Youri woke up in one of the cells. As he slowly opened his eyes, a dull sting spread through both of his hands. Dozens of cuts marked his skin beneath the bandages wrapped around them, each strip stained dark red where the deeper wounds had bled through. He tried flexing his fingers, but the pain made him flinch. Tears slid down his cheeks before he even realized he was crying.
He lifted his head, scanning the cell. Mold crept along the brick walls, and the floor was cold enough to seep through bone. The metal railings were rusted, groaning whenever he shifted his weight. The only light came from the corridor—a sickly glow that barely reached the corners of his cell. Directly across from him, another cell sat in the same dimness. Inside was an old man, little more than flesh stretched over bones. His beard was gray, his silver hair long and unkempt. He leaned against the bars, watching Youri with calm, sunken eyes.
Youri noticed him and instinctively pressed himself back into the corner, fear tightening his chest. The old man slowly raised a hand, his voice rough and worn when he spoke."Don't be afraid, boy. Rare are the ones who can do anything to you down here."
Youri stayed curled against the wall, trembling. After a few moments, the old man's tone softened."What's your name, boy?"
Youri hesitated, swallowing hard before answering."I'm… Youri."
The old man chuckled, the sound dry."What an interesting name. Nice to meet you, Youri. I'm Flavio."
Youri wiped his cheeks and crawled closer to the bars, though still cautious."How long have you been down here?" he asked.
Flavio glanced at his own hands before answering."I don't really know. It's been so long that time stopped meaning anything. Down here, you lose every sense of it." Then he tilted his head toward Youri. "What's the last date you remember?"
"September third, 15171."
Flavio let out a sudden laugh."Seven years… I've spent seven years trapped in this hell." He sighed and asked, "What's become of the world?"
"I don't know," Youri replied. "I rarely left the orphanage. And when I did, it was only to the shops with Lira."
"So you're an orphan," Flavio muttered. Youri simply nodded."All right then, Youri," Flavio continued, "I'll tell you about the world—about everything outside these walls."
Youri blinked at him in confusion."How can you? You've been down here for so long."
Flavio smirked faintly."Don't judge a book by its cover. Believe it or not, before ending up here, I was a space dweller. I traveled farther than most ever dream to. I saw countless places, each stranger than the last. The space beyond the Volar clouds is vast—so vast that no human could conquer it in a single lifetime. And yet here we are, caged and cut off from everything we once walked freely through… all because we had the misfortune of possessing a superior gene."
Youri asked quietly, "How did you end up here?"
Flavio lowered his gaze."That… is a long story. So sit tight."
He shifted and began."Long ago, my ship was hit by meteoric debris. Damage was heavy, and I was forced to land on the closest planet for repairs. Unfortunately for me, that planet was none other than Volar. I made an emergency landing in the middle of a field—crops everywhere, glowing under the moonlight like silver waves. I stepped out of the ship, and before I could take three steps, a woman shouted at me while pointing a gun."
His lips curled into a nostalgic smile."As her silhouette came closer, I could see her clearly. Even though it was night, her crimson hair shone like fire. And her green eyes… unforgettable. I barely had time to speak before she hit me with the tip of her gun and knocked me out cold."
Flavio laughed at the memory.
"When I woke up, I was tied to a chair in her house, and she was standing in front of me with the gun still aimed at my head. 'Who are you?' she asked. 'What are you doing on my farm?' I blurted out everything in one breath—that it was an accident and an emergency landing. She lowered the gun and said, 'You should've said that sooner!' Then she laughed and untied me."
He shook his head fondly.
"She apologized and asked if I was hungry. I was starving. Even if I hadn't been, I still would have said yes. She made me a bowl of soup—best I ever had. As I ate, she asked if I was a space wanderer. I nearly choked, but managed to say yes. She laughed again. 'Take it easy, wanderer. No one's after you.'"
"I invited her to come aboard my ship so I could show her around. To my surprise, she agreed immediately. She'd never set foot on a ship before, but she wasn't scared of anything. Her eyes shone when she saw the cities below from the sky. I flew her all the way to the repair docks. Just before I docked, she asked, 'Hey, wanderer—what's your name?' I raised my hand to her and said, 'I'm Flavio.' She took my hand and said, 'Nice to meet you too, Flavio. Even though I almost shot ya. I'm Mira.'"
"She invited me to stay at her place while the ship was repaired. Said I didn't seem like a bad guy. I accepted. Days passed, then weeks. Mira and I… we grew close. I think I fell in love the moment I saw her, but those weeks proved it was more than that."
Flavio's eyes softened.
"On the last night before my ship was done, I slept on her couch. She came into the room, sat beside me, and said, 'You wanderers never settle in one place, do you?' She knew I was awake. So I sat up and told her, 'We all wander until we find a home.' She touched my face and whispered, 'Why don't you make your home here?'"
Flavio paused before continuing.
"You're too young for some details, boy. But Mira and I eventually married. She became my world. Then, when she was pregnant, I received a call from a friend stranded on a deserted planet. I didn't want to leave Mira, but she patted my back and told me I'd regret it if I didn't go."
"So I left. I reached my friend in time. But on our way back, Terrian patrol ships intercepted us. Turned out my friend had been smuggling drugs. The Terrian soldiers detained us immediately and sent us both to Khalil—a prison planet for space criminals. I was sentenced to twenty-eight years."
He exhaled slowly.
"My heart shattered. Mira, my child… I thought I'd never see them again. But somehow I survived. When I finally returned to Volar nearly thirty years later, everything was gone. Mira was nowhere. The farm was abandoned, the fields destroyed."
"I searched the city, asking anyone I could find. Instead, I was detained by the police and thrown into a mental hospital. That's where I met Doctor Percival Knox. After some tests, he declared me clinically insane. They drugged me… and when I woke up—"
He gestured around the rotten corridor.
"I was here. The Institute of Potential."