Nyika
King Douglas is shaken awake by his guards.
He stumbles to the window, Olivia calmly following behind, watching the pillar of light blazing across the sky.
Douglas: "Manasseh… he's dead? But he seemed in good health when I saw him."
Olivia: "Didn't you mention he struggled with migraines?"
Douglas (frowning): "Yes. But those were from radiation, not illness."
Olivia: "So what will you do?"
Douglas (with a weary sigh): "Nothing, for now. Denga will hold their three months of mourning, as they always do. Then the crown passes on. Malachi…" He pauses, shaking his head. "That young man seemed… difficult. Unagreeable."
Olivia sits beside him, gently brushing his hand.Olivia: "You'll win him over. You always do."
Douglas nods slowly, though his eyes stay fixed on the glow outside as they return to bed.
The Return
Far away, in a crowded city, a man with silky green hair lounges on a rooftop ledge, staring at the same celestial pillar. His hazel eyes narrow, but a grin curls across his face.
"Damn. The big man upstairs has checked out." He stands, stretching. "Guess it's time to head back. Wonder how little bro's doing."
Outside Zen
The wasteland outside Zen blurs past. A teal glow pulses from the hood of their Hwange-powered vehicle, humming like a restless beast.
Inside, Najo and Sheu lean forward, waiting for Moto's explanation. Aemon slouches in the corner, arms crossed.
Moto clears his throat. "You know I have a brother right?… Well, I also have a little sister. Lives in Pasi with my sister-in-law."
Najo: "Wait—a sister? This is news to me."
Sheu: "Why now, all of a sudden, Moto?"
Moto: "Because Pasi was the safest place on earth under Denga's protection, but after that beam of light, I need to make sure that's still the case ."
Najo: "Amber, huh… Does she even remember you?"
Moto's lips tighten, but he nods.
Sheu crosses her arms. "Is there anything else we need to know? Because lately it feels like every day there's another secret."
Moto forces a chuckle. "No. You already know everything important. I told you about Amber before."
Sheu doesn't argue, but her silence says enough.
Moto turns the subject. "Anyway… what about you, Aemon? Tell us something."
Aemon glares. "Don't say my name like we're friends. You don't know me."
Najo bristles. "Show some respect, brat. You'd be dead without us."
Aemon: "Then take me back."
Moto: "Ignore him. We're just talking."
Aemon sneers. "So you think you can tame me?"
Sheu cuts in, voice steady. "No. But you're not the only one who's been through some things. I lost my father, and my mother long before that. Najo's father tried to kill him, and Moto was abandoned by his brother."
Moto stiffens. "My brother didn't abandon me. He had to leave. There's more to it."
Sheu presses: "Then why hasn't he come back?"
Moto, with a nervous laugh. "Let's not talk about him right now, ok?"
Aemon laughs bitterly. "Messed up crew. But you can't understand me without going through what I did. I've got one friend—only one who's been there through everything."
From his back, Grillet peels into the open, green-haired and grinning, laying a hand on Aemon's shoulder.
"And I'm not sharing him."
The cabin chills. No one responds.
The road is long. Sleep eventually claims them against the engine's roar.
The Road to Pasi
The next day, the engine sputters. Aemon watches with curiosity, muttering about mechanics until Grillet's voice echoes in his ear: Don't trust them. They'll betray you.
Moto distracts him. "So, how does this car work?"
Their driver pulls out a map. "Radiation from Hwange ores. Different zones, different speeds. If there's no radiation, the car stops dead." He taps a spot. "Gehen? Still unmapped."
He explains the car was designed by a genius from Sango, long dead, though his father still lives at the workshop.
Four long days pass. Sheu thinks of her father. Najo secretly tests his lightning, but no spark comes. Moto stares at his scarred hand, wondering if Amber will even recognize him.
When they finally hit Pasi's border, the car dies. "No waves," Tiry panics. "The damn thing won't catch anything."
He hides the vehicle and goes for help.
The border is alive with merchants, travelers, and guards. Moto leads them into line for passes.
Aemon has none, so a shady man ushers him aside. His partner offers the trio a shortcut. Moto agrees too quickly, desperate to move.
As the man inspects Moto's pass, Sheu notices the stamps — more than theirs. Two too many. She feels her stomach twist; the stamps suggest he came from elsewhere.
The man frowns. "Where are your radiation classes?"
"What?" Moto blinks.
"The ranking system King Manasseh made law. No one enters without one."
Sheu bites her lip. Najo's fists tighten.
"It's a long medical process," the man says, smirking. "But anything can be bought."
Without hesitation, Najo slams money on the table. "Here. Stamp them."
The man's grin widens. "Pleasure." He stamps each pass Class One.
Aemon returns just in time to hear: "No radiation here anymore. The new king took the Human Ore yesterday."
Posters of Malachi hang everywhere — white-haired, sharp-eyed, the letter M behind him. The Denga crest is gone.
Najo seethes. "We were robbed."
But Moto barely hears. People in the crowd whisper his name. Faces light up. He's recognized.
At last, he reaches a modest home. On the porch, a woman in a red apron with long black hair and crimson eyes drops her laundry and runs toward him.
"Moto!" Tinashe throws her arms around him. Relief floods his chest as he hugs her back.
Then her expression twists. She pulls away, glaring. "Is this the kind of pig you've become?"
Before Moto can stammer, she covers her mouth—a crimson glow pulses from her lips. Energy ripples outward, rattling windows. Neighbors scatter into their homes.
"You have five seconds to wash that gunk out of your hair," she warns.
Moto bolts inside.
Tinashe sighs, lowering her hand. "Honestly. After all the effort I put into making him look cool, this is what he shows up as?"
Sheu, Najo, and Aemon stare, dumbfounded.
Then Tinashe turns, her smile warm again. "Oh, forgive me. I'm Tinashe, Moto's sister-in-law. Welcome."