The following Sunday...
The morning was calm and unhurried, wrapped in the gentle warmth of early sunlight. A cool breeze drifted through the city, carrying with it the soft, sweet fragrance of flowers in full bloom. The usual noise of the streets seemed distant from here, replaced by the quiet rustling of leaves and the occasional sound of birdsong.
Lig stood beneath the shade of a large, old tree in a peaceful corner of the park. His hands were tucked casually into his pockets as he watched people pass by along the distant pathways. Children laughed and chased one another across the grass, their voices carrying lightly through the morning air. Birds hopped between the branches overhead, singing their little songs, while sunlight slipped through the leaves in scattered golden patches.
Lig remained there quietly, enjoying the stillness.
A few moments later, he noticed Ezra approaching.
She walked towards him with an easy smile on her face, her footsteps slow and relaxed as she made her way across the park.
"Hi."
Lig looked at her and smiled.
Ezra stopped in front of him and tilted her head slightly, curiosity appearing in her eyes.
"So... why did you call me here?"
Lig gave a small shrug.
"No special reason."
He glanced around the peaceful park before looking back at her.
"I just thought... if you wanted to, we could spend some time here. Just relax for a while."
Ezra looked around at the quiet surroundings and gave a small, amused laugh.
"I've got no problem with that."
"Good."
Lig nodded towards a narrow pathway that stretched deeper into the park.
"Then let's go."
Ezra nodded, and the two of them began walking side by side along the quiet track.
For the first few minutes, neither of them said a word.
There was no awkwardness in the silence. It simply settled between them, accompanied by the soft sounds of the morning. Their footsteps moved steadily along the path while the breeze passed gently through the trees.
Ezra slowly lifted her eyes towards the bright blue sky above them. A few thin clouds drifted lazily across it, almost motionless.
She then looked around.
Colourful gardens stretched along both sides of the pathway, filled with flowers of different shades. Beyond them, a crystal-clear lake reflected the pale morning sky, its surface occasionally disturbed by small ripples carried by the breeze. Tall trees surrounded the area, their branches swaying gently overhead and casting moving shadows across the ground.
Ezra took it all in for a moment.
A quiet smile slowly appeared on her face.
"I don't know how to explain it..."
Ezra looked at Lig, searching for the right words.
"...but your world feels different."
Lig smiled faintly.
"It isn't."
Ezra immediately shook her head.
"No."
She turned her gaze towards the scenery around them, taking in the quiet gardens, the lake, and the tall trees stretching towards the sky.
"It really is."
Her voice softened.
"Maybe it's because I've only ever known one Earth."
Lig said nothing.
For a moment, he simply continued walking beside her, his eyes fixed somewhere ahead. The sound of their footsteps blended with the gentle rustling of leaves.
Then, after a brief silence, he spoke.
"You think that because this world looks beautiful... don't you?"
Ezra nodded.
"Yes."
She looked around once more.
"It does."
Lig's expression slowly changed.
The faint smile on his face disappeared, replaced by something more distant.
"But this world..."
He paused.
His voice became quieter.
"...has created countless monsters."
Ezra's smile faded as well.
"Maybe."
She lowered her gaze for a moment before continuing.
"But not like my planet."
A quiet sigh escaped her.
"Almost everyone there is selfish."
Lig's pace gradually slowed.
He looked ahead, saying nothing.
For a brief moment, a faint smile crossed his face, but it vanished almost as quickly as it appeared.
He stopped walking.
Ezra took another step before realising that he had stopped. She turned towards him.
Lig remained silent for a few seconds.
Then he continued walking.
As he passed her, he glanced towards Ezra.
"Aren't you all responsible for that?"
Ezra blinked.
"Huh...?"
She quickly turned towards him, clearly confused.
"Wait... why?"
Lig's eyes returned to the path ahead.
"But I've watched it for years."
His voice remained calm, but there was a weight behind his words.
"I've seen everything."
He glanced at her.
"You live there every single day..."
He paused.
"...yet you fail to notice the cracks growing around you."
Ezra frowned, thinking carefully about what he meant.
"You mean..."
Her voice trailed off.
"We created people like that?"
Lig nodded.
"Yes."
His answer came without hesitation.
"From the very moment a child is born..."
He looked ahead.
"...the world begins teaching them what to become."
The words lingered between them.
Neither Ezra nor Lig spoke after that.
The peaceful surroundings suddenly felt strangely distant. The same flowers still bloomed beside the path. The same breeze moved gently through the trees. Yet the conversation had left behind a silence that neither of them knew how to break.
After a few more minutes of walking, they finally reached the parking area.
Lig unlocked his car.
Without another word, the two of them quietly got inside.
Lig settled into the driver's seat and started the engine.
The powerful machine came alive with a deep, resonant growl that echoed across the empty racing track. The sound travelled through the open circuit, lingering for a moment before fading into the distance.
He glanced towards Ezra.
"Wear your harness."
Ezra pulled the safety harness across her shoulders and fastened it securely before looking back at him.
"Done."
She smiled.
"But... about what you were saying earlier?"
Lig nodded slowly.
"Ah... yes."
He rested both hands on the steering wheel and looked straight ahead through the windscreen.
"You once told me something."
He paused, as though trying to remember her exact words.
"Most children on your planet spend their lives running without ever knowing where they're meant to arrive."
His fingers tightened slightly around the steering wheel.
"They're taught to compete."
A short pause.
"To compare."
Another.
"To hate one another's success."
He glanced briefly towards her.
"To become jealous of it."
His gaze returned to the track.
"To keep running."
His voice grew quieter.
"And all of that..."
He paused once more.
"...for certificates that eventually decide their worth."
Ezra looked at him, slightly puzzled by the way he had put it.
"But if we don't do that..."
She hesitated.
"How will society..."
Before she could finish, Lig gently interrupted.
"Then tell me..."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"How is our society working?"
Ezra fell silent.
She had no immediate answer.
Lig slowly pressed down on the accelerator.
The car began moving forward, its tyres rolling smoothly over the track.
"Your planet is a wonder."
He kept his eyes on the road.
"It lives in the future."
He glanced at her.
"Your technology lives in the future..."
His expression became thoughtful.
"...while you guys' thinking remains trapped centuries in the past."
Ezra slowly turned towards the window.
The scenery moved quietly beyond the glass.
"I..."
She let out a soft sigh.
"I don't know what to say."
Lig's expression softened.
"I still believe your world can recover one day."
Ezra immediately turned back towards him.
"Why did you say can?"
She looked at him carefully.
"Why not will?"
Lig smiled faintly.
"Nothing."
He said no more.
The conversation ended there.
For a few seconds, only the quiet hum of the engine filled the car.
Then, suddenly—
The engine roared.
Lig pressed the accelerator.
The car shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.
Within seconds, they were flying around the circuit at breathtaking speed. The world outside seemed to dissolve around them. Trees, barriers and distant buildings stretched into blurred streaks of colour as the wind rushed past the car.
Ezra gripped the sides of her seat, her eyes widening as the car swept through the circuit.
One complete lap...
Finished in moments.
Lig finally eased off the accelerator.
The engine settled back into a deep, steady hum as the car slowed.
For a moment, Ezra simply stared ahead.
Then she burst into laughter.
"Wow!"
She turned towards Lig, her eyes shining with excitement.
"You're really good at this."
Lig laughed softly.
"I enjoy driving."
For a few moments, neither of them spoke.
Only the steady hum of the engine and the faint rush of air filled the space between them as the car continued around the circuit.
Then Ezra finally asked the question that had been lingering in her mind.
"Will you help my planet?"
Lig answered without hesitation.
"Never."
Ezra immediately turned towards him, surprised by how firmly he had said it.
"Why?"
Lig kept his eyes fixed on the road.
"Because humanity would stab us in the back."
His voice remained calm.
"We've learnt that the hard way."
Ezra opened her mouth to argue.
"But—"
Lig gently raised a hand.
"No."
There was no anger in his voice.
Then, after a brief pause, a faint smile appeared on his face.
"But despite everything..."
He glanced towards her.
"You humans have created some of the most beautiful things I've ever known."
He continued driving.
"Your poetry."
A pause.
"Your stories."
Another.
"Your music."
His expression softened.
"They're extraordinary."
He smiled warmly.
"And..."
His eyes met hers for a brief moment.
Ezra blinked.
"Like?"
Lig turned his attention back towards the track.
The car was moving at full speed now, the scenery rushing past them in a blur.
"Like... the way you people don't simply say, 'You're beautiful.'"
Ezra listened quietly.
Lig continued.
"You say..."
His voice became almost poetic.
"When God created you, He must have smiled at one of His finest masterpieces."
He paused briefly.
"A creation so beautiful that even miracles seemed ordinary beside it."
The corners of his lips lifted slightly.
"A light so radiant that the stars themselves grew jealous."
He looked ahead.
"So graceful that flowers appeared dull in comparison."
His voice softened.
"So breathtaking that even nature searched for words worthy enough to describe you."
Ezra smiled.
A faint blush slowly appeared across her cheeks.
She looked away for a moment, pretending to be interested in the scenery outside.
Then she glanced back at him.
"Does it include me?"
Lig's expression remained perfectly calm.
"Who knows who it's for?"
Ezra's cheeks grew slightly redder.
She quickly turned towards the window.
Lig stole a brief glance at her when she wasn't looking. A quiet smile appeared on his face before he turned his attention back towards the track.
Neither of them mentioned it.
A few seconds passed.
Then Ezra spoke again.
"You really like poetry, don't you?"
"I do."
Lig nodded.
"And your songs."
He paused.
"Your stories."
His eyes remained on the endless track ahead.
"They're treasures."
For a moment, he seemed lost in thought.
"Sometimes I wonder whether this line is true."
Ezra looked at him.
"Which line?"
Lig smiled faintly.
"When you light a candle..."
He paused.
"...it also creates a shadow."
Ezra smiled knowingly.
"My, my..."
She rested her chin against her hand.
"You really do love reading."
Lig laughed quietly.
"Yes."
He looked towards the road stretching endlessly before them.
"I like swimming in that beautiful ocean."
Ezra remained quiet for a moment, her chin still resting on her hand.
She seemed to be thinking deeply about something.
"Then tell me..."
Ezra paused, watching him carefully.
"If you had to describe love in your own way..."
She tilted her head slightly.
"How would you explain it?"
Lig became unusually quiet.
The question seemed to have caught him off guard.
For several moments, he said nothing. His hands remained steady on the steering wheel while the car continued smoothly along the track. The fading light of evening slipped through the windscreen, casting soft shadows across his face.
Then, after a long silence, he finally spoke.
His voice was quiet.
Almost as though he were speaking not to Ezra, but to some distant thought buried deep within himself.
"Love is the oldest mystery..."
He paused.
"Older than the stars that learned to shine."
His eyes remained fixed on the road ahead.
"Older than the moon that guards the night."
A gentle breath escaped him.
"Older than every whispered prayer ever carried by the wind."
He fell silent for a moment.
"It is beautiful..."
His voice softened.
"So beautiful that even an ordinary day can bloom with extraordinary colour."
He looked towards the horizon.
"It gives birth to happiness..."
"To peace."
"To hope."
"It makes a lonely heart believe that perhaps..."
He paused.
"...it was never truly alone."
The car continued moving through the quiet evening.
"And yet..."
His expression changed.
"From that same love come tears."
"Sadness."
"Loneliness."
"Anger."
"Hatred."
He lowered his voice.
"Sometimes..."
"Even war."
Silence followed.
"How strange..."
He slowly continued.
"That the same feeling that teaches a heart how to live..."
His fingers tightened slightly around the steering wheel.
"...can also teach it how to break."
Ezra remained completely silent.
Lig continued.
"Love is like a flower blooming beneath the morning sun."
"For a little while..."
"It is perfect."
"Then time passes."
"The petals fall."
"The colours fade."
"And all that remains..."
He looked towards the road disappearing into the distance.
"...is a memory pressed quietly between the pages of yesterday."
A faint sadness touched his voice.
"Perhaps that is why love frightens us."
"Not because it is cruel..."
He paused.
"...but because it is precious."
"Because anything precious..."
"...can be lost."
The evening light grew softer around them.
"Love is like the moon."
"Beautiful from afar."
"Bright enough to guide us through darkness..."
His voice became almost a whisper.
"...yet carrying an entire world of silent shadows upon its unseen side."
For a long moment, Lig said nothing.
Then he spoke again.
"And if the universe ever placed a single wish within my hands..."
He slowly breathed in.
"I would not ask for power."
"I would not ask for immortality."
"I would not ask to live forever."
His eyes remained fixed on the road.
"I would simply close my eyes..."
A pause.
"And ask the one question humanity has carried since the beginning of time..."
His voice became barely above a whisper.
"What is love?"
The words lingered in the quiet car.
"And if I ever find the answer..."
He paused for a final moment.
"I only wish to feel it..."
"...just once."
The car fell silent once again.
Even the conversation seemed to disappear into the quiet evening.
Ezra stared at Lig, completely speechless.
She had expected an answer.
She had not expected something like this.
A gentle smile slowly spread across her face.
"Wow..."
She shook her head slightly, still trying to take in his words.
"That was beautiful."
Lig smiled modestly.
"Thank you."
Ezra turned her gaze towards the windscreen.
Ahead of them, the evening sky stretched endlessly across the horizon, painted in deep shades of gold and crimson as the last light of the day slowly faded away.
Neither of them spoke again.
Somehow...
Neither of them wanted to disturb the silence.
The car continued along the quiet track until, eventually, they reached the garage.
Lig slowly brought the car to a stop.
The engine remained running for a few seconds before settling into a low, steady hum.
Then his phone began to vibrate.
Vrrr...
Vrr...
Vrrr...
Lig glanced at the screen and answered the call.
"Yup."
Nemo's voice came through.
"Sir, still no information about Leo and Anny."
Lig's expression immediately changed.
He leaned back slightly in his seat, disappointment evident in his voice.
"We have so many men near them, yet we still can't get a single piece of information about a girl and a boy who were simply on a date?"
There was a brief silence.
Nemo answered quietly.
"Sorry, sir, but none of our men are coming online."
Lig sighed.
"Come home. We'll talk."
He ended the call.
For a moment, he remained seated in the car, staring ahead.
Meanwhile, Ezra stepped out and began walking towards the road leading to the hotel.
Lig noticed her leaving.
"Why are you going there?"
Ezra stopped and turned around.
A small smile appeared on her face.
"I'm no longer staying at the camp."
Lig looked at her for a moment.
"Then why don't you stay at my home?"
Ezra blinked.
"Wil...l—"
Before she could finish, Lig casually interrupted.
"Mira will love to have guests."
Ezra stared at him for a moment.
Then a faint smile returned to her face.
Narrator
What exactly was Nemo trying to tell him?
What would happen next?
And, more importantly...
What did Lig truly think about the people of Planet 10E?
The questions remained unanswered, lingering in the silence as though the answers themselves were waiting for the right moment to reveal the truth.