At the Syntax branch of the Serion City Military Hospital, Ron and Nox finalized their discharge papers. Once the bureaucracy was settled, they made their way to the parking lot, only to be intercepted by a military police captain who snapped a sharp salute.
"Reporting, Lieutenant Colonel Eosvile! General Bhairin requests your and the Major's presence at headquarters immediately."
Ron and Nox exchanged a quick, knowing glance.
"Message received. Dismissed," Ron said, his tone clipped.
"Sir!" the captain barked, saluting once more before pivoting on his heel.
Ron turned to Nox as they reached their vehicle. "What do you think the General wants now?"
Nox shrugged with practiced nonchalance. "To chew us out for the hospital mess, probably."
"Hard to argue with that," Ron chuckled dryly.
"I'll drive," Nox declared, sliding into the driver's seat before Ron could object.
Ron gave a mock-solemn nod. "As you wish, Major."
The twenty-kilometer drive to HQ passed in a blur of gray asphalt. Nox kept a steady pace, and twenty minutes later, they pulled into the command center's lot where a military police colonel stood awaiting them.
"Reporting as ordered, sir. We're here for General Bhairin," Ron and Nox said in practiced unison.
"Follow me," the Colonel replied, his brevity matching the tension in the air.
They were escorted to the General's office, where a Brigadier General stood sentry at the heavy oak doors. After a formal hand-off, the Colonel was dismissed. The Brigadier General knocked—three sharp, rhythmic raps.
"Come in!" Bhairin's voice boomed, muffled only slightly by the wood.
The doors opened, and the brothers marched in, snapping to attention.
"Lieutenant Colonel Ron Eosvile, reporting for orders!"
"Major Nox Eosvile, reporting for orders!"
Bhairin rose from his desk, his presence filling the room. He walked toward them, his eyes searching theirs. "At ease. You can drop the formalities for now."
"Yes, General," they replied, though they remained as rigid as statues.
"Sit. Over there, by the window."
Once they were settled, Bhairin bypassed the pleasantries. "Your mission is to capture Leuliang Esculenta. Alive."
The air in the room seemed to vanish. Ron's eyes widened before he let out a long, weary sigh; beside him, Nox's knuckles turned white as his fists clenched.
"Why us?" Ron asked, his voice low.
"Because you're talented," Bhairin replied, leaning back. "And more importantly, you stayed calm even after witnessing Leuliang's... anomaly. I need men who won't freeze when things get unnatural."
Ron closed his eyes, weighing the impossible gravity of the request. "We'll do it."
Nox remained silent, his gaze piercing a hole through the floor.
"Good. You leave immediately."
"Straight away, sir?" Ron said, raising an eyebrow.
"We've been tracking him via high-altitude drone since he walked out of the hospital," Bhairin explained, tapping a tablet. "I'm syncing his coordinates to your devices now. Any questions?"
"No, General."
"Dismissed."
***
The moment they cleared the HQ gates, Nox slammed the pedal to the floor. "So, what's the play, Ron?"
Ron checked his phone, his blue eyes hardening into chips of ice. "We intercept and detain. Simple as that."
Nox clicked his tongue. "You always get that look when you're fuming."
"What look?"
"Never mind. Where is he?"
Ron tracked the blinking dot on the map. "Heading north... toward Vel—" He choked on the word. "Vellion."
Nox's expression shifted instantly. He floored the gas, the sudden G-force slamming Ron back into his seat.
"Nox, take it easy!" Ron snapped, gripping the dashboard.
"I'm just fired up!" Nox shouted over the roar of the engine, though his face told a darker story.
"Slow down, dammit!" Ron barked, swatting Nox's shoulder.
"Ow! Fine!" Nox grumbled, though he only decelerated slightly. "We're only twenty kilometers out. Let's go corner our monster."
***
Meanwhile, at the edge of the road to Vellion City, Lian and Outer were walking at a leisurely pace.
"Is Lian tired?" Outer asked, his voice a distorted echo in Lian's mind.
"No," Lian replied shortly. He felt... different. The hunger and exhaustion that usually plagued his human frame had vanished, replaced by a hollow, buzzing energy.
"Lian, there are metal birds watching us," Outer said with a predatory grin, glancing at the sky.
"Let them watch," Lian replied.
"But Outer can make them go pop!"
"Just focus on the road," Lian muttered, rubbing his aching temples.
***
They reached the Vellion Crater. Lian stopped at the precipice, staring into the massive, silent void where a city once stood. He began to walk slowly along the jagged rim.
"Lian, guests are here," Outer whispered, baring rows of razor-sharp teeth.
Lian stopped and turned. "I wonder who it could be."
"Hehehe... Lian is getting brave," Outer chuckled, circling him like a shadow.
Ron and Nox approached, stopping five meters away. Ron's face was a mask of suppressed trauma. "Why did you stop here, of all places?"
"I'm tired," Lian lied, his voice airy and detached.
Nox started to lunge, his patience snapped, but Ron's hand shot out like a vice, catching his brother's arm.
"Do you even know what this place is?" Ron's voice was hoarse, trembling with a mix of rage and grief.
"Vel-li-on," Lian said, the syllables rolling off his tongue. He smiled faintly. Behind him, Outer let out a low, guttural vibration that might have been a laugh.
"So you do know," Ron stepped forward. "This crater used to be Vellion City. It was our home."
Lian's lips curled into a mocking smirk. "Ah... so you're the 'champion' who loves to hit the canvas."
That was the breaking point. Nox roared and lunged, but Ron tackled him to the dirt just as the ground groaned. A silent, invisible chasm ripped through the earth between them and Lian, a jagged rift appearing out of thin air.
"If I hadn't pulled you back, you'd be meeting our parents right now," Ron hissed, pinning his brother down.
He looked across the new abyss at Lian. "What did you do?"
"Nothing," Lian shrugged, looking at his fingernails.
"Why did you obliterate Vellion?" Ron demanded, his rationality slipping.
Lian tilted his head, his dark eyes vacant. "Why did you shoot me while I was unconscious?"
The brothers froze. The accusation hung heavy in the sulfurous air.
"See? Who's the real monster here? Me... or you?" Lian's smile widened as Outer clapped his translucent hands in delight.
"So... you weren't the one who destroyed the city?" Ron asked, desperately trying to find a thread of logic.
"Then what was that black smoke with huge teeth I saw at the hospital?" Nox barked, struggling to his feet.
"My friend," Lian answered with unsettling sincerity.
"Where is it now?"
Lian looked at Outer, then back at Nox.
He can't see Outer?
"Outer, what does that mean?" Lian whispered.
"Outer is confused too. But he looks just like Lian," the creature replied grimly, tilting its head in imitation of the boy.
"Hey! Answer me!" Nox screamed. "Vellion is gone! Our family is gone! How can you stand there and laugh?"
"Nox, stand down. Don't let him get under your skin," Ron warned.
"He's the only lead we have!" Nox roared.
Lian burst into a fit of laughter, high and melodic, joined by Outer's manic, distorted cackle. The sound echoed off the crater walls, haunting and hollow.
"SHUT UP!" Nox screamed.
The laughter cut off instantly, replaced by a suffocating silence.
"You're the ones who should shut up," Lian said, his voice dropping an octave, devoid of any humanity.
Ron stepped to the very lip of the rift. "Do you think this is a joke, Esculenta?"
"You're far too sensitive, Blondie," Lian retorted.
In one fluid motion, Ron drew his sidearm. The barrel leveled directly between Lian's eyes.
"Ron, wait!" Nox gasped.
BANG.
The muzzle flash lit the gray air. The bullet streaked forward—and stopped, or perhaps vanished, before it could touch its target. Lian stood unharmed, his expression unchanging.
Ron slowly lowered the gun, his hand trembling slightly. "Just as I thought. Lead is nothing but a souvenir to you."
Lian's gaze went utterly blank, his pupils dilating until his eyes were twin voids. "Blondie... you're going to regret that."
He reached out and placed a hand on Outer's shadow.
To be continued...