CHAPTER 41: THE LUNARIS (3) THE ORIGINLESS ONE[1/2]

Yeatland City.

Twenty years ago.

The aftermath of the war between humans and the Lunaris was devastating. The once peaceful and prosperous streets of Yeatland City now lay drowned in sorrow and chaos, the scent of blood and ash drifting through the cold wind, reminding everyone of the nightmare they had just endured.

On the broken streets, the few survivors — wounded, solemn, and hollow-eyed — wandered aimlessly.

Parentless children cried for their dead parents, their tiny voices echoing through the ruins. Adults dashed through the debris, calling out names of missing loved ones, their faces twisted with frustration and fear.

Down one of the quieter streets, two lone figures walked slowly, their eyes scanning the wreckage left by the war.

A young man, about sixteen, with dark hair and equally dark eyes, glanced down at his little sister — a five-year-old with the same hair and eye color, whose once bright face was now blackened by smoke and dust. Her small lips quivered as she looked around, the dried lines of tears on her cheeks freshened as new ones began to fall.

"Big brother Norian... will Dad and Mom wake up soon?" she asked, her voice shaky.

Norian did not reply immediately.

He took in the scene around them with a stoic expression, trying to keep his own emotions at bay so as not to appear weak in front of his little sister — his only family left.

He forced a calm look, but the memory of his parents’ death broke through his composure.

It was mentally draining. He had watched his parents get crushed under their collapsed apartment after pushing him and his little sister out, sacrificing themselves.

He had watched it happen without the strength to help, only managing to cover his sister’s face to keep her from seeing it.

The last weak smile his mother wore before passing out replayed in his mind, and his heart wrenched painfully. He brought a hand to his chest, trying to calm it down, but it was futile.

Tears formed at the corner of his eyes. He looked up at the solemn night sky, regretting his weakness. If only he had awakened his system and talent and raised his strength and agility, neither of his parents would have had to sacrifice themselves for their sake.

"Are you crying, big brother?" the little girl tugged his pants and asked, her eyes beginning to water as well.

"Ah, no, Crimson. It’s just the wind — something got in my eye. Don’t worry, big brother’s strong. He doesn’t cry." Norian looked down and smiled, then continued, answering the question she had asked earlier. "Dad and Mom will be sleeping for a very long time, Crimson, and we won’t be able to see them anytime soon."

Crimson looked at him, her eyes moist and glistening with sadness. "But I want to see Mom. She promised to make my hair today. Can’t we wake them up?"

I wish we could, sister, but death is eternal, was what he would’ve loved to respond with, but she was too little to understand any of this. Even if she could, he wouldn’t allow his sister to be traumatized. So he lied, telling her they would come back soon to wake them up, and even added that they would be visiting a beautiful city with lots of flowers and gardens to stop her from worrying.

The two of them continued strolling, passing by a few lamenting strangers.

They walked for minutes through the devastated road filled with burnt and damaged cars.

Nonetheless, after a few minutes, Crimson suddenly halted and pointed inside a semi-collapsed storey building. Its roof was on fire, but the lowest floor looked stable — at least for now — and a wide opening could be seen. The place seemed to be a car repair shop before it was destroyed, as there were a lot of cars parked inside.

But it wasn’t the cars that drew his attention, but rather a humanoid figure leaning on the wall at the entrance.

When Norian’s eyes spotted the figure, he immediately noted its appearance and skin color, which weren’t hard to decipher.

"Lunaris!" His eyes turned cold, his fists clenched.

The same race that had disrupted the peace of his world and brought about the death of his parents. It would be very unnatural for him not to feel enraged.

But even with the rage he felt, he stalled and observed the figure further before approaching.

It had a human-like body structure but was much taller, with a very lean, underfed physique. Its unhealthily pale purple skin, covered in a thin layer of tattered clothing, was visible. Its sword-like long ears — one of the Lunaris’ distinctive features — could also be seen.

He could tell it was a Lunaris only by its skin and ears. The other observable features made it inferior to the average Lunari he had seen flying over the city during the war or fighting hunters on TV.

It looked extremely lean, weak, underfed, wounded, and overall in bondage.

"Are those chains?" he whispered to himself.

The Lunaris’ hands, legs, and even its neck were wrapped in thick glowing chains that were hard to miss.

"Crimson... stay here."

Norian patted Crimson’s hair and said before strolling cautiously closer to the Lunaris to observe it.

And upon getting closer, all its features lay clearly before him, and his initial speculation was correct — it was indeed a lot different from the others.

He even noticed the sprains on its knees, which suggested that it had crawled to its current position.

And as he examined the state of the alien, it suddenly moved its head and turned toward him. The pale moonlight shone on its face, revealing an unmistakable pained expression. Its eyes glimmered weakly, like those of someone nearing their end.

Its dried lips parted slightly and uttered an inaudible sound, but Norian could easily tell what it had said.

HELP.

A Lunaris asking for help from a human?

He was partly confused. The same race that deemed humans inferior and had started a war to dominate and turn them into slaves was now pleading for help.

He would not fall for it. If anything, he wanted to kill this Lunaris here and now — at least it would settle the vengeance in his heart a little bit.

"I am not your enemy..."

Just as he was about to start looking for some makeshift weapon to use, the weak voice of the Lunaris reached him.

When he turned back to the Lunaris, he saw a scene he did not expect.

Tears. Genuine ones.

It’s crying.

"Big brother, I’m sorry for him. He doesn’t look like the bad guys on TV. Please help him."

Came the innocent voice of Crimson beside him, almost startling him.

"I told you to stay there, Crimson," he reprimanded calmly and quickly held her hand to prevent her from going any closer to the Lunaris.

It had managed to convince his sister with its tears, but it could not fool him.

"Cover your ears," he ordered sternly.

Crimson did not refute and did as she was asked, covering her ears with her two tiny hands while she stared at the crying Lunaris with remorse in her big, sinless eyes.

Norian narrowed his eyes and glared at the alien. "You’re not my enemy? Did you really say that after your people destroyed almost half of my world and slaughtered millions?"

As he spoke, his anger grew, but the tears on the Lunaris only fell faster.

"I am on your side..." it muttered weakly.

"That is why my own kind discarded me," it continued, sobbing and coughing amidst its words.

"Give me a chance to explain... to tell you the truth..." Its voice was much weaker now, but it used all it had left to speak.

"And I can help you two awaken and become protectors of your world."

With these last words, something was triggered within Norian.