I should have had my eyes on your things as well. I didn’t do my job properly and am afraid that makes your loss my fault regardless of how they got astray. You have all right to file a complaint at Carlson’s office and request a better servant.”

 

Kjartan sighed and scratched his chin with his hand, looking thoughtfully up to the trees. “I don’t think that they got lost when I transported you though. It’s possible but not likely. It is much more likely that they got stolen by a shadow walker. They are small, swift and smart. But even though they look innocent, even funny - you’d probably say they are cute - they steal everything they can and collect it. They can open difficult closures and are good in finding hidden things.” He speculated and turned back to Merlin. “Regardless of your decision to keep or dismiss me as your servant I want to advise you to always keep an eye on your stuff, even those things you think are safe and secure, especially those things. It doesn’t guarantee your stuff to not get stolen by shadow walkers but it minimises the chance. One of them once stole an amulet of mine but it was my own fault for wearing an amulet in the forest in the first place.” He suggested and his gloomy and concerned expression lightened up a little while thinking about his encounters with the furry little shadow walkers.

 

“It doesn’t only happen to people like me by the way, it happens to smart people too. One of the smartest men I know once lost his book with his notes about the shadow walkers to the shadow walkers, while he was examining them.” Kjartan chuckled. “Even though those little bastards are bloody kleptomaniacs I really like them because they are similar to us. You can shake their hands and sometimes they stand upright. And I like seeing them interact with each other. The man whose book got stolen by them thinks that we actually are related to them. That our species wasn’t always like that but that we evolved over time. In the village they believe that he is an oddball and that he insults our species and the stone god by saying that but I think he is actually right.”

 

All that had really happened, it was the truth and the only thing that was a lie was that this theory had never been introduced in some little Talavarian village but in Aurora the capital of Aeternum to the council itself. He couldn’t imagine how people in Talavar would have reacted. Talavar had no council or scholars to begin with. The little tribe was governed by one man alone and they actually believed that one of their gods had made them out of stone and their medics were some questionable priests.

 

While he felt smarter than the Talavarians he felt much dumber than Dylan or Meran. Sometimes when in their company they made him feel like a toddler who didn’t know anything about life and he asked himself why he wouldn’t come to such realisations or get those ideas himself.

He liked to think that he wasn’t stupid but he hadn’t been able to imagine that the humans could once have lived similar to them and were here because they destroyed their place before.

To him the idea that the human could have technology in his body had been absurd before, to Meran it hadn’t.

 

Both Meran and Dylan were exceptional men who often thought differently from others in Aeternum.

Only Meran would accept someone like Shaya as his student. Not only was she a criminal, a smuggler, but she was also a woman and it wasn’t commonplace for a woman to have a mentor and get schooled in Aeternum, they also weren’t allowed to enter the scholar caste or the military caste. No one beside Meran would have schooled her, not even Dylan, because he didn’t trust a smuggler.

 

It was a little ironic because he had come to accept and trust Kjartan, who was much worse, but it had taken them years to get that far. At the beginning the other man would keep every piece of knowledge that a man who had so little morale could abuse away from Kjartan.

 

He finally realised that he had drifted as far away from the actual topic as possible and cleared his mind. “I got carried away, sorry for boring you that way. Back to the problem at hand.” He apologised and continued to talk:”If you decide to still work with me we could go the way back tomorrow and hope to find your things. But that would cost a lot of time, is rather dangerous because I took the shortest and not the safest path and unfortunately the chances that we will find them aren’t the highest because as I said before, everything here lives.” He ended at that waiting for the others answer when he realised something.

 

It was possible that Merlin contacted someone because of the loss of his devices. If that was the only reason there was still a little hope for his friend’s home. At least he hoped so since Merlin didn’t seem like Carlson who would have burned the whole forest down if he had lost a machine or one of his things in it.

[Alezander]

He was too focused on saving me that he didn't notice? He was worried?

 

For a moment, Merlin considered the thought but then dismissed it as soon as it came. That wasn't probable at all. Surely Kjartan was just doing his job as he was told. Business as usual. Merlin bit his lip, mentally telling himself to stop thinking too much about things. Being emotionally invested in Kjartan would only bring more cons than pros in the long run anyway. But being friends is alright, the human assured himself.

 

Though Merlin did use his Tourette's as an excuse to keep the fact that he did contact a fellow human, it wasn't easy to talk about, especially since its symptoms surfaced during a time in his life when he was continuously experiencing immense stress, what with daily tests and experiments on his body, add to that the anxiety of attending ninth grade as a six year old. It was unreasonably difficult and although he would have wanted to have someone to share his pain with, he had no one, no friend, no uncle, no neighbor to turn to. Plus there were the tics and sometimes his uncontrolled gibbering. Merlin would always slap his face hard to try fighting the tics but his body was always stronger than him. His older classmates used to make fun of him a lot for it. Then there was Kjartan who promised to keep his secret, though it wasn't really a secret among his peers. It made Merlin thankful somehow.

 

Listening to Kjartan talk about the kleptomaniac creatures called shadow walkers was fascinating. They reminded Merlin of an Earth animal that used to be as common as stray dogs but are now protected in sanctuaries to keep them from being extinct. They were called raccoons and were notorious for trespassing people's homes and snatching things. Merlin found them cute when he visited the sanctuary once years ago, and now he wondered if the shadow walkers were as cute and mischievous as the raccoons. Merlin wanted to see one soon if he could. I should ask Kjartan to help me look for one later, he thought.

 

Even more fascinating was how Kjartan mentioned that there was a scientist among his people. Merlin was very interested about this. Any community could have scholars, herbalists, artisans, fortunetellers, writers, kings, philosophers, thinkers. But a scientist, someone who actually theorizes and does experiments to prove his hypothesis? Only an advance community could foster such a person. Merlin realized that although this raw planet which humans found only recently was teeming with resources and opportunities, it was already made home by another people, and they were definitely not ignorant savages. If the colonization process wasn't done right, there could be greater trouble than just the few present sparks of hate here and there. For a moment, Merlin was seized with the fear of a war happening.

 

Then Kjartan was apologizing for getting off topic but Merlin shook his head. "I wasn't bored at all. It was fun to hear about the shadow walkers and the person who lost his book." Merlin chuckled when he pictured that out. Even he once had a similar experience, only that he was experimenting on a pumpkin, thinking that if he gave it steroids which he concocted himself, it would grow big and become like Cinderella's carriage. Instead, its vines grew really fast and latched on his arm and kept growing until a panicked Merlin was completely tangled from head to toe.

 

"I'll make sure to take better care of my things from now on. But can we please try to look for them a bit tomorrow? My superiors will really kill me for losing so much equipment in a day." The researcher bit his lip, thinking how much trouble he was in if it weren't for the microchips inside his body which he could use to get minimal help from. At least he could still gather the needed samples, though it was going to be extra hard without his devices. But that was exactly the reason he had Kjartan, and Merlin wasn't letting him go, of course. The brunette was his roundtrip ticket to survival, after all.

 

"I need you, so please accompany me until the end." The human looked into the other's grey eyes to get his point across. Yet as soon as the words left his lips, the researcher realized how cheesy it must have sounded and had turned a flushed red in an instant.

 

Sounded like a proposal. Real smooth, Merlin. Real smooth.

 

"Th-That's all for now. Good night!" The human stuttered, his voice cracking as he placed the green drink on the ground next to him and flipped on the bed to his other side so that his back was to Kjartan, closing his eyes and willing himself to sleep, only that his body didn't want to listen. He did manage to get some sleep by around dawn but it was cut short when he was woken by the sound of movement inside the house. Merlin stretched carefully, amazed that all the sores he had the previous day completely erased. I need to get me some of that miracle cure, the human thought enviously as he sneaked a peek inside. The faun was already up and about, probably making breakfast since there was a mouthwatering smell that had Merlin swallowing his saliva. His teal eyes searched for Kjartan but he couldn't find him so he turned to his surroundings, only now seeing Meran's home in its splendor. Merlin's first thought was green! green! green! until he saw the tree opposite to the large one he was in. The tree had beautiful, glimmering leaves, and they were blue! blue! blue! Nothing else registered in his head and in a moment he was standing next to the tree with the shining leaves, marveling at the feeling of it's bark under his palm. The human stood openmouthed, tipping his head back to watch the mesmerizing leaves catch the sunlight.

 

Man, I'd kill for a camera right now.

 

Merlin thought when he heard a familiar rattling sound. He knew it was a plysch again though rather than near his shoulder, this time it was there right next to his right foot. The researcher froze, knowing full well the pain of it's bite. But caution didn't stop him from studying the creature. It mostly resembled a Persian cat with its flat face, stubby legs and fluffy tail, except that the tail had blue and black stripes like a Cheshire cat's and instead of purring, it made that signature rattling sound. Merlin watched in awed curiosity as the plysch rubbed its nose against his hand and kept winding through his legs, his pants littered with the animal's fur.

 

"Are you the same one as before?" Merlin asked the creature, forgetting that he had to stay still and keep quiet. But the plysch wasn't hostile. Instead, it climbed his body, perched on his shoulder and playfully licked his cheek, much to the researcher's surprise. "I guess you're the same as before." Merlin giggled as the plysch continued to lick him, finding the sensation ticklish. "You're so cute."

 

That was when the human remembered how Kjartan warned him not to mistake appearances, but Merlin had a hypothesis. He rushed back to the large tree and looked around for Kjartan until he found him. The human tried not to look too excited, though his eyes were literally shining as he showed his companion the plysch on his shoulder.

 

"My hand. This guy here peed on me." Merlin started, referring to his new little friend. "I think that it thinks that it owns me now. It's an arrogant trait but it's adorable! Did you know plyschs could do that?" Merlin asked, never minding how much of a child he was acting right then.

[-Hideki-]

Kjartan nodded and looked at Merlin with a motivating smile. “If that is your decision, I’ll give my best to find your things tomorrow; I hope that we’ll have better luck than today.” He assured the other and when the human man declared that he needed him and wanted him to stay by his side until the end Kjartan couldn’t help but smirk. It sounded as if the black haired wanted to marry him and apparently he had realised that as well because his face had turned red like fire. It was rather adorable.

 

“I’m glad that you’ll give me a second chance and I’ll do my best to not disappoint you.” His low voice rang through the night, when his opposite was turning around showing him his backside. “Good night.” Kjartan returned the wish and added:”You should really give the drink a chance. It looks repulsive and its taste isn’t the best but it is incredibly healthy.”

 

With those words he went back inside of Meran’s house. The faun was eying him sceptically, shaking his head. “Wipe that stupid smirk out of your face already.” The older commented but Kjartan just grinned at him, leaving the medic behind somewhat desperate and worried. “He is completely obstinate.” He grumpily whispered to himself but Kjartan could hear it.

 

When the assassin lay down in the wooden bed filled with soft and smooth purple moss, he stared up at the ceiling. He, much to his surprise, actually felt a little guilty. Not for lying to Merlin, lying was his daily bread, no, he felt bad for Merlin because the human would get punished for losing the devices that he had stolen. And Kjartan had seen Carlson’s rage devouring the poor soldier who had lost a machine before.

 

The brunette man couldn’t explain to himself why he felt that way though. Why would he care about the humans problems with his superiors? Why would he care about anything other than his job?

Guilt was something he didn’t know or in fact didn’t know anymore.

There had been a time when he had felt guilty if his actions had affected innocent people, when he had been eager to protect the innocent and keep them safe but those feelings of guilt and the sense of justice actually had been long gone. The word justice alone was ridiculous, it was fiction but in reality there was no justice it simply didn't exist. So why would he feel like that now?

 

Kjartan thought for a while and he came to the conclusion that Dylan was to blame for this. Before he had met the scholar he had been completely freed from any feelings of guilt. He had killed people without having a bad conscience afterwards, even though they hadn’t done anything wrong. Some of them he had even tangled into love affairs or bounded with them to gain their trust before he had cut their throats, everything that had been necessary to finish the job.

The Aeternum spy was slightly angry with Dylan, how dare he have turned him into a better person again. Being a better person only made things much more difficult and complicated.

It took him too long for his taste to fall asleep but on the other hand he was thankful for getting some sleep at all.

 

The brunette man was woken up by Meran smashing a cold, drenched rag into his face. “What a lovely way to be woken up.” Kjartan said ironically, putting the rag from his face and leaving the house to wash himself. When he had cleaned himself he went back inside and got told by Meran – who was preparing breakfast – to lay the table.

The faun protested when the younger man laid the table for three people instead of two but Kjartan ignored him since the human obviously needed some food as well.

 

When he had done that he placed himself in front of the window, looking outside while Meran was still preparing their meal. Kjartan realised that Merlin had gotten up by now and he watched him closely how he examined the blue leaved tree, seeming rather interested about it.

As soon as the brunette saw the plysch he wanted to head outside to prevent Merlin from getting bitten again only to see that this wasn’t necessary.

 

A little surprised he watched the human interact with the plysch. He hadn’t expected the other to let an animal that had nearly led to his death the other day to come that close to him again. Maybe Merlin had more heart than mind but he actually didn’t think that. The other seemed naive but also curious and intelligent to him. “I wouldn’t have thought that he would trust a plysch ever again.” Kjartan commented and Meran looked out of the window. “Oh boy, you will have a lot of work to do with that one.” The faun commented shaking his head dismissively.

 

“Mmmh...” Kjartan was thinking. “I think he is kinda cute to be honest.”

Meran raised his eyebrows. “Since when do you have any such warm ideas about the plyschs ?” he wanted to know. “Not the plysch, the human.” The younger man corrected and Meran looked at him in shock. The faun left the food alone for a moment, went up to Kjartan and slapped him at the back of his head, again. “Do you have a fever or are you just retarded?” he rhetorically asked. “Wasn’t it you who thought the human was naive seeing the plysch as cute? One human is much more dangerous than a whole colony of plyschs, Kjartan.”

 

A short while after the hit at the back of his head the door to Meran’s house was opened and Merlin was standing there presenting him the plysch and sharing his hypothesis with him. He seemed incredibly enthusiastic, euphoric even. Kjartan smiled at him. “I knew that they piss on things to mark them as theirs but I’ve never seen them interacting with a person they had pissed on before. Normally people, especially those who just have been bitten or pissed on by a plysch would kill them off before they could even get in touch with their bodies.” The local informed the human and added:” If you leave the plysch outside you can come in, Meran made breakfast.”

The faun himself growled and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

[Alezander]

He smiled. Kjartan freaking smiled.

 

Merlin had trouble focusing on what the brunette was telling him as the human was fixated on the way Kjartan had the corners of his mouth all curled up in the form of a smile. A non sarcastic smile, to be exact. Normally, the researcher would have been interested in studying the local's canines and the way his elvish ears tilted as he smile but the thought never occurred to the human that moment. His smile was attractive and admittedly, distracting. Merlin realized how wrong he was for wanting to be friends with the local after all. If Kjartan was going to be this charming all the time from now on, then Merlin's composure might not last long. Luckily Merlin somehow managed to catch the last parts of what Kjartan was telling him, and thought it unfortunate that their people didn't give the plyschs a second chance. He gave his new animal friend a tentative rub under its chin, which the plysch appeared to like, making the human smile.

 

"Stay here, master plysch." The human politely said as he set the creature down on the bed he slept on the night before. The plysch rattled before settling down and proceeded to clean its tail which the human took as permission from his little owner to leave. Merlin carefully went inside Meran's house, doing his utmost to not look too excited about being invited inside. It was already flattering enough that the table was laid for three people. Merlin tucked his hands together as a sign that he was humbled by the meal whilst mentally cursing himself for not helping Meran prepare the food earlier. Doing that could have been an opportunity to make a better impression on the faun.

 

The human eyed Kjartan in a silent question as to where he should sit. When he did find his seat, the human wondered if eye contact for the people of this planet was rude, a challenge or something else, so he kept his head down shyly, knowing that he was again in another of his over thinking tendencies. The food too was familiar and not at the same time, such that Merlin could more or less guess which should be eaten first and which utensils to use. Should I sit like this, or like this? There was so many things to consider and watch out for, and offending Meran was the last thing Merlin wanted to do. With such thoughts in mind, the human ended up mimicking Kjartan, his teal eyes continuously keeping the brunette in his peripheral vision. There was even the green juice again, the same one Kjartan offered Merlin the previous day. This time, Merlin made sure to down all of the rather horrid liquid, his face uncontrollably grimacing at the taste.

 

Although breakfast was strange and not what he was accustomed to, Merlin felt warm when he spooned the food into his starved mouth and felt slightly sad that it was soon all gone. Merlin wanted to express his gratefulness to the faun, but he couldn't pronounce the Aeternum word that Kazu taught him yet. Frustrated, the human resorted to using his own people's way of saying thanks. Pressing his palms together and keeping his fingers straight, Merlin looked straight into Meran's stunning green eyes and spoke in Japanese.

 

"Gochisousamadeshita, Meran dono."

 

Ah, maybe he thinks I'm weird now. No, more like super weird.

Blood rushed to his cheeks but Merlin wanted to communicate with the faun, even for just a little. After that, the human couldn't really explain the atmosphere between the three of them, but Merlin was already on a roll, his shame and hesitance already thrown out the window. Wordlessly, the human volunteered to help cleaning up after the meal, taking up the task of wiping up the table and drying the plates and bowls, all the while hoping that Meran was getting his message.

 

Thanks for saving my life, for sheltering me, and for sharing me a hearty meal.

 

"Can I wash myself first before we go look for my things? I won't take long." The human asked when he was finished and had approached the brunette. Merlin was looking away, conscious of the fact that he was rather grimy, the back of his neck and his hand especially feeling gross after all that happened. The balm daubed on his neck had grown crusty and Merlin scrubbed it away along with all the dirt he could rub off his skin with a smooth, round rock he found in the shallow parts of the stream he was washing in. He then washed his hair while trying to make lather out off moss that was growing in clumps nearby. By the time he was finished, Merlin smelled like the forest.

 

"If you're ready, I'll tell Meran that we're going out." The human told his companion as he tried to squeeze out water from his hair. "I mean, going out as in setting out into the forest, not going out as in dating, just to be clear." Merlin quickly added, mentally kicking himself for making so many communication errors. Was dating even a custom in planet Neron? The question reminded Merlin of a past culture on Earth called Islam. According to what Merlin read, Islamic culture disallowed dating, so in order to find a prosective marriage partner, a Muslim and a Muslimah had to have Ta'aruf, a process where families of both sides formally meet and introduce themselves to each other before a decision to Khitbah or proposal for engagement, was made. Merlin wondered if it was the same for the people of Neron. "Uhm, I think I'll go tell him now." The researcher said, just to have an excuse to escape from Kjartan.

 

When Merlin finished trying to explain in body language to a frowning Meran that he and Kjartan had to go, and that although their time together was short, Merlin hoped that higher powers would look favorably on the faun for his kindness. "Please teach me to play the flute the next time we meet." Merlin said, knowing full well that Meran wouldn't understand him. After saying his goodbye to Meran, Merlin went back outside to wake his sleeping plysch and let it climb his arm to perch on his shoulder, wore his favorite baseball cap, tied his favorite red sneakers, and waited for Kjartan to join him.

 

Alright. Time to look for those samples.

[-Hideki-]

There was the notion of insecurity coming from the human in that for the other unknown situation again. Merlin was really interesting to him because he really seemed to think about how to act now. He even wanted Kjartan to show him where he could sit. The humans he had got to know before would just have sit somewhere and done everything as they always did, their own way. This one apparently was eager to see and to learn the ways of the locals though.

 

Kjartan showed the other where he could sit and took the seat opposite to him to be able to keep his eyes on the human. The food was secondary to him as he really wanted to watch how the human would handle this situation. He had seen the men in the casern eat and other than the high ranks there hadn’t been any sign of etiquette. He once had even seen a young man throwing a piece of plum pudding into another guys face during a celebration of one of the humans holidays. While the assassin had thought that it looked like fun he couldn’t quite understand such behaviour.

 

Meran didn’t even eat. He was still sore because Kjartan had let the human into his house. When Kjartan had asked him why he wouldn’t eat, he had barked:”I refuse to eat with a human.” making the man from the empire sigh.

His mood got better again when Merlin drank the green juice and the taste made the human grimace. The face of the younger man looked hilarious and Kjartan chuckled. “That happens to everyone who drinks that for the first time. I hadn’t known that drink before I met Meran as well. To be honest I spat the first gulp out again.” He let the foreigner know.

 

When Merlin turned to Meran Kjartan thought that this would probably get quite awkward.

“What has he just said?” Meran wanted to know from Kjartan but the man from Aeternum didn’t know because the other had spoken in the language of his people again. “I don’t know.” He informed Meran. “I thought you spoke their language.” The medic was disappointed. “One of their languages, yes.” The faun eyed the human closely, branding his gestures into his memory. “What does that mean?” he was refereeing to the others hands. “I don’t know either.” Kjartan answered. “What exactly were you doing while with the humans again?” the older man shook his head. “My job! None of the humans who were surrounding me at the casern ever did something like that, I told you he was different somehow. But I suppose he wants to thank you.” The assassin took a guess and Meran thought about it for a minute and then nodded into the human’s direction, his face still stern.

 

Both locals, Kjartan as well as Meran, were completely baffled when the human lend them a hand and helped with washing the dishes and cleaning the table. Kjartan had never seen a human doing that. Not even at the casern. They had the local servants for that. He was so fascinated by it, that he wasn’t really efficient in doing his own tasks. Meran smelled a conspiracy, a greater plan behind the humans actions again and sometimes Kjartan got the idea that the old man had seen too much bad things in his life from their own people as to trust someone other than himself and his friends.

 

He waited while the human was cleaning himself, packing some things that he deemed useful, when the other returned and asked him if he was ready to go out and then clarified something that he thought Kjartan might have misunderstood. The local grinned broadly, showing off his incredibly white, shiny teeth. “I understood what you meant quite well. I didn’t assume you had any romantic or sexual interest in me.” He informed the other still smirking. “Although I wouldn’t have mind.” He added in a flirtatious, teasing tone raising his eyebrows a little while he let his eyes wander over the other man’s body.

 

Then he started to ask himself whether human men were fine with sleeping with fellow men.

A few years ago this question would never have come up in his mind because in Aeternum and the surrounding nations – most of them had already been consumed by the empire – it always had been common that some men slept with men. He even knew of one nation that saw the love between two men as the best, purest form of love.

Kjartan had worked for nobles who would – as most nobles did – enter a political marriage and then fuck with everyone, men and women alike, just not with his wife.

In Aeternum sex wasn’t a big deal, the nobles even had orgies everyone knew of and the larger cities had plenty of brothels.

 

But Kjartan had come to learn that not every civilisation was like theirs when the empire had colonised a land far away. The land was called Cherak and their people believed in an invisible goddess that had created the universe. This goddess, who one wasn’t allowed to picture, was unlike the stone god of the Talavarians. In their weird believes the goddess had left the humans rules as to how they shall live and the humans had to follow the goddess dictatorship as slaves to that goddess and her morals . Their goddess apparently hated everything good and fun. Sex, alcohol, nice clothes, tasty foods and all those things Kjartan enjoyed. And one special kind of hate she had for men who slept with men. She wouldn’t even forgive them and demand their death. Whoever had come up with that goddess and that rules must have been a completely sick person in Kjartan’s eyes.

 

What really had surprised him had been that the Cheraks were much more advanced and aware than the Talavarians. They had huge temples, fine arts, a complex system and smart men. Kjartan had seen much of their things that the legions of Aeternum had plundered from their temples and brought to Aurora. Those pieces had been highly demanded so Kjartan had got quite a few smuggler jobs in Cherak. To find a specific object had even taken him eight month in their capital city. Where he had learned how much the Cheraks had hated them. The empire was a barbaric, sinful, godless and disgusting place for them. And they felt humiliated that such low people had taken over their country which was now governed by Aeternum. The temples closed, their council of religious men suspended and the ways of the empire taking over. They had fought and they had rebelled but the empire was much better when it came to warfare.

 

He still had liked his time there. The people had interested him and he had learned their script and language and he had had quite a few adventures. One time he had drawn their goddess riding the Aeternum governor with a pleasured, lewd expression and hard nipples. He had shown the picture to a legionary who had shared imported wine from Aeternum with him – as the Cheraks had no alcohol – which a local had seen as twice as offensive and had thrown rocks at their heads in order to kill them for their commited crimes.

When he thought about it he liked the stone god of the Talavarians better, as all the creator of that god wanted from the people was to throw huge feasts and celebrations in the name of the stone god four times a year and it was always a great feast.

 

The incident of being chased by a citizen of Cherak through the capital had made it to the governor, a high rank in the military caste and the son of a noble family back in Aurora, whom the Cheraks saw as their archenemy. The governor had become interested in Kjartan, he had also liked the drawing and as soon as he could realise he had an affair with the governor going on. Fucking the manly, and tough governor whom Kjartan had thought was hot as fuck, had later led to the assassin being the hero for a change. As some Cherak man had commissioned an assassin to kill the governor and that assassin had had quite the timing, aiming for the governor’s head as he and Kjartan were having sex.

Saving the life of such a big gun like the governor who was a living legend in Aeternum sure had a lot of advantages Kjartan could still benefit from.

 

He was thrown out of his memories when Merlin exclaimed he wanted to go and tell Meran that they were leaving. Kjartan wanted to protest and say that he should rather tell his friend himself but the human was already on his way.

The spy from Aeternum saw how irritated Meran seemed at first as the human failed to get his point across without knowing the ancient language the faun spoke. Eventually Meran understood though.

 

Kjartan had to talk to Meran regardless and after he had said goodbye, with a bad feeling because he still didn’t know for sure who the human had contacted, he stepped outside next to Merlin.

He stretched out and relaxed, looking up to the trees crowns. He wouldn’t take the same way as yesterday. The shortcut he wouldn’t show the human. The assassin would take a passage that was complicated and nearly impossible to memorise back to the point where the human had lost his consciousness. It didn't matter anyway as the humans things weren't there anyway but on the way to Aurora.

 

His grey eyes saw how the other was taking the plysch with him and he shook his head in amusement, starting to walk next to Merlin never letting the human out of sight.

They heard the many noises of the forest that had already become familiar to Kjartan but must have been completely new to the human. One thing really interested him and made him curious now though, so he intended to ask. “You clarified that you weren’t romantically interested in me specifically, does that mean that you have been with other men before? And if so do you prefer men over women? Is it common and allowed for humans too or do your people believe that it is a bad and an immoral thing to do as the people of Cherak? Do your people restrict sexuality and see it as negative and sinful like the Cherak or see it as natural and normal as the empire of Aeternum or my people, the Talavar?”

 

Kjartan didn’t see those questions as a big deal, because for him they weren’t. He wouldn’t have a problem with speaking with the humans about his own sex life as well, it didn’t matter to him. Not everyone was like him though, that much he knew. Meran didn’t like his openness and Dylan blushed just as red as the legionaries capes whenever the topic came up while Shaya was even more blunt than him, what he liked about her a lot.

[Alezander]

As the human waited for his companion outside the faun's house, Merlin's mind kept swinging between Merlin's curt nod begrudgingly done earlier and the samples he had to gather by today along with his equipment which he had to search for. And no, he wasn't thinking of the way Kjartan flirted with him earlier.

 

Of course not.

 

They set out as soon as Kjartan joined Merlin and soon they followed a long, winding path. It was a route of such length, even crossing a low stream which was surrounding by boulders that had purple moss growing on them. Merlin looked around with his mouth hung open like a fish as they passed by dangerous plains filled with grass the color of snow, the nest of a large, six winged bird of obsidian gloss which the humans were trying to tame to use for transportation called Flrathis, even a patch of hanging plants whose roots that were hanging down smelled like rotten fish to attract smaller insects. The researcher felt the strong urge to wander off on his own again so he could get up close to whatever he was seeing, but Merlin held himself. He didn't want to cause trouble for Kjartan again, although meeting Meran was not a bad thing. Instead, whenever Merlin felt the strange pull to study something, the human stepped a bit closer to his companion, sometimes even considered holding onto Kjartan's cloak but then decided against it.

 

"I can't believe you carried me all the way to Meran's house through all of this." Merlin said as he walked beside the other and tilted his head back to look at Kjartan's pale grey eyes. Even if it wasn't out of personal concern and rather because he was bound by duty, Merlin thought of Kjartan as kind. Or at least the human hoped so. "Thank you."

 

Merlin felt his face get hot so he looked away and tried to focus either on looking for his things or searching for the needed samples. He mentally shook his head, reminding himself to not get too distracted. For a while the human was successful but when Kjartan started asking him about his sexuality, his preference and the people of Earth's general attitude towards sex, Merlin lost his concentration again. Of all things, why would he ask me that? Although it was interesting that Kjartan seemed genuinely curious. Clearing his throat while fighting down a blush, the human answered. "There was a time when religion was popular among humans and during that time, sex was considered holy because life came from it. It wasn't frowned upon but it wasn't exactly promoted to be done casually and publicly, unlike how the people of the empire of Aeternum do. Today, sexual activities for humans are the same as before though all sorts of pornographic material are strictly banned because they are unnecessary for reproduction." Merlin licked his lips, wondering if his answer was satisfactory. "You could say sex nowadays are all done vanilla." The human added, his face especially strained to look aloof. Now came the difficult part to answer.

 

Merlin had never been sexually or romantically involved with anyone before. He was generally attracted to all sorts of people while thinking that people were specimens too and although slowly, they are still evolving. Like always, Merlin felt naturally drawn to try studying anything he could lay his teal eyes on. He liked everyone and everything and so Merlin figured he probably was pansexual, but then again that's all because he never really had a preference. He did have sex with Brenweilla a couple of times since they were married, but it was never because he felt the urgency to touch her or that he felt he needed to express his nonexistent love towards her, and he always made sure to avoid impregnating her because of a promise he made to himself. Ever since his Tourette's came to light, Merlin decided to not have children. His own parents had tampered with his genes, so why would Merlin be so selfish and risk affecting his own child's health? When the thought came to him when he was only six years old, it terrified him so much that for a time he was afraid to touch or talk to girls.

 

On the other hand, Merlin knew he wasn't going to live completely as a celibate. Once, while he was still studying to get his Masters degree, Merlin had worked on a research project with a young professor who was eight years older than him. Often they stayed in late, even working overnight in their laboratory so it was easy for the professor to get a fifteen year old Merlin alone. While waiting for the extracts to boil, the professor suddenly attacked the younger and was trying to pin him down. Startled, Merlin back away until he bumped the pot of boiling extracts which nearly tumbled to fall on Merlin. The professor, after seeing the pot tilting precariously, impulsively stepped forward to stop the pot from falling, touching the heated metal with his bare hands and burning his hands and arms in the process. Kazu was furious when he found out about what happened and had beat the hell out of the professor until some nurses stopped him. The professor's name was Tayori Shoumei, and he was Kazu's brother.

 

To Merlin, being attacked then saved within the span of less than five minutes gave him mixed feelings. There was admiration, betrayed, grateful, then stronger admiration again. It was a weird epiphany but from then on Merlin realized that if he didn't want children anyway, he was better off being with men.

 

"I have a wife, but I'm more comfortable with men, though I've never been with one." Merlin answered with his gaze a bit far off, wondering why he was being so honest. No one really asked him in the past and now that Merlin spoke it aloud, it felt even more true. No wonder I'm so attracted to this sexy bastard. "As for you being a candidate for romantic or sexual affairs, I never said I haven't considered you, have I?" The human finished, feeling embarrassed with his words. Why the hell did I just admit that?

While it was a rather awkward topic for Merlin, the human thought he should return the favor and ask about Kjartan's preferences as well. "I have read accounts about the people of Talavar and the common comment was the brazen sexual tendencies of the locals. Is that true to you as well?" If Merlin asked such a question while on Earth, he would have had his head severed with the charge of sexual harassment, which was more reason why the researcher let his mouth continue spouting questions. He was going to take advantage of the fact that Kjartan wasn't human and that they weren't presently on Earth. "Do you do it with men as often as you do it with women? And how is it that despite the lack of protection and the amount of sex women have, they don't seem to bear more children than regular humans do? Also, do your people have the same erogenous zones as humans have?" Merlin felt intense embarrassment and he knew he was blushing to the tips of his ears and down his neck, but his curiosity always got the better of him. "Lastly, um, I've always wondered about this. Are your ears sensitive? They look so cool and um..." The human faltered, seeming to run out of steam and his head throbbing. Now that he asked, Merlin felt unsure if he really wanted to know. Kjartan's answers might turn out to be too explicit for him, and Merlin wasn't used to graphic detail about sodomised sex since porn was illegal on Earth.

 

Merlin was about to go trudging on his own again to get away from the embarrassing conversation when the plysch on his shoulder suddenly rattled. Concerned, the human followed the plysch's gaze, which was directed at Kjartan. Specifically, above the brunette's head. Merlin stared at what looked like a bee's hive, except that the workers looked like green, small versions of stag beetles what with their prominent pincer-like horns. The hive itself looked like a thick disc with similar patterns as a spider's web. The human recognized these as Latruths, insects that had very similar tendencies as bees, such as having a queen and chasing the animal that disturbs their hive. Latruths have stings which the humans suspect to have anaesthetic capabilities, which was why it was also one of the samples Merlin was tasked to collect.

 

It was frustrating that Merlin didn't have his equipment so he could document the location of the hive and the conditions in which it resided, much more actually obtain an individual or two unharmed. Disheartened, the researcher hushed his plysch and was already carefully turning away but then the animal rattled louder and even snorted, looking extremely agitated. And ready to pounce. The human realized that the plysch was hungry and turned to Kjartan for help. "I don't know if you already noticed, but there's a Latruth hive above you." Merlin said as he tiptoed so he could whisper right next to the brunette's ear, hoping to not catch attention from the insects. Kjartan could be stung after all and Merlin didn't want that. The human would be completely useless to help the local then. "Do you think we could catch one or two and a bunch to eat for my master here?" The human said, referring to his animal friend. "I can run if we have to, though I might step on something bad or dangerous so I'll have to hold your hand. In case we have to hide in water, I can hold my breath well enough. I'll keep up with you so don't hold back. Tell me if we can do it."

 

The human felt his palms sweat. Although he did not mean to, he really was testing Kjartan's trustworthiness here. Under his breath, Merlin hoped Kjartan wouldn't disappoint.

[-Hideki-]

Kjartan didn’t expect the human to bring up his rescue again and even less that he would thank him. “Carrying you to Meran for help was just a natural thing to do, you’re more than welcome and you don’t have to mention it again.” He let the other know and looked into the teal eyes that he still found to be extraordinarily intense in colour.

 

It was amusing to the man from the empire how reserved and distant the human got when he brought up sex as a subject. His answer sounded as if he read it from a textbook and Kjartan smirked while he listened to his explanation. It was rather disappointing; the only part he liked about it was that religion seemed to be a thing of the past in the humans lands because the assassin had always thought about religion as completely stupid, backward and destructive.

 

“This sounds incredibly boring. Reproduction is the last thing that comes to my mind when I think about sex and it is also a reason I personally would never have sex for.” He answered. “So are there black markets and smugglers for pornography or were they successful in banning it? It’s a shame, I rather enjoy pornography. I sometimes draw pictures when I am bored. One of my former partners was quite fond of my drawings and I had to draw us quite a few times. I also enjoy watching others having sex. It can be quite arousing, don’t you think so?” he said as if he was talking about the weather.

 

Kjartan nodded when he heard Merlin’s answer to one of his other questions. “Are you in something like a political, arranged marriage? Do you desire her, love her?” he asked but he actually knew the answer already. He had seen that so many times, had slept with nobles who had never desired their wives and their wives had never desired them. It was common in the empire and nothing out of the ordinary.

It was more interesting that the other, even though he felt more drawn to men, never had been with another man. He wanted to ask him why he hadn’t but then his attention was distracted by the information that the other had never ruled him out as a potential sexual partner.

 

He grinned as he now knew that Merlin must have been attracted to him. “So you have considered me! Have you pictured it in your mind? Did you like to imagine us doing it?” he asked in a seductive tone when the other had a few questions for him. It was funny that it apparently embarrassed the human to ask those things because Kjartan didn’t mind at all. “Brazen sexual tendencies, interestingly put. I don’t know what you understand under brazen sexuality but I hope and suspect - when I think about how lame it apparently is at your place - that I qualify.” He answered finding that subject pretty entertaining. The thought that the humans were somewhat taken aback by the Talavrians handling of sex was hilarious to Kjartan because even though they were open and natural about it they weren’t the ones with the orgies.

 

The taller man chuckled when he saw how read Merlin’s face had become. He reminded him of Dylan a lot in that moment and Kjartan, who found that trait quite cute, would have loved to tease and mock him the same way as he did with Dylan but he didn’t think that it was a good idea as the human had acted rather sensitive before. “No, I don’t have sex with men as often as with women. I have sex with men much more frequently than with women. 99% of my partners have been men. I clearly prefer men! Their bodies, their mindsets, everything! But I have been with a few women before and some of them I’ve felt sexually attracted to as well. It happens but seldom. What I have never felt for women is the will to romantically bind with them.” He explained to the human remembering that this was the reason why Shaya had come to dislike Dylan that much. Because Kjartan felt something for the scholar, even though he wouldn't say that it was love. Kjartan had never been in love.

 

The next question was something he wasn’t the perfect candidate to answer for. “Who says there is no protection? There is a plant that has large leaves that can be used to create a membrane so that impregnation won’t happen. Since the leaves somehow intensify the feelings- don’t ask me why as I don’t know – people don’t mind using them. I absolutely don’t have a clue about our reproductive rates and I am also not an expert on the cycles of our women. If that really interests you, you should ask a scholar or a medic instead of a humble servant.” He gave him an answer that probably wasn’t that helpful for the human researcher and then attempted to answer the next question because that really interested him. “I don’t know as I have never slept with a human before and don’t know your erogenous zones. I would really like to figure that one out for you though and I know just the perfect way how the both of us could explore that. Of course you could tell me yours and I could tell you mine but that would be much too boring in my eyes.” The assassin smirked openly flirting with Merlin again.

 

The last one surprised him and his face and voice turned back to serious:”Does that mean your ears aren’t?” Their ears were indeed sensitive. Not merely in a sexual context but they could be stimulated in a way that would lead to sexual arousal as well. Kjartan had once made one guy cum by only touching his ears; if touched the wrong way though it could be rather unpleasant, even painful. Just mindlessly grabbing them, as the soldiers in the casern had done to Kjartan’s people wouldn’t turn them on but would just feel painful and disgusting.

 

After a short while of silence the researcher apparently had seen something of interest to him. Kjartan didn’t know what was that interesting to the human. When the other man whispered into his ear he was surprised of what had made the other pause. “I’ve noticed. Why is that important though?” he wanted to know and got informed. The human wanted some of the Latruth probably to dissect and study.

 

“I can get some for you. I don’t care whether I get enough for the plysch to eat or not as it can hunt for itself. I’d also advice you to not run and not make hasty movements. You can grab my coat while I am catching them for you, I’ll make body contact as soon as I have them secured.” Kjartan explained. As a boy he had often caught insects like those in glasses without getting stung by them so he suspected that this would go rather smoothly. Since the risk was comparably low in his eyes he would fulfil the humans wish.

 

The local took the brown leather bag he had packed back at Meran’s place and pulled out a glass with a metal lid. He then took out a jar with a red pasty liquid. After that he got a stick from the ground, covered it with the red stuff and put the stick into the empty glass, before he closed the filled jar and put it back into the bag again.

 

Getting up from the ground he handed Merlin a piece of his robe to grab and held the open glass up into the direction of the Latruth hive, not even blinking, standing as if he was another tree.

It didn’t take long and he had three of the insects in the glass, decoyed by the red stuff on the stick.

He carefully closed the metal lid and as soon as he had done that he grabbed Merlin by putting his arm around the others hips pressing him against himself to be able to correct his steps if he was to make a mistake. They sneaked away and the insects hadn’t got suspicious. When there was enough distance between the hive and him he started to walk faster until they reached a place that seemed relatively secure for the forests circumstances.

 

“You probably think that I’m reckless and irresponsible now but I have done that more often already than you think, hence can calculate the risk quite well.” He let the other know and handed him the glass with the insects that wanted to leave the stick and hitting the glass one after the other now.

Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere there was another pair of hands than Merlin’s and his own and those hands looked similar and yet different. They were black, small, and thin and their nails were thicker and sharper than Kjartan’s. From the wrist on the long arms were covered with white fur.

The fur on its belly was blue, while the back was stripped in the colours of white, black and blue, just as the long tail with which the animal held itself on a strong branch of a nearby standing tree.

 

 

The assassin looked to his side and saw into huge eyes with a white iris and dark blue pupils.

Its ears had a similar shape as Kjartan’s just that they were covered with black hair on the outside, white on the inside and had blue long hairs at the tips. Its grip was strong and the small animal started to pull on the glass with all its strength.

 

“Let go of the glass!” the local ordered Merlin and then it was him against the animal. Or more specifically, the animals as two more of them appeared. One attacked Kjartan’s leg while the other one jumped right into the assassins face to cover his vision. It was quite a struggle to fight them off without simply killing them but after a while he managed it, looking completely rumpled.

He assured himself that the glass was still intact and in his hand and that the insects were still inside, when he saw one of the creatures sitting on a branch holding an egg in its hand that it had taken out of a bird’s nest.

 

Kjartan pushed Merlin to the side and the egg hit the ground where the other had stood a second before. Four more eggs followed but none of them hit Merlin or Kjartan.

The animal cursed by making loud clicking sounds before it disappeared.

 

“Those are shadow walkers.” He informed the other somewhat out of breath. He quickly gave the glass to Merlin. When he did that he saw that one of them had bitten him. It bled as they had very strong jaws and their teeth were sharper than those of Kjartan or a human.

They weren’t poisonous though and the shadow walkers weren’t the strongest animals in the forest either but they were clever and outsmarted the other animals. To a degree they also used things from their environment as tools. “I told you they reminded me of us, especially because they really love to own things.”

He tried to straighten his clothes and his hair a little:”Take good care of that damn glass or it will be stolen sooner than you can comprehend what had happened.”

[Alezander]

"W-Well, I haven't tried so I don't really know." Answered the human when he was asked about his opinion on voyeurism. Merlin was stuttering and this time it was well founded. Kjartan spoke of fornication as if he was talking about what he had for breakfast and the impression it left was that the local had a promiscuous life well under his belt. It was rather humbling, for lack of a better word, like Merlin was in the presence of an expert, a sage. Of sex, that is.

 

"I'm merely a scientist, so marrying me off would be of no political merit whatsoever. But yes, it was arranged by my and her parents." The human chuckled, looking rather forlorn. "I wasn't in love with her, and sometimes I feel sorry I didn't. Honestly, she's the best thing that happened to me before I came to Neron. She was kind and she understood. She deserved someone better than me." Merlin was feeling slightly melancholic at the thought of Brenweilla but then Kjartan was grinning his super attractive grin again and asking Merlin questions that instantly warranted a flustered red on the human's face. "O-Of course I didn't imagine anything of the sort! I'm not that pent up at all!" Merlin huffed, trying to ignore the effects of Kjartan's flirting.

 

Watch out, Merlin. This guy's an expert, so don't get carried away.

 

His local companion kept talking, and mentioned that he had more experience with males. So Kjartan preferred men over women, and he had multiple partners. No wonder he exuded eros like he was breathing air. Focus, Merlin, focus.

 

Then Kjartan explained how the locals used a certain plant's leaves as protection. Actually, the humans' reports about the birth rates were made merely using census numbers, and apparently no one made an onsite investigation. Seriously, who observes a bunch of locals having sex for the sake of freaking research? Merlin wouldn't do it even if they gave him incentives. But the information about protection being used was important, so the researcher filed it in his head to report later. Maybe if he can learn the local language on a conversational level, he can ask the specifics about the leaves from a medic.

 

Merlin was nodding along to Kjartan's broad explanation when he answered the question about erogenous zones. It was a shame that his companion didn't know since it could, could have been helpful information but then Kjartan switched to his flirty mode again, and Merlin was, once again, thrown off focus. Seriously, how many times do I have to lose my cool with this sexy bastard? It's not good for my heart. Merlin thought, his insides feeling funny when Kjartan showed off a smirk that Merlin would have wanted to stare at if he wasn't so busy averting his eyes from the other's piercing grey ones. "H-Human ears are also sensitive therefore touching it is considered an intimate act."

 

Somebody get me out of here.

 

Merlin mentally whined as he watched his companion prepare to catch some of the Latruth with some red paste which he coated on a stick, which was then placed in a glass. As the human took careful note of Kjartan's technique, he also wondered how he would deliver the samples later. He couldn't possibly hold into it for the entire duration of their journey. What kind of excuse do I make this time?

 

The brunette offered the researcher a portion of his robe which the human held onto while still watching the local lure some of the Latruth. Before Merlin knew it, there were three in the glass and one of his companion's arms was around the human's waist, carefully leading them away. Despite being startled, Merlin managed to keep his mouth shut and allowed Kjartan to touch him, which was rather a challenge because Merlin was ticklish anywhere and everywhere. It was burdensome but he couldn't help it.

 

When they were relatively safe, Kjartan clarified that he was used to what he just did and that it was a calculated move. Merlin shook his head at this. "It's okay. I trust you." Maybe it was foolish to trust someone so quickly but the human didn't really have much of a choice anyway. He needed the other to survive and do his job. "Thank you, Kjartan!" The human beamed, happy now that he managed to accomplish something, with the help of Kjartan, of course. And his hungry little animal friend, his master plysch who stayed behind at the hive to snack on some of the Latruth.

 

The glass jar containing the captured Latruths was about to be given to the grateful Merlin. The human had on a goofy smile on his face as he peered at the insects inside, marvelling at the shape of their horns and the magnificent shade of green they had when suddenly creatures of blue, black and white attacked them, attempting to steal the sample away. Merlin released the glass as Kjartan instructed him to and stepped away to watch the battle which commenced, wondering which moment he should step in to help but then realizing that he might burden the brunette. What the hell am I supposed to do, chant and cheer? Merlin was disappointed at himself for being so helplessly incapable. He could only worry as his companion struggled against the animals, their sharp claws nearly poking the brunette's eyes out a couple of times. Then in a split second, one managed to nab Kjartan's arm hard enough to draw blood. Shitshitshitshitshit was all Merlin could think when he was about to step forward and help, but then the fray was soon over, leaving a dishevelled Kjartan victorious. But then relief for the human didn't last long when the creatures started throwing eggs at them. Merlin was pushed just as an egg was thrown at the spot where stood a moment ago. In spite of the danger, the researcher couldn't help staring at the bluish green yolk that splattered on the ground when the eggs broke, and wondering what kind of bird would have been born from it if they weren't used as offensive projectiles against the two of them.

 

When the creatures, shadow walkers as Kjartan explained, finally left, the glass was then handed to Merlin. Hugging the intact glass close to his chest, the human looked on worriedly at the other who, surprisingly, appeared to be out of breath, his hair and clothes all tousled around. All that effort just to protect my sample.

 

"I'll hold onto it as best as I can." Merlin promised, referring to the glass in his hands. "Does here hurt a lot?" He asked, watching Kjartan's face closely for any sign of pain while the human pressed his fingers lightly on the wound. "I'm sorry." Merlin muttered under his breath. "We should get it treated quickly so it doesn't get infested." He added but then there was the loud sound of a thousand pairs of wings buzzing coming from the direction of where they came from, and was heading their way. Merlin had a hunch what was moving towards them but he didn't want to entertain it. From behind a tree emerged a dark green cloud of angry Latruths, having left their hive and obviously not out for just a fun walk. Merlin guessed that those cheeky shadow walkers were the ones who instigated the Latruths to come after Kjartan and Merlin, either out of vengeance or they were simply just pesky by nature. Either way, it wasn't a pleasant sight to see, and there was no way Kjartan's red paste could distract so many in their angered state, and so the human's first instinct was to find water. The human was sure Kjartan was already aware of it, but since earlier Merlin could hear rapidly moving water and by the way it sounded, a waterfall was probably it's source. "Let's run." He whispered to his companion, before taking hold of the brunette's wrist, taking care not to pick the one with the bite.

 

Back on Earth, it was required for every person to experience virtual reality of the planet's past condition at least once. As someone who applied to be part of planet Neron's colonization process, Merlin frequented the VR stations as part of his training. Neron's landmarks pretty much had similar locations to Earth's, except that it had its unusual colors which made finding the waterfall quite difficult. Merlin carefully pulled Kjartan along albeit with some urgency since the Latruths were chasing after them at this point. Gradually the sound grew closer and soon the human could see the cliff from which the water fell and the pool underneath it. From Merlin's unaccustomed eyes, the purplish water didn't look too deep, leading him to conclude that any sort of organism with a great maw would be absent from such shallow waters. Hopefully, at least the human thought.

 

The buzzing was nearly upon them so without further hesitation, the human pulled them both into and under the water, Merlin wondering if Kjartan managed to hold his breath. The angry insects hovered above them for some time, nearing three minutes. Despite his training, Merlin was reaching his limit. That was when a fluffy silhouette attacked the insects from above the water, causing them to disperse. The animal fell in the water between them and the human saw that it was his plysch, its four stubby paws extended and looking like it was having a blast. Merlin could have laughed if he wasn't trying to hold his breath. The plysch was swimming back to surface to pounce on the Latruths a second time, which finally drove the insects away to give up for good. The human was immediately gasping for much needed air as soon as his head was out of water. When he had caught his breath, Merlin was laughing. He wasn't sure why it was worth laughing at, but he found that planet Neron was just as exciting as he hoped for, and that it had given him a welcome as thrilling as could be. But man, now they were wet and Kjartan's soaked robes looked stifling while they clung to him.

Damn, that pair of pectoralis majora is nice. And those deltoids. That trapezius too. His rectus abdominis. And that sternocleidomastoid. Nice.

 

The researcher though as he waddled out of the water, and would have continued to stare at Kjartan throuh hihs soaked clothes if his plysch didn't turn up nuzzling to his leg. With the glass jar in one hand, the human scratched the plysch's head with his other hand. "You were very brave and noble today, master plysch. From now on, your name is Yuuko, 'brave child' in my language." The human grinned when the plysch rattled affectionately. Then Merlin turned to Kjartan. "I'm sorry I got us wet, but here, I held onto it properly." The human said, showing the local the glass.

 

While trying to squeeze water off his clothes, his cap and his shoes, Merlin absentmindedly watched the clouds pass above them, realizing how late in the afternoon it was, the Neron sky already highlighted with green and red streaks, along with some diffused pink. In the forest, trees blocked the sky but here where there was water, the sky was all in display. Maybe because he was groggy and under treatment last time that the human didn't really appreciate the early evening sky. It was lovely and scary, reminding Merlin that he was a stranger in a strange land, and that he had to adapt quick if he wanted to last long.

 

That was when Merlin's stomach growled especially loud, announcing its need for food. The human bit his lip, feeling embarrassed as he was certain that his companion heard. Shyly, Merlin strode to Kjartan and pointed at the other's injury. "I'll disinfect and dress your wound for you so... feed me please?"

[-Hideki-]

Hearing that Merlin, if he told the truth, trusted Kjartan was a huge accomplishment and the assassin wouldn’t have thought to gain the humans trust that easily. It was extraordinary that someone would trust a person they just had come to know. This would make everything a lot easier for him at both aspects his job and the personal interest he had begun to develop for the foreigner.

 

In regards to his bleeding hand he said:”It’s not that big of a deal, it looks worse than it really is.” He hadn’t much time to get his clothes and hair back into order, or to put something over the wound, because he could hear a loud buzzing noise and he knew that this didn’t mean a good thing.

Before he could speak any words of advice to the younger man, Merlin pulled him along again, just like he had done when they had first met. Kjartan tried to comprehend what the other was planning on doing and when he realised the noise of the waterfall again, he supposed that the human was aiming for the river.

 

And he was right. Before he knew what was happening Merlin had jumped right into the river pulling Kjartan with him. The robe he was wearing was completely unsuitable for moving in the water so he just tried to make as less movements as possible to not sink any further. He stared up, seeing the fight between the plysch and the Latruths through the water. When the plysch had finally defeated the insects he came to think that maybe that plysch wasn’t quite as useless as he had thought before.

 

When he emerged from the water he took deep breaths and tried to relax his heart beat a little. He shook his head trying to get the brown long strands of hair out of his vision. Blinking a few times he looked around, they had gone astray and instead of south had headed north. If they still were to search for the researchers things it would probably take them the rest of the day and the night to even get there again. It didn’t look like it but walking the whole way back up where they had jumped into the river would be a time intensive hassle.

 

“No problem. I’ve been thrown and fell into worse things than just water, believe me.” He assured the other and it was true. He had been thrown into muck back as a servant boy, he had slipped and fell into a puddle of blood and he had nearly drowned in a river back in Cherak when he had stolen a religious relic from their temple for his client and the angered Cheraks had chased him once more. He had stripped himself off of his clothes and had thrown them into the river when he himself had jumped into it. The Cheraks had seen the clothes and thought that he had been dead so they had left but he had to walk all the way back to the capital in shoes and underwear, hiding the relic in his briefs. His skin had been completely burned and blistered when he had found his way through the desert back into the capital. The governor had laughed his arse off about that incident, the younger Kjartan hadn’t found it funny at all.

 

Kjartan looked to Merlin to see if the other was alright when he realised that the shorter guy was pretty obviously admiring his athletic body. The assassin grinned saying:”I’m a bit of all right, am I not?”, when he threw a pitch black fish onshore that had been trapped in his robe. He got rid of the robe that had become too heavy from the water right after the removal of the fish. That made other parts of his body become apparent as the sleeveless shirt and his trousers stuck on his body even closer than the robe had but he didn’t really mind and threw the robe on the ground before he checked whether everything in his leather bag had stayed the way it had been before.

 

His relief regarding the bag was disturbed by the growling noise of the human’s empty stomach and the assassin chuckled. Kjartan was used to not eating regularly on some missions but the human apparently wasn’t and asked the local for food in a rather hilarious way. The brunette laughed.

“I had prepared some food for us and was planning on just giving it to you to eat. But if you insist that I feed you I can do that as well.” He winked as he spoke in a teasing, joking tone and made a fire before he placed himself on the ground next to it, searching for the food in his bag.

 

The Aeternum spy gave some of the food to Merlin and took some himself. When he had eaten, he laid down on the ground for a moment, looking into the sky. They really didn’t have any luck on their journey so far. At least the human had managed to hold onto the glass with the Latruth so all of that hadn’t been completely for nothing. Kjartan thought it couldn’t come much worse, when he heard the sound of breaking twigs from the right. Those weren’t the steps of an animal that was a person.

 

A huge shadow laid itself over the assassin and he looked up into white, aggressively shining eyes. The man in front of him had white skin, not just pale like Kjartans, but snow white.

His hair was just as white as the skin and the covering hair was tied in a knot while the hair under that had been shaved off. He wore leather closing sewed out of leather patches that had different colours, from black over dark brown to beige. His boots were black and lined with steel. He was tall and buff. And he had red paint on his skin that looked like he had drawn those lines and signs with someones blood.

 

The strange man grinned and exposed healthy teeth with longer eyeteeth than Kjartan had. Every single muscle in the spy’s body tensed up as he looked into the colourless eyes.

It was a Vintar warrior. He didn’t know from which tribe that the people of Aeternum had summarised under the name Vintar but there was no doubt about it. The empire had tried to consume the tribes of the Vintar before but they had lost to them and had had to draw back from their territory again. A historian from Aeternum had described them as robust, fierce, barbaric and stoic warriors. He had written that they were white giants who bathed in the blood of their enemies and let their children play football with the heads of defeated foes and that in their white eyes one could see death. Casually he had also stated that their land was cold, rainy, bleak and had harsh living conditions. He had written of snow, deep forests and fenlands.

 

Depicting them as cruel monstrous overlords, that were stronger than normal people, nearly invincible, had been a good move by the historian to make the people in the empire be able to wear their heads high when they had lost against people they deemed barbaric because it had made it seem that it was simply impossible, for anyone to defeat them. It had made the man’s work both flattering and insulting to the Vintar at the same time.

 

“I knew that this forest was good for surprises but I didn’t expect to find an Aeternumi in the gear of the Talavar accompanied by a human! What are you doing here, this far north in the forest?” a dark and cold voice spoke in the empires language with a heavy, harsh accent.

Kjartan was surprised to hear the other speaking his language as usually the prideful Vintar, Northerners, or Snowmen as the people of Aeternum called them, would rather bite their tongue out than speaking the language of the empire.

“What are you doing here this far south in the forest, would be the better question. The forest doesn’t lie within the borders of a nation. And as far as I know you don’t have a nation and your tribes are always fighting each other. Even more interesting would be to know why you speak my language.” Kjartan answered smiling, when he started fondling in the pockets of his trousers inconspicuously.

 

“I am aware of that. I am Aswin, the second son of Herald and my father has told us the importance of knowing and understanding your enemy.” He stated, eying Kjartan closely. As the assassin pulled out a dagger and moved forward quickly, the warrior had already pulled his sword clashing it against the dagger.

“Ridiculous. I know who you are. You are the assassin, the spy that Aeternum had sent to the humans. I’ve heard that you are said to be a splendid assassin. But an assassin’s strength is ambush. You are not a warrior and even your warriors don’t stand a chance against us in one on one combat. When you destroy their formation, they are done.” He barked and the last thing Kjartan realised was his dagger landing next to him on the ground.

 

“Right. I forgot that for a minute.” The brunette smiled widely to not let any sign of fear show. He also didn’t want to think that this was really the son of Herald. Herald was a legendary Vintar warrior and leader. He had been taken hostage by the empire as a child, had learned their ways, had even joined their legions but he had stayed true to his blood and heritage and had led the Vintar to an important victory over the empire. The man was feared and hated in the empire but Kjartan had a lot of admiration for him. What he didn’t want was actually crossing his path, or the path of his son.

 

He didn’t look to Merlin as he didn’t mean to draw any more intention towards him but it wasn’t likely that the other hadn’t noticed that Kjartan was accompanied by a human.

“How come you know who I am!” he asked the Northerner what apparently amused the white haired buff male for a reason the assassin didn’t know. “We know all about your mission. It’s not only the empire that has its eyes and ears everywhere.” Now he understood the others laughing as the he - a guy from the empire - had just underestimated the Vintar yet another time.

 

“You aren’t possibly here to search for me though. And you probably aren’t alone either.” The spy concluded and Aswin let the sword sink. “Correct. We were resting and I was about to fish, when you and your little human fell into the river. Your attempt to kill me is also twice as ridiculous considering that my men are aiming at your head with their crossbows and those weapons we took from the humans.” The man informed Kjartan.

“We are on our way to Aurora in a peaceful intention.” This surprised Kjartan and it was showing on his face. “Peaceful intention? How?” he asked and the other didn’t laugh as he wouldn’t even believe it himself if he didn’t knew.

“The humans had never come near our territory before. Either your people’s stories about us scared them away or our land protected us from them. However, about a month ago the humans had sent us a group of their people, soldiers and researchers to 'talk' to us. We knew what that meant though and we know what they are capable of, so we let them talk and while they talked we cut off their heads.” Aswin explained. “They don’t know yet. But it is only a matter of time when they will either seek revenge or try it again. So my father wants to offer an alliance between our people and yours. Because if one doesn’t count those, Cerka, Chesta, Cheta, whatever people who are far away and controlled by you, we and Aeternum are the only folks who hadn’t let the humans in. And we want to stand together for our home.”

 

It was a positive and a negative thing at the same time that the Vintar came to the same conclusion that he had come to. That all the differences between themselves were completely trivial and irrelevant when it came to the danger the humans meant to them. On the other hand, if the Vintar, a proud folk of warriors, saw an alliance with their archenemy as necessary the situation would be worse than any of them could ever imagine at this point.

 

“But it’s only your tribe. What difference does one Vintar tribe make against the humans?” Kjartan asked and Aswin answered him emotionlessly. “Who talks about only my tribe! I’m talking about the whole north! We allow our differences to rest, we will fight them out once the humans are gone or we have passed into the afterlife.”

The man from Aeternum was baffled and even a little impressed by that.

 

“And now step aside, we are taking your human.” Aswin said and Kjartans eyes widened, as some men and also women came out of the bushes. Now Kjartan’s grey eyes looked into the eyes of Merlin worry written all over his face. “Wait ! Why? What do you want with him? He won’t be of help for your negotiations with the elders.” He protested and the son of Herald smiled. “I know. My brothers will go to Aurora alone; I will take this human home to my father where we will make him sing us a song about their plans and their intentions. He will tell us everything and if he doesn’t we can still put his head up onto our fort.”

 

Kjartan gulped down the lump that had just built in his throat. This was not good. He knew when he had no chance and here he had no chance. He was helpless. Running wouldn’t work as they were surrounded. There was no way out. He leaned over to Merlin, when behind them two Vintar men captured the plysch in a bag. “In case humans have some magical super powers now would be the time to unleash them.” He said but he knew that it was complete bullshit. The brunette turned back to the white haired male again. “I am not giving him to you, not stepping aside. And you don’t want to kill or hurt me as I am important for the empire. They won’t be happy to form an alliance if they knew you just murdered one of their largest hopes don’t you think.” He said, grey staring into white, when he was grabbed by his jaw.

 

“Nice! I have heard about your methods assassin. Your sharp tongue, your manipulations, your lies and other qualities! But I promise you even if you sucked my dick right here, right now, the human would be already gone before you even managed to get my dick hard. You see, unlike you, I like being honest!” he exclaimed when Kjartan smiled and said:” Ah, you can’t know that I have quite the technique.” But the Vintar didn’t listen, it was probably true what was said about them, that they would rather fight than fuck and that their fucking was similar to a battle too. Aswin grabbed Kjartans hair and threw him onto the ground when he now spoke in his own language that Kjartan didn’t understand. “Get them both!”

 

As soon as the words had left Aswin’s mouth a man with light bluish hair pressed Kjartan to the ground tying him up. “Fuck, are you always that rough!” Kjartan exclaimed but that just made the man who didn’t understand what he was saying anyway pull the robe tighter. The man from Aeternum tried to look at Merlin and he could see the female warrior, with blood red hair that was shaven off at one side, pressing the short man down and tying him up as well. The hand separated from the other hand, and the arms tied onto their torso, not a single move possible.

 

Even though he didn’t know why he was still trying to engage Aswin into a conversation he asked:” So it is true that your women can be soldiers as well, just like Shaya said?” The smuggler had probably been the only person from Aeternum who had ever wished she had been born a Vintar. The son of Herald looked down on him. “Of course! Everyone who has the right mindset, heart and enough strength and power can be a true warrior. Skills, honour and power matter, gender doesn’t matter. And I promise you our women are better fighters than what they call men in Aeternum.” He answered pulling him up, while the even taller Vintar who had tied him up held the rope like a leash.

 

They started walking and Kjartan had no other option than following them. He moved his head around to Merlin. “Are you alright?” he asked and added:“I’m sorry! I could have fought or we could have tried to run but both of those options would have led to our deaths. If we ever return from where they are bringing us, you can hate me for being unable to fight a whole troop of them all you want but for now you I want to ask you to still listen to what I say to you. And whatever happens, try to not lie to them much or too obviously and don’t try to emotionally manipulate them or slither out of a situation, they are allergic to such behaviour.”

 

He was forcefully shut up when the man who held his rope smashed the machine gun he held in his other hand against his head that the Vintar apparently had stolen from the humans that they had defeated. It was impressive that they had been able to achieve that and on the other hand Vintar with human weapon technology scared the fuck out of him.

 

When they arrived at the ships and the majority of their troops he could see that they had deemed it a good idea to decorate their ships with the heads of the humans they had killed off. Kjartan sent a concerned and comforting look to Merlin at the sight of those atrocities but he wasn’t allowed to talk and he also wouldn’t have known what to say either.

 

He had seen how Aswin had talked to his two brothers, the eldest was apparently named Ansgar.

The Vintar really didn’t want them to move so they also tied him and Merlin onto the ships. Most of the troops went further south while they, with less ships but still many, went north.

 

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..... A week later .....

 

Kjartans bones were sore, the ropes had cut his flesh and he hadn’t gotten much sleep in the past days. They had been sitting on the ship a long time and the further north they had gotten the colder it had become. The Aeternum spy had thought about the forest as a place with bad living conditions but that land was even more brutal to him, even though there seemed to be less dangerous, or at least different, animals. The past two days they couldn’t have gone by ship anymore and they had walked through fenlands and cold, dark forests and Kjartan had thought he would lose his toes to the cold and the snow quite a few times and had been actually thankful when Aswin decided that a toeless Aeternum spy wouldn’t be helpful for gaining their enemies trust and forming an alliance, so he gave him proper shoes.

 

Seeing the wooden fort around the Vintar town almost created happiness within him! Maybe they would even give him something else than dried meat to eat. When they entered the town, women, children, farmers, old people and the warriors of the inner circle of Herald greeted the arriving warriors, and from somewhere Kjartan could hear a deep and loud drum.

 

Apparently seeing a man from Aeternum dressed like a Talavarian was more interesting and unbelievable than the caught human so the people mostly stared at him, while they whispered behind their hands what this was about.

Other than that it was rather disappointing. He didn’t see blood puddles anywhere, the kids were playing hide and seek and didn’t kick disembodied heads over the ground and it was clear that most of them were farmers or blacksmiths.

 

They brought them to a great hall inside the largest wooden building. When the door was opened he could see many of them inside of the building and at the end of the hall Herald sat in a huge throne, dressed in a heavy fur coat. As they moved further towards him, Kjartan looked from Herald to Merlin, then back into Heralds face that was signed with many battle scars and back to the human researcher again. He opened his mouth to say something to Merlin, then decided against it and closed it without a word again.

[Alezander]

Although every single time warranted unwanted blushes from the human, Merlin had more or less gotten used to the way Kjartan was perpetually flirty when he was not busy being the researcher's babysitter. Despite the discomfort and the difficulty of his job, Merlin did enjoy the small amount of time he had Kjartan all to himself. It should be this way, Merlin thought. They didn't have to be the best of friends, but this was better than being called 'Sir' all the time. His companion had given him food and side by side they ate under the Neronian sky. After a while, Kjartan was lying down while Merlin was blatantly staring at the other, wondering if it was okay to ask him his life story or something. There was not doubt that Merlin wanted to be know a lot more and be closer to Kjartan, regardless of the fact that gaining such information wasn't going to be of much use to him as a researcher.

 

That was when a third party got in the way. Said party was large, buff and white. Not just pale white, but powder white. Merlin could feel his eye sockets barely containing his eyeballs as he was stunned at the appearance of the newcomer. The fact that the white skinned fellow managed to sneak onto them in spite of his striking color was ridiculous, leading Merlin to conclude that if it wasn't with the use of magic, then the newcomer had exemplary skills moving around undetected. Hence the human's conclusion that this person was a warrior.

 

Merlin felt the hairs on the back of his arms and neck stand, his palms starting to sweat. A glance at his companion told the human that they weren't in the best of situations, and so Merlin decided to keep his mouth shut. The white skinned fellow laughed and greeted Kjartan with a voice resembling a bark. Merlin couldn't understand what they were talking, of course, and this fact frustrated the human greatly. Instead, Merlin watched in silence and, as discreetly as he could, monitored their surroundings. It didn't make sense if this white skinned warrior was travelling in his own, so the human was looking out for the buff person's companions. Much to his horror, Merlin could faintly see others and more of their muscled figures hiding in the underbrush.

 

There was the sound of blades clashing, and Kjartan's dagger was on the ground. This alarmed Merlin greatly. His brunette companion managed to not show it on his face, but the human knew that even Kjartan couldn't fight these people off. I should do something, Merlin thought as he swiftly tapped his fingers in an effort to contact Kazu. Despite his fingers shaking, Merlin typed a message without waiting for his friend's reply.

 

 

The human instructed before turning on the call function so Kazu could hear Merlin's end, where the warrior and Kjartan were still talking and visually trying not to bite each other's head off, or at least that was how it appeared to the human. Merlin thought it a cause for worry how the two locals didn't seem to get along.

 

 

Merlin warned, using his friend's full name to show he was serious. It was possible that Kazu would report to their higher ups how Merlin was presently in trouble, but he didn't want that. If it was found out that a human researcher along with his local escort was attacked by native warriors, it could eminently lead to a war between Neronians and humans, and that was not going to happen, not if Merlin could help it.

 

Suddenly there was the sound of movement coming from various directions, then Kjartan was looking straight into the human's eyes, his face riddled with worry. Kjartan looked extremely agitated as he barked in protest. Merlin didn't need a translator to understand that they were about to be taken by the white skinned people whose eyes, now that Merlin saw them up close, were blindingly empty white. When Kjartan leaned over and spoke to the human, Merlin could only chuckle. The situation was that helpless. "I can't promise anything, but I do have some magic, Kjartan." The human whispered, caressing the other's face and giving his brunette companion a reassuring smile, not that he was one to comfort. Merlin was working on a plan, but for now, he knew they had to go along with their capture. He had to bear it with clenched teeth, even when he saw how his plysch was stuffed roughly into a bag. Or when Kjartan was rudely shoved onto the ground and tied up just as the same was being done to Merlin by a red haired female warrior.

 

 

 

Then they were walking, and Kjartan was hurriedly apologizing about being unable to prevent what was happening and telling Merlin what not to do and say. "I'm fine, they haven't broken anything yet." Merlin offered his companion a grin. It wouldn't do if he worried Kjartan so although he was shaken up, the human decided to brush it off and try to focus on keeping his head where it should be. "I must say, I expected a bit more protection from you, but I'm more grateful that you didn't leave me alone to save yourself. So no, I don't hate you, and I sure won't." Merlin looked down on the ground where his red sneakers kicked at the pale soil as he walked while following the white skinned people. "I won't go all Machiavellian and manipulative on them, I don't know how to do that. If anything, I'd like to be their friend." The human said, glancing at the stiff faced redheaded warrior strutting next to him. "But I guess that will be a long shot, don't you think so, Kjartan?"

 

Merlin had to bite his tongue not to curse at the warrior who smashed what appeared to be a human made machine gun at the brunette. Don't retaliate, Merlin, calm down. But as much as the human wanted to, this particular tribe of white skinned people seemed to never run out of methods to horrify him. Their sea vessels showed off heads of human they had killed, the dismembered parts shoved into spikes. Merlin stared, his mouth hanging open in shock. Suddenly it was hard to breathe and his chest burned and before he knew it, hot tears left his eyes to streak his cheeks. They could have at least closed their eyes, Merlin thought, unable to look away and stop his silent crying. With his face still a mess, Merlin was brought to one of the vessels and was once again tied along with Kjartan, to be shipped off to god knows where.

 

For a week they sailed headed towards the north, to the land of the white skinned people. Lacking sleep, food and water with the cold biting his skin, Merlin felt utter discomfort the entire time. And yet he wasn't dispirited. Not entirely. If he wanted, Merlin could learn a language in three days, and that was exactly what the human did. He wasn't dubbed the 'youngest colonizer' at the research labs for nothing. He did finish his higher studies at a young age, but that was both his innate genius and countless sleepless nights at work. It was obvious that Kazu had caught wind of Merlin's predicament, and so helped the caught human study through their microchips. Often Merlin would click his tongue in frustration, as he had expected to treasure his time learning the Aeternumi language, savoring and mastering the words and its syntax at his favored pace. Instead, he was forced to learn it, whispering in Japanese so even his brunette companion wouldn't understand, in the hopes that it would be useful to gain sympathy from his capturers, to ensure the safety of his life along with Kjartan's.

 

Although Merlin would have preferred to not bear ill feelings toward the white skinned people who he now knew were called Vintar warriors, as Kazu researched, some of their men made it a pastime to poke and make fun of Merlin during the wee hours of the evening. The human tried to ignore them, reminding himself that he was used to being touched by others tactlessly in his childhood, but when they started fondling him on the fourth day, Merlin's lip soon bled from him biting too much on it. The human had a hard time trying not to kick their hands away. He did manage to stop himself and soon enough they would go away sniggering, but not after Merlin was left feeling a lot more humiliated than each yesterday.

 

"Where are you now, Merle?"

 

His friend's nightly calls made Merlin's discomfort and fears seem far away. Kazu had a tendency to speak in Japanese when he was extremely worried, and the thought alone was enough to console Merlin.

 

"I can't say, but still north. The land is fully covered with snow. If I wasn't bound, I would have played in it!" The captured human whispered as their convoy trudged through a dark forest. The wind was harsh even amidst the trees and so Merlin used the call function, knowing that his captors would not overhear him and if some of them did, they would probably just think that their captured human had gone mad and was mumbling nonsense by himself. Not like he could tap in Morse, anyway. He could barely feel his fingers from the cold and his toes were practically frozen.

 

"Your excitement sounds so faked." Kazu sarcastically said, but then he felt sorry and so added. "I'm sorry Merle. I really hope you're okay. I swear if you just say the word, I'll request for your rescue immediately." He had already said this a million times, and a million times back Merlin rejected him.

 

"And what? Start a war with the people of Vintar? Or the entire North? Kazu we both know our people aren't ready to fight, much less fight an entire planet. And so are they. They are yet to set aside their differences and gather their men. They are still as unprepared as we are." Merlin answered, trying to reason with his friend. Days ago when Merlin was finished learning the Aeternumi language, together the two of them listened to the recording of Aswin, the son of Herald, and Kjartan talking moments before their capture. It spoke of a plan to overthrow the humans, a plan terrifying to say the least. Their reactions were nothing short of shocked and horrified when they learned the truth, that the people of Neron not only wanted the humans off their planet, they wanted them dead.

"Merle, this isn't a decision for us to make. We should tell the others before it's too late. If this thing blows up, we'll become responsible for it. Worse, we could be accused as traitors. We'd be punished. Think of your family, Merlin. Think of Brenweilla."

 

That last part got to Merlin, so he cut the call to be left alone, the signal was starting to fail anyway. He didn't want to think of what would happen to his parents, to his wife, to his friend. Kjartan, Meran, his plysch Yuuko and the planet's flora and fauna, even his captors the Vintar. He didn't want anyone to be hurt. Maybe it was just his wishful thinking, maybe it was pure selfishness. He didn't want anyone hurt.

 

Kjartan.

 

Merlin now knew Kjartan was a spy and an assassin. He was dangerous, possibly even ruthless. But he was also someone who would not leave a wounded person in the forest, who had a somewhat curious, intellectual mind, and who was a promiscuous flirt. Merlin thought of him as an important friend. There must be a way to keep their people from killing each other.

 

Eventually they reached a wooden fort which they entered to find a Vintar town, much to Merlin's fascination despite his badly mottled wrists. It was especially magnificent to see a bustling village inside regardless of the intense cold and seemingly endless snow. From afar a loud drum sounded, reminding Merlin of loud taiko drums the Japanese used during festivals in the past. Welcomes were said and greetings were exchanged before they were led to a great hall in the grandest building, with great men inside and a splendid throne at the end in which a kingly dressed Vintar man sat, his face scarred beyond description. Merlin could feel Kjartan hesitate to talk but since the brunette decided to keep quiet, the human took it upon himself to speak. Giving the king the most respectful bow he could offer, the human showed the man his palms as a sign of peace since and that he had nothing to hide in his hands. Merlin cleared his throat and addressed the king, his voice ringing loudly inside the great hall as he spoke in the language of the empire of Aeternum.

 

"Dear King Herald, Lord of the Vintars." Even as the words escaped his lips, Merlin's Tourette's threatened to show and so he clenched his teeth really hard and took a deep breath to chase the tics away. Thankfully he managed to suppress them for now. "It is a great honor, and the most wonderful of pleasures to be in your presence. Indeed your humble servant is humbled by this encounter, but would your highness be so kind as to command to see for my friend Kjartan's needs? He is cold and starved and parched. Please consider bestowing upon him your kindness, milord." The human hoped he did not come across as rude or forward. Merlin was being very honest at this stage, knowing that he was at the mercy of the locals and that his head could end up like one of the many others that adorned their ships.

 

Those who were present in the hall were frozen on their spots when Merlin spoke, which led to the researcher wondering if this was the reaction he wanted from them. The silence was unsettling for the human and soon wished it to end, when a Vintar with a less alarming build and stood at approximately the same height as Merlin scuttled to his side, respectfully regarded the king, and spoke in a voice that was airy as a dry leaking faucet. The language used was their native tongue so Merlin could not understand but when the servant finished talking to the king, he quickly turned to Merlin and tugged at his bruised wrist, the pain making the researcher bite the insides of his cheeks. Without warning, he was being pulled out of there, back to the cold outside, and into a building which was slightly smaller yet just as grand as the first one. Merlin could only give Kjartan a panicked look before he was dragged away.

 

"Human, my lady the dowager, the Vintar's matron and King Herald's mother has asked for your immediate presence in her quarters." The servant spoke in the Aeternum language with that airy voice again, Merlin now noticing that he had a slight lisp, giving the researcher the imagination that he had a long tongue. In his mind, the human called the servant Lizard. "You are to remain quiet and to talk only when asked. Please stay here." He reminded before leaving Merlin to fetch his lady who was supposed to be very old yet she didn't appear to be the least bit older than any of the others the human saw earlier. She regarded the human with white eyes speckled with black as indication of her failing vision, the effect appearing to be as the inverted colors of the night sky dotted with stars. With a voice so richly deep that the human was surprised to hear, she spoke and it was in her native tongue so Merlin couldn't understand, but the servant Lizard translated her words for her in the empire's language.

 

"Human, as long as you are here, tell me the story of your planet, what has become of it, how your people came to be here and why."

 

She spoke a bit more, and when it was translated, Merlin thought his heart would burst in multiple feelings which were difficult to define. For sure, there was dread, grief and relief. But most importantly, there was a new determination. The dowager was upset that her son Herald was quick to choose warfare over a peaceful agreement, since she knew this would feed their nation's and people's pride, but not their children's mouths, and that war would do more bad than good to their precious planet. Merlin knew he was merely a researcher, an unofficial one at that. He had no real power anywhere, whether it was on Earth or on Neron, but he also realized that unlike his home planet, Neron's beauty could be preserved.

 

For the next five days, Merlin was confined in the building which was her private house. It wasn't so unpleasant now that he had food, water and fire to warm his fingers and toes next to. From morning until late evening, Merlin talked and the dowager, who then introduced herself as Fraien, listened, before telling Merlin about her people's side too. She wanted mutual understanding between her people and humans. She wanted peace, she didn't want anyone getting hurt. Merlin grew to love her for this since he felt the same. Soon enough Merlin learned the Vintar's native language as it became inconvenient to have her servant Lizard keep translating for them. It felt like a communion with someone who finally had the same wavelength as he did and it was a wonderful time, though Merlin often thought of Kjartan and wondered if he was doing alright. Every night before he went to sleep, Merlin would whisper into the darkness a little prayer that Kjartan was okay.

 

It was during one of his conversations with Fraien that the old woman expressed her immense approval of Merlin, which was actually quite flattering for the human.

 

"Merlin dear, I have a proposal for you."

 

The researcher put down his drink when she spoke.

 

"What is it, Fraien?"

 

She smiled and took his hands in hers before talking again. Her black speckled white eyes locked onto Merlin's teal ones.

 

"Marry my son Herald. Become his fourth wife and change his mind about the war, about the fighting. He doesn't listen to me anymore but if it's you, Merlin dear, I'm sure he'll be swayed. You are kind and you have genuine concern for our planet. I have faith you can do it."

 

"Wh-What..." The human was about to step back when his head throbbed and his legs felt like jelly. His fingertips turned cold and his palms sweat before an intense heat burned and implanted itself in the pit of his stomach. He eyed the glass which he drank from earlier, his clouded mind only just figuring it out. He had been drugged, and fuck, it was potent. "F-Fraien.. why...."

 

"I believe you can do it. Now go, dear Merlin. Present yourself to my son Herald. Seduce him and sleep with him. He will come around soon enough. My servant will aid you on your way to his quarters."

 

The servant Lizard was immediately by the drugged human's side, holding Merlin up so he could walk and leading him outside and back to the largest building but before they could arrive there, Merlin grabbed Lizard by the front of his clothes, a blade which the human stole earlier pressed on the Vintar's neck.

 

"Look, I don't want to hurt you. Please take me to the Talavarian named Kjartan instead." The researcher managed to say before another throb shook his body, this time the heat inside him growing unbearable and urgent. "Please." Merlin's eyes were starting to wet when the servant, much to his surprise, conceded and was dragging him to another building.

 

"I share my lady's beliefs, not her ways." The Vintar spoke with his dry, airy voice again, his blank eyes looking straight at Merlin. "I have faith in you too, Merlin the human. But it be best you don't get involved with King Herald. I guarantee you'll be beheaded while he holds you."

 

Merlin shuddered at his words. "Thank you, um..."

 

"Limn."

 

"Thank you, Limn."

 

The Vintar servant Limn nodded, before knocking on the door of a house and left Merlin. Alone in the cold, the human gathered his arms to his chest, his breathing uneven and his face flushed to an intense red. His erect member, nearly bursting and painful, felt imprisoned within his clothes when finally he heard footsteps from the other side. The door swung open, and immediately, before he started feeling small in front of Kjartan, Merlin spoke.

 

"Help me... please..."

[-Hideki-]

Hearing Merlin’s voice ringing through the hall of the Vintar was already surprising but hearing him speak in Kjartan's native language, the language of the empire, surprised him even more, it shocked him and he froze as he stood there. Hadn’t he said he knew some magic? Kjartan hadn’t taken that seriously and quite frankly, Merlin didn’t know magic but there was still that communication device inside of his body that Meran had informed Kjartan about. And apparently he had used the device to learn the language. The brunette had already known that the human had used it again because he had seen him mumbling in his own language the whole time. Aswin had actually asked Kjartan whether the human was bonkers what the assassin had negated. He had told him that all humans talked without having someone to talk to next to them. And this was actually true. The humans spoke into different devices, he had seen it quite often, and it always looked hilarious but there was always another human with the same device they communitcated with.

 

While it was impressive that Merlin or anyone else for that matter could learn a langue through something implanted inside of their body he knew that apparently more things were possible with whatever it was that the other had inside of him because Merlin knew Heralds name. No one had mentioned Herald and his position after the conversation between him and Aswin in the forest and if the human knew who Herald was now, he also knew who Kjartan was, what meant that Kjartan’s mission had failed.

 

The grey eyes looked into the humans face as he was talking to Herald. He didn’t know what advantage the younger wanted to achieve by asking the Vintar to treat the man from the empire well. Did he hope to gain their sympathy by attempting to care about a local, a spy, out of all of them?

The warriors from the North would never fall for that and now that he knew that Merlin knew what he was the assassin wouldn’t fall for that either. Before that he would have believed that the black haired human would have cared about his wellbeing but now there was just no reason why he would.

 

His attention was drawn back to the leader of the tribe who stood now. Herald walked towards them and started to grin widely with his scarred lips. “Stop crawling before me human or you’ll be slipping on the trail of slime that your own words leave.” The low and deep voice sounded throughout the hall and the surrounding Vintar smirked and laughed. “No hostage is ever pleased or honoured to stand before the man who captured him. No hostage has friendly feelings for the man who captured him either or feels humbled by them. I’ve been a hostage once, I know. So shove that false admiration and politeness up your arse we aren’t in Aeternum where they want their enemies to suck their cocks for capturing them. I know you have nothing good to say about me in an honest way, so don’t say anything at all as no one asked you to open your trap just yet anyway, human.”

 

That reaction didn’t surprise Kjartan. He had tried to give Merlin the information what kind of people they were dealing with but apparently he hadn’t really been successful. He should have said forget your manners and speak the truth that’s on your mind instead. But what did that mean now anyway? Herald stood right in front of them staring into Merlin’s teal eyes and eying Kjartan from the side in an amused way. He laughed as he looked at both of them. “I thought the humans were about to conquer us, including the empire, but it seems like the empire, at least a part of it has conquered the humans.” The Vintar leader laughed, turning back to Merlin again.

 

“But I don’t care about that because while it is sure hilarious to hear a human speaking the language of the all consuming empire accompanied by someone like that, it is irrelevant when looking at the larger picture. And the larger picture is what I care about. I don’t like to think small. So in case you’ll show yourself cooperative and will truthfully tell us how your species plans on enslaving and slaughtering all of us nothing will happen to you. If you won’t I’ll .....”

 

The voice of Herald stopped when a short fellow stepped out of the crowd and placed himself in front of the legendary warrior. Kjartan looked at the man and he didn’t found him to be as breathtaking and stunning as the other Vintar men. He didn’t even look strong and was nothing like the historian from Aeternum had described them. Not in the slightest.

 

The assassin couldn’t understand what the servant said but he saw how the fifty year old leaders face turned grim, his fists formed and his teeth clenched. It wasn’t only a displeased look, it was fury and Kjartan didn’t like that look at all as he didn’t know what would happen next. Without a word from Herald the short man dragged Merlin away. Kjartan’s eyes met the humans and he could see panic in them. He wanted to help him, he couldn’t help him and at the end of the day the human wouldn’t want his help anymore anyway. They were enemies. The other had only trusted him because he had thought Kjartan was on the humans side and not against them.

 

When the door of the house closed he heard a fist that beat onto the wooden wall. Herald! All the confused eyes were now on him and Aswin looked displeased and expectantly at his father. Kjartan coughed slightly, drawing the attention of Herald towards himself before he spoke. “Where did that man bring him? And what are your plans?” Herlad’s white eyes stared into his grey ones. The Vintar still flustered him even though he didn’t actually believe they were invincible overlords it was still manifested into the back his head somehow.

 

“My plans were to interrogate him, collect his information’s and to use him against his own people. I wanted him to reveal me their secrets and their knowledge.” Herald growled and then he yelled:”That stubborn, rigid old bat that is my mother obviously has other plans since she unbidden intervenes into my business again, sticking her nose into things that she can’t even understand. She is a delusional old wench and what is even worse is that she is soft-hearted as most women who aren’t warriors are. Most likely she is pampering that damn human right now.”

 

Kjartan listened to Heralds cursing and it appeared that Merlin was safer where that guy had brought him then in the presence of Herald. Then again, the information Herald could get out of the human might help not only the Vintar but the empire as well, so he didn’t know what to think about it.

 

He heard Aswin speaking to his father now. “We’ll get him back; I can pull him out of that house right away.” Herald smiled at his son as he offered that. “In case we want to fight against your grandmother, her servants and maids, yes, of course. But I don’t think that us slicing their throats would be a particularly good idea and it would sure make our own women turning against me. And half of our tribe are women. Think before you’re planning to act son.” He answered still angered about the doings of his mother, who to his regret was highly regarded by his tribe, especially by the women.

 

“And what are you planning on doing with me?” Kjartan reminded the leader about his presence again as he seemed to really not care too much about him at all. “Nothing! You are only here because you wouldn’t hand the human to my son. We won’t let you go now though. We will wait what answer we will get from Aeternum and in case they turn our offer for an alliance down, we will regard you as an enemy again and we will treat you as such.”

The spy wasn’t too thrilled about the answer because apparently his life depended on the decision of the empire of Aeternum but at least they didn’t seem hostile towards him at that moment.

 

Herald ordered a man of his close circle of warriors, Tjall, to free Kjartan from the ropes, to take him with him and to look after him for the time he would be at their place.

Tjall was about ten years older than Kjartan, taller than Aswin and stronger than an ox. He didn’t seem to talk much but he wasn’t rude to the assassin who was extremely fascinated by the Vintar man either.

His house was small and simple but it had a bed and he finally got something other to eat than dried meat.

 

The northerners didn’t leave Kjartan time to rest, the first morning Tjall dragged him out early and lending the assassins services to a farmer and the brunette had to take care of the stables and the animals that were kept there, where he also found the plysch, alive and kicking but caged.

It wasn’t the first time that he did such work so he could do it properly and didn’t get any complaints from the farmer who oddly enough was carrying a sword like a warrior would as well. Aside from women and children the man from the empire hadn’t seen a single person without a sword in the town.

 

On the second day the weather and environment had gotten to Kjartan and he started to feel down and a little blue even. He longed for the sun but he wouldn’t see it nor feel it on his body. All he felt was the cold, the snow and the wind. On that day he had to help one of their best blacksmiths, Xefran, because Kjartan had been at the humans places and the man was figuring out the humans weapons.

Again the Aeternumi was impressed by the Vintar but also scared as they seemed to have understood more than he had deemed possible. Xefran was actually able to create something quite similar at that time already.

 

Kjartan had heard about the Vintars talent for weaponry, as well as that they were supposedly incredible at building stuff and understanding mechanics but he hadn’t thought that a tribe like the Vintar would actually accomplish something like that. Their swords were incredible, the best swords in the world, Kjartan hadn’t ever seen better ones and apparently their swords were holy for them. If they lost their sword in battle or it got destroyed they’d farewell it with a ceremony and would get a new one in another ceremony. Vintar men also got buried with their swords at their side.

 

He couldn’t help the blacksmith much but he was the one who was supposed to try out one of the new weapons and it worked, just a little too much. When Kjartan had pulled the trigger of it, it had blown away two trees, killed a few chickens that were running free and had set another tree on fire.

At least like that Kjartan had been able to see the muddy ground and not only snow at that particular place for a short while.

 

The third day had been one of the most interesting ones. In the morning Kjartan had nearly ran into a woman. The woman had worn a white dress and in the fog and the snow Kjartan hadn’t been able to see her at all. Even when he had nearly touched her he had only been able to make out her silhouette. Now he understood why some of Aeternums legionaries had said that the Vintar would appear like ghosts out of nowhere and drag their souls away. The Vintar were completely adapted to their harsh environment, it was incredible.

 

In the evening he had been invited to a feast in the great hall and he had been terrified at first because Tiberion, the historian, had written that the Vintar sacrificed people and drank their blood afterwards. Nothing of that happened though, it was a normal feast without any blood at all at least until the evening had turned into night that was. The blood wasn’t from a sacrificed person though but from Kjartan.

 

Herald had showed him something that he had found inside of the body of a human. An incredible small thing that Kjartan would have probably overlooked and the Vintar had told him that he wanted to know what kind of weapon it was, what its powers were and how dangerous it was.

“Everything is a potential weapon for you guys isn’t it? Maybe it is a communication device but noooo, too simple and boring, it must be deadly.” The assassin had said in a sarcastic tone and Aswin had had a problem with that and had punched him into his handsome face without a warning.

 

The brunette had often been punched in his face before but never by a Vintar and he had clearly felt the difference. He had spit blood and his nose had leaked on the table immediately. It didn’t help much that Herald smashed his sons head onto the table for that and the younger male had his white face covered with the red goulash that he had been eating before afterwards.

 

The leader of the Vintar and no one around had seemed to think that Kjartans injuries had been bad enough to worry about them and the living legend apparently had had an interest in what the man from the empire had to say about the human device that most likely was a communication device and the assassin told the other everything about how Merlin had contacted someone at Meran’s place, on their way up north and how he suspected the other to have learned their language that way.

 

In the fourth night, Kjartan had felt miserable again and he had been freezing and shivering in his bed, while the right side of his face that had turned all colours from black, blue, purple to yellow, still hurt.

Tjall had noticed that and had sat down next to him, staring at him for a moment.

The assassin had been able to learn the language of the Vintar good enough to properly communicate with them even though he was far from fluent and he had asked the warrior why he sat there but the Vintar had only demanded him to take off his clothes.

 

At first the assassin had thought that Tjall wanted to torture him and wanted him to freeze even more and make fun of him not being able to bear the cold but that hadn't been the case as the other man had dropped his clothes as well and pressed Kjartan’s body against his.

After a while the brunette had stopped shivering and also didn’t freeze anymore due to the warrior’s body and the fur blanket.

It hadn't led to them exactly fucking each other though – what surprised the assassin himself – but they had laid there, touching each other’s bodies, kissing from time to time, until they had rubbed their dicks against each other while staring in and examining the others face and reactions.

After he had seen that Tjall looked just like him, just like any other man when in pleasure and that he and Kjartan had made the same noises even though they had other voices the Vintar didn’t fluster him like that anymore and he got more casual in his interactions with the northerners.

 

He even asked Tjall about Tiberion and why he thought that the historian always came back up north and didn’t stop writing about them and Tjall had been amused by the name Tiberion alone, telling him that the historian apparently loved a woman from another Vintar tribe but was much too scared of them to approach her. He also said that Tiberion seemed to have a weird fascination for them that was a mixture of love, obsession, repulsion, disgust and admiration all at the same time.

 

The days came and go like that and Kjartan had already given up passing by the house of Heralds mother trying to figure out how Merlin was doing or being able to get a look at him and just went straight to the task that Tjall always gave him in the morning instead.

 

The sixth morning was different though. Tjall had already been gone somewhere leaving Kjartan with no task in the house so the assassin dressed himself in the leather and fur clothing of the Vintar and also covered himself with the blanket hoping not to get cold again and waiting for Tjall to come back and tell him what he was supposed to do for that day while starring at the plain wall.

Suddenly it knocked on the door though and he knew that this was not the warrior. He never knocked, he just entered. Kjartan took a knife from the table, hid it under the blanket that he was wearing over his shoulders now and went to open the door.

 

His eyes widened and he stared unbelievingly into Merlin’s eyes. He hadn’t expected to see the human on his door steps and he couldn’t possibly imagine what he wanted. Revenge, was it that?

Kjartan kept his distance, clinging to that knife, eying the shorter male sceptically and carefully, while the other entered the house. Much to his dismay Kjartan realised that his right eye hadn’t full vision just yet since it was still somewhat swollen from Aswin’s punch.

 

Merlin wasn’t a trained assassin as far as he knew, so in case the other was there to murder him, he would still see enough to stop him from doing so. His eyes narrowed when the human asked him to help him as it was impossible for him to believe that he really wanted his help. The researcher knew that he was an assassin and a spy from Aeternum, an enemy of his species, why would he ask him for help? It didn’t make any sense to him.

 

“You know what I am, don’t you!? You don’t possibly want my help. And since you seemingly are under the protection of Herald's mother you don’t need it either. So why are you really here? Do you want to eliminate an enemy? Or somehow get me to your people to interrogate and torture me? Prevent that I will get back home perhaps?” he hissed and for some reason it hurt him to think about it. He didn’t want Merlin to see him as an enemy, as just some random local spy and a figure in the game that one should rather checkmate before he became even more dangerous.

 

Then he remembered that Merlin wasn’t like any other human, he wasn’t even like any person that Kjartan had ever met before. His reaction to the Vintar had been wanting to become their friend even though they had captured them. He didn’t know what to make of this. He took a deep breath, calmed himself but still kept his distance from the shorter male. “What happened? You indeed look distressed.” He then asked, his eyes still checking Merlin all over. “And why do you have an erection? Are you into old wenches now? Is that possibly the help you want from me?” he joked but even he knew that those jokes were inappropriate right now. Kjartan just didn’t know how to behave anymore. He had never been found out before and if he had been he would have simply killed the one who had figured him out. Why wouldn’t he now? Why wouldn’t he ram the knife into Merlin’s heart? Why did he want that human to like and trust him? To be his friend!?

[Alezander]

Merlin was swimming in and out of focus thanks to the drug that Fraien had slipped in his drink. Seeing Kjartan's face had made the human's body burn hotter, giving Merlin half a mind to jump the brunette but he managed to stop himself despite his delirious state. Kjartan was acting strange, acting suspicious of him, disbelief dripping from his words as he talked. The human understood that they weren't really close to begin with, but the other was being especially distant now with the realization that Merlin already knew who he was.

 

He wanted to answer the other's questions but the human didn't have the mind for that. He had to do something with his hard on first if he wanted to explain. "What if that was exactly what I wanted help with?" Merlin mumbled under his breath, but then he shook his head to dismiss the thought, knowing it was ridiculous. "E-Excuse me for a bit. I need to, um." The human glanced behind Kjartan and once he found clearance that no one else was in the house, he circled around the other's wary figure to search for a separate room, if possible the toilet. He needed to take care of his erection and he needed privacy for it. He wasn't go to do it in front of Kjartan, of course.

 

So the researcher half stumbled, half walked to the back of the house where he found a door which he slipped through and came into what appeared to be the house's storage room. Closing the door behind him, Merlin fell next to a pile of sacks which probably contained grains. He could feel the little beads shuffling on his back as he impatiently undid his pants, slipping them off along with his underwear until he was wearing them only halfway down his thighs. Merlin thought how bizarre it was to be doing this under such circumstances, with him being captured and the floor being so cold, but he started moving his hand around his dick nevertheless. He couldn't even remember the last time he jerked off, but he sure wasn't this hard and this wet. Merlin closed his eyes, and before even pleasure could register, he came almost immediately, leaving a sticky mess on his hand. He was far from over though, because only a few heavy breaths later, his member hardened again and so, mumbling obscenities in the Vintar's native language, set to work on relieving himself again. There was a restless feeling on his lower back and it made him desperate to be penetrated. Twice Merlin was tempted to finger himself, but he caught himself with clenched teeth. He wasn't a woman, he had no need for a cock inside him. Then for a moment Kjartan's face popped up in Merlin's head.

 

"Ah, shit."

 

The human bit his lip, determined to not let the brunette outside hear his moaning and ragged breathing. With his eyes pressed shut, Merlin tried to think of someone else. Think of Brenweilla, Merlin, just Ella. He kept chanting her name while his hand's movements grew more urgent, but he couldn't seem to conjure her image in his mind properly. Her auburn hair became brown and her round ears grew long and pointed. Then her eyes. A disarming shade of pale grey.

 

"N-No, I..."

 

Was it always so hot in the Vintar's snow village? The human was sweating so much as he searched for his release, his hand alternately thumbing his tip and rubbing his throbbing length. He had completely forgotten to keep his voice down as he tipped his head back and groaned, his eyebrows meeting and his mouth hanging slightly open. Then in a moment, his back arched and his body stiffened as he came on his stomach, his cum thick and hot on his skin. Spent and sleepy, Merlin lay there catching his breath while his hands absentmindedly tried to clean himself up as much as possible. He wondered how long he'd been touching himself, the thought reminding him that given he wasn't at King Herald's quarters as he was instructed by Fraien, it would not be long before the white skinned people figured that he was missing.

 

When he found enough strength to move again, the human stood slowly, only now taking in his surroundings. Beside the pile of sacks where he laid moments ago, there were bottles containing murky liquid which Merlin guessed to be fermented plants of some sort since there was a tangy smell permeating the air inside the room. Off to the corner were more sacks and to the far wall was a loaded tool shelf. Through the dim lighting, the researcher could make out the faint glimmer of light reflected from a flat piece of metal which, after much scrutiny, Merlin realized to be a broad sword. The human was soon intrigued as he approached the rusty blade, all the while marvelling at the fact that despite the different metals that could be found on planet Neron, they could still be oxidized and hence, become rusty, just like Earth metals. The researcher was knocked out of his curious daze when he remembered how he was still holding onto the dagger which he held against Limn's throat earlier. Looking towards the door, Merlin pondered on Kjartan's words. The brunette hadn't seem as cool and aloof as he usually did. He knew that Merlin knew who he was and what it was he did. But as much as the human was bothered by Kjartan's objectives, he didn't feel any need to be hostile toward the brunette himself. Merlin knew the other was a danger and an enemy to the human colonizers but he could not bring himself to personally feel hate or anything similar. It was a weird feeling and Merlin couldn't really understand it himself. Exiting the storage room, Merlin called Kjartan's attention and made the other look at him and the small knife he had in his hand.

 

"Kjartan, I have something to show you." Merlin said before pulling his sleeve down to expose his shoulder. Biting his lip with his breath held, he pushed the blade's sharp tip into his flesh. First it was a sting, then it grew even more painful until there was nothing registering in Merlin's mind other than the feeling of his warm blood flowing thickly down his arm, down to his hand before dripping onto the floor. With his face all scrunched in pain, the human rummaged around the slice until he found the paper thin, point five by point five centimeter microchip that Kazu had installed a year before. It was the one responsible for the call function and since Merlin had dislodged it, he'll have to rely on tapping on Morse code from now on. "You must have already known this, but I lied to you before. I did contact someone when we were at Meran's, but I only talked to my friend. That's all. Meran and his home won't be in any danger." Taking Kjartan's hand, Merlin broke the chip and placed it on the other's palm. This way, the people of Neron won't be able to investigate or use the chip, but the brunette would see that Merlin was showing him his sincerity here. "I haven't thought of reporting you or anything. If I could choose, I would rather not, but in the end it's not my call."

 

The human looked up straight into Kjartan's eyes. "For a time, you were my friend, and I won't ever forget. The lady Fraien, King Herald's mother, although she sheltered me and I loved her dearly, tried to use me against my will. When I learned of this, I realized that you're the only one I could trust here. Is that weird? We're supposed to be enemies but I..." Faltering off, the human shook his head and stepped away. Turning his back towards the other, Merlin searched the room until he found a large, thick leather coat with a fur lined hood. It was so heavy that when Merlin donned it, he nearly toppled over, his frame crumpling under its weight. Staring at his very dirty sneakers, Merlin decided that if he was going to steal a jacket, he might as well include a pair of boots, but every pair in the house was too large and heavy so he settled for just the coat, hoping the master of the house wouldn't mind.

 

"I'm running away today." The human said as he strode to face Kjartan again. Merlin gave the other a good, long look, relieved that Herald was kind enough to grace the brunette with proper clothes, shelter and other needs. Kjartan looked healthy overall, except for his bruised eye, which was already healing. With a small smile, the human gingerly felt Kjartan's bruised eye, almost amazed that the brunette could receive damage like this. From the very first day, Merlin had always been intimidated by Kjartan, but that was because he always pictured the local as invincible and thoroughly capable. And potentially dangerous. To see him injured like when fighting with the shadow walkers and his present bruise gave the human some sort of a relief since now he knew that Kjartan was just a mortal too.

 

"Won't you..." Come with me? Merlin wanted to say, but he stopped. There won't be much meaning to them sticking together anymore, after everything that happened. Merlin didn't know what it would mean if he came back to the laboratory center without his native escort but bringing Kjartan there felt wrong too since he'd end up helping a spy. Instead, the human stepped closer, close enough to invade Kjartan's personal space. "May I?" He whispered as he stood on his tippy toes to caress the brunette's right ear with his bloodied hand, his other hand on Kjartan's shoulder for balance. Merlin felt giddy massaging the ear and feeling it's soft springiness. "It feels relaxing to touch it." The human said as he stepped away, his heart beating faster than usual and a faint pink dusting his cheeks. It wasn't so relaxing after all, Merlin thought as he turned to open the door. "Bye bye, Kjartan." He said and paused, before adding. "Dreichschpklrafasschulplin."

 

The human didn't turn back as he made his way to the village gates, pulling the heavy lined hood over his head, looking down and trying not to attract any attention from any of the Vintar that might see him by chance. He was nearing the outside when a figure dressed in grey approached him seemingly from out of nowhere, making him nearly jump. "Limn? It's you, right?" Merlin asked, finding his shape familiar after all the time he spent with Fraien. "Yes, Merlin the human. The village will be bustling before long. If you must leave, do so quickly." The Vintar servant spoke as he swiftly made Merlin undress the heavy coat and change into a white, lighter one, it's size perfect for the human. Limn slipped a pair of white boots on top of Merlin's red sneakers which were more useful against the cold. "Here, your little animal friend." He said while opening the cage of Yuuko the plysch, who immediately climbed and perched on Merlin's uninjured shoulder. Limn noticed the researcher's injury too and swiftly bandaged it.

 

Finally, from one of his pockets he produced something which looked like an inhaler just like what asthmatics have, and pushed one end into the human's mouth. "Inhale then hold your breath." He instructed then pressed a button. The gas that Merlin inhaled felt fire hot, the effect being the same as drinking vodka. It felt uncomfortable in his chest first, but when the heat dissipated, the human felt warmth and the cold just didn't exist anymore. "Use it once half a day until you reach the end of the land of snow." Limn said, placing the puff in Merlin's pocket. "Thank you very much, Limn, I-" But the human's thanks were cut short when the Vintar servant interrupted. "Always welcome, Merlin the human. Now go, before my brethren awake." He said but the researcher had one more question to ask. "H-How is Fraien?" The Vintar only looked down. "She doesn't know that I have gone against her." His wispy voice was easily drowned by the cold wind, but it was enough to remind Merlin that with his escape, someone else would be punished or put in danger for helping him. The Vintar must have sensed the human's distress since he patted Merlin firmly on the back. "Go now, Merlin. The next time we meet, it shall be as friends." Limn said, giving Merlin a toothy smile. The human smiled back, pulled the other's hand into a handshake, an act which Limn found puzzling, and left to start a two day trek on the frozen sea alone.

 

The first day wasn't so difficult since the cold inside the fort wasn't so much different from the cold outside. There weren't many landmarks to backtrack with, but at least there was the sun to follow. Merlin had only one goal, south. He was going to get as far away from the snow and the Vintars as much as he could. Soon enough Merlin came under Kazu's radar, his friend screaming loudly in his ear after Merlin disappeared for nearly a week. Merlin was only laughing while Kazu half scolded, half worried over him. When he was finished shouting, Kazu was immediately giving Merlin directions to follow because he had prepared for someone to meet Merlin at the edge of the land of snow. Other than Kazu's instructions, Merlin also used his plysch to navigate the seemingly endless expanse of ice around him, watching it twitch its nose every now and then for any sign of danger. Most of the time he hugged the plysch and kept it wrapped in his coat, where it slept soundly for a few minutes before waking up energetically and basically wasting body heat. The second day was much, much worse. Some angry looking clouds somehow gathered in nearly no time to produce a freak storm, one which placed the travelling human and his plysch in danger. The ice beneath them could break, and since there was no other tall, pointy figure nearby, they could become an unwilling lightning rod attracting large amounts of electricity. Fortunately they were only a few kilometers to the shore on the right so Merlin sprinted as fast as he could. Kazu's calls kept giving static due to bad weather but he managed to maneuver Merlin to the meet up point where someone waited for Merlin.

 

"So it's you." Merlin sighed when he found the camp of the person who he identified as the human who Kazu had instructed to meet him. Tayori Shoumei, Kazu's big brother. Shoumei only grinned and offered a hand which Merlin openly begrudgingly shook. "So it's me. Aren't you glad to see me?" He asked but when he did, the plysch rattled and positioned as if to pounce from where it perched on Merlin's shoulder. Merlin almost laughed. "I think my little master here isn't. Your face isn't the most refreshing of sights, you know? Anyway do you have food? I know you have food. Don't you lie to me. Give me some. You have to feed me. I'm tired of chewing on cold jerky." Merlin was already dumping the supplies bag which Limn made him carry, inside the tent that Shoumei had erected earlier. The older was busy heating up food above a greenish fire while Merlin changed into new clothes that Shoumei had prepared for him before wearing the white coat again. Merlin was especially attached to the coat since it blocked the cold effectively yet was very light. Also, it was a reminder that a Vintar, someone who was supposed to be an enemy, had helped him. His thoughts were interrupted when Shoumei sat beside him at the entrance of the tent and placed the mess kit containing still boiling curry in front of Merlin. His mouth immediately flooding, Merlin clapped his hands in gratefulness. "That smells so damn good! Thank you Shoumei." Merlin beamed before serving himself a bowl, his face stuffed with the spicy dish within seconds. The other looked smug but he didn't say a word, letting the newcomer commune with the food while he also served himself some of the food.

 

"You look pale, Merle." The older commented conversationally. "Well, duh. You try running away from the north in two days, see if you get a nice tan." The younger managed to respond despite his stuffed cheeks, prompting Shoumei to click his tongue. "You're always like this, Merle. It was cute when you were younger but now it feels like a provocation." Merlin looked up from his now empty bowl and was already helping himself to seconds, which turned out to be the last portion left. "What is?" He asked and the older could only sigh. "The way you talk. Or maybe it's just towards me, I don't know." Shoumei shrugged and stood to clean up. "When you finish eating, leave the utensils over by the rock. If you want, you can sleep in the tent afterwards. I'll keep watch outside." Shoumei instructed, and turned his back to the other but when he faced Merlin again, Merlin was wearing an amused expression. "Wanting to be treated kindly isn't like you, Shoumei. It's kind of gross." The younger was already scraping up the last bits of rice from his bowl when he stood and placed his utensils as he was told, smacking his lips in satisfaction. "I might be tired, but I can accompany you for a few hours of chitchat."

 

Given the way they spoke to each other, Merlin expected an exhausting conversation filled to the brim with offhandedly given sarcastic remarks. But the talk never started and so a long silence stretched between them, one which was occasionally interrupted by the sound of the fire crackling. Left in with his thoughts, Merlin looked on to stare at the dark outline of the forest, its treetops capped with snow and the cold night air chilled to a standstill. Hugging his knees to his chest, Merlin closed his eyes to let his ears do the work of observing the natural world around him, only now realizing how tired he was for travelling nonstop by himself. "I thought you could stay up to talk to me, but I guess you're too wiped. Go lie down inside." Shoumei suggested but Merlin only stretched to show he still had energy to waste. "I'm not. Don't pull that caring big brother act on me, please. I hate it when you do that." When the younger said that, Shoumei rolled his eyes. "Like I said, why are you like that to me-" But Merlin cut him off. "Shoumei, you jumped me before. It was gross and scary so don't blame me if I hate you now." That shut Shoumei up for a while and Merlin was back to stargazing and wondering off when suddenly a little voice from far off inland called to them, so faint that it the words spoken were indecipherable. Merlin's teal eyes followed the other male as Shoumei responded and called back in the Aeternumi language. This got the younger's attention so he stood up, instinctively clutching at the small knife still hidden in his clothes. Merlin didn't want to be a paranoid prick, but he did just escape from the Vintar so he had the right to be careful.

 

"Over here." Shoumei was saying in the empire's language, even waving his arms at a speck of torchlight that stood out in the white darkness. Unsure why, Merlin braced himself as the holder of that light came closer and closer, until he could make out a child's outline. "I didn't think you would really come all this way. I'm happy. Have you eaten?" The older male was immediately fussing over the newcomer, his voice sounding so different from how he spoke towards Merlin earlier. "I'm okay. I ate everything today so mother would let me come here. I even ate my sprouts!" The child, a female native wearing a simple knee length dress with her ears barely even pointed yet, looked equally as happy as Shoumei to see him. Merlin looked back and forth between them, wondering what kind of relationship the two had and while he did, he kept quiet to listen to them talk some more. Shoumei was beaming as he patted her head. "You're a good girl, Pretty. Your mother should be very proud of you. Were you not afraid of the forest?"

 

The girl gave a grin and pressed her fisted hands on her hips. "The forest is my backyard. I fear nothing in it." As soon as she said this, Yuuko the plysch, who had been sleeping in the tent all this time, rushed to her feet and sniffed around before stretching its tabby body. The sight of the plysch had her paralysed and she stood completely still, looking rather afraid despite what she just said. Seeing her distressed face, Shoumei nudged Merlin for help. The younger male raised an eyebrow but did not say anything about it, and just proceeded to call the attention of his plysch, who bounced to his shoulder in response. "Thank you, mister." The girl said, her voice sort of shaky from the assumed attack from the plysch. Shoumei was running his hand on her back to comfort her, and was leading her to the tent. "Rest for a bit inside, Pretty. I'll be there shortly. Let me talk with Merle for a bit, okay?" The little girl nodded as Shoumei gave her a smooch in her forehead, which made her giggle before she went inside.

 

Merlin looked at the exchange with an alarmed and suspicious expression which the other male ignored as he sat beside Merlin. "You call her 'Pretty'?" The younger started. "She likes it." The older simply answered. "How old is she?" Merlin asked while Shoumei only uncorked a bottle of what smelled like fermented grains and started drinking from it. "Nine." The number left Merlin with his mouth open. "I've always had my suspicions of you, but I never really believed that you'd be a pedophile, Shoumei." The younger was already shaking his head. "I'm not. I'm her teacher that's why she loves me. And I love her 'cause she's my best student." Shoumei took another swig but Merlin wasn't convinced. "That's no excuse, though. Teachers don't kiss their students' foreheads like that, or act so intimate with them. Does her mother know about the two of you?" Merlin's question was answered with silence, which made the younger shiver through his goosebumps. "You're messed up, Shoumei. A nine year old, and a native at that. You know there's friction between the people of Neron and us Earthlings. If something happens to her while she's with you-"

 

Merlin was about to lecture the older when Shoumei cut him off. "She's a Cheraka, Merle, and their High Priestess has personally appointed me to educate their children in preparation for a multicultured life with us humans. A few miles from here is a small Talavarian tribe occupied by the Cherak where I teach and Pretty lives, see. The higher ups haven't told me anything yet, but I bet it's something along the lines of allying with the Cherak. The Cherak has long despised the fact that the empire, a breeding ground for savages in their eyes, has managed to subjugate them despite being generally wiser than them. The humans, on the other hand, appear to be much more dignified since we don't practice sodomized sex and we aren't particular about pleasures of the flesh like the people from the empire. They'll gladly assist us in case a war breaks out as long as we let the Cherak handle the resources. But I hear that's why the alliance isn't final yet, because the military wants to have complete control over the resources on this planet while the Cherak want to receive blessing from their goddess first before excavating anything. They've reached an impasse and here we are." Their eyes met and for once, Shoumei actually looked serious. "I won't let anything happen to Pretty, not if I can help it."

 

I had no idea something so big was moving behind the scenes.

 

Merlin was speechless over the information. Wordlessly, he reached over to grab the bottle that Shoumei was holding and drank from it himself, the liquid turning out to be so bitter that he had to spit most of it back out. Shoumei took the bottle from Merlin's fingers. "Slow down. We both know you're no good with alcohol." But the younger only shook his head stubbornly and pried the bottle away from Shoumei. "Let me drink because I... I have to tell you something, Shoumei." Although he was worried, Merlin decided to tell the other everything that happened, Meran, the Vintar, Fraien, Limn, his lost gadgets, Kjartan and his work. The older male listened closely while Merlin narrated, the younger wondering if he was doing the right thing. Along the way Merlin felt his chest burn like he was about to cry but he managed to not let the tears out. Weird. Why did he feel like crying? "So you're worried that he's a spy and you're just a humble researcher so you can't do anything about it." The older summarised while wearing an amused smile. "What's wrong with being humble?" The younger asked as he tipped the bottle to gulp the last of the drink.

 

"Hm. Sounds like a crush, though." Shoumei diagnosed, leading Merlin to choke on his drink. Merlin swayed and his head throbbed, his wooziness after drinking past his limit didn't help either. "It's not, stupid Shoumei. I'm married, okay? Married. For two years now. I can't possibly be crushing on someone." But Shoumei was already grinning. "You're in denial so I won't say anything more. We're in the same boat and I understand the feeling." Merlin handed the empty bottle to the older before lying down on the ground next to the fire, his plysch sitting on his stomach. "No we're not. you're a pedo teacher and I'm not." Shoumei shrugged then stood, bringing the bottle with him. "Merle, before you worry to much, you should know that having a spy on our backs isn't really a surprise. In fact, the higher ups have been expecting lots of them at our doorstep. There is obvious unease in the air, and it's only a matter of time before something big happens. What I'm trying to say is, I won't tell anyone what you just told me because a war has always been a possibility and this intel makes no difference. As for Kjartan, if he is as you made him out to be, then he's not much of a threat, considering he couldn't even hurt you even after you learned he's a spy."

 

And then he left to stash the bottle away and went inside the tent, where Merlin heard Pretty and Shoumei talking softly. The younger male laid on his back as he let their voices drift in the background while his thoughts immediately conjured a pair of captivating pale grey eyes. Begone, damned imaginations. Merlin mentally shooed the images away. There were so many things to think about. What was he supposed to do now? Continue gathering samples? The planet Neron would kill him within two seconds without Kjartan, though. And he didn't have the proper equipment. Then there were the Vintar, who would most probably hunt him down since he could use their language and could possibly have overheard some of their plans. Should he go with Shoumei to the home village of Pretty and work as a teacher there while planning his next move? Merlin thought and thought, knowing full well that he wasn't the best when it came to decision making. Absentmindedly petting the plysch that had fallen asleep on top of him, Merlin wondered how Kjartan was doing, and if he had continued on his spy duties yet, or if he was still at north with the Vintar, when Merlin heard Shoumei and Pretty both say 'dreichschpklrafasschulplin' together, then an exchange of goodnight wishes before Shoumei stepped outside again. Even without watching their facial expressions, Merlin could tell that they said the word seriously, and that the word had considerable weight and strings attached to it.

 

"Hey Merle. Sorry, can we let the little lady have the tent?" He asked, to which Merlin answered flippantly. "No problem, I'm already too cozy here anyway. But let me just confirm something. Dreichschpklrafasschulplin means thanks, right?" Shoumei had turned red when he realized that Merlin had been listening to them, but he didn't point it out and just explained. "No, literally it means 'I promise' but it's, uh, if used among comrades it suggests a very strong pledge of fealty. But normally, it is used among c-couples, and is used to express complete devotion to your partner, as in promising your life to them. It's intended to be very difficult to pronounce so that it won't be misused or casually thrown around." By the time Shoumei finished his explanation, his face was flushed, and so was Merlin's when he realized something. "Wh-What do I do, Shoumei? I actually used the word on Kjartan before I left." Merlin could feel his voice waver in panic. The older male looked shocked, worried, then amused. Laughing, Shoumei stretched and sat somewhere hidden from the firelight to start watch while the younger male and Pretty rested. "Well, Merle. Looks like you're engaged now. Congrats."

 

"I-It wasn't my fault. Kazu taught me the wrong meaning."

 

"I don't see the problem, since you're crushing on Kjartan anyways."

 

"Fuck off. I said I'm married!" Merlin growled, now in a bad mood that the other kept insisting he had a crush.

 

"Kazuhito told me your mouth gets dirty when you drink too much. So it is true."

 

"Shut up, lolicon. I'm not drunk."

 

"Go to sleep, Merle."

 

"You bet I fucking will." The younger switched to lie on his side, hugging his plysch. "Ignore the lolicon, Yuuko." Merlin muttered, determined to sleep. His head throbbed and his entire body ached. Yet despite the many things he had to think about, Kjartan reigned supreme in his head. His face felt hot but he blamed it on the alcohol.

 

Stupid, stupid Merlin. He scolded himself mentally as he slowly surrendered to sleep, burying his blushing face in the soft fur of his animal friend who rattled contentedly.

 

A crush? How pointless.

[-Hideki-]

Still eying the other suspiciously he realised that the shorter man seemed to be completely in heat, nearly desperate. Remembering their earlier conversation he asked himself how long it had been since the other had done it be that with a partner or by himself. Then he realised how wide the others pupils were and he knew that he must have received a drug, some kind of aphrodisiac. So the Vintar had that too?

He wouldn’t have thought that. Kjartan had experienced people being under such drugs and while they sure got lewd and were desperately craving sex he had never enjoyed sleeping with someone who had put themselves under the effect of such a drug.

 

Even though Kjartan didn’t tear down the invincible wall he had built between them he smirked at the cocky answer he got from Merlin and hadn’t expected. “Under other circumstances I would have gladly helped you out with your boner right away.” He said his eyes laying on the tent the others erect penis had made out of his trousers. There was curiosity building up inside of him as he had never seen a human’s dick before and he asked himself how it would look and feel if he touched it with his hands and his mouth.

His only opportunity disappeared in the small room next to the main room to take care of his business. It was a little disappointing for him; he would have liked to see the shorter man jerking off in front of him. Thinking about it more clearly it might not have been that good after all since it might have had the potential to arouse him as well.

 

The assassin tried to focus, clinging on the knife harder. He should get him now. Enter the room and slice the black haired human’s throat before he could know what just happened. There was no way he could actually let him live, he knew too much. Way too much! It would be foolish! Completely idiotic and totally unlike him to not do what had to be done without hesitation! He hesitated though. The brunette closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against the wooden wall for a moment resisting the urge to smash it against it.

What was wrong with him? The local couldn’t just forget his job, his duty. It was much more important than that little human man.

 

He heard the noises from the other room and listened in for a while. The moans were loud and so over the top that they seemed completely fake but he had heard it before, it was the drug. Just when he thought that it didn’t get more interesting than that the spy could hear the human chanting a name. A name he didn’t knew. A female sounding name. “Brenweilla!” Kjartan repeated the name and it burned itself into his brain. This must be that woman. The woman he didn’t really love but was married to. But why was he screaming her name in pleasure if he didn’t desire her? It didn’t make any sense to him.

 

When the human returned into the room Kjartan was already casually leaning on the wall opposite to the small room. He could smell the scent of cum and sex on the human as he examined him again:” So you are into old wenches after all, who would have thought.” He commented, having that smirk he always had when he playfully made fun of the faun Meran. “Brenweilla!” he imitated the other and he didn’t know why he was wasting his time doing something like that. Why was he even doing it at all? Unlike Meran who made prudish remarks Merlin had not said anything at all in that direction and still he had targeted that woman’s name the other had screamed while jerking off. Why? It was stupid. He should rather be slicing the other open with this knife he held in hand.

 

When the human spoke he realised that he had been getting careless. His mind went blank completely and he was only concentrating on the movements Merlin made. He was holding a weapon, probably a dagger or a knife as well. He wouldn’t be getting killed by a human, not today, the man from the empire thought, ready to counter attack when the other made his move. And indeed the human was pulling out a dagger and moved his arm but not towards the assassin but towards himself. Kjartan stood there, speechlessly watching the blade piercing the humans flesh. Blood was dripping on the wooden floor and even though he had been ready to kill Merlin before the human killed him a second ago he just wanted to jump in and stop him from harming himself like that. He didn’t avert his grey eyes, he looked right into the teal ones of the other and he could see the pain on his face and in his eyes. It was sight he knew well. A sight that usually didn’t bother him anymore but oddly enough he seemed to care now.

 

The human stepped forward and came closer to him and it alerted him again as he still didn’t trust the situation. He saw the other holding that human device in hand, the same thing that Herald had shown to him. “I know what you’ve done. And I know that you lied to me. You are an incredibly bad liar, do you know that?” he commented, as his fingers moved and then grabbed the knife strongly. “In fact I have never seen such a bad liar and...”the brunette couldn’t keep himself from smiling,”...that’s probably one of the reasons that I’ve come to like you. It’s too bad. It should have never come this far. I am not supposed to like those I work with if you get what I am saying.” The assassin said and the human was so close now that it was the best opportunity he had, an easier one wouldn’t come.

His hand holding the knife started to sweat and he felt uncomfortable in his own skin. This had never happened to him before and it didn’t matter he just had to kill him. He had to! The muscles in his body were tensing up and his hand moved forward but before it could even reach out under the blanket he let the knife sink again. “You better be right about that! Meran is my friend and he has nothing to do with any of this. He is not a citizen of any nation and he is not an enemy to anyone. All he did was saving your life and you better remember it! If anything will happen to him or his home you will regret that!” he said in a threatening voice as this was all he could do if he couldn’t bring himself to cutting the other open like a fish how he had done it with dozens of people before.

 

The words that followed reflected to a degree what he thought but Kjartan didn’t only find it weird, he found it to be incredibly ironic and twisted and when he still didn’t acted when the other voluntarily presented him his back he knew that he wouldn’t kill him today, nor tomorrow and he felt anger inside of him. He wasn’t mad at the human though, he was mad about himself. Mad because he couldn’t understand himself and he didn’t want to understand himself. He just wanted to function like he always had.

 

Merlin’s intentions became crystal clear when he searched for warm clothing in the wooden house and Kjartan ran his hand over his face. He would run away. The brunette sure could stop him without killing him but what was the point? The black haired man wouldn’t risk his life in the wilderness if whatever Herald’s mother had planned for him wouldn’t be a death sentence. And he just couldn’t be responsible for this person’s death at all even though he wouldn’t directly be killing him then. It probably would have been even worse. He felt sick! Sick and disgusted about himself for the way he thought.

 

When the other finally announced his attentions to him the local snorted and then smiled faintly and melancholic. “I know what you’re doing. I am not stopping you. We won’t meet again. It probably would be in a bad situation for one or both of us if we ever were to meet again, so let’s hope we won’t ever run into each other again. I hope that you will return home to your planet soon, were that lady from your sex dreams is waiting for you.” He said and then had the human coming way too close to him. So close that Kjartan had to hold the knife differently to not accidently step the other to death after all his internal fighting with himself.

 

In the moment the other reached up for his ear his face became stone cold, his eyes glaring angrily and disappointed. He wasn’t so different after all was he? Kjartan flinched his teeth and grabbed the other wrist pushing his hand away. He had once sworn himself to hack off the hand of the human who did that to him but he wouldn’t do that to the researcher as well. He really had gained a place in Kjartan’s favour but it still reminded him too much of the human soldiers grabbing and fondling the locals ears at the basis. It had been a form of humiliation and even though they hadn’t touched him like that he had felt humiliation too whenever they did that to one of his people.

“Oh, does it? And of course you are entitled to grab everything that you find nice or relaxing to touch because you’re a human and I am not, right?” he exclaimed more aggressively than he had wanted. His own failure and the gigantic mistake that he was about to make was getting to him. He would regret all of this afterwards. And he would have to pay for this sooner or later.

 

The other just wished him farewell and Kjartan couldn’t respond. He would have to try to ignore that the other was freely stepping out of the door carrying the information about him and so much more with him.

He didn’t look at Merlin, he demonstratively looked away. That led to him suddenly pulling his head around when he heard that word: ‘Dreichschpklrafasschulplin’. His eyes stared in disbelief as the other disappeared into the snow. The human probably didn’t understand what he had just done. This was insane. This word, this ridiculous word! The assassin had never believed in this word. He thought it was an empty phrase. An empty phrase people said to delude themselves. This proposal, this promise, this word usually heard at wedding ceremonies, where did he get it from and what did he think he had just said to him?

 

He couldn’t wrap his head around anything. He regretted that the last thing he had said to Merlin had been harsh words of criticism. And he regretted that the other was still alive while at the same time being happy about it. The man from the empire hadn’t known that he had been capable of feeling so many things, also contradictory things, at the same time.

There was still the possibility of going after him. Of throwing the knife right into his back without him seeing his face but he knew he wouldn’t do it. It had been clear when he first had let Merlin enter the other room without killing him. He dropped the knife on the floor, kicked a chair and punched the wall. Then he started to clean the floor. No, he hadn’t seen Merlin before he had run off. The human had never entered the house and Kjartan would be incredibly surprised that the other had escaped.

The assassin even replaced the coat with one of the fur blankets.

 

When Tjall came back Kjartan was sitting around drinking a hot drink and seemingly waiting for him to tell him his duties. It didn’t come to him helping the blacksmith though as the disappearing of Merlin got figured out quite fast. Of course they asked him but he was playing dumb. He knew nothing, had seen nothing and other than Merlin he was a perfect liar, even perfect enough to deceive some of the Vintar, even though he had the feeling that Herald, Aswin and Tjall didn’t believe him.

The Vintar send their hunters after them. The hunters weren’t only hunters of animals though; they were also hunters of humans. They were the elite spies of the Vintar. Kjartan couldn’t hear nor see them when they were rushing out into every direction like phantoms. They were probably better spies than he was he thought and then stopped caring altogether as this was the easiest for him in that moment.

 

By the time that the Ting was in session deciding over the fate of that short guy called Limn, Kjartan was drunk. He couldn’t care less what they would do to this man who had helped Merlin to escape. He just sat there next to Tjall staring around rather surprised that the Vintars were discussing their matters and every man from the town could participate. There were no casts, nothing. Just the men sitting before their leader Herald who was listening to their inputs on what to do with the traitor. And if there was something Vintar hated, it was traitors and disloyalty.

 

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The same time in Aurora; Aeternum!

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Dylan’s eyes narrowed when Shaya stepped into his living room and made herself at home without his permission. The woman looked directly into his eyes when she put her bag onto the table. The medic’s nostrils widened as he watched her, his hands busy playing with the fabric of his robe. The blond middle aged man of the scholar cast had always been a little eccentric, was prone to nervousness and seemed overall neurotic. Despite that or because of that he was an exceptional mind though and he didn’t like to see that criminal ignorantly putting her bag on his notes and books that were lying on the table.

“To what do I owe that.... honour?” he said as if she was dirt under his shoes. He had never liked her and she had never been fond of him either. The woman snorted and grinned widely in a teasing waý:” Kjartan!” she answered knowingly.

 

The blond’s expression changed as he knew that this meant that inside of the bag there had to be at least one device of human technology. Now he made the attempt to put his notes and books aside but it was too late, Shaya had already opened the bag and emptied it out all over it. “When he asked me to deliver something to you I thought it was just one of those filthy letters you guys exchange...” she stated and Dylan did exactly what she wanted him to do. “I don’t exchange filthy letters you imbecile. But for someone who has the audacity to claim to be a student of medicine you are all too ignorant confronted with knowledge.” He scolded her pointing at the notes and books before he watched over the devices. It were many of them and whatever Kjatan had had to do to get his hands on them it had been worth it.

“You still can’t get over it that Meran picked me as your follow-up as his student.” She replied to his earlier remarks and Dylan sighed. “If by that you mean that I still don’t understand or would subscribe to his decision you are right. I think someone like you isn’t worthy of Meran’s acknowledgement. I would have never taught you anything other than how to behave properly and to shut up when it’s appropriate.”

She laughed dryly:”Because woman can’t be medics, can’t be in the scholar cast?” The medic snorted at that remark:” No, because you’re dangerous criminal scum and not trustworthy!”

 

This answer made her narrow her eyes and made her once again angry at the older man. How could he be so oblivious to his own double standards?! “You mean like the even more criminal not trustworthy scum the elders had assigned a huge responsibility and duty for this nation to a few months ago under your advice? You mean like the scumbag whom you have spread your arse for?” she countered and Dylan blushed all shades of red and turned his back on her.

It wasn’t like he didn’t realise that it must have sounded hypocritical, he wasn’t that dumb but it wasn’t like it sounded. Everyone else like that he wouldn’t trust either but Kjartan had kept his promise and he couldn’t deny that he had feelings for the younger man, even though he wouldn’t ever say that or try to establish anything. “I’ve never been a fan of the elders. Why would people that old, who have already lived their lives, be the authority over the change and decisions of the empire for everyone else? I regret bringing the idea of assigning him such a job up, believe me. And whom I sp....” he ran his hand through his hair. “Lying with someone has nothing to do with any of that. Bringing that up, especially in such a degrading way was... inappropriate!”

 

Shaya had felt good about what she had said for a moment but that high feeling she had gotten for a few seconds faded seeing that he was seemingly aware of his errors in thought and made that exception for a murderer not out of opportunism or having flexible values or rational thought but just because he was blinded by his feelings for him.

She would have laughed about him getting all red and stiff over her remark but she didn’t because he didn’t only look uncomfortable and ashamed but also pained and worried. He wasn’t regretting it because he distrusted him, he regretted it because he was scared that Kjartan would end up dead. This was no fun! She just wanted to bring herself to say something nice to Dylan but was saved by a completely out of breath young scholar who stormed into the house without even knocking at the door.

 

Dylan was regaining his countenance in front of that greenhorn and said:” What’s the matter?” The guy in the green robe tried to find his breath to form words but it took him a few more seconds. “Dylan, Sir, the parliament, conference, now, you have to go immediately.” He made it and the medic looked at him sceptically. “Why? There was no meeting planned today. I am busy!” Shaya shook her head as she would have loved to participate. The youngster didn’t leave though. “It’s important, Sir! The elders demand everyone there who is in Aurora. Vitorion just arrived a few hours ago.” He let the medic know and the man looked at him in surprise. “The governor of Cherak? What has he done this time? Nailed a little too many Cheraki onto the wall?” he asked disinterested and the young member of the scholar cast shook his head vehemently. “No! I don’t think anyone would call an emergency meeting for that. You have to follow me! Hurry up, Sir Dylan, please!”

 

 

It hadn’t been two hours since Vitorion the governor of Cherak had arrived in the capital of Aeternum. He was a muscular man with short brown hair and a brown bristly three-day bread. His skin was dry and tanned from the way too strong sun in Cherak it wasn’t made for. His left eye was blind and crossed by a scar from his eyebrow to the cheekbone. The military man in his red cape wasn’t any older than Dylan but while Dylan looked rather fresh and unspent Vitorion looked like a piece of rusting steel that continued to defy the influences of the weather after decades.

It had been many years since he had seen his home or stood in front of the parliament and he had to admit that he wasn’t used to a warm welcome or to the respect that the citizens had paid him when he had entered Aurora anymore. Not being confronted with people throwing stones after him or spitting on the ground when they saw his face was a nice change but he hadn’t come back for a holiday or a break. It wasn’t about him in the first place.

 

His right eye looked at the gigantic statues of their national heroes in the hall while he waited for the men in the hall to arrive and to shut the hell up impatiently. It bugged him how long those lazy bastards took to arrive and those casual, happy faces like nothing could bother them while they should be head over heels and be concerned for the wellbeing of the empire and their species as a whole displeased him. But how could they know? “Silence!” he shouted as soon as the last men, a blond scholar accompanied by a youngster, had taken their seats. All eyes were on him now and he could feel them both, the sceptical looks of the scholar and the admiring ones from the military cast. “I wished my visit to our glorious and thriving capital would have been caused by more fortunate incidents but it is not.” He started and made sure that he had the attention of every single one of them. He then advised one of his men to bring in his captives.

 

The silence was completely gone when heavily armoured legionaries dragged in ten Cheraki high priests.

They were covered by their religious gowns, their skin had the colour of reddish-brown sand and their eyes were shining like pure gold. Their black hair was covered by headgear the Aeternumi men found ridiculous and funny looking and in their faces stood fear, hopelessness, anger and pride at the same time.

Vitorion’s rough voice sounded through the hall again and his eyes narrowed furiously. “I had to come here to inform the elders and the parliament as well as the citizens of Aurora that the Cheraki priests are guilty of treason on the empire. Our spies have coughed them in negotiations with the humans. They want to use the human’s power to take over the world and enforce the laws of their holy book onto everyone! They want our land, they want our resources, they want everything without being capable of taking any of it in a fair battle. They plan on not only using the humans but also using our friends from Talavar. We need to take action now!” he called out and one man from the commoners cast stood up from his seat. “My cousin has always said they were manipulative, deceitful, dangerous, murderous scum! How could you not know that they would trait or species at the first opportunity they had!” he shouted and some men mumbled their agreement. Dylan snorted condescendingly. “And your cousin knows that every Cheraki is a despicable being how?” he asked getting a bit of agreement from only his own cast, the cast of the scholars.

Vitorion buried his head in his calloused hands for a moment and then demanded silence again.

 

“We don’t have any time to waste on the past or to discuss past mistakes. Nor are we here to judge the Cherak as the people they are but we’re here to judge their actions. Those high priests have instructed the Cherak to start to take over the two small Talavarian villages, those that lay on the mainland. The Cherak aren’t soldiers who fight in armies, they usually either attack innocent citizens of nations whose way of life they loathe and disagree with and stab them to death at the market place or somewhere and are getting into the peoples head with terror and spreading fear of their so called goddess through their holy book or they try to make themselves look like the innocent, oppressed victims to gain empathy and understanding which they can abuse later on. And they took over those villages by getting into the peoples mind one way or the other as well. As soldiers, they are completely useless to the humans and they wouldn’t stand a chance against us but the Talavar are another deal! From our information they have started to show presence on the volcano island of the Talavar as well. King Dracon, the regent of the Talavar has recently passed away and disputes between the twin sons of him regarding the succeeding to the throne have started.” He started to explain when the impressive, heavy doors of the hall were smashed open as if they wouldn’t weigh anything at all.

 

Vitorion turned around and he couldn’t believe what he saw. A completely exhausted and desperate adjutant was running backwards in front of a troop of warriors, bravely facing them, while shouting until his voice crumbled:”Stop! Stop! You aren’t allowed to enter! I have told you! Come to a halt already! You hear me! Stop, no further!”

But as much as he screamed the warriors moved further like they were human made machines, stoically staring ahead with their white eyes.

Vitorion felt his body tensing up and his fists forming when he saw the Vintar disturbing the conference like that. He could imagine how terrified the people must be who have seen them on their way to the building. The man just searched for the right words to say but an incredibly deep bass voice was to hear breaking the absolutely silence in the room again. “You should not let them get away with this treason. None of us should! They planned on selling us and our home to the humans for little resources; they are spineless vermin, liars, and traitors!” The huge warrior who had come to a halt next to Vitorion spit onto the ground. But not in front of the governors feed but into the face of one of the Cheraki priests.

The brown haired male could see affirmative nodding, even though it was rather shy given the presence of the Vintar people they feared. “And who are you and what are you doing in our parliament?” the military man asked but the Vintar didn’t seem to bother that he was criticising their manners, how surprising.

 

“I am Ansgar son of Herald!” he exclaimed and now the mumbling was back in the room. The Vintar pointed at the man next to him. “And this is my cousin Baldor. We are here to offer the empire of Aeternum the alliance of not only our tribe but the armies of the North!”

That did it! Everyone froze for a moment and then a wild discussion broke out on the ranks leaving the whole conference in complete chaos during that time. It didn’t matter how often Vitorion asked for silence, they didn’t shut up. It took a while and Ansgar’s voice to be heard again for the men to listen and shut up.

 

“We have to unite for the greater good. The humans aren’t here on a vacation, they are here to take what’s rightfully ours and we are here to not let them do that! We need to take action and show that we’re not gonna let them do as they please, that we don’t tolerate the enemies of our species and our planet on this ground.” The white haired, white skinned, white eyed man said and Vitorion examined him closely. He had never heard a Vintar giving a speech and he hadn’t thought to hear such a voice and to get such a passionate and intriguing vibe from it. He hadn’t even thought that the Vintar had passion for anything other than their swords. He saw Ansgar looking at one of the priests clinging on his holy book. “These are enemies to your empire, enemies to our species and enemies to our world. They are lunatics, following what some imbecile once wrote into a fucking book and they are trying to force those rules onto everyone else by using every violent and non violent measure that is possible!”

 

Vitorion himself had hung and nailed rebellious Cheraks who had committed crimes against the empire onto walls but he had a feeling that by negotiating with the humans over other people’s resources and land the Cheraks had doomed themselves completely. He saw the buff Vintar warrior pulling the high priest over the floor because he was taking his holy book from him and the Cheraki was clinging onto it as if it was his own life.

He was no match for Ansgar though and the warrior held the book in hand. “Do you know what I think about your little book and your little rules traitors of mankind?” he said, threw the book onto the floor, opened his leather trousers and took a piss on the Cherak’s religion and worldview. The Vintar warriors were laughing and he could hear cheers and laughs from the ranks of the military cast and the commoners.

It got even more insane when the bookless priest threw himself over the book as if it was his child he wanted to safe from death, what ultimately led to Ansgar pissing on the Cheraks face instead.

“This my friends is complete lunacy! They are indoctrinated pieces of shit!” the Vintar declared when he closed his trousers again.

 

“What I am trying to say is, you have been too soft with them! We need to show them our rage facing their despicable actions. They have to pay for pissing on your kindness and generosity as I pissed on their book. They have to pay for stabbing your citizens to death! They will pay! ” The eldest son of Herald said and pulled out his sword holding it in front of the high priests while looking up into the ranks and to the elders awaiting their decision.

It was less than a minute and blood was spilled on the white marble floor of the hall and ten heads were rolling over the floor. Some nobles were seen holding handkerchiefs over their mouths while the Vintar growled behind Ansgar.

 

Blood was flowing between and underneath his sandals and he knew that the herm of his red cape was swimming in it as well. It wasn’t the blood that bothered him though but the drastic measures that were apparently taken into place. “You should have done that much sooner. How could they even have reached Talavar with you in charge on their ground?” Ansgar wanted to know and now Vitorion stepped up again, dragging his cape through the blood. “This is not the way of the empire! Our way was to expand our territory and make the people who live there our citizens. Locking them up in their own territory would have fundamentally gone against that idea!” he said and Ansgar laughed mockingly. “And see where this has led you!” he commented. “These people hate you! They are disgusted by you and they will do everything to wipe you away from the earth! There was no way you could ever make them citizens of your empire, no way! It’s time for more efficient methods in dealing with this problem before our situation gets even worse than it already is!”

 

It were ridiculous times. Never had he thought that a Vintar, not enough the son of one of their worst enemies, could storm the parliament and get the agreement of the people of Aeternum.

The vote for or against the alliance with the Vintar was only a formality at this point. It was three against one. The military, commoners and noble cast against the scholar cast. The elder were the only ones who could have stopped it now but Vitorion knew they would pass it as well. And he understood why! This was their only chance even though he didn’t like that fact or the Vintar. The elders came to the same result as the parliament. Three against one, in favour for the alliance with the Vintar. With the aggressive and rude grey elder seemingly being Ansgar’s 93 years old fanboy now.

 

He crossed his arms when the papers were signed. The elders had come down into the middle what was seldom the case. They seldom even moved a centimetre during the conferences. Vitorion saw Ansgar pulling out a small bone out of the knot he had arranged his top-hair in after he had broken the quill and smashed the ink on the floor that had been given to him before. He rammed the bone into his hand and signed the paper with his name and as if the day couldn’t get any more crazy he saw the elders following this example. The bone was completely red when the Vintar put it back into his hair again.

 

His mixed feelings turned for the worst when Ansgar announced that they had gotten a hold of Kjartan in company with a human and that they had kidnapped not only the human but Kjartan as well.

In that moment it was clear where his next journey would go to, north!

 

 

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One week later!

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He was leaning on the window cill and watched the recent snow storm coming over the town. Normally he would have been jolly and fun at such a moment but he was just feeling sick. They had come! Vitorion and Shaya! Shaya had come instead of Dylan; she had said that the medic was too busy with the technology she had brought him. She had also told him that Dylan had said whatever it had cost that it was worth it.

Everything that had created was a lump in his throat. Dylan didn’t know and Shaya didn’t know what it had cost. Too much and if Merlin wouldn’t stand by his word they would learn that soon enough.

 

Shaya hadn’t showed much more interest in Kjartan, she had been busy admiring the Vintar and was annoying the female warriors with telling them how much she envied them and that she wished being born Vintar too.

Vitorion on the other hand disappeared in Heralds house without any company. It was better that way because he didn’t know how to tell the governor that he had let someone live who knew that he was a spy with no good explanation for this failure at all.

 

His alone time didn’t last any longer though. The door behind him was opened and he could recognise the way Vitorion walked. The man came to a hold in the middle of the room and Kjartan could feel the weight of his stare on his shoulders. The silence was incredibly awkward. “So the empire and the Vintar are now officially allies.” Kjartan said and smiled:”You can’t imagine how glad I am considering that the Vintar were keeping me as a reassurance object.”

The shorter but more muscular man nodded and placed himself next to the assassin and joined him in watching out of the window. “Yes, indeed and unfortunately we as well as they need this alliance.” He commented and now Kjartan nodded. “Why are you here? Don’t you have more important things to do?” the younger wanted to know and the governor smiled. “You once said it would become beneficial to you one day that you saved the life of a governor every single Cheraki hated, didn’t you? Well, today is that day.” The older one said amused but the usually completely unserious Kjartan snorted cynically and shook his head. “This day won’t come. I have ruined my mission. It’s done, I’m done. You don’t know the mistake I made just yet or you wouldn’t be here in the first place.” Vitorion raised an eyebrow and sighed being confronted with so much negativity and pessimism from someone who usually thought life was a huge joke.

“I know what you did, Herald told me!” he let the other know.

 

Kjartan turned around now looking into the others face that showed his old injuries. “You know? You know that I let a human live who knows about me, who knows about my mission, who knows way too much. You know and you’re here because of me?” he couldn’t believe what he was hearing and the tanned man grinned:” Yes, that is exactly what I am telling you. I’m here to give you a new mission.”

 

The brunette with the longer hair and the grey eyes couldn’t understand what was going on there. “No one would give me another mission. And that’s probably the only right thing to do! I have failed! I have failed completely. I couldn’t kill him! I knew I had to but I just couldn’t! I have turned nuts, something is damaged clearly and I am of no use anymore.” He protested and Vitorion sighed and leaned his forehead onto the cold window because he almost wanted to give up and let the other moan and grief over his flawless so called ‘career’. “Do you want my opinion on this as a military man or just as a man?” he asked but he would give him both anyway, he always did. “As a military man I am disappointed and angered. You have failed to do your duty and this might lead to problems or a disadvantage for the empire in the future and you should feel like a failure, weak, guilty and ashamed for this.” The governor paused, coughed and continued:” As a simple man, a person and someone who considers you a friend I say different: this is normal, something like this happens to the best of us! You haven’t gone nuts, quite the opposite. The reason why you could easily and without thought do what you did all those years in the first place was because you completely lacked something most people have. Because you were damaged, you were that good at what you were doing. If anything that incident now shows that you’re more intact than ever before.”

 

The assassins grey eyes rested on the other mans blind white eye and the deep brown one. “So you’re forgiving me for letting him run?” he asked and Vitorion looked at him in confusion. “You haven’t done me wrong so there is nothing I would have to forgive you for. And even if I wanted to I couldn’t. Not even the elders could, you have to forgive yourself. If you’re not doing that than the forgiveness or understanding of others are completely worthless. You have to continue, to do what has to be done and to not shy away from the fact that maybe you could fail again. I know what I am talking about.”

 

“How could you know? Who else could be that dumb?” he said and the governor laughed, bringing back a smile into Kjartan’s mellow face. “I never wanted to come to the north ever again!” the legionary began and looked outside into the snow he knew so well again. “I am from an important military family and my uncle was the man who took a young Vintar captive in. This captive was Herald. He was eight years older than I was and he was like an older brother. I’ve been an only child and I was happy that someone like Herald was around now. He even taught me how to fight when he joined the legions. I looked up to him, I admired him, I wanted to be like him!” he explained and paused to take some breath. “It so happened that my first ever mission, my first ever battle took place in Vintar. And it was during the time that Herald would reveal whom his loyalty really belonged to. We got slaughtered, butchered, destroyed, humiliated. Most of us died in that battle. I survived, my friend survived as well. We had managed to escape and when the sun was going down, we saw Herald. Alone! Without another warrior by his side! He was one, we two. And I knew how he fought and ironically enough because of him I had become an exceptional fighter in one on one combat myself. My friend later confessed that he had almost pissed himself because he was that scared of Herald and I, I wasn’t scared but I didn’t even get the idea of killing him! That thought had never occurred to me. It wasn’t even that I wanted to and couldn’t do it, I didn’t even think about it.

My uncle got ridiculed and degraded by the elders back in Aurora. They made him responsible, telling him he should have known and he never recovered from that. I on the other hand went into other battles and I cleaned our name. And today, I am here. I am up north, I talked to Herald as allies, I have faced it.” With this Vitorion ended his story and put his hand on Kjartan’s neck. “Of course you can’t continue with your mission but we have other spies so no worries. But as I said, I have another mission for you. It’s on you to take this opportunity or leave it.”

 

In the following minutes Vitorion explained what had happened in the parliament to Kjartan. He also let him know about the Cherak, their negotiations with the humans and the consequences this would have for the Cherak but also for them. “Are the Vintar sending warriors to Cherak?” he asked the older man and the governor shook his head. “No. But the elders have adapted their suggestion for Cherak. The orders have been send to my vice already. Once he will get it the province Cherak will change forever.” He explained and Kjartan didn’t know what to think. He didn’t know what to think about anything anymore. How was he supposed to know what steps would be the right ones to take? Were there even right steps in this situation? Steps that would result in an overall good outcome for their species? He doubted it.

 

“The Vintar shouldn’t be underestimated. If I have learned anything the past almost two weeks that’s that.”Kjartan acknowledged. “We can’t control them! And only because they are our allies we shouldn’t think that we have any influence on them whatsoever.”

Vitorion laughed and punched the other mans shoulder. “You know that you’re telling this to a man who had experienced firsthand what underestimating the Vintar can lead to? I have been defeated by them, crippled by them ...” he touched his blind eye:”...overthrown by them because I have been an arrogant twat. And hopefully this is what the humans will stumble over, their own arrogance.” The governor tried to create a more light hearted atmosphere which was unusually tough.

 

“The Vintar are successfully copying human weapons and not only that they are adding their own ideas to them. I have seen it!” it broke out of Kjartan and Vitorion nodded. “I have seen them testing one hundred meters away from the place and I still got a piece of meat blown into my face. That poor animal was already grilled before they could cut it into decent pieces for a meal.” The legionary said and Kjartan looked at him questioning because he didn’t know what the other was thinking at the moment. “Aren’t you concerned about the Vintar having access to human weapon technology?” the younger one wanted to know and Vitorion smiled widely:”Do you want my answer as a military man who is lucky enough to be their ally in the upcoming war or as a simple man, a person?” he said half jokingly half serious and Kjartan busted out into laughter the first time in days.

 

They fooled around for a while and then the governor finally came to the part that was much more relevant to Kjartan regarding his new mission. He told him about the Talavarian villages that had been taken over by the Cherak. About the king’s death and more importantly about his two twin heirs who both had the same right to the throne as they were both male and their mother was dead and no one knew whom of them was the older one.

 

One of them was named Bernárd Dracon. He had been the favourite son of his father and even though he had his doubts about the humans being gods he wanted to keep them as guests in Talavar as his father would have wished so. He also seemed to be the one the Cherak were trying to win for them.

The other one was Maròn Dracon. Marón had had a bad relationship with his father because his father openly favoured Bernárd. He was a feminine man who had been pampered and spoiled by his earlier deceased mother who died together with their younger sister attempting to give birth to her. He wanted to make everything different as his father and do everything that his father would have hated.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out who their man would be. The underdog! And Vitorion wanted him to meet Marón, convince the people of Talavar that the humans weren’t gods but invaders and enemies, make Marón king and draw the Cherak out.

 

“This will be a piece of cake.” Kjartan said in a sarcastic tone and the legionary raised his eye brows. “You are a convincing person, you are charismatic, eloquent and diplomatic. The Vintar will be sending a representative as well. You will travel with a small Vintar troop and him south to the haven where a division of legionaries under Heron will be waiting for you. You will go on board and will travel to the capital of Talavar, from there on it’s the job of the both of you. And you better accept that job. If not the only representative for our alliance in Talavar will be a Vintar and you probably already know how charming and diplomatic they are don’t you?” The assassin laughed at that comment and wanted to know:”Whom will I be going on that mission with?” Kjartan hoped that it was Tjall. Tjall was likeable and uncomplicated and not to forget strong as fuck but before Vitorion could answer the door was slammed open and the brunettes face looked at a familiar Vintar who wasn’t Tjall.

 

“You have to be kidding right now!” he rolled his eyes and sighed annoyed at the other mans sight. “Shut your trap you wannabe spy. I’m not any more thrilled about your presence than you are about mine.” Aswin said looking even grumpier than when they first had met each other in the forest.

 

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Two weeks later!

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Travelling with the Vintar as their ally and not their captive had been way more comfortable. He still hadn’t got along with Aswin well though and they’d probably never become friends. One of the warriors accompanying them had been Baldor, Aswin’s cousin who had been with Ansgar in Aeternum before. Kjartan had tried to engage in conversations with him about the day they had entered the parliament in Aurora but Baldor the baldhead hadn’t been very talk active. He had been much unlike Heralds sons. He hadn’t seemed aggressive or harsh at all but appeared just as smooth, unyielding and lifeless as his sword. This man had been the most boring and humourless fellow Kjartan had ever encountered and even fighting with Aswin seemed more appealing to him than trying to talk to Baldor.

 

Shaya only had gone with them for a few days. She had wanted to come along to Talavar but Kjartan had had yet another favour to ask from the smuggler lady. Yes, Merlin had broken the communication device but Kjartan had known that Herald, who had thought those were weapons, had some more intact ones as the humans who they had belonged to hadn’t been able to destroy them since the Vintar had cut them out of their dead bodies. The Vintar leader had shown himself generous and had allowed Kjartan to take one of those devices to Dylan, saying that they were already too busy with arms manufacturing anyway.

So he had asked Shaya to bring the device to Aurora again. And she had told him she would do so and then return to Meran’s place in case he needed her.

 

Kjartan had stared after her when she had disappeared on the grey dizzlon that she had ridden. The dizzlon’s hooves had created a sand cloud after her that fast had she gone and in this moment Kjartan had felt alone between all those Vintar warriors. Vitorion hadn’t come with them. He had stayed because he had to sort things out with their new allies and especially Herald and after that he had said he was needed elsewhere. The first Aeternumi he had seen then was Heron and Heron had been quite the guy in his eyes. He was witty, did know how to have a laugh and was handsome. Having him and the division from the empire around created a feeling of belonging that he had lacked being accompanied by only Vintar or human for that matter.

 

From the haven they had travelled to the island by ship and Kjartan had learned that dizzlons didn’t like water or ships for that matter. This had been the first time that he had travelled to the island of Talavar itself. He had only ever been in the tiny villages on the mainland that were located south of the island, while they were coming from the north.

The Talavarian Island was mostly made of stone, volcanoes and mountains. Its main colour was grey but the sun was shining hot, brightly and powerful. Talavar wasn’t quite as hot as Cherak but much hotter than Aeternum. This had led to Kjartan experiencing some more Vintar craftsmanship.

The northern warriors had at one point smeared their whole bodies with some lotion and had then covered it completely in a dark, grey armour made out of a special kind of leather that had the same colour as the stone in Talavar. The armour even contained a mask that covered their complete faces and had dark glass integrated were the eyes were to protect their eyes from the sun but let them see properly. The assassin had made quite a few jokes about how the warriors looked together with Heron but this didn’t change the fact that he had actually liked the aesthetics of it a lot.

 

The Island hadn’t seemed much different from the few villages the Talavar had on the mainland at first. Everywhere small villages ruled by one man in the village. This man however got his orders from the absolute monarch who was residing in the capital.

And the capital had blown his imagination completely. He had expected a town a little bigger than the villages but it was actually a real capital and not only that, it was subterranean and completely made of stone. The Vintar had loved it when they first arrived, not because they were impressed and fascinated by the architecture like Kjartan was but because the sun couldn’t reach it and it had a nice cool temperature.

They had kept the grey armour on though, because it had the same colour the stone had but had put away the masks.

 

The brunette on the other hand had admired the statues, the art and had looked interested at the priests of the stone god who were standing in the streets of the capital. They hadn’t preached, they hadn’t even had anything to preach about because the only thing the stone god wanted was four feasts a year. So they had sold healing stones, power stones and stones for the ladies to make them look more beautiful.

They also had given free medical ‘expertise’ even though they had no real clue about medicine and thought that the stones could heal everything. Kjartan had remembered a conversation with Dylan and the grudge that the scholar was holding against the priests of the stone god and he had chuckled walking the subterranean streets of Talavar’s capital.

 

The Talavarians themselves also had seemed even more beautiful than the Talavarian people in the villages but it might just have been the atmosphere. They had dark grey skin, their hair colours ranged from pitch-black, blood red, over blue and violet to white and their eyes were red, black, blue or grey. They were on average shorter than the people from Aeternum and more petite.

Kjartan hadn’t been able to understand how the humans could have believed him that he was from Talavar. They probably had never cared to make out obvious differences between them or some maybe thought that someone looking like Kjartan could also be from Talavar while not being ethnically Talavarian. He wouldn’t know but when he had thought back to Carlson he thought that they were just so disinterested about them, that they just viewed them as all the same local savage low creatures.

 

Now he was standing in the hall that Prince Marón Dracon had occupied for himself and his followers. After Kjartan had talked to a lot of different people about the humans and that they weren’t actually gods, in a really funny and casual way that didn’t let show that he was trying to convince them, he focussed more on the young man who wanted to become king.

 

Marón was not only a little feminine, he was in fact girly. He was dressed in colourful gowns, had gentle and discreet gestures, a flawless face, high cheek bones, curly blue hair that reached under his chin and shining blue eyes. Kjartan was about to explain to him how humans had the same urges and needs as they had while gods surely had not when the double door made out of stone was slammed open. From the slamming he knew who was entering immediately and he asked himself whether the Vintar were aware of the dramatic effect their door slamming always had or whether they were completely oblivious to this. He guessed they were oblivious to it.

The assassin turned around and his eyes widened when he saw Aswin walking in front of some of his men and women two of which were dragging human settlers inside of the room.

 

There were no human soldiers in whole Talavar as it was known as a secure area to the humans. The humans only had research teams, teachers and their settlers in Talavar and the settlers were supposed to take over Talavar little by little. And now two settlers with terrified looks on their faces were thrown in front of the prince, who looked at them rather curiously and then didn’t seem to find them that interesting after all and decided to closely check out Aswin’s body while liking his lips.

 

The warrior from the north didn’t notice but he did notice Kjartan who spoke to him in the Vintar’s language now. “What the actual fuck are you doing with those humans?”he demanded to know from Heralds son and Aswin looked back at him as if he was dumb. “Your talking doesn’t lead to anything! Sometimes one has to act and not to talk. I will show this little princess and the Talavarian that the humans aren’t gods once and for all.”

 

Kjartan didn’t see anything good coming but protesting wouldn’t have any effect, so he hoped for the best.

“You have heard Kjartan speak but I don’t ask from you to trust his word. I will prove it to you that those humans aren’t gods.” Aswin told the prince and stood before the humans. “Strip!” he ordered them but the humans just looked at him in shock and disbelief. “What? No! You can’t be serious!” the man voiced his objection while the human woman started to cry. Aswin rolled his white eyes annoyed:”Baldor!” he said and his cousin shoved his sword under the human mans clothes and cut them off. When he turned to the woman with the blade, she whimpered and screamed before she pulled down her own dress and underwear.

 

Every Talavarian in the room examined the humans naked bodies closely realising that they didn’t look too different from them after all. Aswin pinched the woman’s flesh and she squeaked like a pig, while the man stood there silently trying to cover himself as good as possible.

“Are those the shivering bodies of gods my friends?” the second son of Herald wanted to know and the Talavarians said “No” one after the other shaking their heads. One kid disappointedly stated:” There isn’t even stone on their bodies!”

Aswin smiled:”Exactly, there isn’t even stone on their bodies, is there Baldor?” Baldor shook his head.

 

“You thought they were gods because they were able to come here, because they seemed immortal, indestructible and powerful beyond belief. But they really aren’t! The only thing that makes them mighty is their technology. Without their technology they are weak! And they definitely aren’t immortal. We have killed some of them before; they weren’t able to defeat us.” Aswin continued talking and the Talavarians seemed exited to find out what would happen next, especially the prince.

“If they really are gods, it shouldn’t be a problem for them to defeat me in combat without any weapons at all. Just their bare hands against mine!” he proclaimed and positioned himself in front of the humans.

“So who of you is going to fight me? You can decide or I’ll have to let Baldor flip a coin.”

 

Kjartan leaned his head back against the stone. This was unnecessary in his eyes but he couldn’t deny that the Talavarians seemed to be impressed by it. It didn’t take long and the human male stepped forward, obviously trying to fight off his own fear, while the only thing the human female did was crying like some toddler.

The fight, or what Aswin called a fight, was soon over. The untrained settler stood no chance and Aswin completely smashed his head into a pulp. The woman was down on her knees by know whimpering and shaking and pleading while Aswin rose from the ground, his fists and face covered in blood. “They aren’t immortal! If they are gods than so I am , as only a god can kill a god and I can assure you that I am not a god!” the Vintar said and the Talavarians applauded him.

 

Marón cough slightly and brought back the attention to himself, his blue eyes glimmering with excitement.

“You have truly proven my father to be wrong! They aren’t gods and I certainly know that he had been wrong in many other ways too. I believe you, my lovely guests.” He giggled and stood up from his seat. “I would love to see my great and stunning nation, Talavar, to join your alliance under my lead but I am afraid that I have to announce two favours or conditions, if you will.”

 

Kjartans face looked stern. Conditions, that probably meant trouble. What did he want? Even though nobody really took Marón seriously or saw a threat in someone like him, maybe because he addressed people as his cuties, honey pies or bunnies and gave his best to appear innocent and pure, but Kjartan could see through it. He was smart and he knew what he wanted, he had ambition and that made him dangerous. On the side the assassin noted Aswin letting some of his men bring the woman and the dead body out of the hall, so that her irritating noises wouldn’t overshadow the prince’s words. The man from the empire knew that they would kill her. She wouldn’t be running around telling that story to anyone.

 

“My dear twin brother, Bernárd, has to go. It pains me to say so but for the good of Talavar this is important. He wants to follow our father’s path and he negotiates with the Cherak.” He said and like on command the stone doors were pushed open again. “Prince Marón! Prince Maròn! We have terrible news ! It’s awful! Your brother, Bernàrd, he, he is dead!” an adjutant of the Dracon family said his eyes swimming in tears. “The Cherak, they betrayed him. They murdered him with a poisoned blade. It must have happened yesterday. Bernárd had only taken some guardsmen with him into the negotiations with some of the Cheraki priests. They have murdered him. The guardsmen must have tried to protect him. Everyone is dead! The prince Bernárd, his guards, the Cheraki, all killed.” The adjutant clung to the doorframe and needed a moment before he continued speaking. “It comes even worse. Today we wanted to farewell your father. The lady who was supposed to arrange the stone bed in which he was supposed to be given back to the volcano had realised that his body had oddly changed in a way that isn’t normal for the dead to do. It was the same poison! The Cheraki have killed our beloved king!!!”

 

There was outrage and concerned, pained expressions among the supporters of Marón hearing the bit about their king while they didn’t care much about Bernárd. The only Talavarian who didn’t seem surprised, nor affected was Marón himself. He dismissed the adjutant, told him to still prepare his father for giving his body back to the volcano today and then looked into the grey eyes of Kjartan, smiling. “I see that deed is already done.”

 

“Apparently, what a tragedy. My sincere condolences king Marón!” Kjartan said in a sad and humbled voice. He knew that Marón had sharp senses and the prince was right. Kjartan had done it. He had used the poison he had once bought in Cherak. He had dressed up like a Cheraki and had entered the conference and at one point, when he had all the information that he had needed, he had killed them all and arranged it flawlessly so that it looked like the Cheraki had killed the prince. Later he had stolen himself, still dressed and painted like a Cheraki priest, into the room where the king’s body was laying and he poisoned the body. He knew that the Talavarians wouldn’t figure out that the poison had been applied later on and since they would throw his body into the volcano no one with knowledge would investigate further.

The Cherakis had killed the king and the prince, it was clear to everyone now.

 

Kjartan remembered how much work it had been buying those golden soft stones that reminded more of faint glass than stones to make his eyes appear golden and painting his body brown completely and even more so washing it all off again. At least he had been joined by Heron and another legionary in the bathing house that had been built after the Aeternumi example and he could inhale the nice scent of the handsome man who led the division. Later on the smell of blood and poison that had stuck in his nose had gotten replaced by the smell of their sex. While the other legionary had just watched them at first he had joined them later on and all in all the day had been a major success for Kjartan.

 

The assassin knew what he had done there and what an impact his actions would have on everything, especially on the Cherak who were now seemingly murderers of the Talavarian king and his heir.

What Kjartan had done would change the future drastically and he was proud and happy that he didn’t feel a thing about it. He hadn’t broken his promise to Dylan either. He had promised the other that he wouldn’t kill for money ever again if he would safe his life and he hadn’t. He had done that in the name of Aeternum and their planet, money hadn’t played a role.

 

Marón seemed absolutely pleased as he smiled while he turned back to his conditions again: “Since my first condition is obsolete now, I will tell you my second condition. I – want – you!”

Kjartan, Aswin, Baldor, they all looked completely confused until all their eyes were on Kjartan except Marón’s.

“Me?” the man from Aeternum asked not knowing what was going on. The prince chuckled and held his hand in front of his mouth to cover it while he did so. He was more lady-like than every Vintar woman he had come across so far. “No, not you! You! Marry me, become my king!” he pointed at Aswin now and the warriors chin dropped to the ground while Kjartan was feeling a great relief and couldn’t repress a smirk seeing the face of the northern warrior.

 

“No! No way in hell! Are you nu...!” Aswin started to rage but Kjartan ran up to him, pressing his hand on the taller mans mouth. “Excuse us your majesty!” Kjartan said to Marón who still smiled as if he was a toddler and this was his birthday.

Kjartan pulled Heralds second son to the side and looked directly into his white eyes. “You can’t decline! It would be the stupidest thing you could do!” the assassin said and Aswin started to get aggressive again, almost screaming at Kjartan in his native language:”Are you shit for brains? This man might have a pretty face but it’s a man. I am not going to marry or fuck a man, I am not into that. Now fuck off and let me tell this entitled, spoiled prick that I am never going to marry him!” The warrior wanted to walk off but the brunette stopped him.

 

“I understand and you don’t have to desire him. This would be a political marriage, the nobles in the empire do that all the time.” The spy explained and the white haired male looked at him with a displeased face saying:” A what? What would me marrying this guy help anyway?”

Kjartan smiled at the younger man and patted his shoulder:”That was the question I wanted you to ask before making such a decision.” He started off his explanation. “The first thing would be that this way he would form an alliance against the humans and the Cherakis with the north and Aeternum. The second point would be that it would make you the king of Talavar together with Marón who would also be the king of Talavar of course. You would have influence not only in the north as Heralds son but also in Talavar as their king. Third, the marriage between two men and potential sex between them will outrage the Cherak and they will not only not try to make Talavar their ally anymore, they will be so disgusted and insulted that they won’t align with the humans if the humans weren’t to cut all their ties with the Talavarians forever. I know Cherak, I know the people and for some reason the worst crime for them seems to be two men loving each other.”

 

Aswin looked thoughtful for a moment and he seemed to get it but he apparently couldn’t overcome that he hated the thought of marrying Marón. “I don’t care if men fuck other men, I just don’t want to do it myself. This is completely ridiculous, why does he want me and not you in the first place? Or maybe he doesn’t want to marry a male slut.” Kjartan laughed at the others words:”This reminds me of the glorious day on which one of the elders called me a prostitute. I was honoured.” The assassin got back to the topic at hand again. “You don’t have to fuck him, just marry him. I know noble married couples who have never seen each other naked, so you don’t have to sleep with him. And if it makes you feel better, ask him to wear a dress, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind and it would enrage the Cherak even more since they also think men who wear women’s clothing are criminals and should be killed. So swallow your pride and do it for your people and our world.”

 

Playing with Aswin’s extreme feelings of patriotism and his sense of duty worked and he turned around walking back up to Marón again with a grumpy and irritated facial expression but he did it.

“I’ll marry you, king of Talavar. But only if you’ll wear dresses from now on and you’ll marry me in a traditional wedding dress from my tribe.” He demanded and Marón who was in his mid twenties just as Aswin, smiled widely and his eyes glittered in excitement, as he bit his lip to not start cheering. “Great! I’ll do as you wish and I’ll look incredibly gorgeous for you.” Aswin looked at the Talavarian king to be unbelievingly and asked himself whether this was for real and what he had just done there and turned around to Kjartan looking him in the eyes and the assassin smirked:” I told you he wouldn’t mind.”

 

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One week later!

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The day hadn’t stopped at that and Kjartan remembered how they had combined the old kings funeral with Marón’s coronation ceremony. And even before the party had started Marón had signed the alliance contract. It had been hilarious how the new crowned king hadn’t been able to bring himself to cutting into his own flesh with a dagger. “I can’t do it! I just can’t do it! Do it for me, please and be gentle!” he had asked Aswin and the annoyed Vintar had tried to be as careful as possible while he made a small cut into the blue haired Talavarian mans flesh. Red blood had run out of the wound over the grey skin and Marón had signed the contract in a beautiful handwriting that looked totally different from the illegible scrawl the other men had written.

 

After that the new and apparently enthusiastic king had declared not only war on the Cherak but also made every single Cheraki a public enemy and banned their holy book and violent disgusting goddess in all of Talavar.

That had encouraged his already hurt and raging citizens to seek revenge for their old king and Bernárd.

Kjartan had seen Cheraki being beaten up in the streets, one Talavarian priest plundered a house in the name of the stone god and to throw the goods into the volcano for the king that the Cheraki had murdered.

The assassin had been drinking in a tavern together with Heron and some Talavarians and by the time some Talavarian woman started to demand a Cheraki costumer leaving the establishment Kjartan had been drunk already and all he had thought about had been Heron’s arse and having his hole tightening around his dick.

 

On the day after that Aswin had married the king of Talavar and the confused Vintar had to sit through the huge Talavarian traditional wedding ceremony and feast even though Marón was a man and was wearing the gown of a Vintar bride with an incredible amount of pride.

It had been that day that Baldor had voluntarily talked to Kjartan or more like ranted to Kjartan.

“Those traditions are ridiculous hocus, it has no meaning, some dumb stupid gestures and banter for nothing. It’s a waste of time. But they just don’t want to see it or they are simply too retarded to. Our tribe puts fine and luxurious swords into the hands of our dead people. Tell me, what do fucking dead people do with a sword. Nothing, it’s idiotic!”

The man from Aeternum had thought for a moment and then said:” But some traditions are fun don’t you think so? They bring joy and make the people happy. It’s like having sex without actually reproducing. You do it, because it pleasures you even though no result will come from it.”

Baldor had raised an eyebrow:” I’ve never understood why anyone would have sex without reproducing, it’s a waste of time and energy one could spend more productively.”

“Don’t you ever do something simply because you like it, because it makes you feel good or happy?” Kjartan had wanted to know and Baldor had looked at him as if he had been the weird one in the room. “No, what would I achieve by doing that?” Aswin’s cousin had answered and the brunette had shaken his head:” I give up! It’s hopeless.”

The man had remembered what Merlin had told him about the humans place and he thought that Baldor would perfectly fit in at their world. He was probably very productive and efficient but nothing else.

 

There had been a few relatively quiet days and during those days they had decided to go on board again and to head south in order to draw out the Cheraki who had been taking over those two Talavarian villages on the mainland. Kjartan had decided to accompany them. There was nothing more to do for him in the capital as a representative and as an assassin he had already done his deeds. Besides that seeing how the new alliance would act in a miniature format in those villages was rather interesting and spending some more fun time with Heron even more so.

Aswin had stayed and Baldor now had the command over the northern warriors that had not stayed in the capital. Before Kjartan had left Heralds son had told him that he still wasn’t attracted to Marón but that he actually started liking him as a person and the man from the empire had let him know that this was much more than most people in a political marriage ever got out of it.

 

Now Kjartan was dressed in the armour of the legions to not look any different from the other men under Herons command. He had the red cape and his grey eyes looked through a visor. The Vintars wore their masks again and all of them were equipped with their sword and weapons constructed after the human model. Heron and the leading figure of the Talavarian men had gotten a human weapon from the Vintar too, as a present. The Talavarians armour contained thin stone plates and some stones that were believed to strengthen them. They weren’t that many but they were much more than enough men to completely turn the villages into ghost villages if they wanted to. Baldor, Heron and the Talavarian highest rank were riding on dizzlons while all the other men were walking next to them.

 

When they entered the first small village they immediately got the attention from everyone who was present there, the Talavarians, a Cheraki priest and a few Cheraki families who had put themselves in control over the village and human researchers acting as teachers.

They all came together at a free space and the Cheraki priest made his way through the people to stand before whoever was arriving there.

 

The highest rank of the Talavarian soldiers made the dizzlon step forward; he coughed and then started to speak to the people of the village:” For the atrocious actions, the murder of our beloved king and his son Bernárd Dracon as well as treason of our species, Talavar declares war on Cherak and pronounces its people as enemies to the public and the state. Every Cheraki has twenty four hours to leave the Talavarian territory and return to Cherak immediately. Any Cheraki whom we’ll find after this time limit will immediately be executed in the name of Talavar and our kings Marón Dracon and Aswin Heraldson.”

Kjartan looked through the rows of people when he heard Baldor’s voice. “As the ally of Talavar the united armies of the north hereby declare war on Cherak and pronounce its people a public threat!”

Heron followed with nearly the same tone, just that he said the elders and the parliament had authorised him to declare war on Cherak.

 

One could hear the people mumbling and the priest’s expression became dark. “You can’t make me leave here. I am the head of this village. I won’t go anywhere! Not until those barbaric, disgusting heathens from Aeternum leave the land of the goddess, our land, Cherak!” he yelled at the soldiers and Baldor snorted:“I wholeheartly agree that Cherak is your land! Now tell me, Cheraki, is this Cherak? I think it is not! That you let the empire win and take over your land is your own fault and problem. You will leave or you’ll be the first one the king’s orders will be fulfilled on.”

“Those disgusting sodomites aren’t kings!” screamed the angered priest:”They should be the ones getting executed it’s the will of the goddess of peace.”

 

Kjartan facepalmed and got a quick reminder of the visor and the helmet that he was wearing. Apparently the Cheraki didn’t learn and didn’t realise what they had gotten themselves into by negotiating with the humans over their lands. A Talavarian peasant now raised his voice not less loudly than the Cheraki priest had. “How dare you! You mischievous little leeches have murdered our great king, the man that had cared for our country for so long and now you have the audacity to insult our new ruler, the rightful and only king to the thrown in the eyes of the stone god.” The priest couldn’t say a word because a Cheraki man spoke out first:” This person is an abomination! Calling something like him a king is a crime in itself already. Plus, you shall be punished for denying that only the goddess of peace is the only true goddess there is and that there are no other gods. The holy book says we are supposed to bring justice and stone you for this!”

The Talavarian farmer apparently had heard enough, he snapped:”Stone me! Stone me!” he grabbed a stone himself, jumped the Cheraki and smashed his head in with the stone.

A woman from Cherak was screaming and chaos seemed to break out, the soldiers watched what happened silently and indifferent.

 

Kjartan’s eyes wandered through the people that were present and on the right end of the row he saw a little Cheraki girl. She looked like she was eight or nine and Kjartan wondered whether she would be executed after 24 hours as well. He knew the answer, the real question was, what he thought about them executing a little brat that wasn’t even old enough to decide whether to stay or to go on her own. This brat couldn’t take any life changing or important decision. She couldn’t take any rational decisions at all. It was a bloody toddler but if her parents decided the wrong way, a furious Talavarian would kill her to revenge their king who in reality had died from a heart disease and their king’s son who in reality had been killed by the hands of the Aeternumi assassin in the role of a Cheraki official.

 

His eyes wandered away from her and spotted a human researcher who was probably from Merlin’s tribe, as he shared a few of the same features which Carlson for example hadn’t had.

He looked uninteresting to Kjartan so he looked next to him and he froze for a second and then looked again as he thought that his eyes had betrayed him. But he definitely saw them, the teal eyes of Merlin.

His heart started to race faster and he became nervous without a reason. On one hand he was glad to see him alive and to just see him again and on the other hand he hated it and damned that he had been right about what he had said before, that if they ever were to meet again, it would be in a dangerous and bad situation.

 

Suddenly his thought and attention were forced back onto what was happening around him. He saw that the grieving, crying Cheraki woman who had just lost her husband to the hands of the farmer he had threatened before had laid her hands around the Talavarian farmer’s throat choking him with all strength she had in her and then there was a shot. Baldor aimed for the Cheraki woman’s head. The bullet hit her right between the eyes and smoothly went through her brain and head hitting her teenage daughter who was behind her as well and fell on the ground before it could kill the third person.

The farmer breathed heavily and croaked out a: “Thank you good Sir!” but around them there was complete silence.

 

It was different. Different than using a sword! Baldor had not moved a centimetre from the back of the blue dizzlon and had just as much as bend his finger to fire the gun he held in his hand and it had eliminated two people with one shot. Kjartan looked at the Vintar and even though Kjartan couldn’t see his face it was clear that the man was staring at the gun and realised how much power he was holding right there.

The silence got broken by the Talavarian soldier’s applause for their ally. “For the king! For Talavar!” they started to chant and soon the Vintar and Aeternumi soldiers joined in with fierce battle cries. Being dressed as a legionary Kjartan moved along with them, mindlessly screaming while he was actually examining Merlin’s face. He wanted to know what he thought, how he felt and if he felt the urge to make friends with Baldor right now.

[Alezander]

"What do you mean you didn't know? You were obviously making a fool out of me!"

 

Merlin huffed into the screen and crossed his arms in front of his chest. He was not amused about Kazu teaching him the wrong translation of 'dreichschpklrafasschulplin' and was presently reprimanding him for it.

 

"I wasn't, seriously. Look, I'm sorry, alright? I didn't think you could pronounce it and actually use it anyway. There is a simpler one, the real Aeternumi word for thanks, right? Skel. Skel. Just because you used a word I taught wrong does not mean I'm responsible for you saying it. You can't be a baby about that all the time, now can you Merle?"

 

Kazu was clearly not sorry and that was annoying. Furthermore, he was pushing the blame on Merlin, like he was going to get out of being responsible if he did that. But what was more irritating was how Merlin could not think of a comeback, so instead the younger blurted whatever he thought.

 

"You idiot! I hate you!"

 

"Hey, that's so mean. If anything, I should be the one angry. You let your devices that I made for you get stolen and gave one of my chips to a native spy. And it had to be the call chip, too. Do you have any idea how much stress I had to deal with to stop the guys from going after your rescue? Not to mention, I was so worried-"

 

"The guys? What guys, Kazu?" Merlin had to interrupt. If these guys Kazu was referring to meant other humans in the labs, that spelled big trouble. "Kazu, if other people knew I was with a local servant who turned out to be a native spy and yet I didn't report immediately, I'll be treated as a traitor. You said so yourself, remember?"

 

"Relax, Merlin. It's just my unit. They are a bunch of greens dropped in our lab and were assigned to me the day after you were sent on your sample gathering mission. They're juniors from our university so they know all about you and are stumped that they're stuck with me. You guys are the same age, but seems like they're your fans, actually, ever since you did that research on hibernation fluids. So when they heard you didn't have the call function anymore, one of them said that you might not be able to communicate during extreme emergencies, causing everyone else to panic. But no worries, they don't know about you and that native spy."

 

Kazu explained, but Merlin was already halfway done chewing on his nails in nervousness. He couldn't help being so restless after all. In such a time and in such a situation, there was just no guarantee for anything and that made Merlin antsy. But something was amiss.

 

"Kazu, why do you have people assigned to you? And why is your hair cut like that?" Merlin pointed out. It was bothering him since earlier how short Kazu's hair was. Unlike his brother Shoumei who preferred to keep his Oriental black hair, Kazu usually kept his hair all spiked up and dyed into a blinding shade of orange. Now, the Kazu that Merlin could see in the monitor had his hair in a clean buzz cut. His features stood out and he looked younger. Merlin liked the fresh look, but it somehow made him uncomfortable.

 

"Ah, this? The seniors said it was mandatory so I had it cut off." For a moment, Kazu looked away from the camera and in that instant, Merlin knew something was wrong. "Merle, I think it's best if you stay there with Shoumei for a while. Don't try to come back yet unless I tell you it's okay."

 

Frowning now, Merlin demanded to know what his friend was talking about. "Why?"

 

"Merle, I was only an assistant researcher just a month ago. Yet they gave me a bunch of young bloods, an office, my own laboratory, a pass to use the communications satellite and an aero craft of my own. Just two weeks ago, they ordered every man to cut his hair." Kazu looked dead serious now, as if he was saying whatever he needed to tell Merlin with his eyes. "You know what that means, right Merle?"

 

Merlin unconsciously gulped and fidgeted in his seat. He knew, of course he did, but he did not want to acknowledge it, because it was frightening to think about. The senior human colonizers were slowly putting the men on their toes. Something big was coming and they were prepping everyone, including the reserve corps, the military scientists. Being given higher status during such a time didn't really equate to a good thing, and both Kazu and Merlin knew this.

 

It was strange how so much dread could be exchanged between two people through a monitor, all because of looking at each other in the eye. So the situation on the planet had come to this.

 

"So stay put right there, okay Merle? Listen to me for once."

 

Kazu finished before he promptly ended the video call. Still biting his nails, Merlin let his head fall to the table where the laptop he had been using sat, his mind heavy with worry for the future.

 

Due to his indecisiveness, Merlin ended up following Shoumei and Pretty, whose name he learned to be so secret that no one really knew her real name. The morning after Merlin joined Shoumei, the three of them made their way to the Talavarian village where Pretty and many other Cheraki lived as procedure to slowly convert the Talavarian locals, and the place where Shoumei was designated to teach elementary aged native children. Merlin shot the other human the most disapproving grimace he could manage when he learned this. The setup was basically nirvana for a pedophile such as Shoumei, and it had to be exotic children at that.

 

Suddenly the door flew open and in came an overly passionate Shoumei yelling orders at the younger man.

 

"Merle! Enough chitchat with my brother and come help me watch over the children! Grab your hat."

 

"Yes, yes." Merlin stood and tucked Shoumei's laptop away in a cabinet before grabbing his baseball cap and going out, his plysch rushing after him to climb onto his shoulder. "That uncle over there is grossly enthusiastic to watch over children. Don't you think so Yuuko?" The human asked his animal friend when Pretty suddenly came over to talk to him for the first time in the two weeks he had been in the village.

 

"Sh-Shoumei... k-kind and... nice." She stuttered, looking shy yet frowning and puffing her cheeks at Merlin. "He... n-not gross..."

 

Merlin stared at Pretty, amazed that she spoke in Japanese. Hearing his country's language spoken by a young girl from another planet was a strange experience, but it somehow struck a pang of homesickness in Merlin. Not that he missed his parents or Brenweilla or anything. Just that he missed the feeling of not having to worry about war and the dire feelings it brought.

 

On Earth, war and poverty was no longer an issue. Resources were allocated properly and political issues were rid of corruption. The present Earth guaranteed maximized life expectancy and general satisfaction for everyone. Social issues, education and wars were all solved. The problem was just that resources were dwindling too fast, and so Neron was the answer. At least, that was what the earth's most powerful leaders had the people believe. Merlin knew better than that though, and so did every other human researcher. For a while now, a group of scientists had been testing a new technology that was capable of containing the energy liberated during the combustion of matter, and around the year when the first colonizing ship, the ship Maria, was launched to Neron, it was confirmed that the technology managed to store ninety three percent of the expected energy from the combusted mass, with a loss of six percent when turned to mechanical energy. This bit of news was never publicized, though. If it was, then the colonization of Neron would never have pushed through. But none of the the researchers spoke up. Either they were threatened or scared, maybe bought with hush money, although most were too enticed with the prospect of investigating an actual living, breathing planet that almost none opposed.

 

"I like... Shoumei!"

 

Merlin was snapped back to reality when Pretty yelled, prompting the man to quickly kneel down and calm her, patting her shoulder and holding her hand. Merlin shushed to soothe her, all the while trying to ignore the looks passersby threw at him. They might have thought that he bullied her or something and he could not have that. Merlin knew he had to stay here if he wanted to survive, and that came with the obvious consequence that he had to keep the locals from seeing him badly. But even if it was easy to judge a man with a child crying in front of him, there was something different about how this particular young girl was treated. Pretty appeared to be everybody's sunshine that even the Talavarians acted as if they agreed so.

 

"Okay, okay Pretty. Shoumei is kind and cool and nice. I'm sorry. Merlin likes Shoumei too, okay-" Merlin was saying, but he was interrupted by a shrieking Pretty. "No! I like Shoumei! Only me! Nobody else! Just me!" Good grief, so children could be this much of a headache, Merlin thought. He was running out of ideas, or rather, had no idea what to do with a little girl throwing a fit. Merlin could feel his face being all weird as he tried to figure out what sort of expression would appease her. "Oh, um. Sure, Pretty. Only you like Shoumei, alright? So please calm down, yeah?" That was when the damned person being mentioned stepped in between them. Gently, he lifted her up in his arms and she settled there snugly like they had done this a thousand times before. It was rather a sight one would cringe at, and Merlin could not find a single cell in his body that could reconcile with the relationship between them. Though who was he to judge them? "Pretty, that's enough. I love you too, so say sorry to Merlin." Shoumei was saying, and the girl obediently did as she was told, now back to being timid with Shoumei's presence. When she was done apologizing, Shoumei put her down again, but not before giving her a peck on her forehead. Merlin felt himself twitch. He did not need to see that.

 

"Gee, you're bad at this, Merle. Get used to the kids fast or the villagers will toss you out for being a freeloader."

 

Shoumei said as he handed the shorter male a large duffel bag full of metals clinking inside. Merlin was surprised that the bag could be so light, but he made no mention of it. Instead, he sighed at the way the other kept reminding him what would happen if he kept being unable to do anything useful in exchange for staying. Getting kicked out was a scary thought, so Merlin didn't like being told over and over.

 

"I know, okay? Also, could you tone down the flirting? It's so... weird for me. At least don't do it when I'm watching please."

 

The younger told the other male when they were left alone while a native woman, Shoumei's co teacher at the school, led the other children from the front. She was a beautiful woman, tall and full at the hips, her corn colored hair flowing down her back and reaching behind her knees. It w obvious at first glance how she was different from the other Cheraki. Her name was Kanta, and she was Pretty's mother. At the head of a little procession with around twenty children following and the two human researchers at the rear, Pretty and her mother Kanta led the way with a song as the little ones trudged their way further inland. Merlin soon fell silent as he walked after them. Although the children were mixed Talvarians and Cheraki, every child knew the song, which was in the native language of the Cherak. Merlin could not understand a thing, of course, so he was left guessing its meaning while he watched mother and daughter dance to the lyrics. The song included a lot of shrill notes and was sung pretty fast, but the overall effect was a happy beat. With the way they waved their arms and twirled and jumped around, if Merlin was to judge it, it sounded like an exhilaration of thanks.

 

Soon, they arrived at a riverbank, one that stretched for some kilometers bare from trees and was just plain, pale mud at one side while on the other side, a few meters from the river shore began the forest. The singing stopped, and Kanta, after leaving her shoes with her daughter, tested the mud's firmness by tapping her pretty bare feet on it. The mud gave way, and started caking around her feet. Laughing, she spun around fast enough that her skirt lifted and bared her legs, prompting both Merlin and Shoumei to look away. It was because they were both looking away that they didn't notice when she suddenly turned up a foot away from them, the act surprising the two humans. She spoke and it was in the Aeternumi language.

 

"The soil here is perfect and the weather is beautiful. Our divine Goddess has blessed this land and our duty beckons. Teacher Shoumei, please distribute the tools to the children." She instructed before attending to the children again while Merlin and Shoumei opened the bags they brought. The younger man saw that the metals he heard earlier were what appeared to be gardening tools. Soon the children were enthusiastically working while running and rolling around the sticky mud. Half of the class planted while the other half collected the mud, which Merlin now recognized to be very similar to clay. Watching them, Merlin had a silent debate with himself whether the class was simply having a field trip, or child labor was a thing among the locals. The way the children appeared to enjoy whatever they were doing, Merlin placed his bet on the first.

 

But it was a wonderful sight, nevertheless. Regardless of the ethnicity, dialect, their varying eye, skin and hair color, the little ones energetically worked together gathering the mud and packing the lot into woven baskets while the slightly older and more built ones tilled the land on the other side of the river, where the forest was. Merlin saw that many of the children flocked to Pretty, helping her as she directed others on what to do. As young as she was, the human researcher could see that she was a natural born leader.

 

"She really is pretty, isn't she?" Shoumei said with a sigh, his statement earning a look from Merlin. But the younger kept quiet and looked at her. The Cheraki were not very different from the Aeternumi when it came to their appearances, just that their eyes had greenish scleras and their irises had the color of red clay. They also had pointed ears though theirs did not reach as high as the forehead, like how the Aeternumi's ears are, and their eyes were farther apart. Because their goddess despised vanity, they generally kept their hair short, until around the shoulders. But Pretty's hair reached until her knees, just like her mother's, only hers was decorated with wisps of orange, lime green, and blue near the bottom, like tropical fishes against the backdrop of her fiery brown hair. Just like the other girls, she wore a simple one piece dress, but she looked especially beautiful in it, a thought which was surprising to Merlin. In fact, the longer he stared at Pretty, the lovelier she became, like she was pulling at him with invisible strings. It was a confounding experience so Merlin looked away.

 

"Let me tell you why she is not like the others. She is their Seer. When she turns ten, the spirit of their Oracle will completely possess her and the previous High Priestess, the young lady who appointed me to be here, will lose her eyesight. Pretty will be the channel to their goddess until she's sixteen, speaking for the lady deity until she is replaced. Then the cycle goes on."

 

The older human continued but Merlin was skeptical.

 

"Shoumei, I understand that you're i-in... in love with Pretty, but you don't actually believe in this goddess stuff they're talking about, do you? I mean, look at it objectively. Religion on Earth has long since been abandoned because it hindered progress and there was no conclusive proof of a deity anyway. The Cherak's goddess is no different. She is simply the figurehead of a belief system they created to guide their lifestyles. No one's actually seen her-"

 

"You mean, you haven't seen her." The older interrupted and looked at the younger human beside him. "Have you seen quarks and pulsars, Merle? Positrons and all that?" Merlin was not amused at the way Shoumei so testily asked him. "You did not have to put it that way." But if Shoumei was defending the Cherak and their religion, then there must be some truth to their goddess. Once again, Merlin's cynical side was overthrown by his curiosity. "Have you seen her?" He asked, but the older only chuckled. "You want to know, Merle?"

 

That moment, Pretty walked up to them and was pulling on Shoumei's shirt with her clay clad hands to get attention. "Mother said that Shoumei and Merlin should have midday's meal with us." She said, speaking in the Aeternumi language so Merlin could understand. "Oh. Are you done collecting the clay?" Shoumei asked while he patted her head. "Yes! Zanier could not help much, but he collected three little baskets. Let's go sit with mother." She found Shoumei's hand and slipped hers in it so she could lead the way. Shoumei followed, with one confused Merlin trailing behind the two of them. "Who's Zanier?" The younger human whispered. "Pretty's little brother. He's sickly and he's usually not allowed to join class trips like this but today was an exception." Shoumei explained, but Merlin had one more question. "Why? What's happening today?" The older male only answered the question with a knowing grin. "You'll see."

 

They crossed the river which was easy enough considering that its middle turned out to be only waist level for an adult. Merlin would have preferred to stay dry but no one else seemed to be bothered so the human decided to keep his mouth shut and go along. If the side they were on previously was sludgy with clay, the other side was solid, rich soil. Here, the ground was dry and so Kanta instructed the children to sit around a circle and take out their packed lunches. When that was done, the young ones placed their food about a feet away from them. Merlin watched in growing interest. That was when Kanta broke out in another song, this time slow and melodic, soothing and exuding humility and gratefulness. Merlin watched quietly from where he sat, realizing that they were praying to their goddess in thanks for the food. It was so strange. Who are they talking to? Merlin mentally asked. The food was something they prepared on their own, so why did someone else had to take the credit for their own hard work? The Cherak are a bizzare people, alright.

 

"Our divine Mother has graced the food. Eat and be nourished, children. You have done work well for Her glory." Kanta was saying after the song ended, then she made her way to the smaller circle where Pretty, Merlin and Shoumei sat. "I reckoned that you gentlemen did not bring lunch with you so I took the liberty of preparing your portions." She said and with a graceful gesture, served the two humans food. As always, the food was odd compared to Earth food and Merlin thought he could never get used to it, but the feeling of a warm bowl in his hands filled Merlin with gratefulness nevertheless. For a moment, he remembered the breakfast he had with Kjartan and Meran in the faun's cozy house. The feeling was the same back then. "Skel, Kanta." He said, and she answered him with a smile equally warm as the soup she served. "Our Lady has graced your food also. Eat up, Teacher Merlin."

 

Merlin was already slurping the broth when she said the last bit, making him stop. "T-Teacher?" His surprise was evident in his voice that even Kanta could notice it, and she chuckled. "Yes. Teacher Shoumei suggested it. The High Priestess has also allowed it. If you'd like, you can stay with us and teach the children the ways of humans just as how Teacher Shoumei does." Merlin wasn't sure about that, though. Kazu did say that he had requested for Merlin's sample gathering mission to be given to someone else so that meant that the higher ups were aware that Merlin was still outside the research labs, and that he was not doing anything particularly useful to the colonization process, and that he was with Shoumei. Are they abandoning me? Merlin wondered, since he wasn't exactly being asked to return either. If that's the case, then is Shoumei abandoned, too? What exactly is he doing here anyway? And if he was sent as a diplomat for Earth, then it should have been wiser to stay near the High Priestess' side, where influence was centered, not some small Talavarian village occupied by the Cherak. Many things did not add up properly now that Merlin thought about it.

 

The meal ended after a while. Kanta had many stories to tell, especially about their goddess and the beginnings of the people of Cherak. If she was telling the story to slowly convert Merlin, it certainly did not feel that way. She spoke with such genuine passion and her green eyes would light up every now and then her hands would dance in the air. Admittedly, it was as interesting as a science lecture could get, which was a huge compliment from a science geek like Merlin. When she stopped so that the class could start the hike back to the village, Merlin was itching to hear more.

 

"You know, you're like a child when you become so interested in something. You become such an adorable sponge." Shoumei commented as the two humans walked side by side at the rear again. Merlin scoffed, feeling embarrassed that he had been seen through. "That. I was just paying attention to be polite." The older didn't look like he was convinced but he didn't say anything anymore. Soon the village was in sight and what Merlin saw alarmed him. Although the children were all friends because of school, the adults in the villages weren't necessarily in good terms with each other. The Cherak had the tendency to be very pushy when it came to preaching and making converts, especially the elders and priests. This constant pressure did not sit well with some Talavarians but other than those unwilling, the others had peacefully accepted the Cherak's doctrines. Yet seeing all the adults crowded near the forest's edge to meet their group with such intent faces, Merlin had a bad feeling resting in his gut. Someone spoke and it was in the Cherak's language but Merlin caught an Aeternumi "Get him!" The children parted like the Red Sea and before Merlin could resist, two men held his arms and a third had blindfolded him. The human researcher could only stutter Shoumei's name before he was taken someplace he hoped wasn't back North to the Vintars. He wasn't taken far though, and soon he was released and the blindfold was removed. Merlin could not comprehend what was happening but when he saw the villagers' expectant faces, he knew they weren't going to hurt him. "Um, excuse me. What is..."

 

"Teacher Merlin, we welcome you. You are now family." The Cherak man who had taken his right arm explained and raised his hand to gesture towards a humble hut that looked and smelled very new. "We built you this house to be your home. And with the clay that our divine Godess has blessed us, the children will craft utensils for your house, as well as a fireplace and a chimney to keep your place warm during harsh weather." The man smiled broadly, his pointed ears noticeably tilting back.

 

Merlin was speechless, but he knew he had to express his thanks. "Skel. Skel. Oh, thank you for your hospitality." If only the Cherak used this kind of method, making converts would have been a lot easier. He wasn't sure about staying and living with them on the long run, but the fact that they had welcomed him as family gave Merlin the assurance that he could stay until he figured his next move. Although being accepted wasn't really something he deserved, since he didn't work hard for it. Merlin wasn't really into accepting gifts like this, but the circumstances demanded that he should stay with them for protection. Nevertheless, this sort and extent of kindness was unique to the locals, and if Merlin had a camera right now, he would have documented this moment of tenderness with the locals.

 

"There will be a celebration tonight. Please be at the village center, for it will be at your honor." Kanta informed Merlin while the others dispersed to prepare for the festivities for later that evening, the children running after their parents, eager to help. Kanta left herself and the two humans were left to themselves. "Did they do all this to you too?" Merlin asked as they made their way inside the newly erected house. "Not at all. They gave me an old hut anyway." The older replied as the two humans entered the structure. "By the way, I had your things placed here, including your plysch's bed. And before I forget, here." Shoumei handed Merlin an opened envelope. "I found it with your clothes when we first met near the northern border. I must say, your spy Kjartan is an A grade hottie."

 

What?

 

Merlin snatched the letter from inside the envelope and read it in record speed. It was the letter for Dr. Van that Kjartan had passed onto Merlin when they were at Meran's house. The letter was from Captain Theodor Carlson and his impatience was evident in his words. Kjartan's profile was attached to the letter along with his picture. "I know Captain Carlson can be a brute sometimes, but he should have noticed at least that this guy is clearly not from the Talavar tribe. Goodness, this is why the natives loathe humans. Who would trust someone who can't even tell you apart from others? It was obvious right from the start that this dude Kjartan right here was faking his identity if only someone with enough knowledge just told the captain." Shoumei said with a look of pity for the captain.

 

The captain wasn't the most agreeable man, even among humans. He was hot tempered and he liked to do things swiftly and efficiently. He was popular enough that not only soldiers hated to cross paths with him, even researchers feared him as well. But despite his harsh demeanor, he was admired for his continuing efforts for the colonization process. The captain is a passionate fighter, and every human is glad that he is on their side.

 

Now that Merlin spent time with Talavarians, he realized that Kjartan was truly not of Talavarian blood. "He's an Aeternumi." Merlin was mumbling as he stared at Kjartan's picture. "That's why he's so tall... and cool..." Faltering, Merlin quickly turned to catch the other snickering. It did not take long for his face to grow hot. "Go away, lolicon. And don't read other people's letters again." The older wasn't threatened though and was already on his way out. "Who cares? Besides, you read the letter too, so we're both guilty." He pointed out before he left. "Laters."

 

The children came by later that afternoon to present their gifts of pottery, many of which were crooked and mismatched. But Merlin thought they were all neat and accepted them with much thanks, making the little ones happy in return. One of the gifts looked questionable in shape, but Merlin flashed a smile at the Cheraki kid who gave it. Some hours more, and Merlin made his way to the village center, where a large fire was lit at the middle of a large circle that the villagers formed. He left his plysch at the house because the children seemed to fear it. He did not know what sort of festivities the locals would have so not knowing what to expect led him to opt for conservative wear, all articles of clothing borrowed from Shoumei though.

 

"Merle, you're here."

 

Shoumei showed up dressed like a Cheraki. Not like the priests, but like any of the working men of Cherak who wore excessive robes to prevent showing skin. Beside him holding his hand was Pretty, who wore the usual one piece white dress for the children but with her hair braided and pulled up into a bun at the back of her head. She looked pretty indeed and would have been more so if she placed flowers in her hair, in Merlin's honest opinion, but because of their religion, she was not allowed. With her hair out of the way, her greenish eyes stood out in the firelight. It was only for a moment but with the way they stood next to each other, Merlin almost approved of their relationship. Or rather, he was ticked that they could be together freely like this.

 

Must be nice...

 

Suddenly there was a succession of loud, sonorous drumming from the other side of the fire. Merlin could feel his very chest shake with the intense rhythm of the beats, reminding the human of a lost art of the Japanese called Taiko drumming. Although it was very rare nowadays, performers would visit prefectures in Japan and showcase nearly forgotten traditional pieces. Merlin considered himself fortunate enough to have been allowed by his mother to watch but because he was running late, he only managed to catch the finale, which was the Taiko drumming. He was only ten then, but Merlin felt a sort of Japanese pride swell inside him, one he dismissed immediately because useless pride like patriotism was heavily discouraged on Earth.

 

"Merlin, please sit over here, with the children." Pretty grasped the human's hand and led him to a large, intricately woven mat of dimensions about four by three meter squared which was spread on the hearth. He saw how children removed their footwear and arranged them carefully before stepping onto the cloth. Merlin followed suit, slightly amused that such a practice was just like how Japanese take off their shoes before entering a house. The children were pleased to have him with them and so as soon as Merlin was seated, the children flocked to him, arguing among themselves who would sit on his lap. They argued in the Cherak language though, but Merlin could understand more or less, and not long after, the victor was chosen. A boy about three to four years old stepped up on wobbly legs, but in his greenish eyes was a sparkle that was so mesmerizing that Merlin unconsciously raised him by his armpits and placed him to sit on his lap. The little one let out an airy giggle before settling down. The drumming had stopped too. Everyone else had hushed when two figures, one small and slim the other tall and lean, rushed from two sides of the fire and suddenly, without warning, jumped through the fire. Landing with their feet widely spaced and their hips dropped much like the sumo stance, the two then stood at their full height. That was when the heavy bass drumming started again. The tempo was very slow, and the two figures lifted their knee one after the other much like how a crane would walk. Looking closely, Merlin noticed how the two were wearing masks that were simply carved out from wood. There were no faces on their masks, no eye holes and nose holes either, just one crescent shaped slit where the mouth was. They can't see? Merlin had no time to be bewildered when the dancers started circling the fire with their crane walking, gradually gaining speed as the drumming hastened too. The dancers' sweat became obvious in the firelight, their hair packed tightly into braided buns had some strands that escaped. Their plain white dresses followed them until they were a blur. Merlin watched breathless, wondering how they never crashed into each other or into the fire.

 

Suddenly the taller one gave a shout and a beat after, the drumming stopped. The amount of breathing they had to do to catch their breath was amazing and before long, the taller one started singing, and her voice proved to Merlin that his guess about the older dancer being Kanta was correct. Unfortunately, she was singing in the Cherak language and Merlin could not understand a word. However the smaller one, who he guessed to be Pretty, was dancing, waving her arms and stomping her feet, leading Merlin to assume that she was acting out whatever her mother was singing.

 

"So the woman lived in a dark box for as long as she remembered. She doesn't know how she got there but she knew she had to go out. When she did, the land was barren and the people had reduced to being animals. She spotted a single living flower but even that was killed by a beastly person. In rage, the woman took the remains of that flower and uses it to create new, untainted people. She orders them to kill the barbaric people, but this people are innocent and kind, and so it pained them to do as she said. In pity, the woman retracted her order and instead of killing the beastly people, the new people she created will cleanse the wicked people and teach them the principles of their creator, the woman." Merlin summarized after the song and some more choral singing where all Cherak in the village performed, and even a community dance of the Talavarians ended.

 

"I'm amazed you understood all of that through the singing and dance alone. As expected, my Pretty's body language is perfect. Her creation story dance is flawless. By the way the woman is their goddess and the new people are the Cherak. The old people are the rest of the Neronians." Shoumei answered, himself out of breath also after partying hard with the Talavarians during the dance, which meant jumping around while holding hands with the people beside you. Such festivities were seldom permitted on Earth so it made sense to make up for all the other times he wanted to just dance and waste his energy.

 

"Teacher Shoumei is correct, and Teacher Merlin's ability to observe is impressive." Kanta said. She was serving the two humans a thick yellowish soup each along with a large piece of dry bread when she heard their conversation. "Our Divine Goddess loves every Cherak very much, and so she does also for our planet Neron. She loves the dignified picture painted when Cherak and planet are in harmony. The other races do not understand dignity, nor principles or self respect, chastity, devotion and humility, the values we are entrusted by the divine goddess to teach them. Admittedly, Cheraki priests don't have that much patience, so whenever they preach, there is always shouting and beating involved. But their intentions are always to help the others become Cheraki so that they can receive the blessings of our divine goddess also."

 

"Thank you." The two humans said when they were given food. Merlin was hesitant to ask especially because the Cheraki had been so hospitable to him and that he may come off as rude, but something did not make sense. "The Cheraki do not wish to hurt others, right? And yet the priests that preach the religion of the Cherak tend to resort to violence and verbal abuse when conversion becomes difficult. The Cheraki are being treated by the rest of the people of Neron as outcasts because of this. With all due respect, I think your singing and storytelling is more effective to earn converts, Kanta."

 

"Hoh ho, the newcomer finally said it." A very old looking Cheraki man joined their group. He was stroking his beard which reached to his chest as he slowly bent to sit cross legged in front of the two humans. "Let me explain. It is the High Priestess who appoints the men to become priests. Now, the men chosen are the ones who are the most impatient, the most selfish, the most flawed. It is the divine Goddess' will that this men realize their imperfections as they teach the doctrines to the Lyars, the non Cherak people. I myself took ninety years in the ministry before I learned to humble myself. Hoh ho."

 

"Ah, though Zanri is still a stubborn one if you ask me." Kanta said, her smile in full bloom and directed at the old man whose name Merlin supposed was Zanri. "Hoh ho. Only to my dearest wife, though. Hoh ho." He said, and the two Cheraki laughed. Merlin looked in confusion and Shoumei was kind enough to whisper an explanation. "These two are husband and wife. In other words, Zanri is Pretty's dad." Merlin's mouth dropped in disbelief. "Huh? But... compared to him, Kanta is still so... young." Merlin kept staring at the couple in front of him even though he knew it was rude. "Yeah. Cheraki women have a shorter life expectancy compared to Cheraki men so it makes sense that their women marry early, and to older dudes too. So age gap romances are a thing among Cheraki." Shoumei was flashing a big grin. "So Pretty and I are lit."

 

"Hoh ho. Where has my little Zanier gone? Wasn't he here sitting with you, Teacher Merlin?" Zanri asked. Oh, so that kid was Zanier, Merlin thought. "He went away when the Talavarians started dancing. He looked dizzy so I left him with a Talavarian boy who said that he would take him home." Merlin replied while the old man looked very proud. "Hoh ho. Zanier has always been very sickly so the kids take turns taking care of him. Especially the Talavarians. My little Zanier does not have the spirit of the Oracle like his sister, but he has a certain charisma among the Talavar that makes them unable to leave him alone."

 

Don't you think it's just because he's cute? Merlin wanted to say but he kept his mouth shut. "Well, my little Zanier is very cute so it makes sense." Zanri said as if reading Merlin's mind. "Hoh ho. The night is young, but the village must sleep. Sufficient sleep is needed to do our divine Godess' glorious work tomorrow. Kanta dear, please help me tell the others to wrap up the celebration. And help me get up, please." The old man said, and his wife eagerly complied. "Welcome to our family, Teacher Merlin. Indeed, your presence is a blessing given to us by our divine Goddess. May you rest well in the humble house we and our Talavarian brothers built for you." Zanri added before he walked on to the other side of the fire where the Cheraki priests sat among themselves.

 

There was much hustling and bustling before the villagers slowly ebbed away from the village center, the ones leaving approaching and talking to Merlin first before going to their houses. Ultimately not a single Cheraki was left while four Talavarians and two humans were left. Merlin was prepared to hear the same welcoming words he had been hearing the entire evening from them but that did not happen. Instead, they presented a bottle of a liquid that looked very familiar and when they uncorked it, smelled like fermented grains. So it was a Talavarian drink that Merlin and Shoumei had a couple of weeks ago. One of them, a man who Merlin recognized as the Talavarian who took his left arm earlier that day, raised the bottle and spoke in the Aeternumi language. "Drink, human friends. I am Klaproth. Because of the Cheraki confiscating our produce, a bottle is all we can share, but my brothers and I welcome you both nonetheless." And another said, "Indeed, because if the Cherak find us with the women, their goddess will have a fit." And at that, all four of them laughed. As if in sync, the four of them sat and beckoned the two humans to do the same. "Sit, sit. What good is a welcoming party without a little drink?" One said, so Merlin and Shoumei sat. The drink was being served in cups and were handed to each one present. "Cheers!" And then they all drank. Merlin was thinking how these Talavarians had given no chances for Merlin and Shoumei to refuse, probably because they really just needed an excuse to drink, but the researcher made no comment and drank the portion he was given. He expected the drink to be the same as before, but the amount of alcohol in this particular bottle was no joke. Merlin's head felt heavy after one shot and that was that. He was not drinking another again. Shoumei looked stoned as well, but he was still doing fine enough to join the Talavarians on cheering Merlin on to drink more. After many failed refusals, Merlin drank three more until his very eyes burnt. The Talavarians looked happy. In their bliss, they started talking, specifically about the Cherak.

 

"You know, all these Cheraki are so boring. They sleep early and wake up early. They work all day and when they eat, their prayers take so long, always yapping about their goddess. They don't even allow masturbation. Heck, what do they do when they're horny?" One of them, a redhead sporting a tomahawk ranted. "Oh, but their women are fine. So soft and gentle. If we ganged up one one-"

 

"Shut your mouth, Frigor. You are drunk and unaware of what you are saying." The oldest brother Klaproth scolded his younger brother. "The Cherak might have taken away our habits of pleasure, but they have exchanged it by giving our lives meaning. In the past, every day was simply a day to work and prevent starvation, to just wake up only to breathe. But now, every morning is beautiful and we feel peace when we commune with nature. Isn't that right, Sephir?"

 

"Yes, big brother Klaproth." The youngest brother answered. "Helping out with their farmers has taught me patience and humility in front of nature. In return, the crops grow healthily and are ready for harvest just in time before the village runs low on food. Also, the grateful faces of our consumers is always very rewarding. I could not ask for anything more."

 

"Hey hey, but those Cherak priests were bullying you the other day, weren't they?" The last brother, the second eldest, spoke up. "If it hadn't been for me, your brother Torien, they would have seriously beaten you up. I swear those incompetent bastards don't know how to fight unless it's many against one."

 

Merlin could only watch at this exchange between brothers. Just from this example alone, it was easy to see that the Talavarians were evenly divided between accepting the Cherak or despising them. In other words, they were halfway successfully converted. The argument went for about an hour more when Shoumei announced that they should all head for home now. The brothers perked up, said their goodbyes and made the humans promise to drink with them again before making their way home. They walked steadily enough, unlike Merlin whose feet kept slipping from beneath him no matter how much he tried to stand straight. Muttering, Shoumei helped the younger to his new home. Once inside, Shoumei sat Merlin on a chair and fetched him water which Merlin gratefully drank. Merlin had gotten so sleepy at this point that Shoumei had to prepare his beddings and carry him to his bed but the younger refused to release his hold on the other's neck that the two of them slumped onto the soft mattress together.

 

"Alright, Merle. Let go so I can go home now. I have work tomorrow. Wait, actually we both have work tomorrow." Shoumei was saying, but Merlin, in his inhibited state, decided to be stubborn. "No." The younger said. "What do you mean no? Let go, Merle." The older was now pulling on the other's arms to free himself. "Shoumei, have you ever kissed Pretty?" Merlin asked, and even though he was drunk, he could feel the way Shomei's body grew hot because he was flustered. "Well, yeah." But his answer was not satisfactory to Merlin. "You know I don't mean her forehead, right?" The older noticeably flinched. "O-Of course not. She's nine! How could I do such a-" Shoumei burst out. "But have you ever wanted to kiss her?" Merlin pressed on. "Well, of course I want to. Wait, what is with this conversation about kissing? You shouldn't have forced yourself to drink so much." Shoumei sighed. "I want to kiss too. I've never felt this way with Brenweilla before." Merlin mumbled, making the other shake his head. "You drank too much, man. Sleep that kissing urge away." Then Shoumei was about to stand up when Merlin pulled on the older's neck again and yelled. "Hey Shoumei! I said I want to kiss too! I want to kiss!"

 

"I heard you, I heard you! Goddamn, I can't believe you're throwing a tantrum. Hold on, I'll call Kazuhito." Shoumei said, but the younger was already pulling their faces closer. "Fuck it Merle, I'm not going to be Kjartan's substitute." Shoumei clutched Merlin's cheeks and pulled them until the pain made the younger release his hold. Quickly standing up, the older threw a blanket at Merlin's direction and made his way to leave. "You go ask him to kiss you the next time you meet. For now, go to sleep." Shoumei said before slamming the door.

 

Merlin's first day as a teacher was not really disastrous, but it was nearly one. The children could not understand the Aeternumi language except for simple phrases, and Merlin didn't know a single word of Cherak. As a result, there was a lot of miscommunication and in the end, Merlin had to ask Kanta to teach him the language for half a week if he wanted to be helpful around the school. When he did learn the language, the children loved him and would invite him to sing with them in Kanta's class. One song went "I do not feel hungry, I do not thirst. I do not tire nor do I feel reject. But only with Her do I feel full, I feel satisfied. I feel rested and loved. Oh how great is She, our Mother divine." It was the children's favorite that even little Zanier would join the dance, prompting the hesitant Talavarians to sing as well. Sometimes they would go back to the riverbed and check up on the trees they planted then pick wild fruits on the way back. At every end of the day, the class would have a nice long prayer before going to their respective homes. Being a teacher in a simple village was energy depleting, but it kept Merlin from thinking about Kjartan and the war and all the bad things happening outside.

 

"Merle. Old man Zanri told me to tell you to go to the forest. You know, the one across the river. I'll handle your class so take your time." Shoumei said over breakfast a week later. After working together, Merlin's impression of Shoumei had changed and he could feel his respect towards the older male grow. Truthfully, Merlin's previous discomfort towards Shoumei was only because the older had taken advantage of Merlin before. But that was long ago, and Shoumei had obviously changed over the years. He was still a brilliant researcher and a pedophile, but he didn't feel gross to Merlin anymore. "Okay. I'll go there now." Merlin stood and before he could leave, Shoumei added. "Merle, Pretty and the children want to play with your plysch so can you leave him here?" Merlin nodded. "Sure. Just don't stress him out or he'll bite. Later."

 

Crossing the waist deep river was always a bummer, but Merlin had started to not mind so it was good. Just that the current had gotten stronger recently and crossing was becoming dangerous. Zanri, little Zanier and three Cheraki, one young man and two lean females were on the other side waiting for the human. "Hoh ho. Teacher Merlin, hello. I assume you have eaten breakfast? Well then let's go." Zanri said, gesturing towards the forest. Their little group trudged their way while one of the women introduced herself and the others. "Hello Teacher Merlin. I am Soliva. This is my sister Meenett and our cousin Arain." Merlin greeted them back but before they could talk much, their group stopped at the edge of a clearing and the three young Cheraki dispersed, Zanier staying behind and playing with his father's hand. Merlin saw how the little Cheraki was trying to make the old man pet his head, which was so adorable."Hoh ho. Teacher Merlin, do you fear great heights?" Zanri asked a question to which Merlin shook his head no. "Well then, hop on." Chuckling, the old man said as he made Merlin look behind him. To the human's surprise, there stood three Flrathis, possibly hidden in the forest prior to their appearance. They were large birds of obsidian gloss with six wings that allowed their big bodies flight. Each was six feet tall and their wingspans reached seven to eight meters. The Flrathis is a magnificent bird and although Merlin knew that human colonizers had been working hard to tame these creatures to be used for transportation in the future, he also knew that humans had yet to successfully mount one.

 

Amazingly, Soliva, Meenett and Arain rested on each bird's rump comfortably like one would a horse, little Zanier silently joining to sit with the girl Meenett. Merlin was awestruck and Zanri had to pat his shoulder to wake him from his daze. "Beautiful birds, aren't they? Now hop on before they lose patience. Flrathis don't like to just stand around doing nothing, you see." The old man said and was pushing the human towards one. "W-Wait. I'm not sure about this. They might not like me." Merlin panicked, knowing how many humans got fatally wounded for not approaching a Flrathis properly. "Hoh ho. It'll be okay. Alright, I'll let Arain be your flight attendant." With unknown strength, Zanri lifted Merlin up until Arain could pull the human beside him and onto the bird's back. "Have a fun flight! Hoh ho!" Zanri beamed as he sat on a mat he spread out while the three young Cheraki clicked their tongues as a signal for the birds to start running. The Flrathis' leg power was amazing enough to allow each bird to go from rest to a speed of eighty kilometers per hour in mere seconds. The trees whizzed by and they were cutting through the air so fast that Merlin held onto Arain tightly before the other could instruct him so. Before long the river was in sight and as soon as they passed the tree line, the Flrathis opened its magnificent pairs of wings and flew. The bird caught a thermal and then they were soaring higher and higher up. For a long time they continued to gain altitude until old man Zanri was just an ant and the village was the size of a lego. Merlin expected to puke at this point but surprisingly enough, he did not feel the slightest bit dizzy or nervous. The bird let out a booming caw, making goosebumps run on the human's skin. With the wind pushing his hair back, his heart hammering in his chest and his hands sweating like crazy, Merlin felt alive more than ever. Saying that riding a Flrathis was thrilling would be an understatement. It was electrifying.

 

"Teacher Merlin, are you feeling well?" Arain asked even as he was steering the bird to tilt to one side so that on their left was Neron and at their right was the sky. "Never better, Arain." Merlin was grinning as he answered and while he was wondering if he had a funny face on, the Cheraki had spoken again. "Then would Teacher Merlin not mind if I perform a few tricks?" Arain said, making Merlin ecstatic. "Bring it!" So the ride only got bumpier from then on. Arain and his Flrathis had an impressive repertoire of acrobatic tricks that they showed the human before Soliva and Meenett came over to tell them they should land soon. For a last time, the Flrathis climbed a thermal and once it was high enough, tucked its wings to swoop down, slowly gaining momentum as it let gravity pull it down. Merlin felt his insides turn to mush as the bird bulleted across the air and the ground rushed up to meet them. Just before they crashed, the Flrathis opened its wings again and glided towards the river, lowering its feet to use as brakes against the water until they completely stopped. Zanri was beside the human as soon as he was off the bird. "How was it?" He asked. "Glorious! Thank you for the experience, Zanri. Arain, skel!" Merlin answered energetically then turned to his pilot and shook the young Cheraki's hand. "Thank you, it was such an honor." Arain looked bashful, but he gave the human a smile in return. "Always welcome, Teacher Merlin. Also, it was our divine Goddess' blessing that the weather was fit for flying, and so has pleased the Flrathis."

 

"Indeed. There are many other beasts that the Cherak have forged friendships with. In this village, we commune with the Flrathis. In other villages it is with the large land animal Umshahir, the swift legged Frenral, the slime Glytf, and many other beasts more. Our divine Goddess has granted us dominion over all the beasts of Neron, and the ability to move them to our will." Zanri explained. "The Lyars may put chain and collar on these animals, but only us Cherak can befriend the creatures. While the Lyars have turned us into outcasts, the planet Neron has casted them out as well. Unless our divine Goddess has blessed them, as She has blessed you, Teacher Merlin, the beasts of Neron shall not listen to their command. Although there is one special exception. The plysch is a stoic, friendless animal that has existed far longer than our divine Goddess. She does not have authority over the plysch and thus cannot bless it, meaning we Cherak are unable to communicate with it." The old man gave Merlin a curious smile, one that the human did not know the meaning of. "You are in a class of your own to have befriended one of the tabby creatures."

 

"So... the animals respond to any Cherak and not to the Talavarian, the Vintar, the Aeternumi?" The human summarised. Just how real is their goddess, seriously? Merlin wondered. And is the plysch some kind of mystical animal or something? "Hoh ho. Correct, but if a Lyar is blessed, like the Talavarians here, then they may communicate with the animals also." Zanri answered, satisfied that Merlin was not afraid of the flight test earlier and that he understood quickly. "Now that you have tried, will you fly again, Teacher Merlin?" The human did not miss a beat. "Of course!"

 

So began Merlin's flying lessons, his teacher mainly being Soliva who, in contrast to the stereotypical gentle demeanor that was common among Cherak women, was very strict. Often she would raise her voice while Merlin would try to avoid eye contact, especially because her skin and eyes would change color when she was in the middle of a fit. Her ash colored skin would turn reddish brown and her irises would flash gold against her black sclera which would normally be greenish. It was unnerving to look at, so Merlin made it his priority to follow her instructions properly so she would not fume at him anymore. Aside from learning to ride a Flrathis, Merlin had work as a teacher and more often than not, he would arrive home exhausted with little energy left to move. Because of this, Shoumei would come over and prepare dinner which the two humans ate together, though sometimes Pretty would join them while bringing food that her mother prepared.

 

"How's the flight training?" Shoumei asked one night a week after Merlin had started flying. They had just eaten dinner and were lazing around the back porch of Merlin's hut. Merlin was combing his plysch's fur as it sat on his lap while Shoumei was sculpting something. "Well, I can dive now." Merlin answered then quickly added a question. "How is it possible that only the Cherak can control the animals of this planet? That's crazy." The older human looked up from his carving to reply. "I did some research. Apparently it's because of their sweat. There is a special bacteria living in the skin of Cherak that tampers with their sweat. As a result, the animals can identify with the Cherak." Merlin was not convinced. "So it's not because of their goddess stuff. But if it's because of sweat, then how is it that I can control a Flrathis too?" Shoumei shrugged. "They could have rubbed some of the bacteria on you. But when I tried that myself, the bacteria died in a few seconds. It's impossible for them to live anywhere that is not a Cherak's skin. Or... maybe their goddess really does exist and she has blessed you so you can communicate with beasts now." Melin pursed his lips, not liking that all explanations had to be about the supernatural. "Did they make you ride a Flrathis too?" When the younger asked that, Shoumei almost looked offended. "I can fly too, alright. I was the one who taught Arain. But have you ever wondered why they bother to teach us all this?" Merlin stared at the shavings that fell from Shoumei's hands as he worked. "Isn't it part of their hospitality?" The younger asked but Shoumei was shaking his head. "Nearly three weeks ago, ten Cheraki priests were beheaded in Aurora. The killer is Ansgar, one of the sons of Herald. You know, that monster dude up North. I think you've spoken to him. Anyway, the Cherak are not pleased, of course. This goes beyond the usual bullying most Cherak experience whenever they try to convert Lyars and the Lyars reject them. It was obviously display of power and he has effectively gotten his point across. The Cherak are not warriors nor do they have the technology for warfare, but they do have the planet on their side, assuming all the stuff about controlling beasts is true. It's admirable that the High Priestess has kept quiet all this time. The Cherak must be feeling cornered by now. All those flying lessons you've been getting must be their idea of an investment. By the way, I heard that cute little Zanier is a better pilot than you are. You should not underestimate your classmate, Merle."

 

"Why do you talk as if this does not concern the humans too? I mean, if the Cherak did not ally with us in the first place, they wouldn't have to be treated like scum by the Lyars. Shouldn't the humans feel a bit pressured also?" Admittedly, Merlin had gotten a bit attached to the Cherak, especially because he had gotten to interact with and understand them for the month he was with them. He wasn't loyal enough to actually fight with them though, at least Merlin did not think so. He wasn't a fighter anyway. Still, it did not sit well with Merlin that the humans did not seem to be too concerned that their local allies were between a rock and a hard place.

 

"Don't worry so much, Merle. It does not suit you." Shoumei was grinning when he saw Merlin purse his lips at what he said. "You know, the Kalyptra landed on Iiorn three days ago." Kalyptra was the fourth colonizing ship and was supposedly the one that Merlin should have been on if he didn't force his acceptance into the Dairo. To think that the humans had already taken Iiorn, the closest one of Neron's three moons. The dread that Merlin had so carefully buried the past three weeks was resurfacing again. "I think it'll take them two more days to completely occupy the satellite and set up base and communications. They're turning Iiorn into a spaceport for future colonizing ships. Kazuhito told me all about it. That guy's been busy since he was promoted. CAPCOM, huh? As always, the little brother is better than the older brother." Shoumei had a weird smile in his face that was half proud half empty. Merlin did not know what to make of it, so he kept quiet and let the sound of dried leaves dancing as the wind passed and the sound of Shoumei's carving fill the silence.

 

"Pretty's Oracle transformation has been serious lately." Shoumei said a while later, his eyes still intent on carving. There was a different air around him while he spoke, one that made him appear like just any human who had problems. "She sometimes has blackouts, at times she would space out, and sometimes she doesn't recognize me. It's like she keeps seeing things far away and it's difficult for her to come back." Merlin had fallen silent, only watching the other's hands move while his plysch slept soundly on his lap. "As a scientist, it's easy for me to be skeptical about it but then I see her eyes fog out, like she has cataracts, so I can't deny their goddess stuff. She tells me she's anxious about letting the Oracle possess her but it's not like I can tell her not to worry."

 

Merlin had no idea Shoumei could be this honest, and to see this side of him was pretty endearing. Just listening to him talk about Pretty, Merlin finally understood how Shoumei sincerely loved Pretty. "You care about her a lot." Merlin said. The older looked up, grinning and going back to his usual self. "I advise you look for something you really care about, too. You never know when you might need a reason to live."

 

"Teachers, hello!"

 

A pair of youngsters, a male Talavarian and a female Cheraki who were passing by greeted the two humans. Peering into the darkness, Merlin found that they were Frigor and Meenett. It was an odd sight at first glance, but when the human spotted the linked hands and their glowing, blushing faces, it wasn't hard to figure out why they were out together at such an hour. Merlin felt himself automatically support their relationship for a reason he did not know.

 

"Yo, Frigor. So you do know how to be a gentleman when you need to be. Keep it up." Shoumei said as if approving a disciple. The young Talavarian looked embarrassed while Meenett looked left out. Merlin felt the same. "Thanks to Teacher Shoumei's tips, I now understand how it can be very rewarding to be gentle to ladies too." Frigor sheepishly said. Oh, so the lolicon has been teaching Frigor how to hit on girls, Merlin thought. "Have a nice night, you two. Off you go now, just don't stay out too late. And escort her home properly, okay?" Shoumei said, looking proud of himself. Frigor yelled back an okay before he and his partner disappeared into the darkness.

 

A couple more hours passed, the stars and Neron's three moons stood out sharply against the inky backdrop of the night sky and painted a marvelous picture that could have taken anyone's breath away. With the calm night air and Yuuko's soft fur between his fingers, Merlin tricked himself again that nothing bad was happening, that everyone would be okay and that he would meet Kjartan someday soon and they would gather the samples like how things were supposed to be. All of it played out prettily behind Merlin's closed eyes.

 

"I should go home. You go sleep too, Merle." Shoumei was saying as he blew on the piece of wood he was carving. He stood and left, leaving his wood litter on Merlin's porch. The younger spotted his mess and was immediately calling him back for it. "Clean up your mess, you lolicon!" But he never turned around so Merlin had to tidy it up himself after carefully tucking his plysch to sleep. Merlin was mumbling complaints when he found that Shoumei had left his carving in the middle of the litter. It was a king, as in a king chess piece. Merlin raised a brow in silent question. "Why a king?"

 

Merlin did not get an answer until half a week later, when armored men entered the village around noon. Merlin was wrapping up his class so that the children could go home for lunch when they heard the collective stomping of twenty or so men, and the footsteps of peculiar creatures called dizzlon, as Shoumei told Merlin when they later met up at the village center. Everyone else had gathered, mostly curious and fearful, the Cheraki priests already appearing agitated, although the Talavarians looked perky at the sight of their Talavarian brothers from their country capital. Merlin noted how their armor was designed like how human armor looked in the past and that even though some wielded swords, a weapon that looked uncannily like a gun was present and in the hands of a masked Vintar.

 

There was obvious hostility in the air, and when the newcomers gave the announcement that a Cheraki had murdered the former Talavarian king, a fight broke out, one that ended with a Cherak priest killed by a Talavarian. Just as the villagers could react, the wife of the fallen Cheraki priest had thrown herself upon the Talavarian and was wringing her hands around his neck. A noticeable flinch passed among the Cherak because they knew they should stop her but the shock of everything happening was stronger and so everyone else was paralysed. That was when the Vintar man pulled out the gun looking weapon and actually fired it, the sound horrifyingly familiar to the humans. The next thing Merlin knew, the woman was dead along with her daughter, his flying teacher Soliva weeping silently beside the three dead Cherak and Frigor standing next to her, frozen in shock. It took Merlin a moment to realize that it was Meenett right there on the ground and Soliva had just lost her entire family in mere minutes. Blood rushed to Merlin's head and he could not breathe. His hands shook and he was losing control over his facial muscles. He knew he was about to have a convulsive attack due to his Tourette's and he would have attracted attention right there if Pretty didn't squeeze his hand the way she did. "Merle, hold it in until they finish. You can't cause a scene now." Shoumei whispered, taking Merlin's other hand. "Fight it."

 

The armed men were shouting and cheering for the glory of the new Talavarian king. Many of the Talavarian villagers went along but some of those who were converted, like Klaproth and his three brothers had fallen silent, blankly looking at the bloodied ground. On the other hand, the Cherak had silently made their way to their little church at the edge of the village where they would hold a meeting first, all the while carrying the bodies of their fellow Cheraki. Wordlessly, Pretty and Shoumei pulled Merlin along with them to the church. When they were about a meter away from the door, the angered voices of the Cherak could be heard mixed with the sound of harsh, undulated wailing. Merlin felt goosebumps race across his skin hearing the inhumane sound, and finally his control broke and his convulsions took over. Merlin himself cried while he uncontrollably muttered illegible sounds and made clumsy spasms, his body shook as his tears made a mess of his face. Pretty and Shoumei continued to hold his hands through it all until Merlin finally calmed down.

 

"Merlin." Pretty called. "There was a man who knew you among the Lyars who came today. He was looking at you while hiding his face beneath his armor." She said simply before tugging on his hand. "Let's go." Pretty promptly said and then the three of them entered the church. The angry congregation inside immediately hushed when they saw Pretty, their pale grey complexions now turned a furious red, and their greenish scleras and clay red irises turned to a flashing gold against the black backdrop of their sclera. They appeared to be how Soliva would look like when she was impatient whenever Merlin would be mistaken during lessons, and so Merlin figured that this was generally how the Cherak's pigmentation would turn into whenever they were upset or in distress. Merlin had a feeling and so he checked Pretty's face who was beside him. Her eyes had turned milky white, just like how Shoumei described and like his fellow human, Merlin realized he could not simply brush off how he could see someone else inside Pretty that moment. They were in the presence of the Oracle, or so it seemed. Pretty opened her mouth to speak but her voice had turned from her usual girlish voice into a woman's rich voice that easily rang loud and bounced around the smooth cemented walls of their church.

 

"My beloved children, prepare to leave. This village of heathens is not worth losing your lives over. My will shall be taught in another place and in another time. As for those who have today perished, be at peace and know that they are granted the rewards they so deserve for being my faithful children. Zanri, my child." She called, and the aged man humbly stepped forward, his head bowed down and his palms pressed together. "Yes, oh divine Goddess?" He spoke respectfully. Pretty strode towards where he stood, her little hand on his gray head as she spoke. "You have served me well during your years as a priest. Today I call you out of retirement to lead your brothers and sisters from hereon. Be strong and healthy for their sake." The Oracle finished, and there was a beat of silence until Pretty let her hand rest on her side, now back to her normal self. Looking up to her father's face, she hugged his waist to show her support, and then rushed back to where Shoumei and Merlin were.

 

The meeting followed with more order than before it started, and because their goddess herself told them to leave without fighting, it was easily settled that they would hold a mass that evening to pray for themselves and those who died then leave at dawn the next day,all within the twenty our hour deadline. There were no fighters among the Cherak, which led Merlin to point out something that did not make sense. "Why would a Cheraki official murder the former Talavarian king? There are no killers among them, because their goddess discourages it, and it is also written in their book that whoever kills is not rewarded after death." Shoumei was packing his clothes into a duffel bag when he spoke. "That's true, but that's only if it's killing a fellow Cheraki. If it's for the service of their goddess, killing a Lyar is justified, along with other violent actions. It's just that generally, Cheraki themselves hate violence. Unfortunately their priests don't think so. Don't forget that the priests are the men that are the most despicable of Cheraki to ever exist." The older pulled out his laptop and was typing something in it.

 

"Are you leaving with them?" The younger asked, but if Shoumei ever heard him, he chose to ignore the question as he was intent on his computer. Merlin leaned over to look at whatever the other was working on, and was appalled to find that Shoumei had been playing computer chess all this time. Not to mention, he sucked at it. "Aw, man. Merle, you shouldn't have peeked. A man has got to keep his honor during his final moments, you know." Shoumei whined when he lost as soon as Merlin was behind him. "Could you please be a little more serious? War has been proclaimed against the Cherak, you know? Shouldn't you be giving support to Pretty right now or something?" Merlin was losing his patience when Shoumei wordlessly clicked to play a new game. In five moves he was defeated. "Don't you just hate it when you lose?" Shoumei asked while starting another game. "People hate to lose, so they tend to start again, but with a new vengeance." He was saying even as he deliberately moved his pawn to expose his king. Merlin had to sigh. Shoumei was acting weird. Based on his personality, he should be the angriest, the first one to help the Cherak all in the name of his love for Pretty. But he wasn't doing any of that. Instead here he was in his hut, playing chess on his laptop while losing again and again while Merlin watched.

 

"Who do you think I am, Merle? In this war, which chess piece am I?" Shoumei started, adding in a philosophical tone as he spoke that Merlin, in his impatience, chose to give up on him and return to his own hut to prepare. Merlin wasn't sure, but it seemed that joining the Cherak as they leave was safer than staying so he hurriedly packed what few things he had, stowed his bag along with his plysch at Shoumei's house, and proceeded to snoop around the previous village head's house, in other words, Soliva's house. Her family's house was largest among the village houses because as it stood with two floors near the village center, not only was it used as a mini clinic and meeting place for impromptu gatherings, it was also where Cheraki priests stored goods they had confiscated from the Talavarians, especially their prized alcohol. Now the armed men from before had made this their base while in the village and as they waited for twenty four hours, they gorged on themselves the liquor that would have aged well and by now would be superb in quality. The men were talking loudly among themselves, confident of the fact that they were more than enough to smoke the village. Merlin tiptoed as he approached the building from behind. If what Pretty said earlier was true, then Kjartan could be among them, or so Merlin thought. The human wasn't sure what he would do if he saw him though.

 

"Those guys are badly drunk, huh? Well, as expected from our liquor."

 

A voice said and in surprise, Merlin turned around quickly only to have a slender hand clamp on his mouth. "Teacher Merlin, hello. I'm Sephir, in case you forgot. My brother Klaptroth has sent me to observe the Lyars. We brothers are planning to join the Cherak but they won't let us, especially since sister Meenett has passed and there is no guarantee that our brother Frigor would stay loyal to the Cherak. So we thought that if we proved to be useful, the Cherak might just let us travel with them. What brings Teacher Merlin here?"

 

"I, uh, I wanted to see someone. He's-" Merlin started but the young Talavarian's soft features suddenly turned hard with suspicion. "Are you a spy, Teacher Merlin? Have you come to report to your employer?" Suddenly a blade unforseen was against the human's throat. "I-I'm not." Merlin could only say as he stood frozen on his spot. There was a long pause until Sephir judged him to be telling the truth and lowered his blade. "Teacher, whatever you do from now on might bite at you later. Please be prepared to take responsibility of your actions." From the way he said it, it was like his own way of telling the human that seeing Kjartan was not a good idea, so Merlin decided to leave. "Thank you, Sephir. And be careful." Merlin whispered to the other before going to the church. It had grown dark while he was snooping around and by the time he arrived, the Cheraki were halfway through their mass. Everyone was still wearing their distressed colors of angry red, black and gold as they mourned the previous owners of three Cheraki bodies laid at the center, the place lit up by oil lamps. Unexpectedly, some Talavarians were allowed inside, and there was Frigor in his most presentable clothes, holding Meenett's hand tightly between his. Merlin saw old man Zanri leading the mass with his wife Kanta and Pretty on each of his sides. The human looked around but did not see his fellow human inside the church. It was such a crucial time, and yet Shoumei was nowhere to be found.

 

Suddenly there was a loud crackle of thunder and a second later, a strong gust of wind from the opened windows blew all of the oil lamps off. The people mourning had fallen silent at this, which made the shrill cry that followed after all the more audible. Every person in the room pinpointed the source of the shout near the front and when a lamp was relit, they found Pretty convulsing violently as she lay curled on the floor. She grasped at her hair as if she was in great pain and when her mother tried to help her, she only screamed more. It was a terrible sight and except for Merlin and the converted Talavarians, everyone else had figured out what was happening. "Impossible. But she is still nine!" Merlin heard a Cheraki say, and another "The High Priestess! What happened to the High Priestess!" A long minute followed until Pretty stopped moving. When she opened her eyes, they were completely fogged white. Merlin thought she was just possessed like before but when she spoke, her voice was still Pretty's. "Mother, hurry! The Lyars! They're-"

 

"They're coming!" Suddenly the door burst open and in came a panting Sephir, his eyes bloodshot and his tone urgent. "They're coming! Leave! Leave at once!" Most of the Cheraki were alarmed and wanted to move immediately but Zanri hushed his panicked brothers and sisters and asked the Talavarian what happened. "I was watching them as my brother instructed me to. A converted Talavarian went up to them and pleaded to not hurt the Cheraki. I could not stop him and when the argument got too heated, one of the Lyars cut him down. The Lyars are drunk. They're angry and they're on the move. Please, believe me and leave at once. Even as we speak, more of the converted Talavarians are being hunted down."

 

The Cheraki were horrified and yet they were skeptical. "But they gave us twenty four hours to evacuate, right?" Many of them were displeased at this. That was when the Cheraki priests spoke up. "Those barbaric sodomites! Not only do they disrespect us, the believers of our divine Godess, they dishonor their own words, too! Truly, there is no limit to their shamelessness! Instead of running away, we should-" But the priests were silenced when Pretty raised her hand and lightning to struck the floor right beside the noisy men. That one act got Merlin's jaw dropping. So this is the power of their goddess?

 

"Sephir speaks the truth, father Zanri." Pretty said. "The High Priestess sensed this danger and in order to aid us, she has forcibly passed the entirety of the Oracle's spirit to me." The entire congregation was shocked to hear this. "Forcibly? You mean to say-" At this, Pretty nodded, her expression grave. "She has passed, having taken her own life." If Pretty was in woe, she did not let it show in her face. She now turned to address the others. "Let us now leave, all of us and not a single one hurt or left behind. This is not the day we fight. We must not let the High Priestess's sacrifice go to waste."

 

"Then let us go and hurry across the river." Soliva spoke calmly even as her eyes were still wet with her tears. "The Lyars may be inhibited by the alcohol, but they are stronger than us, nonetheless. Also, they have that freakish loud weapon that killed my mother and sister." And then in a loud voice she yelled. "All those trained to pilot the Flrathis, come to me!"

 

When the pilots gathered, that sort of became the signal that meant they would start moving. Merlin was still dumbstruck at everything that happened and like the many other times that he was frightened or confused, the human stood frozen where he was. Merlin could see the fear in the Cheraki, he could see the way they rushed out the church in a near stampede. He could hear their panicked voices and their hurried footsteps. And he was in the midst of it, yet it all seemed so unreal.

 

"Teacher! What are you spacing out for? Let's leave for the forest now!" It was Arain who snapped Merlin out of his daze. The human followed the young Cheraki wordlessly outside, where the wind had gotten strong and there was a slight drizzle. That was when the human remembered something very important. "Arain, please go on ahead. Yuuko, my plysch is still waiting for me at Shoumei's house." Merlin said, promising to join the others before turning back. Arain looked torn, but he knew he was needed as someone who could fly a Flrathis so with much reluctance, he let Merlin go and went after the others.

 

Left alone by himself, the feeling of danger escalated. Merlin kept off the main streets in fear of being seen, crouching and creeping amidst the shadows. The light drizzle steadily turned to fervid rain and by the time Merlin reached Shoumei's porch, he was soaked. His plysch, who had been sleeping atop Merlins bag, had woken up and was stretching its tabby body. "Oh Yuuko! Thank goodness you're still here. Where is Shoumei?" He asked. As if on cue, the door opened and the older human was there, heavily dressed with a cloak and holding a gun with a silencer. "I'm here, Merle." The older said as he aimed at Merlin and pulled the trigger. Reflexively, Merlin fearfully closed his eyes, waited, then heard a thump right behind him. When he turned around, a Talavarian warrior lay unmoving on the wet ground, a bullet through his stomach. Shoumei stepped off his porch and shot the warrior two more times to make sure that the Talavarian would not report to the others that one of the humans also had a gun.

 

"This gun's bullets melt in about fifteen seconds. It's made from Cheraki metal. Let's go, Merle." Shoumei only said, his eyes not meeting Merlin's, before rushing to the shadows. The younger human followed, unsure of what to make of Shoumei's unusual behavior but decided to make no comment of it until they were safely out the village. So the two humans crept behind houses, slowly making their way to the river where the Cheraki were. They saw at least three of the armed Lyars, all fearful to look at. With the rain hiding their scent and movements, the humans managed to pass without having to fight them. But even while having gotten away themselves, the damage that the Lyars inflicted on the village was still evident. The converted Talavarians proved to be very faithful after all. For the sake of their Cheraki friends, they dared to turn against their fellow Talavarians in hopes to buy the fleeing Cheraki time. Unlike the Cheraki, Talavarians had fighting capability and they had no moral issues about killing or violence. But the armed Lyars were overwhelmingly stronger and with the aid of the angered unconverted villagers, it did not take long before the converted Talavarians were brutally cut down one by one, their houses set on fire by their very neighbors. It was so horrible and unbearable to look at, with all the blood, the children crying and the way the dead bodies convulsed, belatedly realizing that they were dead. With clenched teeth, Merlin was about to rush out from his hiding place if Shoumei had not stopped him. "What are you going to do? Talk to them?" The older said sarcastically. "Look here, Merle. You have work to do, and that does not include dying here. You can't win against these natives in physical combat. Your fight is somewhere else."

 

And with that, he pulled the younger along until they reached the river, easily crossing it with how shallow it became. Despite the crisis, that disjointed detail did not pass by Merlin unnoticed. The river's water level had been climbing recently, widening its girth also, and on rainy days, its current became too treacherous to cross. So how did the water suddenly fall to knee level, with the tumultuous rain around them? And just when the Cheraki needed to escape? It was too good to be true and when Merlin needed an explanation, he only had to look at Pretty. All this time Merlin had been stubbornly clinging onto scientific reason but he couldn't seem to deny their goddess anymore, not after he saw Pretty with her hands raised and her eyes literally flashing white light. Deity or not, the supernatural was at work here.

 

"Alright. Divide into groups of three and mount the Flrathis. Quickly! We don't have much time." Soliva hissed as she passed and immediately everyone was on the move. Shoumei approached Pretty as soon as she released her hold on the river and they talked quietly. Merlin watched awestruck as the water rushed back in furious volumes when she lowered her hands. It was like the work of a man named Moses just as written on the most influential religious book on Earth in the past. All of a sudden, the rain lifted and the clouds cleared and in the dark expanse of the Neronian sky, the three moons hovering above shone blood red. The wind was as strong as ever and it kicked up the leaves into the air. The first five groups were already up, their Flrathis as dark as the night. Seeing their majestic figures, that was when Merlin remembered something important yet again. "Wait. Zanier. Has anyone seen Zanier?" The human asked the Cheraki and then the realization dawned that Zanier was indeed missing. "H-He was resting at the clinic. He was feeling sick with all his flying lessons recently that he could not move for the entire day." Answered Kanta, who now turned a flushed red with worry. "I can't believe I have forgotten my own son-" She sounded very heartbroken as she spoke that Merlin decided, in a split second, that he would go back and rescue the little Cheraki. But Shoumei beat him to it.

 

"No worries, Kanta. I'll go get him." He said, an easy smile on his face, sounding and acting like how he always did. He appeared like his usual reliable self, but Merlin had a very bad feeling about it. "Go on the Flrathis. I'll send him up right away." Shoumei added just as another ten groups took flight. Kanta was reluctant and her worry not only for her son but also for the human showed on her tearful face. "Have faith in him, dear Kanta. Zanier will be fine." Zanri said as he led his wife to mount a Flrathis. "Her divine blessing is upon you, Teacher Shoumei the human." The old man said quietly as he tightly embraced a surprised Shoumei. The old man himself also had tears, but he did not need to shed them for Merlin to see. Without another word, Zanri and Kanta flew also. Now there was only three groups left and the other side of the river had gotten brighter as the fire spread and consumed more of the village. They had no more time to waste. Merlin held onto Shoumei's cloak before the older could leave. "I'll go with you. If you want to rescue Zanier on time, you have to use the main streets. Not only that, you have to run across the village square to get to the previous village head's house. There's no way the Lyars would not see you. And if they caught you-"

 

"They will not capture me, Merle. They will kill me." Shoumei interrupted, clearly emphasizing the horrible word. He gave Pretty a long look which she returned with a sad smile. Merlin's bad feeling got worse. After quickly checking his reserve ammo, Shoumei flashed the younger human a full toothed smile, his Asian eyes disappearing. "Watch, Merle, and guess which chess piece I am!" He said with a thrill in his voice while his legs brought him to cross the yet again shallow river. His exit was so dramatic, that it took Merlin a long time coming to his senses. When Shoumei left, Merlin was holding onto his cloak so when it was pulled off, Merlin saw how Shoumei had been wearing borrowed Cheraki priest clothes all this time. Was Shoumei planning to...

 

I have to help him, I have to help him, Merlin kept saying in his head. But just as he was about to cross the river himself, the water surged again to stop him. "What are you doing, Pretty? Let me cross so I can help him!" Alarms blared in Merlin's head as that night for the first time he experienced the panic that the Cheraki had been feeling all evening. "I need to help him! Please, Pretty!" The human shrieked. Merlin didn't know he could behave hysterically like he did, but he could not help it when all he could think about was helping Shoumei. Pretty was squeezing the human's hand just as she did earlier that day. "You must not go, Merlin." She said. "I'm sorry, Shoumei made me promise not to let you."

 

"He made you promise? I don't understand. You mean he saw this coming?" Merlin searched the girl's face. "Well, not exactly. But Shoumei was always working hard for this day. He taught me a little about the Earth game called chess, see." Her grip was slightly stronger as her haze drifted to the brilliant blaze that was once a village. "The humans have been watching from the sidelines all this time, never minding the fact that all this civil scuffles are because of their arrival on this planet. He said that perhaps the humans needed a little encouragement to join the fight. An excuse even." She was saying as she raised her head to look at the blood red moons above. Looking at her, Merlin had to wonder how much she was forced to grow up in a single night when suddenly there was a voice. Squinting his eyes, Merlin saw that it was little Zanier running with all his might with his weak little legs. In his heart Merlin felt relieved but without Shoumei in sight, he could not rest easy. And as if in slow motion, Shoumei came to view just as an armed Talavarian nearly struck Zanier. His priestly robes flowed behind him as Shoumei raised the gun and shot the warrior to death. Zanier had crossed the river safely and Shoumei was about to do the same when one of the masked warriors came up behind him. The human turned and aimed, only to find that his barrel was empty.

 

"Shoumei!" Merlin screamed. Everything had become sluggish in Merlin's vision. There was loud ringing and in the instant that their eyes met, Shoumei seemed to say in his usual tone,

 

"You shouldn't have peeked."

 

And then...

 

"He's in shock. Get him on the Flrathis while he's not struggling. Hurry!" There was the feeling of being lifted up by multiple hands and when Merlin came to, he was up in the air between Zanier and Arain, the other two Flrathis carrying Pretty, Soliva and Torien, and Klaproth, Sephir and Frigor. His plysch was safely hugging Pretty's chest.

 

"Where is Shoumei?" Merlin asked immediately, but when no one answered, Merlin became desperate. "Shoumei! He's still down there! We have to go back for him, we have to!"

 

"Teacher Merlin, please don't move around so much. It's dangerous and you might fall off." Arain said, his words choked. But Merlin was not going anywhere without Shoumei. "No! Please, please! Pretty!" The human pleaded and to everyone's surprise, Pretty actually told the three groups to land on a clearing of the forest. They were not far from the village yet, only a few kilometers away from the river. "You will not go with us, Merlin." Pretty began when they all dismounted from the Flrathis. "From now on, the Cheraki are at war against the Lyars. With us, you will only be in danger. But alone, you will perish soon. So this is the answer that Shoumei and I compromised." And then the young Priestess strode closer to the human and caressed his hair. Her calm demeanor was not what Merlin wanted to see. He wanted to see Shoumei.

 

"What about Shoumei? We should help him-"

 

"Shoumei has passed, Merlin. Beheaded by a skilled masked Lyar." Her voice was stable, but down her cheeks fell the tears she had been hiding all this time. Seeing her cry, Merlin's heart went out for this girl and he held her small frame in his arms. Hugging her made Merlin remember that he wasn't the only one in pain. For now, he had to calm down. "Sorry Merlin. I promised him, so I must keep it." She said as she focused even as she continued to cry. "I cannot change your appearance, but I can cast an illusion that will allow those who do not personally know you to perceive you as a Talavarian local. This way you will be safe from the Lyars in case you are found. And, until the time is right, you shall have the consciousness of a plysch. You will forget you are human and live as a plysch, as much as your human body allows. All the knowledge, the languages that you wield, you will be unable to use. This is so that any attempt at torture will not get information out of you, in case you are captured. Your plysch shall be your brother and mentor from now on."

 

"Sounds just like that lolicon to make such a plan." Merlin muttered in dry amusement, his chest seeming to be consumed by acid every time he thought of Shoumei. "So you're leaving me here?"

 

"Yes. Shoumei insisted that you see more of this planet, more than any Lyar, any Cheraki, any human has ever seen. You have the ability to see through the skin and into the heart. If anyone could fix the mess that Neron has turned into, it would be you. You and a certain A grade hottie, as Shoumei worded it. Even with my Oracle powers, sometimes I don't understand him, that Shoumei." She sighed, looking nothing like the nine year old she actually was. "Go to sleep, Merlin. When you awake, you shall see the world through the eyes of a plysch."

 

After his plysch was given to him, Merlin watched them mount the Flrathis again. The pilots clicked their tongues and in a flash, they were gone. Merlin watched them fly, their silhouettes against the blood red moon the last thing he saw as a conscious human for a time. Soon, he fell asleep.

[-Hideki-]

Kjartan had stood there in tension while he had screamed along with the other legionaries because he couldn’t tell if chaos would break out right away. He just had been able to calm down when most of the Cheraki people decided to head for their religious building, temple or church or whatever it was and no one stopped them from entering.

 

There was one particular Cheraki family who had caught Kjartan’s attention after the assassin had stared at Merlin while he disappeared with the people from the desert. It had been a young man, twenty at highest, and he as well as his mother and father who had held a baby in their arms, had looked different from the other Cheraki people. They were dressed like the Talavarian people and they didn’t eye the soldiers or the Talavarian peasants in a hostile way but especially the young male was looking at his own people with disgust and hatred in his pure golden eyes that were typical for the people of Cherak and that Kjartan had always found quite impressive.

 

Some of the soldiers were told to secure the church and observe what was going on in there and the others claimed the village at least what had once been the property of the Cheraki.

The brunette saw Baldor, Heron and the commander of the Talavarian troops getting off of the dizzlos, handing them over to their inferiors and heading towards the house of the Cheraki priest that they would occupy as their headquarters because it was the largest in the village.

 

“You!” Baldor said to the farmer he had saved from that Cheraki woman’s attempt of murdering him.

The farmer looked up to the Vintar with his aquamarine eyes and the cyan short hair. He had black freckles on his grey skin and Kjartan would have guessed that he was a bit younger than him. “Me, Sir?” he asked in a tone much more humble than in the scene before. The spy from Aeternum thought that this was the case because Baldor had just saved the common man’s life. “Follow me!” the Vintar said and the man seemed a little confused as he didn’t know what the warrior wanted from him.

 

When they were in the priest’s home, Kjartan had followed Heron inside, the man finally got an answer to the unspoken question as to why he was said to follow them. “You will be put under our protection so that no Cheraki will take your life.” Baldor said and both Heron and the Talavarian seemed to agree with this decision. “You are a brave man indeed.” The Talavarian said to his countryman. The cyan haired farmer bowed his head: “Thank you m’lord’s.” He said and he really seemed grateful. He wanted to add something else and Baldor seemed to be put off by being called that way when it violently knocked on the wooden door of the house in which their men were destroying everything that had to do with the Cheraki’s religion.

 

The door was opened and in it stood the young Cheraki man who had looked at his people as if he loathed them. Instantly two broad Vintar warriors, a man with red hair that had come to look like many snakes on his head because he hadn’t combed it and a woman with white hair that was neatly braided so that it wouldn’t be in her way when she was fighting.

The young Cheraki backed away and his parents just looked terrified and as if they wanted to run but their son didn’t make an attempt of leaving.

 

Heron and Baldor rose from their seats looking at the four of them and the bald head told his soldiers to lower their swords again what they reluctantly did.

“I am not looking for trouble; in fact, I am on your side.” The young man spoke with a stern face and a voice that couldn’t hide how angered he really was and it didn’t help that the Talavarian military man laughed loudly. “You are on our side? Are planning on poisoning us in our sleep? How stupid do you think we are Cheraki parasite?” the man barked and the young man’s eyes narrowed and now he screamed.

 

“I am not Cheraki, I am Talavarian. I was born in Talavar long before those scumbags came here. I don’t even speak their bloody language. My parents left Cherak to flee their disgusting, barbaric, lunatic ideology and the tyranny of the violent followers of the goddess of peace. I hate them more than you could! I hate them for coming here and poisoning this land with the same toxic believe system they poisoned Cherak with. I hate them for dividing our village, our nation, for killing my beloved king and prince Bernárd and I am not going to go into a land that isn’t mine because I look like them. Into the tyranny of this believe system and I don’t want my little sister to grow up in such a land either.”

But the Talavarian didn’t seem to believe a word. “You are not Talavarian! You are dirt! You are one of them! You are trying to deceive us! You are a scheming, mischievous piece of s....” he wanted to continue his triad of hate when another voice spoke up as loud and clear as on the market place again, defending what he thought was right.

 

“Begging your pardon Sir, I know this young man and his family. They are good Talavarian citizens they have been on our side during all the time the Cheraki took over. He is a friend and an upright person. He and his family had never adhered to or supported the ideology and doings of the Cheraki people. They stood up against them, with me and many others, the whole time. Treating them this way is not appropriate in the eyes of this humble farmer.” The man explained but the leader of the Talavarian troop didn’t have any of that and started to rant again and was once more silenced but this time not by the farmer but by Baldor.

 

The Vintar warrior stood and went over to the young man and his family. “You’ll understand that we cannot just believe that. Prove it! Prove your belonging to Talavar and thereby your belonging to this alliance and we will accept your wish and let you stay here.” And with that he dismissed them and sent them away. The farmer gave them a smile and kept his fingers crossed for them.

 

“Kjartan!” Heron’s voice sounded. “I want you to be the one who looks after our friend...?” he looked at the farmer, “Exan!”, the man answered, “....Exan here, together with those two.” The legionary nodded towards the male and female Vintar warriors.

“Of course.” Kjartan said with a smile on his lips that were still covered by the visor of the helmet.

The farmer seemed to be an interesting person in his eyes and he thought that there was more to him and that he probably wasn’t just a ‘humble’ farmer for some reason.

 

When they stepped out of the house that had belonged to the priest before, there was quite a scene going on a few meters away from the building. The assassin turned right and walked over to one of the two hunters the Vintar had taken in this troop. It weren’t many but considering that they were their elite it was seldom that they took them on such a mission anyway. Next to the Vintar hunter he could see the giant white animal, its paws dirty from the ash that covered the ground and its fangs and mouth red from blood. The amicus, that was what the Aeternumi called those creatures because they were seemingly the best friends of the Vintar people, gnawed on something that looked like a person’s larynx.

 

The brunette man from the empire looked down onto the ground and saw a middle aged Cheraki man lying dead on the ground with pieces of flesh ripped out of his body by the strong fangs of the hunter’s friend, who looked ridiculously similar to his Vintar as far as that was possible for a different species to achieve.

Kjartan had read that the one who would become a hunter would get a chosen puppy born on the same day at the same day. They would grow up and old together as a team. And when the Vintar died it often happened that the amicus followed or that it would spend the rest of its life mourning the death of its hunter. When he first had seen the hunters in the night that Merlin had disappeared into the snow he had been deeply stunned by how in sync the team seemed to be.

 

The man stopped in front of the hunter and looked up to the Vintar man who didn’t seem to pay him any mind even though he had clearly recognised him and the farmer Exan.

“What has happened with this man?” Kjartan asked the other in the language of the Vintar even though the hunters had to learn many different languages flawlessly and made an exception in the Vintar tribes. “This fool thought he could control Fen. He attempted to turn him against me and he called me a Lyar and that it is written in the book of the goddess that the infidels must be killed wherever they would find them. He was vein and arrogant and Fen taught him that he doesn’t possess power over him or over the North.” He explained and snorted looking down and despising the Cherak who had wanted to kill him by the fangs of his best friend.

 

The assassin looked at the dead Cheraki confused, then to Exan and back to the Vintar.

“Why would he try something like this? It’s suicide!” Kjartan thought as he couldn’t find any logic in the Cheraki’s doing nor anything that would explain it and while they adhered to an idiotic reprehensible ideology they weren’t exactly careless even though they would often sacrifice themselves in order to kill the infidels. Kjartan had heard of them blowing themselves up in the streets of Aurora or other capitals to kill as many as possible or that they stabbed random people to death for being none-believers shouting that their goddess was great.

 

The answer didn’t come from the Vintar though, it was Exan who spoke and it surprised the Aeternumi that the farmer could understand the Vintar’s language and it contributed to his assumption that this was not a normal Talavarian farmer.

“The Cheraki people here are certain that their goddess grants them power and control over all creatures as well as the whole nature on our planet. They think that they are the only ones who would be able to emphasise and understand the creatures of the planet.” He started and cleared his throat. “This isn’t the case. Of course it isn’t. Animal taming as well as the art of understanding the creatures and bounding with them is not a magical power. It is something one had to learn and to invest time and training in. Sure there always are people who have a way with animals and are born with a talent for understanding and communicating with them and by that I don’t talk about language but those are to find within every people not just in Cherak. There might be more people who have a talent and an interest in that field in Cherak, I don’t presume that I’d know that, but they certainly don’t have any control over the nature and the creatures of Neron because they would have been chosen by a so called goddess.”

 

The man sighed and pointed down onto the body of the dead man. “This, is the result of their delusion and their superiority complex and arrogance. Everything that happens to them is the course of them wanting to force their ways on others in the most despicable ways. When they came here they figured out how to ride the Flrathis. Unlike what they say they had to train it and when they had figured it out they forbid everyone to ride them who didn’t follow their beliefs. They said that no one is able to who doesn’t obey their rules because they aren’t chosen. The only reason we didn’t ride them anymore was because they wouldn’t let us and had indoctrinated some of our people who would fight us over it. The Flrathis are at home in Talavar, we Talavarians have ridden them since forever. Long before they had ever seen one, I am certain you have seen our people riding them on the mainland. But they believe their own lies and are certain that they are the only ones able to think themselves into the animals like this.”

 

That was actually something new to Kjartan. He had heard that the Cheraki believed that their goddess had made them the masters of all the other people, creatures and plants on Neron but he didn’t knew that they thought they were able to control animals like that. He knew that even though they believed in the same goddess there were at least four different kinds of mindsets surrounding that. Maybe believing in this was something that only a small subset of Cheraki did but it was still bullshit. Kjartan laughed:”If they had that ability I wouldn’t have seen people from Cherak being bitten by a snake and dying from it or being kicked by a dizzlo. That snake has really saved me back then by the way. No one would be stupid enough to buy that.”

 

Exan took a deep breath. “I wish!” he said shaking his head in a depressed way. “I also hope that not all humans are easily impressed morons.” The farmer added and Kjartan looked at him suspiciously. “What do the humans have to do with the Cheraki’s religion?” he wanted to know and the other man’s aquamarine eyes looked into the grey eyes of Kjartan. “That human scholar, the gross one who looks at kids in such a despicable way, that reprehensible creature, he had fallen for it. He tried to figure out what was behind their ability to interact with the Flarthis this well but he couldn’t confirm his hypothesise so he started to believe there was something behind their beliefs and superiority compared to us.”

 

The brunette’s eyes narrowed, the humans he had been with had seemed immune to something like this, they would probably have laughed their arses off. All but Merlin! And that man wasn’t only from Merlin’s tribe he was also a researcher. A thought that made him miserable for a moment appeared within him. What was if they had gotten into Merlin’s head too? What if they had been able to make him believe their ludicrous nonsense? He didn’t even want to assume that as that would change everything. It would change the human and he didn’t want him to change his personality as he had been one of the most innocent and good people that he had met even though he was a human. And the researcher apparently had stood by his word and Kjartan appreciated that.

 

A voice threw him out of his thoughts and it wasn’t Exan it was the Vintar hunter who spoke now and the amicus Fen synchronically barked with him. “They will never control or enslave us, they aren’t the master’s of the North, the North will devour them alive and spit them back out like the vermin they are without any doing of us if they ever tried to bring their goddess into our lands.” The man spoke in a way that was so fierce that it made Exan shudder. Kjartan looked at the hunter and how he was standing there the Aeternumi thought he could see his land, the snow and the deep forest and the marshlands in his minds eyes behind the strong man.

 

He couldn’t help himself but finding him extremely attractive in this moment. He looked unbreakable and glorious with his pointed ears looking sharp like daggers. That picture changed when the Vintar squatted down next to the dead man and ripped his heart out of his chest with his bare chalk white hand. In the next moment, closely examined by Fen the whole time, he weighed the heart in his hand before he threw it through the air making it fly over the whole square Fen running behind it.

The amicus was running incredibly fast and Kjartan wouldn’t have thought that a creature that huge could run in such a graceful, dynamic way. Fen seemed to fly above the ground but he knew that his paws were definitely touching the ground. The white creature jumped incredibly high and coughed the flying heart in the air before he trotted back to the Vintar while ripping the heart apart like the larynx before.

 

“That was unnecessarily brutal and a little gross.” Exan commented with his mouth twisted.

The assassin shrugged:”I have seen things much more brutal and gross.” And with that he started to walk where he originally had wanted to go to. “What are our plans?” the farmer asked eagerly and the brunette said:”We’re going to get us some paint.” What left the cyan haired man raising an eyebrow and looking at the other as if he was kidding him. “Paint?” he didn’t sound convinced at the idea. “Yes, we’re going to create a wonderful artwork. I’ve done something similar; the people in Cherak loved it.” He smirked and spoke in an ironic tone before he explained what he wanted to do to the other who soon loved the idea.

 

Accompanied by the two Vintar warriors whose names were Ulf and Frieda they had carried quite some cans with paint out there and started to paint a little story line onto the walls of the Cheraki houses, a rather pornographic one. Kjartan had remembered the picture he had drawn of Vitorion fucking the Cheraki’s goddess and that the Cheraki had attempted to kill him and the legionary he had had joked around with and he thought this was a good opportunity for something similar just bigger. So he painted Heron, Aswin and the leader of the Talavarian troop having their way with the goddess of peace all at the same time while some soldiers got drunk in the village or did something completely different. Kjartan didn’t draw Baldor in his little scene because he couldn’t imagine him having sex. The man didn’t seem to care about sex at all and even though it also seemed out of character for Heron to have sex with a woman he could at least imagine it and that was the important part.

 

Kjartan had made the goddess suck Heron’s dick – and since Kjartan knew it he thought he had done quite a good job portraying it - and had made the other two fuck the goddess other holes and Exan had had a lot of fun helping him to paint it.

When the Cheraki had come out of their church it had caused outrage just as Kjartan had imagined because it was forbidden to draw the goddess in the first place and like that it was taken as an insult. Some Cheraki actually had tried to kill him and Exan, just like it had happened in Cherak, but they had been easily stopped and if they hadn’t given it up struck down by Ulf and Frieda who had protected them and their artwork. And at least Ulf, who had also been drinking, found what they were drawing there hilarious and apparently it had turned him on as well because Frieda had shaken her head and had called him “Childish” when he had made a comment.

 

At the point where they had nearly finished the picture Kjartan saw Merlin outside. He himself was still wearing his visor and he was certain that the human hadn’t seen him but the assassin was sure that it was him and he followed him with his eyes and bit his lip when he saw him going into the Cheraki’s church what brought his former thoughts back on his mind and he had to fight the urge to go after him and drag the man out of this building.

 

He was staring at the spot where Merlin had disappeared and just turned back to Exan and the artwork when the farmer knocked onto his helmet. “Make her more lewd.” He said and Kjartan looked at the last picture that was decorating one house. It showed the goddess lying on her back, legs spread widely, completely exposed, her holes leaking cum, sperm running down the corner of her mouth. When the Aeternumi spy didn’t answer him he spoke again. “Let her tongue hang out and change her eyes. She loved it, she wants more of that, and she is a horny little thing.” And with that the farmer took the paintbrush and made the changes. Kjartan laughed:”Looks great, quite filthy.”

 

Since more and more Cheraki couldn’t take the insult any longer and more soldiers from Vintar, Talavar and Aeternum were standing on Ulf’s and Frieda’s sides getting into the physical fight with the Cheraki who screamed:” This is blasphemy!” “This is punishable by death!” “We will stone you in the name of the goddess.” “You disgusting Lyras don’t have the right to show the face of the goddess and to insult and abuse her image like this. Hang them! Kill every last of the Lyra’s as it’s written! It’s written!”

 

Now the Aeternumi could see Exan’s face changing and showing pure rage just like when they had arrived and he had killed that priest. “We have the right to draw and express ourselves however we like. This is the freedom of art, the freedom of expression. You have stolen our rights with your tyranny and your loathsome religion for way too long. This village will take its freedom back from you!” he screamed and many of the Talavarian villagers were gathering around nodding passionately at the farmer’s speech. “Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!” he started to chant and his fellow villagers as well as some of the soldiers joined in while they were pushing back the Cheraki and repelled the thrown stones with their swords.

 

In the turmoil the assassin couldn’t really change anything on the last part of the artwork anymore and while the crowd seemed to be stirring up each other’s rage Heron suddenly stood behind Kjartan, looking over all the houses that were painted with rather graphic images. The man didn’t wear his helmet and one could see his cheeks blushing a little. “What are you doing here? Is that ... is that supposed to be me?” he wanted to know and the spy smiled. “Yes, I think I did a pretty decent job with your ....” he attempted to explain but Heron cleared his throat. “Kjartan, this is ... really inappropriate. Why are you doing that? I wouldn’t .... I ....” the legionary seemed ashamed of being drawn in such an act on the walls of buildings even though he was a rather open and sexual person.

 

Kjartan didn’t have the time to answer because a Talavarian soldier who was even more petite and shorter than average for a Talavarian walked towards the building. The armoured person held a torch and in the other hand Kjartan could see a bottle filled with that powder the Vintar used for blowing things up. The Talavarian somehow must have stolen the powder from them or maybe they had given it to their allied soldier.

 

It was obvious what the person wanted to do and they were coming closer towards the house of the Cheraki that Kjartan had painted together with Exan. The brunette stepped forward and grabbed the hand with the bottle so that they couldn’t set the piece of paper on fire that was stuffed into the bottle and was supposed to make the powder explode when burning. It was primitive and the Vintar could definitely build a better construction but it didn’t matter because it would cause enough damage.

“Stop right here!” the assassin said looking down to the physically much weaker soldier who reacted in a way that he hadn’t expected. “Don’t you dare touch me you filthy stinking commoner! You don’t have the right to tell me anything.” A high pitched female voice rang in his ear and the woman took the helmet off exposing long red curly hair. Her eyes were glaring equally angry and pained and she was looking up to the brunette Aeternumi in a determined way that made clear that she would fight him if necessary.

 

“Those rats have not only taken our great king, they have taken my love, my fiancé, the father of my unborn child, Bernárd Dracon and they will pay for that! Every single one of them will pay for it. I want to see them suffer, I want to see them burn, I want to hear their screams! They must suffer, they must feel the pain that I am feeling!” she screamed and Kjartan feared that her head would explode or that her huge eyes would pop out of their holes.

He still didn’t let go of her and pulled her up from the ground a little what wasn’t that easy because she was wearing the stone armour. “But without destroying my artwork noble lady!” he said, let her go and pushed her away from the building. She stumbled back and disappeared for a moment.

 

Heron looked after her and then to the assassin dressed like one of his legionaries. The one man he had slept with so many times and that he had spend every day of the last month with and there was something in his eyes that the assassin couldn’t really understand and didn’t really get. “Kjartan, you will let this house alone now and come with me. I have the feeling that this woman shouldn’t be here and that her presence could cause a problem.” The man explained and he followed him to where Baldor was sitting next to the Talavarian troop leader flanked by some Vintar warriors.

 

“Who is this woman?” Heron demanded to know from the Talavarian. The man scratched his shin. “What woman? I don’t know the villagers.” He said disinterested. Heron sighed. “I doubt that she is a villager and she is wearing the armour of your soldiers. Is she one of your soldiers?” he asked further and now the man seemed to get that something wasn’t like it should be. He stood up and walked a few steppes until he could see the woman who was now heading towards the church.

“Oh boy, you’re right. That’s not only a woman, that’s Lady Javier, the eldest daughter of one of Talavar’s most important noble families. She was the love of prince Bernárd. Of course she isn’t supposed to be here, we don’t have women in our army we aren’t.....” the man stopped himself because he realised that it wasn’t only Heron who was hearing him but Baldor was there too and behind him stood a strong and stern looking female Vintar warrior.

 

He coughed slightly.”Well, we don’t allow women in our army. Her brother was supposed to be in my troop but I haven’t exactly seen him since we departed from the capital.” The man admitted.

“I’ll go there and confront her immediately. I will send her back home. Her poor Lady mother must be worried sick.” He said but before he could do anything one could hear a loud clashing sound as a huge stone was thrown into the window of the Cheraki church. And it wasn’t the woman it was the young man of Cheraki decent who had been born in Talavar who had started to attack the church in which not only the Cheraki were but also Merlin.

 

And that was the reason why Kjartan’s heart sank into the ground when the woman shouted again:” I am Lady Javier, my fiancé got brutally and treacherously murdered by the Cherak. Who pretended to be on his side, who pretended wanting to negotiate and for that atrocity, for killing our beloved king and prince in such a false act, I will not rest until they haven’t suffered enough and it will never be enough. Never be enough to give my unborn child their father back!” She screamed and was enraged but tears were running out of her eyes when she lit the paper and threw the explosive in the bottle into the church through the broken window.

 

The assassins heart stopped and his muscles cramped and he wanted to storm into that building that was already burning and now lacked a wall but a strong grip around his wrist stopped him. It was Heron, Kjartan looked at him but the man didn’t look back at him, he was just holding his wrists so firmly that the brunette would probably be able to see it after that.

 

Most of the Cheraki had run outside but he couldn’t detect Merlin anywhere and it was certain that some had died and others were on fire as he could hear the screams and the air was not only smelling like sulphuric but also like burned hair and flesh.

Kjartan tried to make himself calm down inside, telling himself that the human was most likely alive and if not it was his own fault for going into that church with the Cheraki and not his problem after all. Why would he care in the first place? Shouldn’t he be happy? If he was dead he couldn’t speak anymore! But there still was that ache inside of him that wouldn’t leave him.

 

The action and the words of the woman didn’t only spark a fire that consumed the religious building, it also sparked a riot and the villagers of Talavar, who admired the king, the prince and his lady, were following her lead and started to violently attack the Cheraki that were running for their life, while others took out their anger on the Cherakis property.

“Shouldn’t we interfere? We have told them they have 24 hours to leave.” Heron asked Baldor, his eyes narrowed and Kjartan could see that he wasn’t too excited about what he saw there and that something like that hadn’t been what he had had in mind.

 

“We gave them 24 hours to leave here for Cherak before we would take action that is correct. I never promised them that they would be safe on their way there and I never promised to protect them from the rage of the people either. The villagers aren’t soldiers.” Baldor shoved it off and continued cleaning his sword, his white eyes reflecting the blade.

Heron looked over the square and then back to Baldor. “Those aren’t villagers.” He said pointing into the direction of two Talavarian soldiers who had cornered a Cheraki woman, stole her clothes and her luggage and forced her to leave completely naked and exposed because they wouldn’t let her keep what their kind had stolen from Talavar.

 

The bald head looked up. “That’s correct. They aren’t my soldiers though. They are his to discipline.” The man answered indifferently nodding towards the Talavarian who had lost control over his men.

Heron kept silent but it didn’t take too long. “I think now we have lost control over our men as well.” He remarked and watched how a legionary tried to break into a house where some old people and kids had hid themselves in because they hadn’t been fast enough to run with those fleeing the church. When the legionary couldn’t break in a Vintar was offering his helping hand and kicked the door in with ease.

 

Baldor shook his head not looking up from his sword. “Ridiculous, I haven’t lost control over the situation.” The man was certain and Heron laughed joylessly. “You don’t? Well, whose man is dragging out a toddler of the house who clings onto his book there together with one of mine who is fighting off an old woman?” he wanted to know and now the son of Herald’s brother stood up and saw what was happening. He ran into the middle of the square Heron and Kjartan followed and they heard him scream:”Haggar! Stop this immediately! This is an order!” but Haggar didn’t react. He pulled out the kids arm, not even wanting that, he just used too much strength because it just wouldn’t let go of the book.

 

The bald head ran his hand over his face while the legionary was holding back all the hysteric Cheraki people in the house. “I kind of... lost control!” Baldor admitted. And stood there like a human machine that was loading something. “At least we can be certain that the group dynamic of our alliance works and will do in serious battles as well. They have each other’s back.” He concluded and Heron looked at him unbelieving with wide eyes. “Yes, sure! It’s impressive what identifying a mutual enemy can do in terms of solidarity.” He said in an ironic voice that Baldor didn’t seem to be able to tell was irony. He nodded and Kjartan could see how Heron just now realised that Baldor was more to fear than Herald’s sons Ansgar and Aswin.

 

 

The night had come and only the skeletons of the buildings were to see the blaze glimmering red and orange into the darkness. Kjartan sat in front of the priest’s house that was occupied by the three who led the troops. He heard some muttering coming from inside the house but he hadn’t been able to stay there. The assassin was looking into the night, seeing the moonlight reflecting in shattered glass that covered the ground together with blood and corpses and disembodied parts.

 

Not only Cheraki were lying dead on the ground, the indoctrinated Talavarians who had stood against their own people had been slaughtered one after the other because they had been outnumbered by their own people completely.

The brunette took off the helmet and laid it down next to him, seeing the carbonised remains of the church and the building next to it collapse. Smoke was clouding the whole village and it stank like fire, blood and death.

 

Kjartan tightened the leather band that was holding his hair in the pony tail feeling a little off.

It wasn’t that he felt sorry for the Cheraki, he definitely didn’t. He had seen those folks doing so many horrible things in Cherak and elsewhere around Neron that he couldn’t get out of his head that he couldn’t help himself but to agree with the farmer when he said that they had brought that upon themselves.

The Aeternumi had seen them throwing a young man and his loved one off the roof top because those two men had been in love with each other. He had seen them stoning people to death for blasphemy, burning a woman alive because she had declined to marry the man who had brutally raped her and was categorised as impure then and hence had gotten the punishment of the goddess.

 

This ideology was the worst thing on Neron, the largest threat to them if one didn’t count the humans in. Vitorion had always tried to make this come to an end. He had forbidden that they would judge people based on their religion but they had tried to still implement their religious laws where the legionaries hadn’t seen it. He had also offered those threatened by the ideology, like those young men or like that woman the protection of the empire and gave the men the chance to become one of his legionaries. It hadn’t surprised Kjartan that those persecuted under that barbarism had followed the call of the empire and had taken revenge on those who had tormented them before as soon as they had worn the armour of Aeternum.

 

So he couldn’t feel genuinely sorry for the Cheraki who had tried to force their ways onto the Talavarians but there was still something about all of this that made him sick to his stomach. He just wasn’t sure if that would lead to anything. Sure, his actions had had the outcome that Vitorion had wanted for the empire but this, this hadn’t been their plan, and this chaos, this rage, and this slaughtering nothing of that had been wanted and none of that was actually constructive in Kjartan’s opinion. He had the feeling that this thing with the Cheraki could distract the people from the much larger threat to the planet, the humans. The Cheraki trying to go into an alliance with the humans and the way they had dealt with them made the people of the planet fight each other again and those who would benefit the most were definitely not the Cheraki or them but the humans.

 

And then there was the question of what had happened to Merlin that came to his mind now and then. He hadn’t seen him in the chaos and he thought he had gotten out of the church at the right time but even if that had been the case there was a chance that he’d call him a disgusting sodomite or a Lyra if they were ever to meet again. He wanted to believe that the researcher was smarter than that, after all he had reminded him about Dylan sometimes but on the other hand this Merlin was much more naive than Dylan had ever been and seemed easily impressed.

 

The man tried to shove away those thoughts about that human, he should really try to get him out of his head again. His grey eyes turned up when he saw someone coming out of the house walking into his direction. He identified the person as Heron and forced a smile that didn’t look too convincing and that the other could see through easily. The legionary let himself sink down onto the ground next to Kjartan, staring up into the sky with him for a moment.

 

“Well, at least some of my artwork is still intact. There are just some fragments of the story missing now.” The brunette said to break the silence and Heron shook his head. “Unfortunately one can still recognise me.” He commented and Kjartan laughed dryly. “Vitorion loved the picture I drew with him on it back then.” The man told the other and Heron’s mouth twitched displeased. He took a deep breath and in the next moment the assassin could feel the man’s hand on his thigh stroking him.

 

The other leaned over to him and started to kiss and suck his neck but as absurd as it seemed the brunette wasn’t feeling it. “Don’t!” he refused the other’s affection in that moment what led to the other male’s face turning even bitterer and he let his hand run up grabbing Kjartan’s dick, fondling him. “Heron, stop this now!” he repeated and the soldier with the short redish-blond hair barked:” No one is here. No one will see, relax.” Kjartan wasn’t tense in the first place; he sighed and then took the other’s hand and got it away from his cock. “I couldn’t care less if someone saw it. I’m just not in the mood.” he informed the other and it had a weird sound to it when he had heard himself saying that.

 

Heron stood up again, his green eyes looked hurt by the rejection and his face was red.

The soldier brushed off the ash and dust from his clothes and then looked down onto the still sitting assassin. “Not everyone is like Vitorion or you for that matter.” He hissed and disappeared into the house again. Kjartan looked after him and somewhere within him there was the impulse to go after him but he didn’t know what that could possible achieve anyway, he didn’t even understand what Heron had wanted to tell him with that. What was wrong with being like Vitorion or him? And what did Kjartan even have in common with the governor?

 

He had not much time to think about what the other might had been getting at as suddenly a gun was shot somewhere nearby. Kjartan jumped up from where he had sat and looked around to locate where the shot had been fired. Not a second later the three leading figures and Exan stormed out of the house looking at the assassin who shook his head as he didn’t have a clue what had just happened.

 

They could hear a male scream in the darkness and then the sound of a lifeless body falling to the ground. Kjartan and the other’s ran into this direction and he could definitely tell that none of them were pleased about that, especially Baldor, because some of his people were the only ones who had human weapons other than Heron and the Talavarian who had gotten it as a gift.

 

When they arrived at the scene they saw Ulf and Frieda standing in front of a man dressed in the robes of a Cheraki priest, he even had the weird hat. They were staring down on him confused as there hadn’t been any Cheraki left and the priest’s had been the ones attacked first.

Exan stepped out of their rows giving the man on the ground a kick. “That isn’t a Cheraki.” He said and rolled the head with his foot to show them the face of the man.

 

It indeed wasn’t a Cheraki priest it was a human. A human who had wanted his own death for sure, the body was still holding the gun in hand. Kjartan looked closer. ”Sloppy work!” He commented and remembered how accurate and good his costume had been. This one hadn’t even gone out of his way to paint himself brown. He recognised the man from Merlin’s tribe, the one that Exan didn’t have anything nice to say about and once more the assassin asked himself where Merlin was and he hoped that he wouldn’t get the idea to play pawn sacrifice too. Kjartan got it and he knew that Baldor got it as well as his usually indifferent mask face looked disfigured from the rage this was causing him, his white fists clenching dangerously.

 

“You moron! This is not a Cheraki, this is a human! Who has given you the order to kill the humans here too? Who? Falling for such a weak trap, you’re a disgrace Ulf! A disgrace!” he shouted at the half drunken warrior. The Aeternumi had never heard Baldor shouting and he experienced it as a really unpleasant, intimidating thing. Ulf flinched, that ox of a man, flinched back from the shorter Baldor. “He aimed at Frieda! I have sworn Ansgar that I’d look after her.” He justified himself.

 

Baldor turned his head to Frieda who was now yelling at Ulf. “You looking after me? I am stronger than you, you idiot. And Ansgar will see what he gets for treating me like a child when I see his dumb face again.” Kjartan looked at her curiously. He had asked himself who would possibly be able to handle such a woman and apparently she was with Ansgar, Herald’s eldest son. And even though she insulted him Kjartan was certain to see something in her face that missed him and would probably just kiss his face when she saw him again before she would yell at him that was.

Him trying to imagine how such a woman would have sex with Ansgar and him asking himself who was the dominant one in that relationship was stopped by Baldor’s voice again.

“Has this human aimed at you?” he wanted her to confirm that and she nodded. “Yes. I thought he would hit my stomach, was ready to block it with my sword, the bullet never arrived though. I found this on the ground.” She answered the cousin of her man and handed Baldor a melted piece of metal.

 

The bald head looked at the melted piece of metal as if it was a pile of shit. “This is not what the humans use.” He noticed and Kjartan tried to get a closer look. “That’s right. It is Cheraki metal. It’s basically useless. It melts easily and is easily broken. One couldn’t make a sword out of it, nor a human weapon.” The assassin diagnosed and Baldor’s fist clenched around the poor excuse of metal and broke it in his hand.

 

“Who would be that dumb to make a weapon out of this garbage? That human must have been a complete retard.” Said Ulf and Baldor threw the pieces of the broken metal at him.

“Someone who didn’t want to hurt Frieda in the first place does that. Someone who lies a trap that you idiot cluelessly stepped into. He wants the humans to declare war on us! And that is what he probably will achieve because of you!” he blamed his countryman and the brunette got the feeling that Ulf might lose his head as well.

The assassin from the empire stepped in :”Not necessarily. He played his cards now we get to play ours. Whether the humans will do what he wanted them to do, since he for some reason seems to want them to help the Cheraki people, depends on which human will hear about that first.

We need to make someone hear about that who will not do what this man had wanted him to do.”

Baldor turned his head to the Aeternumi and now he was speaking in an ironic tone of voice himself:” Great! Now who would that be genius?”

 

Kjartan smirked because he thought his idea was rather good. “Captain Theodore Carlson. He reminds me of you a bit Baldor.” He revealed the name and the Vintar didn’t look happy at the comparison of him and a human man. “Carlson doesn’t care about any of us, he has his own goals. We need to write to him and tell him what had happened and what this man, a researcher on top of that - Carlson often fights over methods with them – has done and how he wanted the humans to react to that. We will inform him that we by no means intended to hurt this human and apologise for his death. Carlson won’t care about his death but just for the diplomacy of it. The Captain won’t even think about getting his men into our war. He will see his chance to get what he really wants. He will send some of his people to the forest. That isn’t good either but it is better than causing the human’s to directly attack us at this point. We just have to make sure that we will have enough men to protect the forest. He will not see it coming that we know what he wants to do.” He explained further and Baldor looked at him with narrowed white eyes. “You, Kjartan, are a snake. “ he said and Kjartan raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Was that a compliment or an insult?” he wanted to know and Baldor still watched him closely when he said, not less seriously:” Both!”

 

It was rather fortunate that it was Badlor who was in command and not Aswin since the second son of Herald would have never let Kjartan write such a letter to Carlson in his name. Baldor also made Ulf and Frieda wrap both part of the corps, the head and the body, into white fabric and closed the fabric with leather bands. They would send the human Captain the body that was dressed in the Cheraki priest’s clothing and one could see and reconstruct that he had worn that when Ulf had beheaded him. Even Kjartan could have done that and he was more than certain that the humans could do that even better.

When both the letter and the corps was ready Baldor pulled out a whistle made out of bones and it made a sound that hurt everyone in their ears. Kjartan and Exan pressed their hands onto their ears while Heron and the Talavarian tried to seem unaffected and heroic but couldn’t stop themselves from twisting their faces.

 

As soon as the sound stopped - Kjartan was more than thankful for that - they could hear the scream of a giant black raptorial bird in the distance that was flying towards them and landed before Baldor. The man went up to it and stroke its head gently. It was incredibly large and had wide black wings. Its beak was as white as the eyes and Kjartan had never seen a bird like that and found it incredibly stunning. He hadn’t been fond of the North, the weather, the barren cold land and the snow but he had to admit that its people and creatures were fascinating and in his eyes really beautiful and handsome.

That reminded him of Tjall ,the Vintar he had lived with while being held as a reassurance object by the Northerners, and the man’s muscular tall body that he had pressed himself against to drive away the cold.

 

Baldor was loading the bird with the dead man and fixing the letter onto it before he turned to Kjartan. “Where is that Carlson?” he asked and Kjartan told the man the coordinates and he was communicating it to the bird somehow. He wondered how long it had taken to make the bird learn the meanings of the different pats it received and if it really knew where to fly. But it seemed like it because once Baldor had stopped the animal went up into the air again with the dead human researcher on board.

Now the next step was to inform Herald, the elders and Aswin and Marón about what had happened and that they had to make their men secure the forest from all sides to meet Carlson’s men and stop them when they expected them to be busy with the Cheraki.

 

 

Kjartan had left it to the soldiers to get the message home, had taken his flute and had left the village in favour of strolling through the dark forest at night. This was not the forest he knew too well, the one that separated the land of the Vintar tribes from Aeternum but he had been to that forest quite a few times as well when he had been to the Talavarian villages and on one of the trips with Dylan.

 

The assassin had started off by playing what he had played with Meran back then but it just didn’t match his mood and the song had turned into a melancholic ballad. The man was moving sovereign in the forest following the raging river. Kjartan knew that river it was a peculiar place since even though it seemed to overflow at one point the water would just seem to disappear at another. Dylan had been fascinated by that and had wanted to figure out where the water was going and what caused this phenomenon but he hadn’t found the reason yet since it had just been a side project he had started on his way during his studies.

 

Playing his song he was following the stream until the water would calm down and it would be nearly empty so that he could cross it. It didn’t even take that long and the water got less and less.

He jumped down and stained his red cape with mud stepping into the water that now reminded more of a puddle than a river when he nearly slipped on the wet sloppy ground because he startled when he heard a voice behind him.

“I would have never thought that Aeternumi soldiers play the flute.”

 

As Kjartan turned around he could see Exan, the cyan haired farmer who was chewing onto some leaves, until he was spitting them out and replaced them with other leaves.

“I’m more than a red cape.” Kjartan answered with a smile. “Certainly.” The man nodded.

“But what are you doing here?” the assassin wanted to know. “I followed you. I find that I enjoy your company.” The farmer admitted with a friendly smile.

Kjartan smiled back at him. “I can genuinely say the same about your company Exan.”

 

 

The farmer stepped into the river too and they crossed it together. “Did you know that the priest’s of the stone god say that the reason this river acts like it does is because the stone beneath it lives and parts every two hours because the stone good likes to take baths with those who returned to him and he is such a giant that he needs the water from the whole river?” the farmer told him laughingly.

Kjartan looked at him from the side chuckling. “I’m certain that this is not true.” He said and Exan nodded:”So am I.”

 

When they arrived at the other side of the river and Kjartan thought about into which direction he should walk Exan talked again. “Would it surprise you if I told you that the Cheraki people believe that their goddess only does that for them and that the river would never let us, those who they call Lyra, pass and make us drown in here because only they the chosen people are allowed to pass?” he asked amused and Kjartan shook his head. “Not in the slightest.”

 

The farmer walked next to him and stared up to the crowns of the trees. “There are no people more arrogant than they are. No people who define themselves as chosen and superior to everyone else. It doesn’t surprise that they created a goddess that doesn’t accept any other god or goddess next to her. It reflects the superiority complex and how vein they are quite well. The stone god has no problem existing with all the others and the Vintars ancestors who watch over them from the hall of the warriors don’t have either. It’s just their hate filled, murderous, violent goddess that does.”

 

The Aeternumi knew that this was true but he didn’t really want to talk or think about the Cheraki anymore. But apparently Exan had waited for a chance to rant about them to someone who would listen for a long time because he didn’t leave it at that. “They even think that they can speak to their goddess and that their goddess would let them know the future. Pah!” he laughed and one could hear how much he loathed them. “Every tribe has their fortunetellers and theirs aren’t any different. Ours pretend to see the future in the stones and the Vintar cut signs into bones. And for some special occasions their so called fortunetellers take a drug that changes them and their mind. Their eyes turn weird, their voices sound differently but they still can’t see the future. Those stupid fools! They don’t have such powers. No one does. It’s just the effect of the drug.”

 

Kjartan looked at him and said:”I’ve heard about those drugs before.” And it was true. Dylan had told him about those. He had said that they make it possible for those people to use parts of their brains that they normally and without it couldn’t use but the price was high and the drugs dangerous.

 

“For a farmer from a small Talavarian village you seem to know a lot about different tribes and different things.” Kjartan said because he still didn’t think that Exan was a normal farmer.

Exan examined the Aeternumi’s face and seemed to weigh something out before he spoke again:” Can you keep a secret?” Kjartan’s eyes widened as he smiled not less widely ”There is nothing I can do better than keeping secrets.” He assured the Talavarian man.

The farmer sighed:” I haven’t always been a farmer. I was born in the capital as the son of a noble family. At one point I’ve even been friends with Marón Dracon.”

That made the brunette smirk in a rather dirty way when he asked:”You’ve been friends? What kind of friends?”

 

“Oh boy!” the Talvarian said. “I assure you we were friends, never lovers. Marón would never have wanted me anyway. I am too short, too petite, too grey skinned or to sum it up too Talavarian for his liking. He had read your historian’s books about the Vintar when he was young and since then had dreamed of being loved by one who would make his father and Bernárd look weak and pathetic. It didn’t surprise me to hear that he made this warrior from the North marry him when he got the chance, it’s much like him and your historian sure knew how to exaggerate to justify why they couldn’t defeat the Northerners.” The farmer explained and Kjartan got the feeling that the man had indeed had feelings for Marón back then. One thing surprised him though, it was a thing that happened quite often that people didn’t want anyone but their own people but he had never heard of someone who didn’t want their own people but only were attracted to others.

 

“Be that as it may, I got bored by the capital and the life as a noble quite early in life and ran off. I spend most of the years of my life on the road travelling to different places. I’ve even lived with a Vintar tribe for a year. While their land is very hostile they were very friendly and open towards me as their guest. But five years ago I got tired of travelling around and I wanted somewhere to settle down. And since the thought of returning to the capital and living the life of a noble made me gag I decided to become a farmer in that village. That’s the whole story.” He ended and Kjartan looked at him. “I already thought that you weren’t a normal farmer.” He told the other and Exan laughed. “I am not normal that is true but I am a real farmer though.”

 

The two men strolled through the forest further until Kjartan saw something lying on the ground. At first he had thought it was a dead animal but as they had come closer he had been able to make out the silhouette better and it had turned out to be a person. With his dagger ready the brunette was walking in front of Exan towards the person but he immediately let the blade sink when he recognised the man lying there. The assassin was kneeling down next to him and examined his body for potential bites or similar evidences of harm but he couldn’t find anything.

 

Merlin either seemed to sleep deep enough to not be woken up by them and the sounds of the forest or he was unconscious again for some reason. Kjartan looked into his face and it had that innocent expression again that he liked about him and that made him different from other people.

“It’s that second human researcher; he seemed way too fond about the Cheraki’s ideology for my liking. What do you want to do? I’d say just leave him here or give him to your superior as a hostage.” Exan started to talk again; he generally seemed to speak a lot. “If he is as naive as he seemed they had probably gotten into his head and when he awakes he thinks he has the body of a shadow walker and the brain of a dizzlo or something. We had that with one of our villagers. He believed in everything the Cheraki had told him, he was completely delusional and he thought that they had cast a spell upon him and he acted like a dizzlo for a month. He now hates the Cheraki more than anyone else, you should have seen his face when he had figured out that he had been normal the whole time and had made a laughingstock out of himself for such a long time.”

 

Kjartan only listened half-heartedly, his grey eyes looked at the human and he was genteelly stroking a strand of the black hair out of his face before he took his body up and started to carry him like a bride. Exan raised an eyebrow and looked at the Aeternumi in the red cape carrying the human as if he meant something to him not as if he was his hostage now and he averted his eyes.

“Do you know why I like stones and our stone god so much?” the Talavarian commented and the assassin said:” No. Tell me.”

“They have a wonderful simplicity about themselves. Other than people and their feelings.” The man let him know and Kjartan looked at the river. “That’s probably true.”

 

All eyes were on him and the farmer when they entered the house that formerly had belonged to that priest Exan had eliminated. Baldor was the first one to walk up to him, he looked at the human that he was carrying closely and snorted when he figured out who that must be. “That! That is our hostage! Hand him to me. It is time to interrogate him; Herald will be more than pleased to hear that we have him back.” He demanded. “No! You will not interrogate him nor will you send him back to Herald. He will stay with us but you will treat him with the basic decency a person deserves.” Kjartan protested and Baldor’s nostrils widened immensely. “What are you saying you imbecile? It is your fault that he got away anyway. You let him escape. You are soft, weak, unworthy of the mission that they had given to you!” he said but and Kjartan’s face turned hard. “Maybe! But you won’t torture him. He has kept his word. He hasn’t done us wrong, we won’t do him wrong.”

 

Baldor spit onto the ground in front of Kjartan and walked pass Heron and bumped against him with his shoulder. “He is your man, dishonour on you and your legions.” He hissed and then turned to Exan:” Come. I will make you the next leader of this village. We have some issues to discuss.” The farmer with the noble background looked extremely surprised and not positively. “What? Me? I am just a humble farmer. I don’t think that this is a good idea Sir.” He said but Baldor insisted and they disappeared into another room that was probably the bedroom, followed by the Talavarian soldier who found that more interesting than Kjartan’s human.

 

Kjartan laid Merlin down onto the table carefully satisfied with how this had turned out when Heron grabbed his wrists and pulled him away from the table. “We will interrogate this human Kjartan! Everything else would be dump and you know it.” He barked coldly with a dark expression on his face. “No! We won’t!” he protested and Heron tightened the grip and pinned the assassin against the wall. “Why ? Why would you bring that insect here then? If not for interrogation he isn’t worth anything. He is a parasite that destroys our planet. He is scum. If not interrogating him we can just kill him.” The man said and Kjartan looked at him as if he had lost his mind. That was completely atypical for Heron and it almost seemed as if he had a personal hate against that man he didn’t know.

 

“Don’t be ridiculous. Also, he is waking up, he can hear you. So stop your insults, you’re embarrassing me.” He scolded the redish-blond haired male and Heron laughed snorting and unhappily, it almost sounded deeply hurt. “You are a joke. This is a joke.” he said and let his forehead sink onto Kjartan’s shoulder. “Fuck you Kjartan! You pathetic bastard.” He punched against the wall, pressed his lips onto Kjartan’s pulling him into a demanding kiss and then looked at him with eyes full of rage and pain before he turned around and faced Merlin with pure hate and disgust in his eyes but it wasn’t because he was a human, it was something more personal. “Disgusting!” he hissed before he followed the other men into the other room.

 

The assassin straightened his clothes and looked at Merlin who was fully awake by then. He knew that he had seen and heard that and for some reason he didn’t like that he had seen that scene nor Heron kissing him but he shoved that aside and went up to him again. He smiled at the researcher when he leaned over his face and looked into the teal eyes. “Hello there! This was the second time that I’ve found you unconscious in the forest. You should really be more careful, maybe I won’t be there next time.” The man said and his voice sounded friendly almost soft.

“I also hope they haven’t brainwashed you and you don’t believe in their lunatic religion now or think that you are a dizzlo in a shadow walker’s body, that would be a huge turn off.” The local laughed.

 

 

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In the morning: Human Army base

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The rain had finally stopped but the ground under their feed was muddy and water was dripping from the steel of the machines and cars. Everyone seemed busy and their respectful greeting for their Captain was said automatically and in a rush. Theodore Carlson was inspecting a tank that for some reason didn’t work anymore. The mechanic had said that he had never seen something like that but he guessed that unknown insects had made themselves at home in there and destroyed the machine from within and then it had been inspected by some biologists who had took an interest in it.

 

The Captain hadn’t really believed the man since there weren’t any insects capable of that on Earth; in fact there basically weren’t any insects left in the first place. They had died out decades ago and the remaining plants and flowers were pollinated by drones and robot insects, if they weren’t artificially bred in the industry anyway.

 

He stood there watching two of his men, Bräuer and Kalinin, opening the tank and the first thing that Carlson realised was an unfamiliar and disgusting stench. “The biologists say it’s the insect’s excrements that smell like this.” Carlson’s adjutant Silver who was standing behind him told him and Carlson’s face turned grim. “Are you saying that those bloody things shit in my tanks?” he said and Silver bit his thick lower lip. “Yes Captain, I am afraid so.”

That caused Carlson to go on a rant about those useless insects, about all the other creatures that no one needed and how this whole planet could suck his balls.

 

It was when Bräuer presented the Captain a tube that had holes in it and where one could see chrysalis of the insects inside that he got another animal visitor that the blond tall man would have rather liked in a zoo behind glass because its feathers made him sneeze immediately.

The giant raptorial bird landed before them and its wings messed with the blond hair on Carlson’s head. His blue eyes narrowed when he scanned the bird and saw what looked like a corps in a burial shroud and a roll of parchment attached to it.

 

Carlson went up to the bird and it hacked at him with its beak. The Captain was fast enough to get the parchment but he didn’t intent of going near that creature another time. “Bräuer, Kalinin, get the corpse from that bird.” He ordered and Silver was really happy that he had a higher rank than the both of them who were fighting with that bird for their lives and soon had deep flesh wounds and a blood stained uniform.

 

The Captain read the letter and his eyes narrowed further, he didn’t seem to like what he read.

As soon as his men had been able to get the corpse down from the giant black bird he went up to the body and realised that the head was separate from the body, just as it had been explained in the letter. Carlson opened the leather bands and took away the white sheets when he stared into the dead eyes of one of their researchers and indeed he had been wearing the robes of a local priest, he was even wearing what looked like one of those ridiculous pope hats to him. Carlson had seen pictures of popes in history books he had always thought that the people in ancient times had been primitive savages to believe in such idiotic concepts.

 

“Fool!” Carlson said shaking his head. “And he thought he would provoke us to join a war that isn’t ours with that. I don’t know what most of those nerds are thinking these days.” He seemed rather angry and his men who hadn’t read the letter didn’t have a clue what he was talking about.

“Excuse me Captain but what exactly has this fellow done wrong?” Silver wanted to know and Carlson turned to him with a dark sarcastic grin on his face. “Apparently some nations of this planet have declared war on another one.” He looked onto the letter. “The Cheraki! And this man here dressed up like one of them in order to make them kill him so that I would send my troops and waste my time to fight those primitives to support those Cheraki people.” He explained and gave Silver the letter.

 

“Aren’t we in an alliance with the Cheraki people Captain?” his adjutant asked and Theodore Carlson snorted. “The Cherki are those who appeared here the other day and tried to threaten me into getting all ties cut with Talavar because it is ruled by homosexual men or am I mistaken?” the blond said as he always mixed up the different tribes of the planet.

 

“They are like those Christians on Earth back in ancient times right?” Kalinin searched for what he had learned about ancient human history in school. “No you idiot, they are like those Muslim, Islam people. They were clearly the most violent and lunatic ones.” Bräuer corrected and Kalinin thought for a moment. “Mmmh, no! Those were much worse and much more brutal than those locals from this planet could ever be.” He said and Bräuer tried to recall the pictures from his history book in middle school. “You might be right, they were the nuclear bomb out of all those ideologies.” He then agreed with his comrade.

 

Silver sighed at the little conversation about ancient human history, glad that all those ideologies didn’t exist anymore and then came back to the more urgent subject at hand and nodded towards Carlson:“That is correct Captain.” Patrick Silver remembered when those men in the pope hats had been sitting in Carlson’s office thinking they were in the right and thinking that they could make the conditions and demand and he also remembered how Carlson had been even more cold and dismissing than he had ever seen him towards these people.

 

The Captain’s adjutant together with many other soldiers suspected Carlson to be gay since a very long time but that had been yet another indication for him.

Carlson had no picture of a wife or kids at his office, he never talked about any of those things and no one had ever seen him making a comment about or looking after a woman.

That combined with the fact that Carlson didn’t talk about himself made everyone especially curious about the guys private life. But even though there where bets going on behind the blonds back, no one had ever dared to ask him anything about anything. And Silver didn’t think that he would be the brave man risking his head for that information.

 

The blond scratched his chin. ” I know that we have told them to be an alliance with them. But do you really think I care about those backward lunatics? They are useless to us. The researchers wanted that alliance because those Cheraki offered to teach them about their things and they suspected that they could get information from them relevant for their studies. So I agreed. But I never intended to share resources with them or to step into those nonsensical wars we don’t have anything to do with.” He explained and now Bräuer’s voice sounded:“So you didn’t intent to keep the alliance and the conditions of your contact? Isn’t that... ähm... deception?” Kalinin looked to his comrade and said:”Yes, that is deception.” But Carlson didn’t want to have any of it. “Shut up. I tell you what that is: Smart!”

 

“While those locals are busy cutting off each other’s heads for nothing our men will start to implement our goals and plans. This forest will soon be no more and everything of worth that it harboured will be ours. And there will be no resistance because they are busy kicking each other’s heads in. There is nothing better that could have happened to us than a war between the locals. “ the blond explained and then added:” Declare our neutrality in this conflict!” he ordered and Silver got out a pen and a piece of paper but then he hesitated. “Allow me to express my concerns Captain, what if that is what they expect you to do and will have arrangements made to stop us before we can touch that forest? What if they know what your plans are?” The man with the black curly hair wanted to know and Carlson laughed.

 

“How on earth would any of them know our goals and plans?” He shoved it aside and Silver thought for a moment. “How do they know you? How do they know where you are? And how can they write in our language?” he asked and now it was Carlson who thought for a moment. “Tal! The Talavarian slave I had back then. He was with that researcher and I’ve been informed by Van Leeuwen that this researcher had gone missing and then were in the company of that guy.” He pointed at the corpse.

“It is possible that Tal is involved in that.” He concluded and Silver looked at the Captain not sure whether he should say it or not but decided to be bold and do it.

 

“Captain, this guy wasn’t Talavarian, he didn’t look like the people from there. And then again, I think his name wasn’t Tal you just didn’t listen to what he had said his name was.” The adjutant spoke and Carlson looked at Silver as if he wanted to mock him. “What am I?” he asked. “US-American Captain.” Silver answered his dark brown eyes looking into Carlson’s pale blue ones. “Good. And you Silver?” the Captain wanted to know. “US-American Captain.” He answered again and now realised where the man was getting at. “Do we look anything alike Silver?” The Captain asked and the adjutant shook his head. “No Captain! I apologise Captain.” He said and finished the letter that he was writing to those natives who had informed them about the incidences.

 

The blond read the letter, signed it and rolled the paper, took the leather band and then gave it to Kalinin. “You two, put that on the bird.” He said and both Bräuer and Kalinin looked as if he had told them to clean the latrines with their bare hands but they didn’t complain. Once again Silver was glad he had a higher rank when he saw the men wrestling with the bird that apparently didn’t like any of them.

 

“Silver!” Carlson said and Silver walked close behind him leaving the yard and the stinking tank that was now the home of dozens of insects behind. “I want those insects out of the tank, today! Let them fill it up with insecticide.” He ordered and Silver nodded. “Yes Captain!” He didn’t take his eyes from the blond and since he had been that bold this day he figured he could take another step and be even braver for their whole company even though he hadn’t wanted to be the brave guy in the division who would finally ask that. “Captain, are you gay?” he spoke and as soon as he had asked he wanted to take it back already. He was starting to sweat nervously and a lump was building in his throat. Carlson would kill him, he was very certain that he would kill him. Or he would have to clean the latrines. He had doomed himself.

 

Carlson gave him a dark glare from the side, seeing the other tensing up and bending under his own nervousness, letting him crumble for a while and then he sighed deeply. “Yes!” he answered and Silver’s eyes went wide and he wasn’t sure if he should still expect a cruel punishment for asking. “How much have you won?” the blond asked instead and the adjutant looked confused. “Excuse me Captain?” he asked completely rueful. “How much money Silver? Do you think I am an idiot and wouldn’t know what you’re all doing behind my back you idiots?”

[Alezander]

"Shoot that bird."

 

The command was issued by a voice worth competing with the sound of dripping rich chocolate. Deep, nasal and smooth. The speaker tucked his hands behind him as he stood by while his men calmly executed his order. When the shot was taken and the bird continued to fly, one stiff faced soldier approached the superior, saluted and made his report.

 

"Colonel sir, tranquilizing bullets do not affect it. It's hide is too thick for the medicine to penetrate."

 

The superior felt a little smirk form on the corner of his lips but he suppressed the maniacal urge to do so, and returned his face to the aloof mask it supposedly was. Ah, an excuse.

 

"Then destroy it."

 

He said simply, internally brimming with excitement when his men brought out a rocket-propelled grenade and shot it at the large black bird. The sound of the blast was muffled due to the bulletproof glass separating him and his men from the outside but the explosion shook the floor where he stood nonetheless. Down the bird fell, only a few inches of either of its outstretched wings remained. The colonel expected the captain down below should be confused by now. With the frustration of having a tank under his jurisdiction malfunctioning, Carlson should be more than agitated.

 

He has always been a restless little thing, that Carl.

 

The colonel chuckled silently to himself as he straightened his uniform and ran his hand through his slicked back hair. Along with instructions to collect the bird's carcass for later study, he informed his men that he would be going back to his office before stepping out and descending the stairs to where the fuming captain was. The soldiers who noticed his presence stiffened into salutes. Captain Carlson himself had his back still turned towards the approaching superior, who pressed a finger to his lips, gesturing the soldiers to keep shush. When he was close enough, the colonel spoke.

 

"Pretty incompetent, I should say. Letting your machinery be defeated by insects like such." The colonel slung an arm around Carlson's shoulders, pressing the other man's solid yet shorter frame against his taller one, and whispering right next to his subordinate's ear. "Hey there, cutie. Haven't seen you in a while. Let's go to my office, yeah?"

 

"Col Adam Wyld, sir. I didn't know you were already on Neron." A private with wide, starstruck eyes spoke energetically to the newly arrived superior, admiration evident in his eyes.

 

"I was a tad delayed setting up at Iiorn. You guys should visit that satellite at least once. The ship Kalyptra has transformed from a huge bellied colonizing ship into a nice huge port housing a few thousand Squid fighter crafts and some hundred Jellyfish transport ships. Although tanks such as these" the colonel knocked on the broken tank's metal hide for emphasis, "will never be tossed aside as irrelevant soon, we humans should step up with our methods. We can't go on treating these Neron locals similarly as we treated each other in the past. We do not underestimate the Neronians. You get what I mean?"

 

"Yes, sir! Totally!"

 

The private responded. Quickly, before any other of the privates flocked to him, Adam steered the american captain towards the building, through the halls and into his office, only releasing the shorter man when it was just the two of them inside.

 

"Relax Carl, I won't do anything yet." The colonel assured, instructing the the captain to sit while Adam himself made them coffee. "I wanted to apologize shooting the bird down, along with your letter to the locals. See, I couldn't have that and I'll tell you why." The superior sat himself on the seat in front of the other, a humble table between them, and so Adam began his explanation. "The year now is two thousand, two hundred and fifty. After stumbling around for a few million years, humanity has finally attained what we call utopia on Earth, or at least the closest definition of it. It took us all this time to set aside our differences and unite the many nations of our planet, with one agency governing our planet's entirety. The United Nations Organization, simply UNO. With UNO's guidance, we have assured satisfaction for everyone and maximized life expectancies. Even science is running out of stories to tell us. Looking at a different angle, life on Earth has been boring lately, don't you think so Carl?"

 

Adam sipped on his coffee, watching the captain closely while relishing the bitterness in his mouth. "Men of action like us would not have found a more insipid place. That was when Leeuwen came to me saying how his colleagues had verified sentient life on an exo planet not so far away. Sentient, Carl, and multiple races at that. Humanoid races too. With our technology, travelling to the planet isn't just a fancy. And so we did under the guise of colonizing Neron, with the secondary objective of collecting samples and digging up resources. Well, we can do that too, that's why you're here, Captain Theodore Carlson. But that isn't our main purpose. You should know what I mean by now." The colonel partially submerged a sugar cube with his spoon and watched it slowly melt until its form broke and the sugar sank.

 

"We're here for sport. It's all entertainment. We can't help it. People are savages after all." Adam said simply, putting his spoon down and raising the cup to his lips, downing all of his remaining coffee. "So declaring neutrality is not an option for us, because it's what we came here for. We should thank the beheaded researcher for allowing us to make our move without having to answer to the civilians back on Earth. Tayori Shoumei. I remember Leeuwen complaining about him being on the Esther, the first colonizing ship. Apparently he wasn't as gifted as his younger brother, but he fearlessly volunteered to study the locals up close. A brave man or a fool he was, I'm just grateful that we can start mobilizing as soon as I arrive."

 

The colonel had set his cup down when he stood, only to sit next to the other man. He wasted no time grabbing Carlson's waist and closing the distance between them. "By the way, I heard you talking with your subordinates just a while before I joined you. Why did you have to come out the closet, today of all days? It will be troublesome for me when lots of men come after you." Adam spoke softly even as he was rubbing circles with his thumb on the captain's inner thigh. "I'll make you feel good, you won't be able to stand. Just promise you'll keep digging around for resources, just like you were told to, hm? I'm here, so leave the war to me."

 

[The day prior]

 

"Kazuhito sir, some armored locals stomped into the village where Merlin and your brother presently are. Seems like they just declared war against the Cheraki."

 

"Seems like? Can't you do something about that uncertainty, Crista?" Kazu mildly scolded the girl named Crista.

 

Ever since Merlin left the labs, Kazu could not help being so worried. He knew his friend was not a fighter, and that he would easily be led around if he was given the right bait, as in informational bait. With this in mind, Kazu remotely turned on Merlin's call chip for most of the time, even during instances when Merlin was not aware that Kazu was listening in, just to check if Merlin was doing well. Kazu reasoned with himself that he was doing this for his friend's sake, and that he was not eavesdropping or doing anything wrong or breaching his friend's privacy. Although there were times when his concern backfired on him, like when that time Merlin had to masturbate after he was drugged by a Vintar woman. Kazu had no idea what to feel or think but he did not turn the call off and instead listened until his friend finished touching himself.

 

"S-Sorry, sir! It's just that the translating app is flawed and I can't say for sure what they're talking about." Crista explained in a shaky voice, her blue eyes which had been glued to the screen widening when one of the Cheraki priests was struck. "They're fighting! Three of those religious bums have fallen. Sir, I say we pull Merlin and Shoumei out of there, it's too dangerous for them!" Crista stood from her chair, her enthusiasm to act making up for her short height. Her shoulder length blonde hair shook as she closed her fists. In normal circumstances, Crista was a timid girl but since the matter involved Merlin, the upperclassman from college she had admired for a long time, she was fired up and her eyes flashed.

 

"Oh, finally our turn? Man, I've been dying to try out these new weapons UNO issued us." Spoke a girl of wavy chestnut brown hair which she kept tidy in a tight pigtail. Popping the purple bubblegum she had been chewing for one last time, she spat the candy and threw it out while petting the rifle resting on her lap. "Maz, you ready to watch my back?"

 

"Idiot, Reis. If sir Kazuhito could have done that from the start, he wouldn't have waited until things became this risky. Those armed natives are no joke." Warned a dark skinned guy named Maz who was playing with a dagger between his fingers.

 

"So grim. If I knew better, I'd say you are scared, Maz. Don't worry, though. I'll help you out if the natives ever spotted you." Taunted Reis as she continued to clean her other weapons. Maz and her were gunners for their small unit and Reis, being the lead gunner, was used to being up front and risking her life for the team. She gets a certain high about being in danger which always gave the second gunner Maz a headache.

 

"The problem is, they always spot you first, idiot Reis." Retorted Maz with a sigh, before turning to the other person in the room who sat by the door and had been silent all this time. "Hey Renard, you're twins with this chick, right? Tell her she's being rude to sir Kazuhito."

 

"Don't pick on my sister, Maz." Was all the crow haired sniper named Renard said stoically before going back to his book.

 

"Calm down, Maz. I'll figure something out, but I can't send you guys out on such a reason. Even the superiors have told me before to refrain from making actions that would turn the locals' attention to us." Kazu patted the stressed Maz on the shoulder before sitting down next to Crista who was back to observing Merlin and Shoumei. "Where's my brother right now?"

 

"He's in the hut that the villagers prepared for him. Merlin is with him." She replied.

 

"Okay. I'll talk to him for a bit so you guys go have lunch. I'll catch up with you later."

 

"Yes sir."

 

The four young human colonizers, Crista, Reis, Renard and Maz, filed out of the room until Kazu was left by himself. They have been very helpful, taking turns watching over Merlin and Shoumei through tiny remote controlled cameras that Kazu sent out after Merlin to monitor them, while Kazu himself rushed around the humans' base, working to expand their range of communications. Being the communications captain was a demanding job, and although Kazu initially had no idea what to do, his unit's support allowed him to focus on his work. UNO kept ordering to expand the base, and that meant more construction projects. Underground radio towers were placed in concentric circles from the base along with camouflaged shelters, where soldiers could rest and get first aid without having to return all the way to base.

 

Kazu watched his brother and best friend through the cameras. The both of them looked thinner since they last met. Sometimes Kazu wondered if there was something he could do for them, but both would predictably get angry if Kazu offered to rescue them from the Talavarian village. Merlin and Shoumei were similar in the sense that they easily get attached to the people they interact with, whether or not they were treated fairly. Kazu thought that this attribute meant that they were kind, but it was self destructive at best. They could be betrayed and they would never know it.

 

Since Shomei was using his laptop then, Kazu chatted him.

 

 

 

Kazu rolled his eyes.

 

 

Kazu's features hardened. He did not like the way his brother talked as if it was all predetermined because if it was, then as the younger brother he should have been told about it beforehand. Moreover, it was annoying how Shoumei was so flippant about his death.

 

 

Sure enough, when Kazu checked the camera feed, he spotted his friend already outside and walking carefully in tiptoe while heading towards the village center.

 

Shoumei explained.

 

Kazu replied snarkily. Because fuck, Shoumei was being serious about dying. There must be a way to stop him, he thought. But with his inability to move and his brother's stubbornness, nothing came to mind. Perhaps he could warn Merlin?

 

 

 

 

To hell with technology, he could not even protect his own brother. Kazu was frustrated. His chest felt tight and his throat felt dry. True, Shoumei was free to do whatever with his life, and it was not Kazu's place to intervene. Since childhood, Shoumei had been selfishly walking ahead and doing whatever he wanted, while Kazu cleaned up after him. Kazu idolized that part of his big brother and he still did today. But this, dying for a stupid reason? Kazu could not agree with it.

 

There must be another way. But if he doesn't do as UNO says, he could be abandoned as a traitor...

 

Wracking his brain for an answer yielded him nothing, and Kazu could only reply to his brother.

 

 

Kazu childishly threatened, but his brother only replied with a silly emoticon before logging out. Gritting his teeth, Kazu slammed his fists on the table in silent apprehension. Just then, the door swung open and in came a military man that Kazu immediately recognized, prompting the researcher to stand at attention.

 

"Col Adam Wyld sir." Kazu saluted while barely hiding the crack in his voice. He had not accepted his brother's decision yet and now he had to deal with the newly arrived superior.

 

"Communications Captain, Tayori Kazuhito?"

 

"Yes sir."

 

Can't this happen later, I'm in the middle of something here.

 

"Come with me."

 

"Yes sir."

 

Following the older, Kazu remained silent, his mind drifting away from questioning why he was told to join the colonel, and rather towards his brother. All he could think about was how selfish Shoumei was being, and while Kazu was spacing out, the colonel had led the two of them into a dimly lit conference room with a large oval table in the middle where three others sat, one of them a holographic projection. There was a shaved man with an elaborately impressive mustache dressed in a smart suit, while the black man in the hologram had a placid round face, his chin bristled with his trimmed beard and a pair of oddly triangular glasses perched on his nose. The third man was Professor Van Leeuwen. Kazu recognized him very well, what with his collected countenance and sharp eyes. His graying hair did nothing to suggest his age. In fact, its smooth strands that sometimes fringed his eyes gave him an alluring, mysterious air. He was eye catching, in short, and Kazu was predictably susceptible. And of course, because the man was practically a superstar among researchers.

 

Above the table floated a three dimensional projection of a volleyball sized Neron and three baseball sized satellites. The Neron on the projection had been mapped. Landing sites and areas occupied by humans were colored red, significant geographic marks were yellow and the enemy bases were colored a menacing green. Off to a lonely spot was a patch of white which labelled the Cheraki. Lastly, a vast area of blue which meant water. Even in a planet not quite the same as Earth, water remained the life giving queen of all.

 

Kazu sat down when he was instructed to and soon enough the older men in the room began discussion. The youngest of the five people in the room may have been summoned to the meeting without having been briefed first but he more or less guessed that they were going to talk about the colonization. How did he get himself a seat in that room, Kazu wasn't sure, but he was all ears. Especially since his brother's life was paving the way for it.

 

The bald man stood, cleared his throat and introduced himself, then each of the others in the room. "Then, gentlemen. No need to know my name. Just call me Jack and we'll be fine. I am the Budget Manager as well as UNO's direct representative for the colonization process in planet Neron. The man in the hologram with the unshaved chin over there is Professor Rufus, head of Earth based scientists. And we have Col Adam, our Neron based military representative, Professor Leeuwen from R&D on Neron, and Captain Kazuhito from comms." The man clapped his hands as if calling attention to a bunch of toddlers at daycare. Kazu didn't mind it but it was sort of annoying. Just a little bit.

 

"As everyone in this room is aware, we have sent a few of our volunteer civilians as pioneering units and for nearly three years now since the arrival of the first colonizing ship Esther, these civilians have been cohabiting with the locals, along with undercover military men and some researchers. Of course, they were rejected but after repeated efforts, some villages have opened their doors to the humans. Unfortunately, friction among us and the locals have escalated, particularly when word spread that the Cheraki have allied with us. The peoples of Vintar, Aeternum and Talavar have taken this as the Cheraki selling out their planet, and so have declared war against the religion fanatics. Additionally, a pair of our volunteers civilians were brutally murdered in Talavar. With this in mind, UNO has decided to pull out all humans, civilian, military and researchers, prior to attacking. Gentlemen, UNO has given us the green signal to begin this interplanetary sport. In the past, the Olympics always started with the torch lighting, right? This time let's make it more grand and set their farms on fire!"

 

The man in the hologram Professor Rufus looked horrified, looking agitated as he started dabbing a handkerchief on his fleshy face. "H-How boorish! Is that how UNO wants to strike?"

 

"Excuse me sir Jack, but don't we have to declare war first? Surely the locals have the right to prepare for whatever we give them. Evacuation of non combatants, preservation of heritage and the like. Joining in their war out of nowhere would be despicable." Maybe it was too soon, but Kazu had to speak up before the planning became too immoral and inhumane, and to stretch, unfair. For the humans, it was easy to neglect the locals' rights because they were not humans, but just blindly slaughtering them was not correct either.

 

And if my moron of a brother found a fiancee among them, then there must be half decent locals at least. Kazu thought.

 

"True! We of the armed forces are interested only in Neron because we want good rivalry. Observe the Vintar and their majority of able bodied warriors, the Aeternumi and their half baked technology, but notable weapons at least. These rivals are unpolished but if given the right chances, they are formidable. If the natives are uninformed, this whole war would turn into a hunt. We want to fight with men who burn with passion and courage, not startled rabbits who can only scatter in panic." Concurred the colonel.

 

"I see. UNO shall respect your wishes, my good men. Then, Captain Kazuhito, I shall leave the dissemination of our declaration of war to you. Withdrawing our unarmed men shall be done within two weeks and then we shall join the fight. Please make the announcement by then."

 

The five men in the room nodded in agreement. Then Professor Rufus spoke. "And the Cheraki?"

 

"We coordinate with them, but we will act independently. They can't back out on the fight anyway, given that the other Neronians are after them. Though UNO says that, it's not like the Cheraki would be of much use to us. Unless they let us use their metal, that is." Replied the UNO representative.

 

"That's right, their metal. I haven't seen the real thing for myself yet since I'm here on Earth, but according to the data Dr. Van gave me, the material increases its durability considerably when exposed in extremely cold conditions. And it allows partial conduction of electricity and heat without need for doping. It's basically a natural semiconductor. In room temperatures, imagine." Professor Rufus tattled excitedly. "The strength of Neron's gravitational field is slightly different from Earth's. Just from this, we know that using Earth metals and importing them from here for weapon making has more disadvantages than advantages. Cheraki metal will be priceless resource if we could just receive permission to use it."

 

"Indeed, and UNO has been working on new soldier designs based on this metal. Professor Rufus, it's about time." Jack said as he regarded the man in the hologram. Professor Rufus nodded his head and said his quick goodbye to the others in the room before another person took his place in the hologram. Auburn hair and a shine in her eyes. It took him a moment until Kazu recognized her.

 

"Hello gentlemen! I am Dr. Brenweilla Han, a neurologist working for UNO. Aside from sir Jack and Dr. Van, I was responsible for prepping you for travel in space without having to undergo intensive training on the same level as astronauts. If you did, you would never have gone to Neron in less than twenty years given your physical specs and mental fortitude." Her introduction was lengthy but it was refreshing to see a smiling face in the room.

 

"I remember you clearly, Dr. Han. If I was not interested in someone else, I would have not missed the chance to ask you out for dinner." Flirted the colonel, an attempt she brushed off.

 

"Oh please, Col Wyld. I'm married so I'll pass. Kazu, long time no see!" She greeted and waved cheerfully when the UNO representative cleared his throat, reminding her to do what she was supposed to do.

 

"Dr. Han recently published her work on the implantation of artificial ganglia, nervous clumps, in the body, primarily outside the cranium, near the spine." Explained Jack.

 

"Yes. Esther, Zeran, Dairo and Kalyptra. I have gathered brain data of everyone who has boarded these colonizing ships. By averaging the neural links of everyone, I have singled out the ganglia responsible for device adaptability. In other words, technological sense. I heard how UNO is designing new carriers for our soldiers. Adjusting to these new carriers, along with changes to battle tactics, will be a challenge to our soldiers, and will definitely take a minimum of three years to master enough to use during actual combat. The artificially implanted ganglia will increase affinity with the carriers and make our soldiers' jobs easier for them."

 

"I see. So it's like gaining a new skill immediately without having to train. Like implanting the ganglia for riding a bicycle will allow the person to be able to ride the bike without having to waste time and effort practicing." The colonel summarized, looking impressed.

 

"That is the gist. It's almost like self hypnosis, like convincing yourself you can eat the food you hate most without scrunching your face." The female scientist supplemented, nodding enthusiastically.

 

"But implantation of the theory to do a particular thing is not necessarily enough. If the body is not physically prepared, then the person could overexert himself and injure his body." Dr. Van warned. It was the first time he spoke so Kazu sneaked a peak at him, but the superstar researcher had clamped his mouth shut yet again.

 

"No problem. All my men are healthy and able bodied." Adam replied with a glint of excitement in his eyes. With the military man's demeanor, Kazu was brimming with the urge to ask the colonel if he was aware that Kazu's brother was preparing to die somewhere just so the colonel could have his fun.

 

Unknowing of Kazu's anger, Brenweilla continued explaining. "On Earth, there are thirty six successful implantations so far, but these subjects are death row inmates, so they cannot be sent to Neron to help the colonization process. For now, they are helping to collect data for the improvement of the new soldier carrier design, or as UNO calls it, the Egg. Since I am on Earth, Dr. Van has taken charge of culturing artificial ganglia and implanting them in soldiers stationed in Neron."

 

"I hear that not many of the cultured ganglia live for a long time after synthesis and so implantation has been difficult. How many have you implemented successfully so far, Dr. Van?" Asked the representative, prompting all of them to look at the senior researcher. Dr. Van sighed, clearly disliking the attention. And then he answered.

 

"Just one."

 

There was a long silence which followed. Not that anyone had the place to be judging the superstar researcher, but every person in the room thought that the low count was pretty disappointing, especially because this is the Dr. Van they were talking about. But Jack had a duty to preside the meeting so he took it upon himself to point it out.

 

"I must have heard incorrectly. Only one, Dr. Van?"

 

"You heard me well. Only one subject was successful." The senior scientist answered curtly with his eyes closed and his fingers intertwined in front of him, like he was trying to keep his patience.

 

Another silence followed, but it was shorter and broken by Brenweilla in an attempt to lift the mood.

 

"W-Well, since I have been working on this for nearly seven years now and have only produced a meager number so far, I think Dr. Van has performed better with the three months he was given." She said amiably, a holographic nervous smile on her face as her eyes watched the others in the room.

 

"But fighting a war with a single foot soldier is boring." Complained the colonel, appearing to lose his interest and sitting back on his chair. "What, should I capture the local warriors one by one and make them fight with this one soldier until they run out?"

 

"One on one fights as in during the time of the gladiators? When men fought to the death while thousands of people watched and cheered in a coliseum?" Kazu said, shuddering slightly because he disliked the thought. It was plain barbarism in his opinion.

 

"That might actually be a good idea. Men of passion fighting to the death." Jack put his arms up in front of him as if picturing the words underlined and written in bold. "UNO shall consider it."

 

But the colonel was not appeased and he showed this by slamming a hand on the table, making Brenweilla jump. "Such an arrangement would mean not utilizing the military. We take action under the guise of invasion and show a healthy rivalry through warfare. Man to man combat does not compare to battles fought between actual armies." The military man ranted but was silenced when Dr. Van spoke.

 

"If you want your troops to survive at all, Adam, then stick to tanks and space war for now. Battling these natives without the Egg will only get your people killed. After all, only one subject was successfully implanted because I added a second ganglia."

 

The scientist paused and there was a moment as the others in the room digested this.

 

"A second one? You managed to synthesize another ganglia with different instructions?" Brenweilla asked, her expression now a cross between admiration for the star researcher, and of being offended that Dr. Van hijacked and modified her research without her permission.

 

"Yes." Dr. Van answered, the corners of his mouth crinkling upwards to what Kazu thought was almost a smile. "The ganglia to execute orders as they were given no matter the odds."

 

"But that is against basic human rights! Stripping a soldier's freedom to act on his own assessment..." Spluttered a belatedly surprised Jack. Beads of sweat clung to his forehead and he patted them quickly away with a handkerchief.

 

"I merely created a ganglia that will allow the soldier to be convinced that the orders given were his or her own assessment to begin with, and will allow the body to fool itself to be able to perform regardless if it is equipped for the task or not." The star researcher answered drily, looking nonchalant.

 

"So the soldier could die trying?" Brenweilla said the words gravely, only now realizing how wicked her research possibly was if warped.

 

"More like, die already have done it since the body will be pushed to the utmost limit." Answered the dumbfounded Jack.

 

The colonel looked disturbed as well and he turned to his friend in concern. "Leeuwen. What are you planning?"

 

"You want to play a game, don't you Adam? So I gave you a soldier who would consider your orders absolute. But only one. If I made more, you could enter that crazed high of yours, requesting more of the budget for your weapons and war playthings and eventually turn out to be a hindrance to my research and to the future discoveries of the researchers under me, just like back in college." And then Dr. Van turned to the UNO representative who was still wearing a horrified look on his face. "Also, she gave me her full consent. She has no family on Earth and no one to care for."

 

"She?"

 

"The subject. The single foot soldier."

 

Despite being good friends with Dr. Van, Adam looked almost about ready to combust as he opened his mouth, ready to start complaining again when Kazu, much to his own surprise, reached a hand to stop the colonel before a fight broke out.

 

"Look, colonel, there will still be two weeks to sort out the declaration of war first. Dr. Van could still change his mind and create more soldiers for you. But this? This new breed of soldier combined with the Egg? Even I find it distasteful, to say the least. It's too... artificial. I'm sure the doctor feels the same. And going by where Dr. Van is coming from, I doubt he will create more soldiers without the second ganglia." All this the communications captain whispered to the military representative, making the colonel reconsider.

 

"It's like he's put a curse on me." Muttered Adam, clicking his tongue. He looked discontented, but the colonel visibly withdrew and the moment was past.

 

"So the Egg? Since these new carriers will be manufactured here on Neron, I'd like to see the design for myself." Kazu regarded Jack, who nodded his head to Brenweilla. The female researcher smiled and said her goodbyes to everyone in the room, and then her figure was gone. A man who had a buff frame replaced her, his bald head, slit eyes and overgrown beard reaching his chest the features dominating his form.

 

"Rohani Urey, gentlemen." Came the man's short introduction, after which he then started reporting his business. "This is the Egg, conceptualized by my team under UNO's supervision." In his hands he held a foot long model of the carrier. It was shaped like a stretched egg, about six inches wide at the fattest part near the bottom which grew narrower as it sloped up to a round tip about two inches across. "The Egg is eight feet tall in actual size. It is designed to house a soldier for as long as two weeks when active and nearly two months if in hibernation mode. The key to its design is the soup which we call Yolk that the soldier will be immersed in. The Yolk is a mixture of nutritious dextrose and electrolytes, dissolved pharmaceuticals developed from the Lady Eire flower which Dr. Van here collected during the first year of colonization, and hibernation fluids for travel and emergency situations. Pilots are not expected to eat during operations so the dextrose shall supplement the pilot's nutritional needs through tubes that connect directly to the soldier's helmet. The drugs are present to ensure that the pilot's physical body is in top condition any time while inside the Egg, continuously healing should he suffer from any injuries. During travel, the Egg might be expected to hike for miles and so while it may be controlled remotely by base, the hibernation fluids allow the soldier to withdraw from activity and rest. Also, in the event of an emergency, the Egg is equipped to dig through three meters of soil and bury itself in the ground where it will await rescue. When this happens, the Egg automatically goes into hibernation mode after two days to conserve energy."

 

"How does the pilot move around in active mode?" Jack inquired.

 

"There are quasi limbs hidden inside the Egg. Two at each side and two that extend on the front and back. By moving around, the Yolk will analyze the movements made by the pilot through the fluid and will translate it to the limbs." Answered Rohani. Kazu knew the man well, being one of his advisees when Kazu was finishing up on his doctorate. So the comms captain decided to challenge his ex adviser a bit.

 

"The pilot could lose his sense of balance if he stays too long in the soup, though. And he could enter shock if he realizes he cannot carry his own weight anymore the moment he steps outside to fight."

 

Rohani's eyes flicked toward Kazu and after a long moment, he recognized his student. But he did not bother exchanging greetings.

 

"We are still working on that." Rohani thumbed his beard which Kazu remembered was a habit he did whenever he was feeling bashful. "We were hoping that the researcher named Merlin Fukushiro could complete the puzzle for us. His work on hibernation fluids was, although stellar, never published in its entirety, but everyone knew about it anyway."

 

"Oh, the Fukushiro's boy. The one they call the next Dr. Van." The colonel spoke, a spark reawakening in his gaze. "I heard he's in a Talavarian village right now. Since sir Urey's team needs him, why don't we send Dr. Van's new soldier to pick him up? In and out, no fighting involved. Treat it as a test run." Adam said the name almost sarcastically. Even as early s in the board room, the colonel was already picking fights.

 

If UNO saw how efficient the new soldier was, they could pressure Dr. Van to make more, and the colonel would be happy. It was an obvious ploy but no one pointed it out.

 

The star researcher rolled his eyes slightly at the military representative, hiding an amused smirk in the corner of one of his lips. "Go ahead."

 

[Present]

 

There was him and his black, blank eyes looking back, in a space that only consisted of darkness, cold and silence, where only the two of them existed. He stood in indifferent silence while the other talked, screamed, cried, begged for him to do or say something. But he was unresponsive, and Merlin's skin crawled, he felt the little hairs on his arms rise and his neck prickle when he realized how empty the other's gaze was. Water sloshed around his feet when Merlin tried to get closer. Looking around, the scenery crackled like bad signal on television and for a moment Merlin was back on the other side of the river, staring wide eyed at the burning village where a beheaded figure energetically waved a hand at Merlin as if in a farewell. Horrified, his feet gave out and down Merlin fell, now back to the black emptiness. And this time, he was alone.

 

"Oh, that's right." His chuckle was hollow as Merlin remembered, his own voice echoing in the vast empty place. "You're dead."

 

There was a lot of shouting when Merlin came to. Head throbbing and his consciousness floating, the human had to blink for numerous times before his teal eyes opened and he could focus. Kjartan and another Aeternumi. Or at least the human recognized Kjartan's voice and the language used. The human twisted his neck around, only to witness the two quarrelling men kissing, before given a heated, hateful glare from the Aeternumi who Merlin could not recognize. Then the stranger was gone and Kjartan was by his side. Kjartan spoke softly, like he cared for the human who he rescued from the forest. For just a second, Merlin allowed himself to believe that Kjartan truly cared, that he helped Merlin because he thought Merlin was worth helping and not because the human was to be used as a hostage or to be interrogated. For the moment it lasted, the human was surprised to learn that it felt good. It was a pleasing feeling, but it also hurt like a thorn in his chest because he knew that would be too good to be true, so Merlin mentally slapped himself to stop his weird delusions.

 

"I always seem to wake up to the sounds of you fighting with someone else." Merlin replied, allowing himself to give Kjartan a smile just because of the silly reason of being unable to suppress it. "Brainwashed? I feel fine, I think. My head hurts a bit though." Merlin paused, thinking that that last sentence was probably irrelevant. He didn't ask if your head hurt, silly. "Also, the Cheraki aren't lunatics, Kjartan. Sure their priests are jerks but they are nice people and they took care of me well, and Shoumei..." Merlin trailed off, not looking at Kjartan even though Merlin was facing the local.

 

Shoumei.

 

"They have a goddess and I have my science. You have yourself. We need something to define us so we hold onto it. Do you think this is lunacy?" The human realized how patronizing he must have sounded, and quickly pinched the back of his hand to scold himself. But he could not have helped himself even if he wanted to. Merlin truly believed in this, and he was curious what Kjartan thought of it. As the spy he was, Kjartan must have been exposed to various types of people, all with differing beliefs. Merlin doubted that Kjartan was someone who would narrow mindedly believe in only a single thing so rigidly.

 

And Shoumei had Pretty...

This talk is turning sour. I must quickly talk about something else.

 

"S-So you were kissed. Do you Aerternumi traditionally conclude a fight this way?" Merlin asked as a way to steer the conversation to a less bumpy direction only to find that the topic proved to be inconvenient for him when a slight pang pierced his chest again as soon as he said the words. He had a crush on Kjartan after all and it was not easy to see the Aeternumi spy being kissed. Merlin wished he could erase the memory from his mind.

But he's comrades with the people who killed Shoumei...

 

"Shut up." The human muttered quietly to himself. Discriminating against the Neronians, particularly the Lyars, would not bring Shoumei back. Also, Shoumei had purposefully intended to get himself killed, and he succeeded, for whatever reason he thought made his death necessary. There was no way the human was finished mourning for his friend yet but somehow, Merlin did not feel like crying. His eyes were dry and he felt calm despite the hollowness in his chest. He missed Shoumei terribly but he was far from the edge of hysteria. In fact, he did not feel hatred nor resentment towards Kjartan.

 

That was when Merlin remembered he had not yet thanked Kjartan for picking him up from the forest.

 

"Kjartan, thank you. Skell." The human said, held captive by the other's light grey eyes. Merlin wondered how this particular pair of eyes saw him as a person, if he was seen as an arrogant alien, a clumsy human who needed to be rescued all the time, or possibly, an equal? Did Kjartan think of him as a friend or as something else?

 

"But you might be in trouble because you helped me. I'd hate to burden you." Then the human sheepishly smiled. "Although I might not be valuable as a hostage. I hardly know anything since I only came here thinking of gathering samples. I'm sorry."

 

That and to run away from my mother.

 

Merlin sat up from where he was lying on the table and looked around while mentally shaking his thoughts away. Kjartan probably thought of Merlin as a colonizer, nothing more. He was being so silly for hoping to become friends or something.

 

He recognized the room and slowly slid off the table to stand on the floor. Carrying his own weight brought back the throbbing in his head and for a moment the room seemed to swirl in Merlin's vision.

 

Shit. Get yourself together.

 

"Merle. Merle, can you hear me?"

 

Kazu.

 

Merlin did nothing to respond. There was only Kjartan and him in the room. Tapping his fingers right now would be obvious and he'd have to explain. And Merlin did not want to talk to his friend yet, given how he failed to stop Shoumei from getting himself killed. There was no way Merlin could answer to Kazu yet. But Kazu was persistent.

 

"Okay, let's do it this way. Tap your pinky once for yes, your thumb for no. Can you hear me? Are you okay? Does anywhere hurt?"

 

I'll worry him more if I don't answer. Mlin thought. Glancing at Kjartan while hoping not to get caught, Merlin tapped his pinky, and again, then his thumb once. Yes, yes and no. From the other side of the call, Merlin could hear his friend exhale heavily, like Kazu had been keeping his breath for a long time.

 

"Thank God. Listen, UNO needs you for the development of new carriers for our soldiers. They need your work on hibernation fluids so you have to be here to head the research since it was your thesis. UNO is serious. We're making our move. The humans are joining the fight and all non combatants are ordered to retreat to base. Do you understand, Merle? You're getting out of there. We'll rescue you soon, so sit tight. We'll come for you four days from now. By the time you're back at base, the attacks will start."

 

"Kjartan!" Merlin screamed before jumping and throwing his arms around the other person in the room, embracing the other's taller figure and feeling the air leave his lungs when he crashed into Kjartan. Attacks? UNO? The conversation had turned into one that could not be settled with only a yes or no. Swiftly, Merlin tapped a message to Kazu. Because he was hugging him, Kjartan should be unable to see what Merlin was doing with his fingers.

 

 

If the attacks start, Kjartan could get caught up in it. There was no way Merlin would let that happen.

 

"This is not just my will, Merle. It's an order. We can't attack if there are humans aside from soldiers left outside base." Kazu sounded exasperated, and Merlin knew he was the one causing the communications captain to be stressed out so much.

 

 

There was a deadly silence where Merlin could practically hear Kazu seethe from the other end.

 

"Why the fuck are you being so stubborn, Merle?! Do you want to end up like my stupid brother?"

 

Kazu finally burst out before cutting the call. Hearing his friend shout made Merlin flinch, and the human hugged Kjartan tighter, buried his face further into the other's torso. If Kjartan didn't feel Merlin's fingers tapping on his back, then he should feel the human's hands tremble now. Merlin's nose prickled and his chest felt tight, the back of his eyelids felt hot. He knew he was being selfish about staying. He was being so difficult when he knew Kazu just lost his brother. But as long as one human had yet to be evacuated, the attacks won't start. It was an UNO policy. But who knew what sort of promises were broken in a war? It was a naive deterrent, but it was all Merlin could think of right now.

I'll stay here, the attacks won't start, and Kjartan will be safe.

 

Merlin repeated this like a prayer in his head. Again and again, until he could fool himself.

 

"I'm sorry for suddenly doing this, but please let me stay like this for a while longer." The human said tiredly, still latched to the Aeternumi. There was so much to think and so little time to act. Merlin didn't even know if he was willing to fight alongside the humans if time came that UNO required him, but it wasn't like was was going to fight with the Cheraki, the Vintar, or anyone. Merlin had no place in the war because he had no reason to fight. It was so difficult to be sure of anything.

 

But Merlin did wish one thing. After failing Shoumei, Merlin realized something.

 

I want to protect this person. Just one person.

[-Hideki-]

Captain Theodore Carlson who was about to head back inside suddenly heard an explosion behind himself and when he turned around he saw that huge black raptorial bird being blown into pieces.

His blue eyes had a deadly and dark glare and for a mere moment his right hand clenched into a fist. The young Captain was no one who was fond of being sabotaged or having someone else muddle into his work, instructions and orders and usually no one would do this just like that. If a higher rank disagreed with Carlson’s instructions and orders they would consult him and tell him and Carlson himself would change the order. No one of them wanted the blond American as their enemy. That had nothing to do with them fearing a lower rank but more so with who the Captain was and with the fact that he was predestined to rise to the top. Theodore’s mother was no one else but the woman whom they called the Iron Lady and she was the General of the Army and she indeed was feared. In addition to that the blond’s father was a member of the executive board of the UNO. Hence, when chunks of flesh from the bird were raining from the sky he immediately knew which idiot had had the audacity to blow up this bloody bird.

 

“And for it being blown up by our own men we have fought with the stupid cattle?” Bräuer muffled to Kalinin but the Russian man was getting tense gesturing the other to shut it, then looking at Silver and he thought that he could see the man’s dark skin getting pale.

Silver was aware of the fact that the Captain couldn’t stand the Colonel who was apparently under the impression that he had not been recognised by Carlson just yet and if he was honest he couldn’t stand the Colonel either and the way Kalinin looked at him he was certain that he didn’t have the highest opinion about the man as well. Worse than having to deal with a pissed off Theodore Carlson was that Patrick just knew that Colonel Wylde’s arrival didn’t mean anything good.

 

The blond heard the Colonel approaching, he could see him from the corner of his eyes and he made a step to the side when he was about to sling his arm around his broad shoulders so that he stumbled to the side a little before the older man’s arm reached its destination. “Colonel Wylde.” His bass spat out the name like dirt, his tone clearly suggesting that he looked down on him and didn’t think that he was fit to be a Colonel or have any higher rank for that matter. He really wanted to ram his elbow into the other’s guts to make him back away and let go of his shoulders but he controlled himself and didn’t do it.

 

The first words out of the other man’s mouth were a cheap attempt to provoke him and it didn’t work. Those insects would have been inside of that tank no matter under whose command and aside from that Captain Carlson was not the highest rank at the base even though he was the one who gave the orders and had been in charge for the most part. This he would not tell the Colonel though; he wanted it to be a surprise when that twat found out that he was not the highest rank currently stationed on Neron. Most of the soldier’s weren’t aware of that guy being there as well, as the man was a little eccentric to say the least and mostly stayed in his office.

 

“I’m more bothered by that something that’s clinging to my shoulder.” He commented his face expressionless and his eyes glaring like those of a murderous doll. It really didn’t take long to remember just how obnoxious, irksome and annoying he found the older man and even though Carlson was significantly younger – he had heard Wylde had been in College with Van Leeuwen meaning he was even older than the blond had thought at first - the other reminded him of an ill-behaved brat rather often. The steel blue eyes went even colder and glared more dangerously when the other was pressing his body against this own leaning close enough to whisper into his ear. The Captain rolled his eyes in annoyance at the other man calling him a cutie.

Apparently he must have heard him answering to Silver and was now playing mock the gay guy. This was nothing Theodore wasn’t used to; he knew it from military school. When they had figured he had been gay they had mocked him and called him names like this as well. It was boring and rather telling that this older man was acting like a school boy and apparently he didn’t care that calling a man who looked like the blond cute was rather unfitting. There were cute men, Carlson knew, but he was certainly not one of them.

 

The American was a tall guy, he was buff, broad, had a strong and hard jaw line and an overall masculine appearance. Granted Wylde was taller than he was but he was not as muscular and much less broad.

Carlson looked bored when he said:” You’ve been on Iiorn you said? You should have stayed there Colonel Wylde.” The man said again pronouncing the rank in a way that made clear that he didn’t respect him as a Colonel.

 

There was no time to say anything else as he was pushed into the direction of the building the older male still having his arm around his shoulder and Carlson hated it when someone did this. He didn’t like someone laying his arm around his shoulder in such a manner and he didn’t like to be the one held in anyway and felt the urge to grab the other’s arm and throw him over his shoulder.

 

Arriving in the Colonel’s office the man finally let go of his shoulder. The Captain snorted when the other told him to relax assuring him that he wouldn’t do anything to him just yet. Theodore wasn’t tense in the first place and he wasn’t afraid of Wylde in the slightest as well. Reluctantly he took a seat in that office, not really happy about being there and having to waste his time with the higher rank. He slouched himself into the seat and rested his head on his right fist looking cheesed off. A dry laugh escaped him hearing the Colonel say that he was sorry for shooting down that bird. “I sure can see how sorry you are Wylde.” Theodore remarked sarcastically not taking the other man all too serious.

 

While the older guy with the slick back hair spoke the boredom was now already jumping out of the blond man’s face into Adam Wylde’s direction as the Captain yawned not even trying to be polite and suppress it. But what did the other expect telling him what year they had and how their planet was governed etc. The blond male knew all that, probably better than others as his father was part of the UNO himself.

He got the notion that Colonel Wylde didn’t even have a clue who the soldier’s parents were and who he really was so he just didn’t really listen and just started to follow the other man’s words again when he was asking him a question. And now he already suspected into which direction this would go and where the other man was getting at. His eyes narrowed, his eyebrows twisted in a frowning expression when his blue eyes pierced through those of the other man when he answered in a clear and forward way:” No I don’t.”

 

As the other talked about ‘men of action like us’ his lips twitched in disgust at being compared to the other especially getting where he was going at. Theodore let the older man talk and if one had thought his glare couldn’t get any darker one was mistaken. A condescending and dismissive snort was coming from him and now he openly looked at the Colonel as if he was pathetic scum. “Entertainment, fun, stupid little games are a waste of time, they are useless and unnecessary. We are not supposed to be toddlers in kindergarten but soldiers. I know however that in every army and in every war fought in history there were different kinds of people involved who entered for different reasons. There are those who fight to defend their nation, a cause, or for gaining something profitable and of worth for their people such as territory, resources etc. those you call soldiers and that’s what I am. Then there are people who join the war to live out their perverted twisted violent fantasies and their sadism. Insane low lives who get off from smashing babies heads onto stones or making lampshades out of human skin or shooting inmates from the balcony like pigeons, those you call subhuman murderers and wastes of oxygen and apparently that’s what you seem to be. We have nothing, nothing in common Wylde.” The man barked his eyes looking down at the other. Carlson was a rationalist. Killing for the sake of entertainment was irrational. The blond man didn’t care about the locals but he would not kill any creature for the mere purpose of killing it, there was no sense and no logic in that. Beside this, he would not risk a single of his soldier’s lives for mindless slaughtering without a reasonable cause or benefit.

 

 

His blue eyes weren’t letting go of the older man when the other rose to his feet and walked around the table placing himself on the armrest of Carlson’s chair. For a moment the Captain asked himself what this scumbag was up to now but when his waist was grabbed his eyes turned into slits and shot frozen daggers into Adam’s direction. It didn’t get any better from the words the other said. Blood was rushing into his head from pure aggression and his carotid was pulsating dangerously and his hands clenches into fists hearing the other talk while that bad excuse of a Colonel painted circles onto the younger male’s inner thigh. This was enough for Theodore - who had been rather patient with the other - to lose his composure. The Colonel had now completely stepped off of any professional grounds, he was hitting on him and he was touching him in an obviously sexual way, which meant that their ranks were completely irrelevant right now.

 

The blond man’s strong large hand brutally grabbed the wrist of the hand that was touching his inner thigh as he stood up before he pushed the other onto the table nailing him down.

Being much more muscular and significantly younger had its physical advantages. He held the other’s arms pressed down with the left hand, while his right hand wandered over Wylde’s chest up to the Colonel’s throat before it closed itself around it choking him, pressing and rubbing his knee up against the other man’s dick at the same time. Theodore leaned over him, getting his face close to Adam’s ear. “Sorry to disappoint you but there is no war without a cause. Murdering people for the sake of murdering them is not what a soldier does; it’s what a subhuman murderer does. You are not a soldier and what you’re planning on doing isn’t warfare. I’m fighting the war, you’re playing fucked up insane games.” He breathed into the man’s ear with his dark voice before biting down on the earlobe.

 

A smirk formed on his face when he allowed the man to breathe again still letting his hand rest on the other’s throat, feeling the rough skin and the Colonel’s Adam’s apple, rubbing against the other’s crotch more intensely, grinning into his attractive face. “It was not a good idea to start messing with me Wylde. But if you want to fuck with the gay guy so badly, you can have it. I’ll fuck you! You will beg me for more and I will ravage your arsehole until you can’t walk for a week.” He hissed into the other’s ear before he laughed. “You heard me right darling,” he said in a mocking tone of voice. “I am a top.”

 

By now he had felt that the Colonel’s cock had gotten hard in his pants. “I really didn’t know you were into men this much. I thought you were straight Wylde, always flirting with some chick. Apparently a bluff judging from how hard your dick has gotten for me.” The Captain was rather amused but feeling that hard rod against his own crotch made his dick twitch and he felt how he was getting aroused by having Wylde pinned down like that dominating him and being able to feel his erection through their pants. Carlson kissed him in a rough, wild, dominant way, he felt how the older man’s tongue tried to obtain the overhand but there was no way the blond would let him. As he bit Wylde’s lower lip he could feel his manhood awakening, raising its head and a huge bulge was forming in the Captain’s pants as well. He didn’t want to be turned on by Adam Wylde as he despised the man in his entire being but he couldn’t help himself. He was into handsome older guys, he liked dominating someone older, taller or superior in rank – that guy was all of it combined - plus Adam was physically attractive to him and Theodore Carlson, no matter how pragmatic, efficient and rationalistic was just a man too.

 

His lips moved to the other’s jaw and he sucked, kissed and bit the skin before he was attacking the man’s neck and ripping apart that uniform with the hand that had formally been on the other’s throat and was now exposing the well defined torso of Adam to him. He let his hand run over the other’s chest almost caressingly before he got a hold of those rosy nipples, teasing them a little before he pinched and twisted them.

 

Theodore didn’t leave it at that though, leaving love bites on the other’s throat and neck all down to his chest. He unzipped the older male’s pants and pulled them down together with his boxers rather aggressively and his dirty smirk grew wider as the erect cock sprung free from its prison.

The Captain’s rough hand squeezed the Colonel’s balls before it gave the other’s attention craving dick some touch as well. His thumb teased the head, he played with the foreskin of that pulsating, hot rod of meat shoving his thumb under the foreskin letting it circle before he went over to stroking the whole length getting his hand stained with Adam’s precum, not really believing that he was actually about to have some messy sex with the Colonel.

 

 

 

 

 

Walking down the floor to his office the blond Captain tried to comb back his hair with his hands again as it looked a little chaotic now as he had had the Colonel touching it and burying his fingers into the short blond hair of his. Not only that though the soldier smelled like a man who just had had sex as well and then there was Adam’s scent on him too. He had actually done it, he had fucked the Colonel’s arse and they hadn’t only done it one time. Carlson was glad that it had not been his office and that he didn’t have to clean that mess up, not to mention that the whole room smelled like their sex and their cum. However he was not too keen on having anyone know that he had slept with Adam Wylde and he hoped that the traces were not that obvious and he would prefer if the Colonel would keep that between them as well but with that man one could never know, he might as well brag about it. And then Theodore had left all those visible marks all over the older man’s body too.

 

When he arrived before his office there were Silver, Bräuer and Kalinin waiting for him. Silver stepped forward and asked:”What happened Captain? What did he want? Why did it take that long?” Carlson told the other to shut up and that he would tell them soon enough, well with the exception of why it had taken that long. While the Captain was opening the door Bräuer leaned over to Kalinin. ”Do you think they had sex. I mean he said he was gay and he looks like he had just done it.” He said making a vulgar gesture with both of his index fingers. Silver slapped Bräuer’s hands as if he was his mother, “Aua!” exclaimed Bräuer looking at his now red fingers. “Don’t do that. Show more respect. The Captain would never have sex with that man.” The other American said to the ginger before the door was opened and they all stepped inside.

 

Carlson just told Silver to close the door before he ignored the other men in the room and took place behind his huge desk. He turned the computer system in his office on and lost no time trying to get a connection to his mum’s office in the Armies headquarters on Earth. It didn’t take long and on the giant screen on the wall opposite of his desk a woman’s face appeared. Her hair was steel grey and strictly tied into a knot. The uniform was loaded with all kinds of different medals and looking into her face the similarity with Theodore Carlson was not to deny. The Captain’s mother looked fierce, cold and calculative and her face only lit up a bit when she saw that the man who had called her was her own son.

“Theodore, it’s been a while since you’ve called me. How are you doing?” she asked him when her adjutant let something fall and it clinked in the background. “Hey, you incompetent moron I’m talking to my son here.” She shouted and one could hear a squeaked apology from her adjutant.

The woman turned around to Carlson again. “Sorry Theo, what did you want to say?” she asked him and her smile faded away when her son spoke to her about what Colonel Wylde had told him wanting to know if that was true. The Iron Lady pressed her fingers onto the bridge of her nose sighing. “Yes and no. No, it is not true that searching for resources and colonising new planets is only a side effect or a disguise. Our planet desperately needs resources and this is the truly important mission here but....” The Captain’s face went stern as he looked at her but she continued regardless. “....it is also true that the UNO has decided to make a sports event out of this, they want to provide entertainment and distraction for the people as they think we need the thrill.” She let him know and he slammed his fist onto the desk and his mother thought that she looked into a mirror watching her son. “I am a soldier, my men are soldiers, we are not athletes and we are not wicked murderers. And I will not, definitely not cooperate with those TSchetaks, Zeraks .....” he tried to remember how the religious lunatics were called. “Cheraki, Captain.” Silver said. “... Cheraki.” He ended his sentence. The Iron Lady looked from the screen questioningly. “Why Theo?” she wanted to know but her son only hung up on her and the last thing she had seen had been a disappointed face on the screen as Theodore had thought of her to be a true soldier, someone who would not allow such mindless games.

 

 

After he had explained the situation to Silver, Bräuer and Kalinin the three looked at him with unbelieving eyes, speechless for a while until Bräuer raised his voice. “If that’s what this is I am going to quit! I’ll go back to Earth! I am not committing genocide of a whole species just for the supposed fun of it. This is sick.” He exclaimed and Carlson looked at him, not judging him but he felt that the man was rather naive now. “You can’t quit the Army. You have a contract you belong to the Army for the time set in the contract.” The Captain told him and Bräuer shook his head. “I’ll desert!” he protested and Theodore sighed. “If you want to desert from the Army you shouldn’t tell your superior that you want to desert, that wasn’t clever of you.” He said and Bräuer blushed for a moment. “I might not be the smartest man but I am a man of honour and I am not going to participate in this. This is inhumane even if they aren’t humans. I’ll leave, I’ll go back home. I’ll hug my wife and my kids one of which I have never seen and I’ll work in my father’s electronic store. I haven’t signed up for genocide, genocide wasn’t written in the description of this job.”

 

Silver stepped forward, his hand forming a fist. “Captain, with all due respect I think he is right.” He said and Carlson laughed cynically. “I know.” He said and Silver’s dark eyes widened looking at his superior.

“There must be something you can do to prevent this insanity then Captain. What about your father? He is a member of UNO’s executive board?” he suggested making the blond male laugh dryly again.

“No.” He said and the dark featured man frowned. “Why not?” he wanted to know. Theodore ran his hand through his still messy hair. “You’ve answered this yourself by saying that he is a member of the executive board of the UNO. He will be part of this and the way I know this pleasure and entertainment junky he will probably want to watch it live on screen.” Carlson explained thinking about the short overweight man who couldn’t resist pleasure and temptation and was basically the polar opposite of the Captain. The blond scratched his chin thinking. “I might have another idea though. What was the word Bräuer said?” he wanted to know and Silver looked at him curiously wanting to know what he was thinking about. “Genocide?” he said and Carlson shook his head. “No. That other word?” He wanted to know. “Inhumane.” Bräuer said. “This!”

 

“Bräuer, get me Second Lieutenant Königsberg.” He ordered. “Lieutenant Königsberg?“ he asked. „Yes. You are both Germans so I figured you’d know him well.” The Captain said. “I am Austrian Captain.” Bräuer said. “That’s the same thing. “ Carlson commented. “No it’s really not Captain.” The man disagreed and Carlson slammed his fist onto the desk again. “Get Second Lieutenant Königsberg, it’s an order Bräuer!” he shouted and the ginger ran out of the office to get the Lieutenant. “Kalinin!” Carlson said now a little irritated from Bräuer before. “Yes Captain.” He answered. “I want General Goldstein in my office immediately.” The Captain ordered and Kalinin was on his way.

 

It hadn’t taken long until Bräuer had reappeared with Second Lieutenant Königsberg but Carlson didn’t want to explain all of this twice so he wanted to wait until the General would be there as well. But when twenty minutes had passed he began to get impatient. He just wanted to get up from his seat and go get the man himself when the door finally swung open and a rather exhausted Kalinin was to see next to General Goldstein. The General was an incredibly thin, tall man with long legs who dragged his feet over the ground as if they were too heavy. His body seemed to have not much tension within it and his face looked tired and unmotivated. There were thick dark circles around his sleepy hazel eyes and one side of his hair looked completely disorderly and messy while the other side was neatly combed and styled. On the chaotic side of his face one could see black letters what indicated that he had fallen asleep on a piece of paper with fresh ink on his desk. The man was whiter than chalk because he didn’t see the sunlight often and mostly kept to himself in his office and Carlson assumed that he would glow in the dark. The General yawned and straightened himself up as if he had just come out of bed. “What took you that long?” Carlson growled at Kalinin. “It’s not my fault Captain. At first I had to try and wake him up for ten minutes because he slept like a stone and then he couldn’t find his shoes which we had to search and didn’t find in the end anyway.” He defended himself and Carlson’s blue eyes looked at the General’s feet and saw that he was not wearing boots but woollen scuffs.

 

Every time the blond Captain saw General Goldstein he asked himself how this sleepyhead could be the same man who had beaten the adults chess worlds champion at the age of three, who had become a Professor of martial law and who had essentially influenced said law at the age of a high-school boy, who had done important things in his cooperation with the Court of Human Rights and Constitution, the organisation which controlled the UNO’s actions, which could stop the UNO’s and the military’s orders and plans. A court implemented so that the UNO couldn’t violate people’s rights or act inhumane, that was there to prevent despotism within the UNO. He had never imagined geniuses to look or act like him though.

 

“General Goldstein, please take a seat.” Carlson said in an inviting tone of voice gesturing at the chair while showing that he respected the man’s rank. The forty years old General nodded, “Thanks.” He said and his voice sounded as scuffing as his gait. It was monotonous and sonorous. Goldstein sat down opposite to Carlson and as soon as his arse had kissed the chair he leaned forward laying a large part of his upper body onto the table supporting his head with his hand. And when the brunette General took a scissor, put it on the table with the tip on the wood letting it spin in circles, watching the object while he asked:”What is it Captain Carlson? I think you’re doing a good job, I have no complaints so what do you need me for?”, the blond male knew that Ethan Goldstein would probably destroy all the order on his desk playing with the stuff on it and he had to tidy up again afterwards.

 

After Carlson had explained everything to them Königsberg’s voice sounded:”Then our only option is to cooperate with the empire of Aeternum. Bring them to cooperate with us and make a deal. We’ll protect them against Adam Wylde’s....” the Second Lieutenant deliberately forgot the rank “....hunt of the native people if they will let us take all the resources in Cherak. Think about it, Cherak is full of the Cheraki metal, oil and a lot of important other resources that we need back on Earth. We could further our mission and discomfit their plans to kill the native people for the sake of killing.” Carlson was considering it when a chuckle was to hear from the General what visibly angered Königsberg. “Are you laughing about me General Goldstein?” he asked and the middle aged brunette turned his head a little to the side - it was a lot movement for him – and remarked:”No. I just find this thought really amusing Lieutenant; if we followed this plan we’ll be true heroes indeed, but dead heroes.”

 

“Let me explain.” Ethan announced pulled his body from the desk and leaned back in the chair. But just when everyone thought that he finally sat like a normal person he dropped his scuffs and placed his feet onto the chair wearing dinosaur socks for children that were too small for his feet hence had several holes were his toes stuck out. “With me being the General in charge here and those men who are truly loyal to Captain Carlson and you, we would sure have enough men to defend the natives for a while fighting against our own people under the Colonel. However for how long do you think we’ll have the upper hand? The UNO has ordered this and the General of the Army has decided to follow their instructions.” The General told them in his unmotivated voice his always sleepy eyes meeting those of the Captain whose parents were involved. “This means that they will judge us, deem us the enemy and will get their backup here who will outnumber us. If we won’t die in battle, they’ll execute us later and we will be dead heroes who have won nothing but have kept their honour.” The man ended his explanation.

 

Königsberg wasn’t too happy about that but he came up with something else then. “How about we planned the assassination of Wylde?” he suggested and both Kalinin and Bräuer were all for it. “Yes, good idea. He doesn’t know General Goldstein so we could dress the General in drag and let him invite Wylde to a date and when he is unobserved he slips poison into the General’s drink. “ Kalinin told them his idea what led Theodore Carlson to imagine Ethan Goldstein in drag, with a long wig and a dress and he found that the General would make an incredibly bad lady. He knew that Wylde was gay anyway but he would not tell them this either because they would ask how he knew this. “How about a bomb? We prepare a box, tell Colonel Wylde it is full of fan mail, he will totally believe this ,open it, and then booooom blown into bits and pieces like that bird.” Bräuer said. Carlson shook his head to get out the thoughts and images of the General in women’s clothing and Adam Wylde’s moans, the heated touches and how their bodies had been connected.

 

“No!” exclaimed both the General and the Captain at the same time about the assassination plan. “Why not? It was such a great idea?” Bräuer was obviously disappointed. “Because it would only be a waste of time.” Answered the General. “Even if, and I say if, the assassination worked, it wouldn’t matter since Colonel Adam Wylde is merely a guppy in a sharks tank. “He let him know looking as if he was about to fall asleep just now. Ethan yawned and rose from the seat stepping towards the desk when all of a sudden he hung himself over the desk, slithered forward and let his head and upper body hang down on the other side where he was searching for something in the fridge hanging upside-down. “What the hell are you doing General?” Carlson asked displeased trying to catch the stuff that was falling from his desk while looking at the long legs of Ethan in the air. “I’m getting us a drink so that I can drink on our hero’s death.” He explained and the Captain needed to take a deep breath to stay calm. “You could have walked around the desk to get onto the fridge.” The blond let the other know and couldn’t hide a mild annoyance in his tone. “Yes, but I didn’t want to, would have been too boring.” Was the only thing coming from Goldstein who was sliding back down from the desk with a bottle of Vodka and a glass in his hands.

 

General Goldstein sat back down onto the chair filled the glass with the Vodka and he was incredibly slowly doing that. When he finally had put the bottle onto the desk and took a sip of the alcohol he then said. “But maybe we won’t have to follow this plan and die after all!” he said and now everyone looked at him asking themselves whether he was trying to make fools out of them or he was just crazy.

“What? Okay, okay, I’ll admit that I really just wanted an excuse to have a drink.” The brunette confessed, yawned another time and waved with his hand and the way the thin hand wiggled it looked as if there wasn’t any muscle or bones in it even though there had to be some. The Captain let his forehead sink onto his desk and the other men in the room facepalmed simultaneously while the General chuckled. “Aren’t you supposed to be a genius?” Carlson asked, head still on the plate. “Who says that? I never said this.” Ethan replied.

 

“Doesn’t matter, please continue General.” The blond man said with a deep sigh trying to ignore how eccentric the other man was because the General was a decent man whom he never had had any trouble with, aside from having to tolerate his more than weird quirks. “Since you have stressed the point that the practices were inhumane, I assume that this beside the fact that I am the highest rank stationed here, is the reason you asked me to come into your office, because I know martial law. And indeed what the UNO plans to do to the indigenous people to this planet is inhumane and a giant human rights violation and against the martial law so I could theoretically arrest Colonel Wylde right away but .....” he took a break to take some breath and Carlson didn’t like that ‘but’ at all. “The people of this planet are not currently seen as humans. They are deemed a humanoid species but not humans per se, nit picking you say, yet an important factor to consider, however .....” his sluggish voice faded for another moment as he was now taking another sip of the Scotch, “..... it’s not hopeless. Actually our chances to get the judges of the Court of Human Rights and the Constitution to stomp that plan of the UNO and the Army into the ground and punish those involved is incredibly high, we only have to provide evidence to convince them that the natives of this planet are indeed human as well. This shouldn’t be too much of a problem with all the data gathered about them we have enough evidence to file a lawsuit. That means that CHRC will stop everything immediately for the time the court proceedings take, what is at least four weeks. No one will take any action until the final decision then. And even luckier for us, I am not only a specialist on martial law and human rights, I also know every judge of the CHRC and I am also the chief inspector of the CHRC and that’s what I am really here for.” The General explained. “That’s why you have let me be in charge of the mission?” the Captain asked despite knowing the answer. “Yes.” The General answered. “My career as a General is not the typical one, that’s because I am originally coming from the CHRC which made me their most important man in the military to keep the Army in check as well what makes my duties and priorities differ from yours. In addition to that I have full charge over the military police and a special division.” He explained.

 

“But if you are a General with that much power why didn’t you know anything about their plans but a Colonel does. And why on Earth are you wearing dinosaur socks with holes in them?” Bräuer wanted to know and everyone looked at him in a way that asked ‘Seriously?’ “Because he is the chief inspector of the CHRC!” everyone answered Bräuer synchronically. The General nodded tiredly. “Right. The UNO and those of the Army involved in this know that I would immediately drag them in front of the CHRC and they would be convicted and that’s what they don’t want. Funnily enough whenever something I didn’t previously know rises to my attention I always know that this must not be quite legal and I will go after it.” He explained. “As for my socks, they just don’t wanna sell dinosaur socks for adult men so mine are too small, what explains the holes.” He also answered that question. “But why do you need dinosaur socks in the first place?” the Austrian didn’t get it. “Because dinosaurs are great and I really like dinosaurs.”

 

Carlson thought about this and it really seemed like the most logical solution with the best chance for success and to prevent humanity to fall back hundreds of years and commit another brainless atrocity that would stain the species history further, there was one problem he had with this though. “But if they will be deemed humans we won’t be allowed to take the land and the resources anymore. The colonisation of their planet will be deemed a violation of their rights as well and I can’t continue our mission and our planet actually needs resources.” The Captain spoke in a calculative manner and Goldstein nodded. “That’s true. It’s to prevent war and atrocities between humans.” He agreed. “But that we can’t take their resources doesn’t mean that we couldn’t make a deal with Aeternum. They are in charge in Cherak and they can take all the resources from that colony and give them to us in exchange for our help and our protection if we offer them to use our technology for it. The people from Neron won’t even see that they are giving us something of worth there as they deem the Cheraki metal useless. Even the Cheraki themselves deem their metal and their oil useless. This way we will get a lot of resources regardless. And when they are acknowledged as humans we can still trade with them. There are plenty of things we have to offer that they could use or be interested in.” Ethan explained and Theodore Carlson looked deep in thought. It wasn’t what he really wanted but at this point it was the best option he had.

 

He got thrown out of his thoughts when the General stood and placed the glass on his desk before scuffing into his direction. “I’ll contact my twin-brother, he is a scientist and stationed on Neron as well. I will tell him to send us all the data from his department and call him over then.” He told the Captain and when he realised that Goldstein needed the control panel the Captain was currently sitting in front of he wanted to get up but the General gestured him to stay where he was and just sat down on the huge desk in tailor fashion.

 

While the General was talking to his brother Silver went up to Königsberg. ”You owe me 100 bucks by the way.” The German Lieutenant raised an eyebrow, “Why?” he asked. “Because the Captain is gay! It probably has reached you already so don’t even try.” The American said with a wide smirk because he had won the bet. “I didn’t say he was straight.” Königsberg did try. “No. You guessed he had a bad STD and didn’t look at women because he couldn’t sleep with them anyway.” Patrick reminded him and Königsberg grumpily handed him the money. “I get your stake as well.” He smiled at Kalinin and Bräuer. “Hey, he could still be a robot.” Bräuer protested. “No. Your theory of him being a robot and not needing sex because of that was already ridiculous but saying that he is a robot that has sex is even more ridiculous.” He argued and got the hundred bucks from Bräuer too. “No chance that I would get away with saying that me saying that he had sex with robots might as well still be true. I mean only male looking robots then.” Kalinin asked and Silver shook his head and got his hundred bucks as well.

 

As soon as the General had ended his conversation with his brother and walked back to his seat again Königsberg approached him.” What was it you guessed back then again?” he wanted to know. “Guessed about what?” the thin man asked a little confused. “Whether the Captain was ...” the Lieutenant began the sentence but stopped as Carlson was eying the lower rank as if he wanted to shred him into pieces if he finished the sentence and at the General in a way that said ‘You too?’ but Ethan understood regardless. “Mmmh... I said he was a homosexual top, into older guys and liked dominating them in bed.” The General remembered what he had guessed back then. Silver and the others looked at Goldstein, then at the Captain who had gotten so mad that he looked as if he would explode every second and Silver immediately offered the money to the brunette. “Huh?” he seemed surprised and then waved his hand again in this odd looking way. “You can all keep your money; I am not interested in it. I only participated to see whether my thesis was right or not.” And all of them looked at him as if he was a weird alien with the exception of Theodore Carlson as the Captain was way too irritated about how precisely the General had figured that out and he didn’t like that at all. If he hadn’t known better he would have assumed Goldstein had been snooping on him.

 

It took about ten minutes and the General turning a picture of a tank on Carlson’s wall upside-down - no one understood why but he only did it because he was bored and wanted to see how that tank looked upside-down anyway– until the door went open with a loud bang and all men turned around to the door immediately. “Ups, sorry!” a man said walking into the room energetically. “I was a little hectic because I am super excited!” he rejoiced and his hazel eyes gloved enthusiastically. The Captain couldn’t believe his eyes. When he had heard Ethan Goldstein had a twin-brother he had thought of another always tired man, with lazy, sleepy eyes, an unhealthy skin colour, thin and without tension in his body just dressed in a laboratory coat and not in a uniform. This lad however was the complete opposite. He had an athletic body, there were no dark circles around his vitally shining eyes and his skin even had a golden shine to it, what was fitting his family name, and he seemed hyperactive and not notoriously tired. Looking from the scientist to the General the military man looked like something that had been dead before, a zombie perhaps.

 

“That is my brother David he leads a research depar.....” the snoring and slow voice of Ethan was cut off because his twin had run towards him and wrapped his well defined arms around his thin bony body. “This is so awesome that you need me now and that we’ll finally get to work together on something. You never asked me for my help and now I can finally help my little brother.” He cuddled the other and the other men in the room looked completely stunned at the unlike twins. “I thought you were twins!” Carlson commented and the eyes of the scientist shone. “Yes. I am two minutes older than him.” David told him and hugged the General with too much pressure so that it looked as if he was letting out the air out of a balloon. The two minutes younger twin gasped and his limps were hanging there as if he was a cuddling pet without any bones. “Can you be a little less enthusiastic please; otherwise your enthusiasm will be the cause of my death.” The General wheezed and his brother let go of him. “I’m sorry, but this is so great. What are we doing now? What have you planned? And do you think that they want to use those neurologically modified soldiers in their wicked game?” Dr. David Goldstein asked. “It’s fascinating research really but to use that for unreasonable slaughtering .... I might know how to take them out.” The guy blabbered on but his brother and Captain Carlson were still at the part where he had said ‘neurologically modified soldiers’ and weren’t following along with how fast he spoke.

 

“Neurologically modified soldier you said? This stinks like a violation of human rights.” The General said while Carlson was rather curious what that neurologically modified soldier could do and how effective it was and how it could be a practical weapon but he didn’t say that. The scientist nodded, “Ja, I know. Van Leeuwen thought it was enough to make the soldier believe that he was deciding something on his own will while he actually wasn’t and doesn’t have an own will any longer, letting his own mind deceive him so to speak, to not violate human rights and get the CHRC off his case but from what I know from your work and the law, I knew this wasn’t true. I didn’t tell him though.” He said and the General’s tired eyes narrowed. Carlson thought that David looked more like the soldier and Ethan more like a scientist from the way they were built and they really were quite odd twins. “David, I want to hear everything about this from the start.” He said but sounded completely unmotivated and indifferent as always even though he actually was interested.

 

The Doctor had lectured them about the research that was going on for a while and Captain Carlson heard names he had never heard before such as Bernweilla Han. Who the fuck was that even? The only guy he knew was Van Leeuwen and his father’s colleagues from the UNO. The young blond soldier would have happily worked with those prototypes under other circumstances but now he was with General Goldstein, even though his motivation was a more utilitarian than about values and idealism. It was convenient that the General’s brother had taken ‘send us all the data’ literally and had send them all the data and not only the data about the indigenous people they needed to make the stand that they were humans but all kinds of stuff about the research of different departments that contained the data about the neurologically modified human war machine and something they called ‘The Egg’ so they could send those to the CHRC as well and get the project frozen in and stopped as well, until it would be completely stomped in forever, so that this soldier would never leave the base and would not be tested to fetch that researcher who was currently in a Talavarian village.

 

After they had heard all of it General Goldstein had contacted the CHRC and he insisted to speak directly to the judges because it was urgent and they needed an order from them right away. Since the judges were all doing something though they had to wait and stared onto the giant screen listening to the CHRC’s waiting music and seeing their crest spinning around on the screen.

The court building was a giant white palace built on the top a mountain in Switzerland. No one knew why Switzerland and why a mountain, it was told that the founder of the CHRC had just really liked the landscapes, but it was a place of power and it was treated as something sacred. After all they stood above the UNO; they were the highest instance in the human’s system. The CHRC was there to control the UNO but nothing was controlling the instrument that had been established to grant that every human’s rights were respected.

 

Not only Ethan was about to fall asleep during the waiting time when finally the music stopped, the crest disappeared and they saw a white marble hall with golden decoration and looked into the eyes of four people the men dressed in white suits, the woman dressed in a white woman’s suit with a skirt.

On the right was Judge Sean Dunkin, an old Englishman with a grey pointed beard, nearly colourless eyes and almost no hair on his head. Next to him sat Judge Marianna Galini a short, overweight, middle aged woman with untamed black curls from Italy. It followed a lean man in his mid-thirties who had high cheek bones and gold-blond hair. Judge Albert Von Ravensburg from Germany wore glasses and his blue eyes had a sharp look to them. On the left there was Judge Félix Blanc a Frenchman in his thirties with light-brown hair, freckles and green eyes who was straightening his tie.

This was the first time in Captain Theodore Carlson’s life that he had seen the judges of the CHRC, those men and the woman his father often complained about who had caused his old man one or the other headache by defeating his plans and with their decisions and he could feel the look of the judges on him from the screen, they weren’t friendly looks.

 

It was quite an impressive speech Goldstein gave them regardless of him sounding as if he was about to fall asleep during the speech, his words still were powerful especially followed by his twin who explained why the indigenous people of Neron were humans from a scientific viewpoint and then told them all there was to know about the soldiers with the modified brains and they then send the judges all the information they had.

 

The people on the screen stuck their heads together and whispered to each other for a while until they looked to the camera and the screen again. Sean Dunkin curled up his beard with his finger. “We will open the case and investigate in this further. Investigation will take four weeks minimum. During this time there will be no action of any man or woman of our troops on Neron and no further research happening regarding those neurologically modified soldiers. All current prototypes will be confiscated on Neron and on Earth and will be examined by our experts.” The old Englishman said and one could see a smile on Goldstein’s face. “You have enough men of the military police and division H, as well as our scientists and experts. You know what to do General.” Alfred Von Ravensburg’s voice sounded and Ethan nodded and suddenly a file appeared on Carlson’s computer screen, he clicked on it and saw the ordinance of the court. “I hope you’ll bring us more arguments why to consider the people of Neron humans than merely scientific research chief inspector Goldstein. There has to be no doubt that those people are human and should possess human rights as the UNO will argue against this and you won’t know what they’ll come up with. James Carlson will try to get his will again and he doesn’t flinch from corrupting scientific research. You have to give us more than just science; this decision needs to stand on a solid fundament.” Marianna Galini said and her brown eyes looked at the Captain as if he was mischievous and couldn’t be trusted. “Yes,” Félix Blanc started to speak. “ It is simple for us to stop that research and to completely forbid it for military purposes or even in general in the end and from what I have heard our experts will probably tend into this direction and tend to decide this way. Deciding that an alien race belongs to our species and will be granted human rights is on another level though. Scientific facts are the basis but we need something more than that, something deeper, something that will leave no doubt to the ordinary person that this people are the same as us that they feel like us and think like us, something that touches them. If you give us that, James Carlson and the UNO will lose the case.” The Frenchman said.

 

 

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Talavarian village

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A smile crossed his face when the human spoke since apparently he was fine. “Well and every time you hear me fight when you awake it is because I argue in your favour. Though I honestly can’t tell you what Heron’s problem seems to be, he usually isn’t like this.” The local said in a playful tone still looking down into the human man’s intensely coloured eyes. When Merlin told him that his head hurt Kjartan’s expression changed and he thought for a moment. “Well, there is no medic as good as Meran here but I could ask one of the combat medics to give you something that will kill the pain if it gets worse.” He offered laying his hand onto the other’s forehead to see if he had a fever or not.

 

His eyes widened a little surprised and he took away the hand when the dark haired man was scolding him about the Cheraki all of a sudden. “And there comes the turn off.” He let him know with a chuckle, listening to what the other wanted to get off his chest about him calling the religious fanatics lunatics.

The brunette’s lips still smirked and the smirk grew wider listening to that patronising little speech. “Do I call it lunacy to fling men from a rooftop because they love each other? Do I think it is lunacy to stone a woman to death because she didn’t want to marry her rapist? Do I think it is lunacy to burn someone alive for having drawn a picture of the goddess? Do I think it is lunacy to blow up or stab people to death because they are so called Lyras? Yes, I damn well call this lunacy, I call this malicious and I call this dangerous.” The Aeternumi replied to him.

 

“There is a difference between a religious ideology such as the Cheraki’s that sees itself as the only absolute truth and way of life and punishes every other way, an ideology that deems its believers superior people to everyone else and aims at dividing themselves from them and degrades them as inferior by calling them Lyras and people who merely search for their own personal meaning in life, search comfort or simply fear reality and flee into an illusion. You can’t even compare the stone god and the Talavarian’s believes to the ideology of the Cheraki, nor is your job comparable to this.” He answered further and he laughed at Merlin thinking they were good folks and their ideology was some harmless jest because they had not mistreated him. “I can promise you that they would have not been so kind to you if you were like me, a Lyra who sleeps with fellow men and drinks alcohol. I have lived in Cherak, they have tried to kill me more than one time. I have seen what comes from their believe system and morale code, I have seen it implemented and I can tell that before the humans appeared on our planet their religion was the biggest threat to our species.” The assassin spoke and then sighed deeply. “But of course Merlin the human knows this much better than I or everyone of us because they have been friendly to him. Because they have been friendly their ideology must be good and respectable too and not dangerous bullshit. So how dare I call them lunatics! Who cares about those who get killed and have to die in the name of their goddess every single day, regardless of how many they murder the Cheraki are good people because they have treated their human allies they hope to gain an advantage from well.” He mocked the teal eyed man in a sarcastic tone, finding the researcher incredibly naive, what wasn’t fitting for a man of his field at all, especially when he thought about Dylan and his stand on religion, the middle aged scholar even had a problem with the Talavarian priests of the stone god because they sold healing stones that couldn’t heal anything.

 

It was unexpected to say the least that Merlin addressed the kiss with Heron and his heart skipped one beat knowing that the other definitely had seen it. For some reason it was making him uncomfortable but he couldn’t say why at all since he usually didn’t even have a problem if someone watched him having sex. “Sure. If we’re mad about each other we always fuck it out.” The assassin said jokingly and then got serious again. “Heron and I have been having a lot of sex since we arrived in Talavar but he has gotten weird especially today and I quite honestly don’t know what his problem is. Can you even call something a fight when one party has no issue at all and no clue why the other even is that angry in the first place and can just look at the other in confusion?”He asked because he still found the legionary’s behaviour quite off and didn’t understand it.

 

After their conversation about Heron there was an odd silence in the room and then he could hear Merlin muffling to himself but he could still understand it. “I haven’t said anything, so why are saying that I should shut it?” he asked. “You’re acting rather strangely. Are you talking to someone else with some device of yours again?” the local man wanted to know sighing yet another time. This day was weird and all the people seemed to act weird as well. Heron, Merlin ..... he himself, he thought, remembering that he had declined an opportunity to have sex with the reddish-blond man and he really liked sex with him.

 

Thinking about that day made him feel gloomy and he was glad when he was thrown out of his thoughts by the younger male who was thanking him. His grey eyes looked at the other rather surprised as he heard him speak. He hadn’t seen a thanks coming especially not after the researcher had seemed so distanced for a while. “I didn’t bring you here for interrogation and I have told Baldor who wanted to do just that to piss off.” He told him thinking about how he could explain it to the other. “You have kept your word. You have not given Carlson or other humans the information; you have not dragged Meran into this. You could have harmed me and my people but you have not, so I will not let my people do any harm to you now either.” The Aeternumi exclaimed standing there in that red cape that was much brighter than what he usually wore.

 

It didn’t escape the native’s eyes that Merlin was moving his fingers again and he recognised the way he did this immediately by now. He had seen it all too often at this point to not connect that movement of the black haired man’s hand with the communication device and since he knew that someone was probably listening in he said not a single word anymore and stood there as if he was one of the Talavarian’s stone statues his eyes on the younger male showing a suspicious expression.

 

That changed when all of the sudden the younger male screamed his name, closed that distance he had been feeling between them and threw himself into his arms and onto his body that was dressed in the armour of their empire’s legions. The man’s body was trembling and he clung onto him as if someone was trying to steal Kjartan away any second. The baffled and confused assassin wrapped his arms around the smaller body, holding him tight against his torso and stroking through that thick black hair of his. “What has he said, the human you’ve talked to just now?” he asked his voice sounding calm even though he knew that it probably wasn’t good news the other had gotten otherwise he wouldn’t have reacted like this. “Are your people going to end our world already? And there I thought we had a little more time left.” He said with a cynic smile on his lips.

 

Kjartan and Merlin had about twenty minutes alone before the bedroom door was opened and Exan stepped outside followed by the three men who led the divisions present in the village. The farmer didn’t look too happy and was trying to not let this show but Kjartan saw it. The cyan haired Talavarian hadn’t wanted a position as a noble, he had wanted nothing to do with politics, he had run from this life and now he was supposed to lead the village, hence having a position of power. When the assassins grey eyes met Heron’s he could see fire of rage in them and he looked at Merlin as if he wanted to burn him with his gaze. “I have told you something Kjartan! You will step out of the way and let Baldor do what he has to do or I’ll arrest you.” He hissed and just when the brunette wanted to refuse something smashed a window of the house and flew inside.

 

All locals went a step back when the blinking thing landed on the ground and moved out some kind of legs. It started to blink even brighter and Kjartan rubbed his eyes as three men suddenly appeared in front of his eyes. They didn’t seem to be out of flesh and blood but they were definitely there in the room. It was creepy to say the least. The Aeternumi stared at the three guys who had appeared there and then he realised that he knew one of them. “Captain Theodore Carlson.” He exclaimed and the hologram of the blond man turned its head towards him. “Tal!” the Captain noticed, eyes narrow, face stern. This was the moment when the Talavarian division leader panicked, jumped forward and cut through the holograms with his sword but nothing happened. “What is this! This is evil!” he yelled and Carlson looked as if he had been punished for something in his life by having to deal with and cooperate with those local primitives now.

 

“This is a communication device and I am General Ethan Goldstein, nice to meet you.” One of the other men Kjartan had never seen before said in the language of the empire. “Apparently you know Captain Carlson, and the man to my left is Dr. David Goldstein, my brother, he is a scientist.” He introduced the others as well and Kjartan looked at those humans he had never seen before even though he should have at least seen the General at his time at the base but for some reason he hadn’t.

 

The man however came right to business and he told them about what happened to the bird and their message, about the plan of a subset of soldiers and the UNO to slaughter them for the mere fun of it and the more he talked the more dark and hostile the faces of the natives got thinking that this only proved them right about the humans. “However, there is a way to prevent this.” Goldstein let them know and they didn’t seem too keen to continue listening to the human man.

“We have gotten the Court for Human Rights and the Constitution into this and they will decide whether you are humans or not, if you are humans, this will mean that they won’t get away with this and on top of that, that the colonisation will end and we will leave. We’ve already talked to the elders of Aeternum and the governor of Cherak and after I could calm them down and convince them that we are their only option left they have agreed to the plan and will cooperate with us.” Ethan informed them but it didn’t keep them from getting mad and shouting at the holograms getting all aggressive especially at the mentioning that they were supposed to be considered humans. This, to them was an insult, the humans were arrogant, vain and evil to them and they didn’t see themselves as on the same level with them. It got a little chaotic when the growling bass of Carlson struck like thunder. “You don’t even have another choice if you don’t want to die over semantics.” The man shouted. “No one says you have to agree that you are humans or see yourself as such. This is about to convince our people that you are humans so that you won’t be butchered like pigs in the slaughterhouse because this is what this will turn into if we won’t win this case!” the blond man shouted. “It would be dumb and irrational to sacrifice your lives over words.” He told them reading the translation form a screen – unlike Goldstein he couldn’t speak any language of the natives - his words sounding rather broken in Aeternumi. Kjartan saw how the Talavarian was about to scream again and how Baldor was holding him back. “That man is right.” He simply said. “Words are nothing but smoke and mirrors and as man from Vintar I can say that sometimes pride stands in ones way to achieve the own goals and to do what is only logical to do.”

 

It didn’t surprise the brunette assassin that Baldor could agree with Captain Carlson and once more he was thankful that it was him who was there and not Aswin or Ansgar who seemed to consist to 99% of pride. Heron nodded and the Talavarian frowned, crossed his arms and stood back now. Ethan cleared his throat and continued to speak. “Where was I, ah yes, we have four weeks to gather more evidence that the native people of Neron are humans and that’s where you come into play Mister Fukushiro.” He said now looking at Merlin. “You were supposed to be taken and brought back to the base but this won’t happen. The neurologically altered soldier who was supposed to pick you up was confiscated by us, the CHRC, already and Van Leeuwens project is completely frozen and will probably be forbidden soon as well as the research of Bernweilla Han. I also change your order, yes, I can do this as both the General and the inspector of CHRC just if you wondered. You will return to the Talavarian capital with those locals here and I want you to live with them for a while longer and bring me more evidence that they are in fact to consider human, that they possess all that it means to be human and that they possess humanity. About this you will only answer to me and Captain Carlson and we want you to stay in contact with us and inform us about everything that is going on. We’re trying to prevent genocide in the name of entertainment here, I hope you’ll understand the severity of this and will cooperate. If there is any device or help you need, reach out to my brother David, I am certain you know each other.” The General instructed and the older scientist nodded into Merlin’s direction.

 

 

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In the evening; Human Army base

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General Ethan Goldstein was scuffing through the floors of the base and this time he wore boots, not his own mind you, but those of Second Lieutenant Königsberg because he had turned out to have the same shoe size what meant that the Lieutenant was still currently sitting in Carlson’s office with the scuffs of the General on his feet. Goldstein was flanked by six men in white uniforms, the men of division H, which belonged to and organisation which belonged to the CRHC. Those men had formally worn the same uniforms as anyone else but now that they were acting in the name of the organisation they wore the white ones. Behind those men walked two guys from the military police but the brunette man who still had ink on his face and whose hair was still only orderly on one side and always looked as if he needed some coffee walked as if he was strolling along a river alone.

 

As headless as he seemed he had a destination and when he reached the destination he knocked on the door what looked more like him unmotivated and limply throwing his arm against the door. He didn’t wait for an answer and stepped into Colonel Adam Wylde’s office and his tired, sleepy hazel eyes looked directly into those of the Colonel. “Good evening Colonel.” He greeted the man with a yawn. “Pardon.” He said as if this was something he had to say hundred times a day for yawning anyway. “I am General Ethan Goldstein, chief inspector for the Court of Human Rights and the Constitution and you probably have never heard of me,” – he probably had heard the name, just not necessarily that he was a General – “but I am the one in charge here.” The man introduced himself. “I just wanted to welcome you at our base on Neron Colonel.” The other said and it sounded as if he was half asleep already. “And while I am here I can also inform you that the CHRC has ordered that there will be not a single action taken funtil the final decision of whether the native people of Neron are humans or not was made by the judges. I also think that I should tell you that there will be no testing of the neurologically modified soldier as this solider, who apparently was female, has been confiscated. Prof. Dr. Kazcmarek and Dr. Overgaard are currently investigating and writing their expertise and they didn’t looked to thrilled when they found out about this project.” He informed him and his tired lips twitched and there was a faint hint of a smile on his face.

 

When the General turned around and was about to leave, he suddenly stopped and scratched his head. ” My my, I have almost forgotten to tell you that Captain Carlson is authorised by me to make certain decisions in the way I want them made so you shouldn’t give contrary orders like this, I wasn’t happy about that. Just arriving here and already doing something so bothersome and annoying.” The man told the other as if it had just come back to his mind again. He then opened the door and held in another time. “By the way, confiscate the Colonel’s harddrive.” He told his men and waved his hand, this time in another manner, as to say goodbye, but it looked just as floppy. “I wish you a lovely night Colonel, I am sure you have nothing to worry about and I promise my men won’t look at your porn collection.”

 

 

 

Captain Theodore Carlson couldn’t sleep. There was so much going through his mind and it didn’t have to do with his decisions or the war but with his parents he was now actively playing against. Granted he had never understood his father as a person but he still had had a good childhood and his parents – even the Iron Lady – had always been there for him and they loved him, he knew this. But they were wrong and they couldn’t expect him to act like an irrational, sick savage, like a lower lifeform.

 

He was just closing his eyes and wanting to give sleeping another try when he suddenly heard the phone next to his bed ring. He took the call without looking who it was and when he saw the raging face of his mother on the screen he wished he had just let it ring. “What have you done Theo!” she shouted not even greeting him first and then she turned away from the screen yelling at a man from division H, the troop of the human rights organisation. “Hey, you can’t keep this. We need this here! We don’t have another one. Are you deaf?” her hair had fallen out of her knot and her voice sounded throaty as if she had been screaming at those men for a while now. Then she turned back to her son again. “Why Theodore? Why are you doing this to us? You can’t even imagine what they are doing at the UNO, the take apart the whole building. You know that the CHRC has only waited for this moment since our expeditions and colonisation programs started. You can’t tell me that you care about those aliens. You never deemed them humans when it was about taking their resources and land so why now and how?” she was clearly upset with him. “Because I am a soldier! I fight for a purpose, for the good of our planet and our people. However I am not some disgusting sicko who kills for entertainment, I am not a mindless irrational savage. I never planned on eradicating this species; I was here to colonise and not to slaughter. And all that I have done was to report to my general, nothing more. Dad and the UNO are to blame, people like Wylde are to blame but not me.” His voice sounded calmly while he was speaking to his mum. Her eyes narrowed and her face turned into a raging grimace listening to her son. “No General of mine would have cooperated with the ..... it was the CHRC General, General Goldstein wasn’t it? The one who has never lost a case in his entire life! You know who he was. You knew it Theodore and you know that he will probably get your father and other men of the UNO into prison! That he will stain my name and the reputation of the Army?” she shouted at him and the blond man clenched his teeth. “You brought this to yourself.” He hissed and she raised her head high, her eyes sharp like a knife “You are no son of mine.” She said and hung up on him.

This didn’t help much to find sleep and the Captain just lay in his bed staring at the ceiling, one hand placed on his muscular torso that was covered by thick battle scars.