In the vast, dark space filled with thousands of stars, a spaceship was moving among them.
Mas spoke while controlling the spaceship,"We are going to Terra. It won't be long before we arrive at the planet Terra. First, Ruby, tell that guy."
Ruby, sitting inside the ship, turned to Kai and said,"I know you're wondering what Terra is like, meow. But first, let me tell you, we are part of a large organization called the Caretakers. We have been assigned a mission to search for the Ruler of the Eastern Continent. But I must warn you, meow, our work is very dangerous, meow."
Kai looked confused and replied,"Dangerous from what? And why do we have to look for that ruler of the continent anyway? I don't understand."
Ruby answered with a serious face,"They call themselves the Invaders. They are our enemies, the Caretakers. And why do we need to find the Ruler of the Eastern Continent, meow… yes, why indeed, meow."
Ruby looked at Mas, who was piloting the ship, as if she wanted him to explain, then fell silent…
"Why is that, Mas, meow?"
Mas spoke while navigating through space, explaining,"That's because the universe is currently unbalanced. Without the Caretaker of the Eastern Continent, interstellar war could break out at any time, since some people desire that position."
The spaceship entered the atmosphere of the planet Terra—a blue and green sphere, only slightly smaller than Earth. Passing through the atmosphere and breaking through the clouds, floating islands appeared with towns and cities built upon them, suspended in the sky. Below lay vast green meadows full of towns, resembling a medieval fantasy world.
Mas spoke as he prepared the ship for landing,"Get ready, everyone. We've arrived at Terra."
As Kai looked out the window at the towns appearing below as the ship descended, his face lit up with excitement. He whispered softly to himself,"So this is another planet… I thought it would be more advanced. But it looks like a medieval town from an anime."
Ruby stood up in her cat form and walked to a small room through a cat door inside the ship, with a sign outside reading Ruby. She transformed into her human form and changed clothes inside the room. Then she opened the door and walked to the front of the ship.
Kai turned and saw Ruby in her human form stepping out of the room, his face filled with surprise."Huh… that's you, Ruby?"
He thought to himself, "That black cat… when she's human, she actually looks pretty cute."
The ship landed on the ground at a docking area filled with rows of other spaceships. People bustled about everywhere. The three of them disembarked together and walked past brightly colored buildings in warm tones. Beside the buildings were small stalls here and there. Many people were shopping and chatting—some looked human, others did not.
The three walked together, browsing the goods at the stalls.
Ruby looked at one of the small stalls selling strange items, her eyes sparkling. She bent down slightly and wagged her tail,"Wow… what should I buy, meow? I can't decide, nyaaa."
Mas, standing behind Ruby, glanced around.
Kai asked Mas curiously,"Hey, big brother, I just noticed something… why is it that people from other planets all speak the same language?"
Mas looked at Kai and replied,"We don't use the same language. We use awakened consciousness."
"What is that?" Kai asked, looking confused.
Mas replied,"Awakened consciousness is the ability to enter the state of the original mind. It allows us to understand the language of others. Most planets that are classified as public planets have people who can access their original consciousness. The exception is planets still developing consciousness or with low awareness—like your planet. Those are classified as prohibited planets, off-limits to invaders."
"I see… so that means I don't actually understand your language or share the same one. It's you who can understand mine, right?"
Mas looked a little surprised and replied,"You're pretty sharp." Then he turned to Ruby, who was crouched down,"Have you decided yet… little cat?"
"Don't rush me, meow, I'm thinking."
Amidst the bustling crowd, a pair of eyes watched the three of them from the rooftop of a nearby building.
A young girl in a gothic lolita dress with long wavy black hair looked like a noble's daughter. Her red eyes sparkled, her pale slender frame made her look cute, her face expressionless. She spoke in a clear, soft voice,"Yujin, it seems I've found the Caretakers."
Beside her, a tall woman about 180 centimeters with blazing red eyes and long red hair sat crouched on the rooftop. She wore black sweatpants, a loose black T-shirt, and sandals. In a deep, heavy voice she spoke,
Yujin stood up and said curtly, in a low voice, her cold face fixed on the three below,"Yeah…"