The spaceless walls of darkness rumbled as they deconstructed into rushing white lights, with XN's words lingering.
"Nice meeting you, Nice."
His hair blew forward in the gentle wind — once violent — from the throne room.
The ground was now tangible: hard as rock with a sandy sensation. XN's right hand was on the floor.
However, his left jaw lay on a warm and soft surface with a gentle tickling sensation on the right side of his face.
The atmosphere was void of noise. Only concern carried by the soft breeze of the day.
XN's eyes slowly opened. A copper-patina cloth was underneath his head.
"Hmm?"
He tilted his head upward and locked onto blazing eyes surrounded by ruby-red hair strands. He said softly, in surprise,
"... Valora?"
Her face was stern as always, but her actions were motherly. She breathed in deeply and said,
"Next time, just get some rest, okay?"
A loud voice called out from Valora's right,
"XN!! I'm glad you're alright!"
"Sorry I pushed you on your feet so early!!"
It was Sora. His voice conveyed a blend of happiness and relief. His careless smile built wrinkles around his eyes as he rushed toward XN and Valora with arms wide open.
Realizing the threat Sora's embrace represented in XN's current state, Valora's face faded into shadows. Her left eye revealed a glowing four-tailed star before she hopped backwards, XN in her arms.
Her gaze sent thunderous signals to Sora, who brushed his right hand through his hair in embarrassment.
He understood the situation.
XN grew confused as laughter spread through the crowd.
"What's... happening?"
"And why are they laughing?"
Valora had settled. XN exploited the opportunity to scope the perimeter.
"This looks like the old man's house..."
XN looked at the sky and continued pondering,
"The sun burns like before."
"No blood, no head on the floor."
As he picked up more hints, he steadily felt relieved. A discreet smile stretched across his features as he breathed out the tension that burdened his heart.
He looked up to Valora once more and asked,
"Tell me, Valora, how long have I been unconscious?"
She looked up to her left while humming, then responded,
"Roughly forty minutes."
Her eyes remained locked on XN, who seemed lost in his thoughts again.
"I see. That corresponds to the time lapse from the moment my consciousness drifted."
Then three successive thumping sounds were heard. Rapidly, the joyous chatter faded out.
Reynolds stepped forward with his sheathed sword. Its overall appearance resembled a refined walking stick — wood for the sheath, metal for the blade, and rubber for the handle — with a green cloth wrapped around its grip.
Reynolds' hair was free once more as it fell on his shoulders when he said,
"XN... we don't know much about you."
"But we know you had no obligations toward our safety."
Reynolds proceeded while steadily closing the gap between himself, Valora, and XN.
"For the sake of my people... and my peace of mind,"
Reynolds crouched in humility and concluded,
"Accept our apologies and gratitude."
The residents behind Reynolds followed his movement in a man-wave order, Manson being the last.
XN had the whole crowd revering him. His brows curved upward in surprise — a complete contrast to his internal thoughts.
"Finally, they're all at my feet."
His demeanor suddenly shifted into sadness as he processed his thoughts.
"Then why does it feel like a loss?"
"I finally get a chance to have answers. Then... why?"
Flashes of Nice — younger — naturally surfaced. A brief scene of him watching Fionna, speechless on an operation table. Nice's voice resonated repeatedly in despair.
"Why?"
XN pulled himself up in struggle, assisted by Valora. He dared not look at the crowd. His black hair hid his face.
Nekrolyma was silent, as though nature itself had given the floor to XN.
"The wastelands. Kill or be killed..."
"... Your actions were justified the moment you crossed those Great Walls, so..."
A cold breeze softly swept his hair, revealing his baggy left eye. His stare was intense as his lips articulated,
"Do not apologize for surviving."
Suddenly, an eerie gust rippled through the crowd from XN at the mention of his last words. The inhabitants opened their eyes widely. Some closed them tightly under the weight of truth in its raw state.
Valora and Sora took XN's words for empathy.
While Manson broke down.
His fists clenched as his hair hid the tears running down his face.
It was clear to the residents that XN held no grudge against them. This only forced admiration toward him.
XN was finally accepted by the Nekrolymen.
They all rose after Reynolds and, in turn, gave a single pat on XN's shoulder — a sign of acceptance by the population. Valora came last, shortly after Sora, while Reynolds stood in the middle with a smile.
The day shifted and the night lights returned.
The residential abodes brimmed with candlelight, though the population gathered for a feast around a bonfire.
As they dined together, Sora kissed his teeth.
An elder in the crowd wondered,
"What's wrong?"
"The feast is lovely, but the food still tastes like water," Sora chuckled, soliciting laughter among the Nekrolymen.
Valora, on her edge, dined close to XN.
Their demeanors looked alike and their actions were synchronized — a phenomenon that drew the most attention.
A young male voice wondered in amusement,
"What's up with you two? You look like twin bots!"
XN remained unshaken, unlike Valora who suppressed her embarrassment.
She stood up with her bowl and claimed,
"I'll go get some more."
As she left, Manson took her seat next to XN.
His silence invited XN's curiosity, who gave him an uninterested stare.
Manson hesitated for a while as he fidgeted with his bowl. His eyes locked onto its contents before he spoke in a low voice,
"I still don't trust you."
"But you're a better man than the old man's son."
XN raised his left brow while drinking from the bowl.
Manson had slipped some information that could be capital to the advancement of his understanding of this world.
The old man had a son.
From Manson's tone, XN concluded internally—
"... He must be bad news."
Shortly after that, Manson was about to leave Valora's seat.
Then XN held his right hand.
His eyes remained locked on his bowl as he spoke to Manson,
"Tell me more about the New World."
Manson remained quiet for the second following his gasp. He was taken aback by XN's grip.
He then spoke up.
"I don't know much myself."
"All I can say is... the city of Nu is divided into ten regions governed by five families and four individuals."
Behind the crowd opposing XN, a pair of prying eyes observed their exchange.
Valora approached and XN released Manson, who took his leave.
Valora regained her seat next to XN, her eyes focusing on Manson as he vanished into the crowd. Her gaze conveyed suspicion.
XN, on the other hand, stayed locked onto the prying eyes behind the crowd.
From the mass, a young male emerged.
It was Sora.
He carried his usual smile, with a subtle difference that XN had noticed.
Sora advanced toward XN, waving his left hand.
When he was close enough, Valora interrupted XN before he could speak.
"If you think it goes unnoticed, you're only fooling yourself."
XN swallowed his words — along with the broth in his bowl — pretending to be mindless of what was happening.
Valora was a walking scanner. One who detected authenticity and picked up hints ridiculously fast.
Her constant presence by XN raised questions.
"I wonder. Is it concern for me or mistrust?"
Meanwhile, she expected a confession from Sora, whose face suddenly shifted to stern.
He then took a deep breath, putting himself together.
The flame from the bonfire brightened their profiles. The contrast created by the varying light exposure cast Sora's left face into darkness.
His brows edged inward, eyes open.
His pupil constricted.
The air around him commanded obedience.
Sora's mere presence suddenly seemed to hush the chatter around them — almost as though an insulated dome enveloped the three of them.
Crackles from the burning figs were now audible, along with Valora's sigh of discontentment.
She recognized this version of Sora.
An appearance that showed forth only prior to misfortunes.
A yellow glow glitched in Sora's eyes before gradually stabilizing.
Then he softly said,
"We need to talk."