A new week begins. At six in the morning, the four teenagers walk through the darkness of the night toward the adult's cabin. No one speaks; their expressions alone reveal how early it is. As they keep moving, the brown-haired boy lets out a yawn, the black-haired girl stretches to wake her body, the chestnut-haired girl rubs her eyes, and the blonde, wearing her usual irritated expression, asks,
"Do you think that idiot Jex will notice or suspect something about the cube we left him?"
The others are slightly surprised by the question. Emily simply stares ahead seriously, because from a certain point of view, it was very possible—especially since they had handed over an object of extraterrestrial origin, trusting that he would figure out how to open it without realizing it wasn't from Earth. Alexa laughs softly.
"I doubt that guy cares about anything other than his pride. I wouldn't worry about him looking deeper into the cube."
The dark-skinned boy smiles as well; she had a point. After all, much of what she said had helped them convince Jex in the first place. Looking up at the sky, Tyron begins to recall what happened on Saturday.
FLASHBACK
The teenagers climbed to the second floor of the warehouse, where they found the sixteen-year-old boy sitting on a chair, yawning.
"So," he said lazily, "your challenge is a golden cube? It has nice lines and looks like it's made of some precious metal. My quick answer: it's just a decorative piece."
The group exchanged glances before the blonde spoke up.
"A good idea—for a complete idiot. It might look decorative, but its layout suggests it contains something inside."
That comment was enough to irritate the white-haired boy. He stood up and locked eyes with her.
"'Complete idiot'? It would be childish to think something so absurd—"
He snatched the cube from the yellow-tipped boy's hands and examined it more closely, studying the lines on each face.
"They're decorative. Not deep enough to hide anything, let alone be useful. Learn something, girl."
Francesca smirked and took the cube back.
"Obviously, if you want to hide something, you make it look decorative. Only an idiot would make their deception easy to spot."
Tension filled the air. Emily couldn't help but laugh internally—it was typical of the blonde to provoke people just to prove herself. Alexa noticed the conflict escalating and stepped closer, while Tyron watched Jex with thinly veiled jealousy; he was standing far too close to Francesca.
Alexa smiled calmly, holding the cube.
"Either theory could be right, so you're even. Except our friend here has already tried everything—even breaking it to see what's inside. As you can see, she failed. It's still intact."
Jex grinned maliciously.
"So the little runt failed, huh? Then what do you really want from that little box?"
"I didn't fail," Francesca snapped. "If anything, it increases my chances. A decoration wouldn't be this durable."
"Plenty of abstract sculptures are made from extremely resistant materials," Jex replied coolly. "Your theory is still just a guess."
"Maybe. But then why would such a small, simple decoration be this resistant?"
That was enough. Anger flashed across Jex's face as he ripped the cube from her hands again.
"In three days, you'll have better results than anything this brat managed," he said, a vein throbbing on his forehead. "Just give me that time, and I'll show you what a real genius can do, Miss Sejuk."
Sensing the situation escalating, Alexa clamped a hand over Francesca's mouth before she could reply.
"Fine. See you in three days. Good luck!"
END FLASHBACK
The night sky slowly brightens as the sun rises, waking the animals. Birds begin to sing, and a fox leads its cubs deeper into the forest toward their den.
The warrior inhales deeply and looks to the side as his students finally arrive. He stands, pulls the green necklace with blue stones from his pocket, and the youths nod, each taking one of the green stones. The adult releases his energy, surrounding them in a green, mist-like aura. Colors swirl around them, and it feels as if they're walking on air. Moments later, they arrive at their destination, the energy dissipating—
—only to find everything shrouded in darkness.
They can barely see the platform beneath them, illuminated only by massive bonfires atop Greek-style pillars. The gravity feels lighter than before, but the cold is intense; their breath turns to vapor. Jayden starts walking, leaving his students behind. They quickly realize that although their cloaks and hoods are warm, the cold is far worse than expected. With no choice, they follow him as he lights a small flame in his left hand to illuminate the descent.
Emily suddenly realizes something odd—earlier it hadn't felt this cold, and now their cloaks were suddenly warm.
"How are they insulating us now?" she asks.
"The cloaks react automatically to environmental changes," Jayden replies calmly. "They have limits, of course, but if you concentrate your Fiu into them, they'll keep you warmer. Same goes for your training outfits—they're designed to become tougher, warmer, or cooler with energy."
Relieved, the four stop and focus their energy into their cloaks. Warmth spreads through them, colored lines matching their karategi appearing across the fabric.
The path is long and dangerous. Without the flame in Jayden's hand, the stairs would be deadly—not because slipping would kill them, but because one wrong step could send them plummeting hundreds, maybe thousands of kilometers into nothingness. At last, they see the faintly lit walls and the three upper sectors of the city.
The guards open a massive gate, allowing them into the gray Oksilis district. Only a few candles and weak flames glow through wooden windows and door holes. Feeling pity—and a desire to help—the blonde fixes her gaze on the palace lights.
Lies from that so-called king, she thinks. He talks big, yet his city can't even afford light. Either he's a hypocrite… or he's involved in the disappearances.
A small head peeks out from a window, drawn by the glow of their cloaks. A young Oksilis girl opens the door and runs toward them, hugging Emily tightly. The warrior sighs and agrees to take her back home.
They carry the child to a crumbling house. Her mother, holding a torch, panics at the sight of the cloaked figures and tries to scare them away. Jayden laughs, extinguishes the torch with Fiu, and replaces it with a floating flame, revealing their faces.
"Oh—please forgive me!" the woman says. "I thought my daughter had bothered the guards again. She's told me so much about you—how you protected her and her brother. I don't know how to thank you."
The boy steps forward, shivering in patched shorts.
"Thank you for saving my sister and me the other day. Without you, we wouldn't have reached Grandma Tsuchii!"
At the name, Jayden's eyes widen—but no one notices.
The mother offers them bowls of bluish-green soup with bits of bone. Seeing her torn hands, her malnourished body, and her scars, Francesca gently refuses on everyone's behalf. Jayden urges them to leave.
They depart, leaving the family to eat by a fire that now burns warmer than before—secretly strengthened by Jayden's Fiu.
They reach the central area and the stairs leading to the brighter sectors. Few people are out at night, so they move unnoticed, eventually reaching Niter's three-story home. After knocking, a red-skinned Oksilis answers in pajamas and lets them in.
Niter, dressed in his white-and-gold robes, greets them.
"I was waiting for you. We were going to meet Roxy—you need to know something about those bottles."
"No," Francesca says firmly. "First, we need to go back to the gray Oksilis."
"Where?" Alexa asks.
"To confirm whether whoever is behind the disappearances acts during the planet's twenty-four-hour night."
Emily nods. "If we prove that, everything will make sense. Your informant died during one of these nights."
Niter agrees, but insists they need to see Roxy first—until Jayden intervenes.
"There's no rush. If they think the priority is outside, let them go."
Unable to argue, Niter shows them the stairs to the roof. From there, the teens leap toward the second sector. As gravity shifts, the impact threatens to alert everyone—until Alexa signals them to grab on. She releases a powerful air blast, letting them float and land silently.
Breathing hard, she pants, "Ten seconds… then we'll reach the first sector."
"No need," Francesca says. "Emily, come."
Using faint firelight as a guide, Francesca jumps, reducing the energy flow mid-fall. Snow forms beneath her, cushioning her landing. She messages them: Jump the same way.
They follow, landing safely in the deep darkness of the first sector.
Huddled together, Alexa activates her phone's night-vision camera.
"We need to reach where people are—without lights," she whispers.
As they move through ruined streets, a terrifying roar echoes. They freeze, backs together, hands on sword hilts.
Then chanting begins.
Through night vision, Alexa spots hooded figures in black robes, followed by nearly two hundred gray Oksilis. The procession heads toward the ruins.
They follow—despite the danger.
A violet light appears, guiding the crowd into a massive, unknown vehicle. Among them, Emily recognizes the gray-skinned boy they had helped earlier.
As the doors begin to close, Emily runs, using Fiu to cling to the metal hull. Her friends follow. The craft accelerates, lifting them away from the city—
—one mistake from a long fall into the void.