"Hey there, brat! Looks like we meet again," Savon chuckled, his laughter echoing in the tense air. Kichu's eyes widened in disbelief before a smile spread across his face. With a swift motion, he shattered the handcuffs that bound him and draw his sword.
"Motherfucker!" Kichu shouted, charging at Savon with fierce determination. Savon merely raised an eyebrow, amusement dancing in his eyes as he regarded the glimmering blade.
"Hahaha... You never cease to amaze me, brat," Savon replied, attempting to land a punch squarely on Kichu's face. Just then, Alex appeared out of thin air, intercepting Savon's blow with a sturdy stick. Savon's expression shifted to one of surprise.
"You... So that's it. Hahaha," he bellowed with a laugh.
"Did your brother send you? What's your motive? Revenge? Haha!"
"If revenge was my goal, you'd already be dead," Alex shot back, standing his ground.
"Then why am I still breathing? Kindness? I'm hardly worthy of your brother's mercy."
"I have a message for the Immortal from my brother," Alex stated, holding out a letter.
"Oh? And what might that be?" Savon inquired, his interest piqued. As he read the letter, a look of terror washed over his face, the color draining from his features.
"So you've decided to go berserk?" Savon asked, his voice low.
"If that's what you're asking for," Alex replied, coldly.
"Hmm... Regardless, Benedict, return to your position," Savon commanded, turning away.
"Sir, what about the intruders?" Benedict queried hesitantly.
"Huh... Didn't you just hear me? Back to your fucking position!" Savon barked. Benedict retreated, a look of fear on his face.
"Hey! Don't you dare run off without answering me! Is this file true?" Kichu demanded, holding up the document he had snatched from the office.
"Oh... Project K? What about it?" Savon replied, feigning indifference.
"Here… It says the subjects failed. All of them reverted to their original paths. What does that even mean?"
"Oh, we sent them back to their planet," Savon explained casually.
Kichu stood in shock, processing the implications.
"Why...? You were experimenting on them, weren't you?"
"Oh, they were utterly useless. A couple panicked and died, and a few others didn't make it past stage one of the experiment. So we sent the rest back," Savon shrugged.
"Bastard! They're not animals! How many of them died because of your twisted experiments?" Kichu trembled with rage.
"Watch your mouth, kid. At least the rest are alive," Savon said dismissively, walking away.
"And hey brat, be careful when you head out. Don't die before I get a chance to kill you," Savon taunted over his shoulder.
"Yeah? Come here, you pig! You can kill me right now!" Kichu challenged.
"Bastard! I'll kill you right—" But before Savon could finish, Kichu found himself in the city alongside Alex. Confusion clouded his expression.
"How did you do that?" Kichu inquired, curiosity shining in his eyes.
"What?" Alex asked, feigning ignorance.
"The teleportation."
"It's my sin," Alex replied cryptically.
"Yeah? What's your sin? Tell me!" Kichu pressed.
"Never gonna tell you," Alex mocked, striding ahead.
"At least tell me who your brother is!" Kichu called after him.
"You'll find out soon enough," Alex winked before continuing on. Kichu kept walking quiet for a while.
"Is that true? What he said?" Kichu asked Alex.
"What are you talking about?" Alex replied, his brow furrowing.
"That the rest of them are okay."
"I don't know, but he seemed sincere. And the file confirmed it, right?"
"Yeah... but—" Kichu's expression darkened with sadness.
"Give me the file. I'll verify it for you," Alex offered, taking the document from Kichu's hands.
"Can you do that for me?"
"Of course. I'll reach out when I have news," Alex assured him.
"Thank you Alex." Kichu offered a sweet smile.
As they walked together toward the city, Alex finally said, "Well, I should be going."
"Yeah, me too. Come on, Roco... Roco? Wait—damn it, I forgot him."
"Don't worry, I'll bring him," Alex said, disappearing in an instant.
"How did he—? Is this teleportation? No, it was so sudden, but I saw a light. A portal?" Kichu pondered aloud, lost in thought.
Moments later, Alex reappeared, Roco in tow.
"Where have you been, you bastard?" Kichu shouted at Roco, relief and irritation mingling in his tone.
"I was looking for you! I figured you'd end up at Headquarters, so I went there. But you weren't there," Roco explained, a sheepish smile on his face.
"You went to Headquarters? How? Didn't you get caught?"
"I saved some energy. I surrendered, and they brought me to Headquarters. Simple!" Roco grinned.
"Oh... Just admit it. They defeated you and dragged you there," Kichu teased.
"What did you say—?" Roco pulled out his guns, ready for a challenge.
"Yeah, bring it on!" Kichu raised his sword defiantly.
"Can you two cut it out? I'm in a hurry!" Alex shouted, exasperated.
"Oh... Bye, Alex," Kichu waved.
"Yeah. You have that device I gave you, right? If anything happens, just activate it, and I'll be there in an instant," Alex reminded him.
"This thing? Nah, I'm never gonna use it," Kichu replied, tossing the device between his hands.
"Don't do anything stupid, okay?" Alex said, ruffling Kichu's hair affectionately.
"What are you doing?" Kichu stepped back, bewildered.
"Alright, I'm off. Kichu, there's one more thing—my brother wants to see you. If you ever enter the Heeyon region, pay him a visit," Alex said before vanishing.
"Where is tha—oh, he's gone."
"Who's his brother? What just happened?" Roco asked, perplexed.
"Roco, I need to tell you something," Kichu said, gathering his thoughts.
"What?" Roco replied, intrigued.
Kichu summoned Texa, and the spaceship arrived promptly.
"Let's discuss this inside," Kichu suggested, leading Roco aboard.
"What's up?" Roco asked, settling in.
"I had two major goals: rescue my friends and kill Immortal. While I've been determined to take out Immortal, my primary focus has been saving my friends and getting back to Earth. But now..." Kichu sank into a chair, the weight of his thoughts pressing down on him.
"What's wrong?" Roco prompted, sensing Kichu's turmoil.
"I received a file from Headquarters. It has photos of all my friends in it."
"What does it say?"
"It mentions something about subjects failing. But the confusing part is that Savon claimed they sent the rest back to Earth. I can't believe that for a second. Kindness? Ha!" Kichu laughed bitterly.
"Yeah, I don't buy that either."
"I gave the file to Alex. He'll verify the information for me. But if it's true, my primary goal is accomplished. I have no reason to stay here. Yet, I don't want to return to Earth either. I'm at a loss for what to do," Kichu admitted, sorrow evident in his voice.
"Cut the nonsense. Do what you truly want to do. Go for it," Roco encouraged him.
"Yeah, I think so... But... No... Now I have a real goal. I can travel anywhere I want. I want to uncover everything about this universe. I have to fulfill my promise." Kichu thought of Saas and declared with renewed determination,
"But before anything, I will take you to your mother. That's a promise."
"Rururu... Kichu, we're 10 lyce away from the Independent Region. This area belongs to the AUL*. "
"Oh... So we have to follow the rules. Ugh—I hate rules. Texa, take us to the next planet. I'm going to sleep," Kichu said, reclining in his seat.
"Okay. Activating autopilot."
The spaceship surged through the cosmic waves, embarking on a new adventure, as Kichu and Roco set out to face whatever lay ahead in this vast universe.
-To Be Continued...
*AUL:- Association of universal liberation. It is an association created by universal protectors to establish certains laws and rule in the universe.