Chapter 22: Old Haunts
"Damn it, what's wrong with me? Why am I getting so emotional recently?" Arbus mumbled to himself as he wiped a tear forming at the corner of his eye. His hand slowly tightened on the string bracelet as he held it closer to his chest.
He'd left it behind before because he couldn't bear taking it with him. The memories that always surfaced whenever he stared at it for too long were things Arbus never wanted to experience again.
But now, things were different.
After going through nine months of mental torment—wondering what the point of even joining the Renegades was in the first place—Arbus had arrived at a new decision.
He needed it. He needed an anchor of sorts to remind him of why he was doing the things he did. Why he worked so hard, pushing and breaking his body until he finally achieved strength comparable to a trained, full-blooded Tarokian his age. And why he could never simply give up and live a normal life like his grandfather always asked him to do through Trip—despite the small part of him that wanted to.
After several long moments of reminiscing, Arbus glanced to the corner of the room where the bag he'd packed sat idly.
He walked over, kneeling as he went through the large green duffle bag. Eventually, he found what he was looking for, pulling out a small piece of rope.
Arbus stood up, fastening the rope through the bracelet before inclining his head as he slipped the makeshift necklace on. He looked at it one last time with a somber smile and then tucked it beneath his shirt.
After that, he glanced towards the door, sighing slightly as he picked up the bag and strode outside. When he opened the door, his eyes scanned his surroundings for a moment.
All around him was nothing but the rocky walls of the steep crater his house had been placed in and the endless expanse of space above.
There was also an invisible dome that he couldn't perceive, protecting the people living on the moon from being claimed by the cold, dark void all around them. It was capable of providing the conditions necessary for a myriad of species to survive in, without any of them negating the other. It was a technology present on every moon housing a civilisation without natural conditions of its own.
Arbus could recall the devils being the only species in the universe living on a moon with an atmosphere uniquely suited for them.
"Guess it's time." he mumbled as he strode forward, climbing out of the steep crater in just a few moments.
Today was the day the Renegades would be returning to take him to his new outpost for the next few months.
Tomber, a planet of endless blizzards and the largest population of puppies in the entire star system.
From what Arbus knew, not many people lived there anymore, after the puppy situation only got worse as time went on.
He wondered what a planet like that would be like. And... if he would get the chance to fight those monsters created by a Human.
When he reached the top of the crater, his eyes scanned the grey surface of the moon for several long moments. Then, he glanced to the side slowly, as if on instinct. A somber look appeared in his eyes as his gaze met the view of the most beautiful planet Arbus had ever seen or set foot on in his life.
His true home, Tarok.
It was a large planet primarily dominated by the species known as Tarokians.
A towering Mornaniod species with extremely powerful senses and terrifying physical abilities. The most powerful Tarokian male and female warriors were even known to be capable of destroying mountains and wiping out large cities with ease.
Even the usually arrogant elites of the Mornan species respected their kind greatly.
And Arbus was the prince of the entire species of Tarokians across the protected galaxies.
His family line had ruled the Tarokian race for thousands of years. His grandfather was the current 'Chief' of the planet.
His mother, Angel, was set to become the next ruler after his grandfather's retirement.
That was until she met his father and committed the gravest sin a native of the Rendes universe could ever commit: falling in love with a Human.
When his father was exposed, he was ostracised and forced to live on his own and fend for himself for almost a year.
He had been all alone. At least, he was. Until he met her.
Arbus found himself slipping back into his thoughts and quickly pulled himself away. "Now's not the time for thinking about the past." he muttered to himself as he dropped down, laying his head against a rock as he stared into the expanse of space—waiting for his escorts who would arrive at any moment.
He turned to the side for a few seconds, in the direction of the refugee village in this area that he'd lived beside for years. He'd thought of visiting multiple times over the past three weeks—wondering how the place was like now. Ultimately, he had decided against it. He wasn't willing to cause a panic among the new refugees living there.
A somber expression coloured his face for an instant before he pushed the feeling aside.
***
"Don't tell me... he was lying." Arbus said to himself in irritation half a dozen hours later as he began to wonder if he'd been sidelined again.
His brows knitted together as he shook his head. "No, it's best not to jump to conclusions. They're probably just late." he said with a small nod. "Yeah... they'll definitely be here soon."
***
Six hours after that, Arbus was sitting up, his eyes fixed on the moon's horizon with a glare. "Are they really pulling this stunt again!?" he shouted.
His fists clenched slightly as he began wondering if he should just make his way to the facility on his own. After all, he already knew where it was.
Just then, the sounds of a ship landing behind him reached his ears. Arbus turned towards a small yellow Renegade transport vessel with a stunned expression. It had been parked on the other side of his crater, behind his house. The vessel resembled the transport buses he'd seen at the outpost, with the only difference being that this one seemed more suited for space travel. The windows were blacked out, giving them a dark shine that made it seem more like a ship.
Arbus got up, quickly circling the crater as he made his way over with narrowed brows.
Suddenly, he paused as he sensed something, glancing behind him at a hill a few meters away from his home.
"..."
His eyes gleamed for a moment as a faint smile crossed his lips. 'Stubborn kid.' he thought, moving towards the ship again.
The door slid open as he reached the ship's entrance. Arbus was momentarily taken aback when he laid his eyes on the pilot: a Qus in a dark conductor's suit and hat.
The featureless face of the Qus made Arbus a bit tense. Not just that—Arbus was shocked when he sensed the power of the Qus in front of him. 'Stage 4.... Why in Tarok is a Stage 4 Heart-shard user escorting me!?'
The male Qus stared at Arbus silently for several moments before finally transmitting his words into Arbus's mind. (Get aboard. You're already late.)
Arbus's brow twitched slightly when he heard that. "Yes, sir." He held himself back from arguing with the commander, who was no doubt one of Respen's inquisitors, as he entered and found a seat at the back of the small ship.
There was no one else onboard besides them, making him feel more uneasy.
Arbus sat down, noticing the Qus was glancing at him over his shoulder for just a moment.
(Strap yourself in. This won't take long.)
Then he turned away as the ship started up and slowly shot up into the air—heading in the direction of the unaffiliated planet of Tomber.
Far down below them, behind one of the moon's steep hills, a young boy watched the ship fly off with a somber expression.