Kichu followed Roco outside.
"What the heck, man? I was really hoping to eat something," Kichu complained.
Roco didn't respond. He simply walked ahead and sat down on a nearby bench, staring blankly at the ground.
"Ah, come on! Just tell me already," Kichu said, raising his voice slightly.
Roco took a deep breath. His eyes glistened with unshed tears.
"She gave me a reason to live," he said softly.
Kichu's expression changed. He sat down beside him, this time without a single joke.
"I searched for my mother for three years… and never found her," Roco continued, his voice distant, as if he were reliving the past. "Then I arrived here—two years ago. I spent the first six months looking for her, but she wasn't here either. That's when despair hit me."
His fingers curled into fists.
"What if she was dead? What if I had spent years chasing a ghost? The thought shattered me. I lost all hope… and I decided to end my life."
Kichu clenched his jaw but remained silent.
"But then she appeared. Like an angel." Roco let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head. "I told her everything. My pain, my regrets, my hopelessness. And you know what she said?"
Kichu shook his head.
"She told me not to give up. She told me my mother was alive, waiting for me. And I believed her. It was all I needed to hear. That despair that was eating me alive… turned into love."
He exhaled slowly.
"From that moment, for the first time in my life, my eyes searched for someone other than my mother. I watched her every day. We never spoke again, but just seeing her was enough. Watching her work, seeing her kindness—it made me admire her. Before I knew it, two years had passed."
Kichu looked at him, realizing the weight of his words.
"But time doesn't wait for anyone, does it?" Roco smiled bitterly. "I finally decided to continue my search for my mother… but first, I wanted to confess my feelings to her. I wanted to tell her how much she meant to me."
His hands trembled slightly.
"But neither time nor she waited for me. Instead… I found her wedding invitation."
Kichu's eyes widened slightly.
"The bride inside is…?"
Roco nodded.
"Yeah. It's her." His voice barely rose above a whisper. "I couldn't bring myself to attend the wedding, so I just… stayed back. I never expected fate to hit me like this."
Kichu stood up and sighed.
"Well, there's this beautiful little concept called 'moving on.' I know it's not easy, but we have to. Love is like quicksand—the more you struggle, the deeper you sink."
Roco remained quiet.
Kichu crossed his arms. "So, are you coming with me? We can leave this place and start fresh."
Roco hesitated.
"I… I just want to see her smile one last time," he finally said.
Kichu sighed but nodded.
Together, they stepped inside the wedding hall. The bride and groom were laughing, surrounded by friends and family, their joy filling the room.
Roco watched her, a gentle smile on his face.
"At least she's happy," he whispered. "That's enough for me."
Without another word, he turned and walked away.
Kichu followed him back to the spaceship.
"So," Kichu said, looking at him. "Can we start our journey now?"
"Yeah. Where are we going first?" Roco asked.
"I think we should enter the Cosmic Line," Kichu said.
"Cosmic Line? What's that?" Roco looked at him, confused.
"Wait… you don't even know about the structure of the universe? Then how the heck did you think you could find your mother?" Kichu asked, exasperated.
"I thought I could just go from planet to planet," Roco admitted.
"IDIOT! Ahh… Okay, listen up." Kichu took a deep breath to calm himself. "Texa, display the structure of the universe on the monitor."
A basic map appeared on the screen, glowing with cosmic pathways and celestial regither.
"Hey... Texa—what the fuck is this? This picture looks like a seven-year-old's drawing—one who's got no friends or family and is stuck in an orphanage!" Kichu blurted out in one breath, clearly frustrated.
"What's wrong with it? I thought this would make it easier to understand," Texa replied, unfazed.
"What? If anyone actually understands the structure of the universe through this picture, then fuck me!" Kichu panted, shaking his head.
"I understood," Roco said casually.
Kichu turned to him, eyes narrowing. "Wait, so you're telling me you understood everything just by looking at this shitty drawing?"
"Yeah. But I still have some questions," Roco admitted.
"YES! That's what I'm talking about! This picture is bullshit! Hence proved!" Kichu said proudly, crossing his arms.
Texa let out an exasperated sigh, but Kichu ignored it and pointed at the screen.
"Ahem—anyway, let's get to the point. This big circle here represents the known universe. So far, this is what we've mapped. Everything beyond that? Pure infinity."
"So far?" Roco repeated. "Does that mean our universe is still expanding?"
"Exactly. Our universe grows every second, though only by a small amount. Every 500 years, they widen this boundary and update the map with new galaxies," Kichu explained.
"They?" Roco asked. "You mean the Devils?"
"Nope. They're called the Universal Protectors. But don't mind them too much."
"So… are they friends or foes?"
"Oh, don't worry—they're even worse than the Devils. Just a bunch of racist assholes trying way too hard to clean up their image. They created the 'Universal Protectors' group to 'protect and ensure the well-being of all beings'—but in reality? They couldn't care less. The real battle in this universe is between them and the Devils."
"An enemy's enemy is a friend... right?" Roco asked.
"Friend? Ha! Walk too close to them, and they'll kill you just because you're human. That's our hierarchy in this universe," Kichu scoffed. "You know about the race system, don't you?"
"Yeah, a little bit," Roco admitted.
"We'll get into that later. For now, let's focus on the structure of the universe. See this line running through the center? That's called the Cosmic Line. Now, look at these red sketches—those are sub-paths running through different galaxies. Some of them connect directly to the Cosmic Line, while others link indirectly. If we enter the Cosmic Line, we can travel anywhere in the universe."
Kichu tapped a specific point on the map. "And right now, we're here."
"Okay, I think I got it. But I have a question—how do you know all this?" Roco asked Kichu.
"My master taught me everything. He's the one who trained me in combat too," Kichu said proudly.
"Yeah? It must be nice to have a teacher," Roco said with a hint of admiration.
"Yeah, it is nice… but I still have so many unanswered questions. Every time I asked him about them, he avoided the topic. This universe is full of mysteries- He said. " Kichu admitted.
"Agreed," Roco nodded.
"Alright then. Can we start our journey now?" Kichu asked with a grin.
"Yeah, sure," Roco replied.
Kichu started the spaceship, and it slowly lifted off the planet's surface before soaring into space.
"Hey, Texa, how far are we from the Cosmic Line?" Kichu asked.
"We have approximately 2.88 million lyces left, sir," Texa responded.
"2.88 million lyces?! How long will it take at this speed?"
"At your current speed of 14000 dis per hour, you will arrive in approximately 240 years."
"WHAT?! My lifespan is only 100 years, bullshit!" Kichu yelled.
"Do you want to activate the Sonic Speed function? You will arrive in just 1 month if activated."
"Wait—how slow have I been driving this whole time?"
"You have been traveling at 14000 dis per hour from the start."
Kichu facepalmed. "Ahh… that's slower than a pod. I feel really embarrassed right now."
"Should I activate Sonic Speed?" Texa asked.
"Yes, do it!"
"Activating Sonic Speed now."
The spaceship vibrated slightly before surging forward, breaking through layers of the atmosphere at an incredible speed. The stars outside blurred into long streaks of light.
"Okay… now that's more like it!" Kichu smirked.
Kichu leaned back and sighed. "Okay… now that we're finally moving at a decent speed, do you want something to eat?"
Roco nodded, and they made their way to the dining area.
"So, tell me about your Earth," Roco asked as they sat down with their food.
"Not much to say. It's fucked up, man," Kichu replied bluntly.
"Figures. But tell me—do you have Xedic there?"
"Uh… no. Who's that?"
"Okay… what about Marconas Biller?"
"Nope. What's with these weird names?"
Roco paused for a moment. "Then which Earth is yours? We have communication with all the Earths. If you don't recognize these names, you must be from an isolated one."
Kichu furrowed his brows. "I don't know the number… wait, now that I think about it, my master never mentioned one either. He just called it Earth. He also said it was the most beautiful one of them all… which is probably the only time he's ever been wrong."
Roco's expression suddenly changed. He looked… shocked.
"Wait… are you sure your Earth doesn't have a number?" Roco swallowed hard.
"Yeah, I'm sure. Why do you look so freaked out?"
"It's nothing! Yours is just a special Earth, that's all," Roco said with a forced smile.
" I know you're lying. Spill it. What the fuck is wrong with my Earth?" Kichu asked seriously.
Roco hesitated, then sighed. "Your Earth is… completely isolated. It's the only one without a number. It's also the only Earth we have no communication with. All the other Earths are connected—we trade goods, share technology, and communicate constantly. No other races have ever visited our planets… but at least we know about them. Your Earth? Your people don't even realize that there are others out there."
"That's not true! We know aliens exist! We just haven't found solid evidence yet, that's all. And why haven't the other Earths ever visited us?" Kichu asked, narrowing his eyes.
"You'll never find evidence," Roco said darkly. "Because they will never allow it."
"They? Who the hell are you talking about?"
Roco hesitated again before answering. "I heard that your Earth never welcomed outsiders. I don't know the reason behind it, but… something strange is going on there. Also, you guys don't even know about Sin, do you?"
"No, we don't," Kichu admitted. Then, after a pause, he suddenly laughed. "Man! You just confirmed every single conspiracy theory on YouTube! So there is someone controlling our Earth. Interesting. Once I'm done with all this, I'm going back to take down that asshole."
Roco's expression turned serious. "Tell me something… is your Earth beautiful?"
Kichu groaned. "Why does everyone ask me that?! My master asked the same thing. And no, it's ugly as fuck, bro!"
Roco let out a small, relieved sigh. "Good. I've heard it's really beautiful. Maybe that's why no outsiders are allowed there."
"Stop that! You're pissing me off now," Kichu muttered, shoving food into his mouth in frustration.
After finishing his meal in silence, he got up and went to bed.
Lying down, he mumbled to himself, "Why does everyone keep saying Earth is beautiful? Fuck me."
And just like that, he drifted off to sleep.
By now, I think you've realized it—Kichu really fucking hates Earth. Even I, the narrator, don't fully understand why. But I can promise you one thing…
He's going to change his mind.
Because as time passes, he'll come to see the true face of the universe.
-To be continued...
For comparison:-
*dis is a unit of length and used to represent small lengths. It's used widely in the universe.
1 dis is approximately 5 kilometers.
*lyce is also a unit of length. But it's a big unit. 1 lyce is equal to 50000 kilometers.