"Kichu, wake up." A relaxing, feminine voice echoed around him.
"Mom, is that you?" Kichu woke up and searched for the voice.
"I'm here, son."
"Where? I can't see you."
"Here," the voice called to Kichu.
He walked and found himself in a jungle.
"Where am I?" He looked around, noticing the large trees everywhere.
"Looking for someone?" A black shadow appeared before him.
"Who are you?" Kichu stood there, shocked.
"Who am I? Haha... my identity isn't important. What is important is you. Do you have any idea who you are? Your future?" the shadow asked.
"My future? What about it?"
"You were happy and enjoyed every bit of your life on Earth. Now, you purposefully entered hell. And you have no concern about your future?"
"Heaven or hell, I don't care! I love to explore, and that's what I'll do."
"There is nothing worth exploring in hell," the shadow replied.
"Someone once said that both heaven and hell exist on Earth. So, I'm out of hell. Now, tell me, who are you?"
"Lecturing you is a waste of time. I'll give you two options. They're not really options, but two paths that will decide your future."
"I don't want your options. Where am I?"
"One, you can go back to Earth, where a great life awaits you. Live your life to the fullest. Don't worry, you have a long life ahead."
"What's the second option?"
"The path that leads to unimaginable pain. The path that will... change your life. If you continue your journey, you'll see real hell. People will die in front of you while you watch helplessly. Is this the path you want?"
"Yeah, I like the sound of it. I don't believe in fortune-telling. I don't want to go back to Earth, okay? That's all."
The shadow stood quietly and slowly moved away from him.
"Then it's goodbye. Remember, you chose this path yourself. By doing so, you chose the fate of those around you as well."
"What does that mean? Hey…"
"We'll meet soon, Kichu. Prepare yourself."
"Hey, stop there!" Kichu ran after the shadow.
Suddenly, the jungle disappeared, and he began to fall.
"Nooo..." He woke up in his bed, shocked.
He was sweating and panting heavily.
"What was that? Was that you?" He looked at the sword and asked.
He walked into the control room, where Roco was eating his breakfast.
"Where are we? It's been three days," Kichu asked Roco.
"We'll arrive shortly. Texa mentioned something about black holes or something, which is why we're delayed." Roco got up and washed his hands.
"So, what's next?" Roco asked.
"We're low on funds. Get to the planet, search for money, and get back," Kichu replied.
"We can do bounty hunting if you want."
"That's a bit risky. But if we don't get money, we can do that too." Kichu went to the kitchen.
"Rururu... We've entered the independent region. The nearest planet is Galactic-30. Awaiting confirmation to land," Texa announced.
"Yeah... Land there," Kichu said, and the spaceship descended on the planet.
They got off the spaceship. Two guards in uniform approached them.
The uniforms were elegant, with blue shirts and white pants. They wore hats with an eye symbol.
"State your motive," one of the guards said.
"Why? This is an independent region, right? We have every right to be here. You can't just question us," Kichu said to them.
"It's the rules. If you want to stay alive here, follow them," the guard replied.
"Ha... We're just here to buy some goods," Kichu said.
"What goods?"
"That's enough," a bearded man in uniform appeared and spoke.
"Yes, sir Chlovsco," the guards saluted him.
"Next time, handle them better. They are our guests," he told the guards.
"Yes, sir," the guards went back to their posts.
"Now, sorry about them. Welcome to Little Garden. I'm Hal Chlovsco, a member of AUL's Protectors Council. More precisely, I'm the vice-captain of the 14th division of AUL's Protectors Council," Chlovsco introduced himself.
"Nice to meet you. Can we enter the planet?" Kichu asked.
"Of course. Please enjoy our planet," Chlovsco replied.
"Sure." Kichu nodded and walked toward the city. It was a large city with many buildings and people. He was amazed by its beauty and wanted to explore more. As they walked, both Kichu and Roco realized someone was following them.
"Kichu..." Roco called.
"Yeah, I know. We're being followed."
"So, what do we do?"
"Let's see what he does."
After some time, they walked into an uncrowded area. Suddenly, a man with a metal hand jumped in front of them.
"Haha, I've heard rumors about a kid roaming around with a sacred sword. Looks like it's true," the man said.
"Oh, so I'm popular?" Kichu smiled.
"Yes, I believe so. Now, give me the sword, and I'll let you keep your lives," the man said, clashing his metallic arms together.
"I know you're just a pawn. I want to meet the person behind you," Kichu said, drawing his sword.
"You're a thousand years too early to meet him." The man leaped and attacked Kichu.
Kichu blocked the strike and counterattacked.
"Hey, what the heck am I supposed to do?" Roco shouted in frustration.
"Nice arm you've got there," Kichu remarked, striking again.
"Thanks for that," the man blocked the attack and punched Kichu in the face.
Kichu charged at him with anger. Suddenly, a whistling sound cut through the air, and the man stopped attacking.
"Ah... too bad. You're too lucky, kid," he said, running into a narrow road.
"Hey, where are you going?" Kichu shouted, chasing him, but the man was too fast.
"Dammit, I lost him," Kichu cursed, kicking a rock in frustration.
"What the heck was that about?" Roco asked.
"I think my sword has enemies."
"Shh... I hear something," Roco whispered, walking toward a narrow space. There, they saw Hal Chlovsco and the man Kichu had fought earlier.
"Surrender, Metal Bro. You've committed many crimes," Chlovsco said to the man.
"Oh... I didn't know Hal the Crusher was on the planet," Metal Bro replied.
"Surrender, or be crushed," Chlovsco said, clenching his fists.
"Woh... Woah... I'm not a fool to pick a fight with you, not today. I have an important job to do," Metal Bro said.
"I'm not going to say it a second time: surrender, or—" Before Chlovsco could finish, a shot rang out from afar, piercing his shoulder.
"Oh, crap. Now I'm screwed, fuck it anyways." Metal Bro said, charging at Chlovsco.
"We should help him," Roco said, trying to move closer.
But suddenly, Metal Bro collapsed in front of them. They didn't understand what had happened.
"What the fuck just happened?" Roco asked, bewildered.
Chlovsco slowly walked toward them, and a pressure wave radiated from him, shaking every molecule around them.
"Roco, we need to go," Kichu said, grabbing Roco's shirt.
"Why?"
"There's no time to explain. Run as fast as you can," Kichu said, dragging Roco along.
"Hal, hear me out," Metal Bro groaned from the ground.
"I've encountered Metal Bro, the two-star wanted criminal, but I couldn't capture him alive. He died in the encounter," Chlovsco spoke into a communicator.
"Hal, you don't have to do this. If the boss finds out, you'll be dead."
"Next time, use a fucking tank instead of a sniper," Chlovsco said, punching the man to the ground. The whole area trembled, and the city vibrated from the impact. Kichu and Roco barely escaped the collapsing buildings.
"That old man did this?" Roco panted.
"When the energy wave hit, I knew he had mastered soul sensing," Kichu replied.
"Mastered soul sensing?"
"Yeah, only a few people have mastered it. I can't believe he's one of them!"
"What do we do now?" Roco asked.
"Let's get out of here and search for money," Kichu said. They walked through the city, searching everywhere, but no one would offer them a job.
"What the heck are we supposed to do now?" Roco said, frustrated.
"First, I'm hungry. Let's eat something."
They walked into a restaurant. It was beautiful, with attractive workers and stunning architecture. Kichu looked at the menu and was shocked.
"Now, this is one hell of a menu. Fried Poston rice for 299 Xe? I could get a good outfit for that money," Kichu said, looking for something more affordable.
"Ah, here it is: grey ginger tea and crest bread combo for 29 Xe. That's more like it. Roco, let's order—" Kichu looked at Roco, his shock deepening. Roco had ordered an obscene amount of food and was eating like a ravenous animal.
"What the—? Roco, I don't have money for all this!" Kichu exclaimed.
At that moment, the waiter arrived with more dishes.
"Here you go, sir: premium Gik meat and Comb-bird fries," the waiter announced as he placed the food on the table and left.
Kichu turned to Roco, his anger flaring.
"Who told you to order all this?" he demanded.
"I was really hungry. Let's eat and figure out a way to escape later," Roco said nonchalantly, stuffing food into his mouth.
Kichu sighed in frustration. "Ahhh… whatever," he muttered, reluctantly starting to eat.
A few minutes later, the waiter placed the bill on the table. Kichu hesitated before picking it up, dread written across his face.
"What the—?! Bro, we fucked up!" he said, staring at the bill in horror.
"What? Is it that bad?" Roco asked, grabbing the bill. His jaw dropped dramatically.
"100,000 Xe?! What in the world? Hey, waiter!" Roco shouted, waving his hand.
The waiter returned promptly. "Yes, sir?"
"We ordered food, not the entire restaurant!" Roco snapped.
"That is the bill for your food, sir," the waiter replied calmly.
"We don't have that much money!" Kichu blurted out in panic.
"Then I'm afraid you can't leave, sir," the waiter said with a polite but firm smile.
Roco's temper flared. "Who do you think you are?!" he barked, pulling out his gun.
"Roco, stop!" Kichu pleaded. "We'll find a way to pay them!"
"You stay out of this. Let's see what they'll do," Roco growled.
"Please remain calm, sir. There are other customers around," the waiter cautioned.
"That's your problem. Let's go, Kichu!" Roco said, attempting to get up, but he couldn't move.
"What the fuck? I can't get up!" Roco struggled against the invisible force holding him in place.
"It's no use," a deep voice said. A man stepped out of a nearby room.
"And who are you?" Roco demanded.
"I'm Mr. Goat, the owner of this restaurant," the man said with a calm smile.
"Release us now!" Roco shouted.
"Not until you pay the bill," Mr. Goat replied firmly.
Roco glared at Kichu, who remained calm. Kichu had already tried to move earlier and knew the struggle was futile.
"We don't have the money right now," Kichu explained. "Can we bring it tomorrow? I promise we'll pay."
Mr. Goat shook his head. "Sorry, I can't trust that. What if you run away?"
"So what can we do?" Kichu muttered under his breath.
Mr. Goat's eyes fell on Kichu's wrist. "What's that on your hand?"
Kichu instinctively covered his watch. "Why do you care? Let us go!" Roco yelled.
"If he speaks again, I'll double the bill," Mr. Goat said coldly, turning to Kichu.
"Roco, shut up!" Kichu hissed.
"Give me the watch, and you can leave. Bring the money later, and I'll return it," Mr. Goat offered.
"No way!" Kichu protested.
"Then you'll remain here," Mr. Goat said, pulling out a gleaming golden revolver.
"Golden Marsh?" Roco's eyes widened as he recognized the rare weapon.
Kichu sighed in defeat. "Fine, take the watch," he said, handing it over.
Mr. Goat pocketed the watch. "You're free to go."
As he turned to leave, Roco suddenly lunged at him. Mr. Goat dodged effortlessly and countered with a single punch, knocking Roco back into his seat.
"You're too early to challenge me," Mr. Goat said, disappearing into his room.
Roco staggered to his feet, spitting blood.
"Was that really necessary?" Kichu asked, shaking his head.
"That Golden Marsh revolver is mine," Roco muttered, storming out of the restaurant.
Kichu sighed, shocked at Roco's behavior, and followed him.
---
Meanwhile, somewhere else in the city…
"Boss, Metal Bro is dead," a masked man reported to a figure sitting in the shadows, puffing on a cigar.
"Who did it?" the cigar man asked coolly.
"It was Hal Chlovsko. He's here in the city."
"Hal?" The man chuckled darkly. "That bastard never stays down. But this time, he won't escape."
"Boss, there's more," the masked man added. "Two brats were seen near him. They caused a scene with Metal Bro before he died."
"Two brats?"
"Yeah. One of them has the Sacred Sword."
"The Sacred Sword?" The cigar man's eyes lit up. He burst into laughter.
"Hahaha… Forget Hal! Bring me that brat! With the Sacred Sword, I'll become the richest man on the planet!"
He sat on the table. His laughter echoed through the dark room.
- To Be Continued...