"How are you back there, Rober?"
While the girls slid their fingers across the glass of their respective communicators, Nova decided to check whether Rober hadn't suffocated to death inside the trunk.
Two light knocks echoed from the cargo compartment. Then Elara was surprised by a call on her communicator. It was Rober. She, of course, answered and put it on speaker.
[This place is awesome. I don't have to look at the fat cat's face.]
Miyu's calm was instantly shattered.
"Do you want me to climb in there and knock your teeth out, flea bag?"
"You can try. I'm pretty sure I'd win," Rober replied.
Elara sighed.
"Calm down a bit, Rob. You're being rude."
"Listen to Elara. It'll be very stressful having you two fighting the whole trip. That goes for you too, Miyu," Nova added as he turned at the next intersection.
"But that idiot dog is the one who's always messing with everyone!"
"No complaints."
Elara smiled. Nova's authority over the team was the same as an older brother's over his younger siblings. Nova was aware of that too. Being the second oldest in the group, he had to act like the big brother so these two "kids" wouldn't kill each other.
'Well, a long and exhausting trip lay ahead…'
The older brother had already resigned himself to it.
"Miyu. You mess with Rober a lot too," Elara said, meeting Miyu's eyes through the mirror.
"Ellie…"
Miyu's ears drooped in defeat once again. Annoyed, she crossed her arms and stared out the road. As always, when Nova and Elara agreed on something, it was impossible to go against them.
[Are you done babbling yet? I'm going to sleep for the rest of the trip. Let me know when we arrive.]
"I hope you get stuck in the trunk," Miyu muttered.
Elara and Nova looked at her. Miyu felt intimidated.
***
Hours after stopping by the supermarket and buying food for Viktor, the group was already leaving Luminaris.
The highways stretched far ahead, with many other vehicles of all kinds moving in an orderly flow. The plains looming on the horizon were green, dotted with small domesticated animals grazing peacefully.
There was a type of giant insect about the size of an average adult. It was round, like a ball, colored black and white. Its six tiny legs barely supported the weight of its body, so it moved very slowly across the grass.
Many of these insects were scattered across the plains. Their heads were small compared to their bodies, which made them strangely adorable.
Nova glanced toward Miyu. The girl was watching those creatures with a gentle smile.
'You don't like insects, but you enjoy seeing them from afar… What kind of sense does that make?'
A rather strange phobia.
There were other animals nearby as well. For example, in the crimson sky of dusk, a large flock of giant birds flew overhead, their beaks shaped like swords. Their wide wings were covered in brown feathers, and their feathered tails matched them.
Although they were dangerous animals, they only posed a threat when approached too closely. At this time of year, they flew north to migrate.
And to think that, in the past, these things were considered Aberrations…
In the back cabin, Elara continued staring at her communicator. She scrolled while reading the latest news from New Europe and Calem. At some point, she frowned at something that unsettled her.
Images of a riot in Ophelia's capital, Phantom, filled the screen. Empaths of all levels were trying to break into the Steel House to overthrow the governor.
There were also horrific images of people killed during the revolt. Bodies lay scattered across the ground, covered with black sheets and surrounded by Empaths dressed as soldiers.
She closed her eyes, remembering that her father was heading there. Then, when she opened them, she swiped the screen again. The next article was nothing but a long block of text explaining several details about the recent incursion in Lightflower.
But one thing in particular caught her attention. So much so that she spoke without realizing it.
"Again…"
Nova glanced at her through the rearview mirror, and Miyu raised her ears to listen.
"What happened?"
"Another Empath fell into a portal. It closed before anyone could pull them out."
Nova returned his gaze to the road.
"That makes it the second time this month. Has the Council said anything about it?"
Elara shook her head with regret.
"No. No one knows what's going on. It's becoming more frequent."
"I see."
Miyu, staring at the horizon, felt as though she was remembering something similar. Though she chose not to say anything, she thought about what they might do next and said:
"Portals closing on their own isn't something that's happened before. There are too many things surrounding this case. Do you think something external might be involved?"
Nova looked at the rearview mirror again, then focused back on the road as he answered.
"It's possible. It's unlikely. I honestly don't know. The only thing we do know is that if someone gets trapped on the other side of a portal, they'll probably die."
Once inside a portal, no one knows what horrors await. Are there more Aberrations on the other side? Is there an entire dimension of possibilities and nonsense?
Nova assumed that was likely. When it came to portals, all kinds of things were possible. Escaping the inevitable was a harsh gamble against fate. But did fate really exist?
"Whatever's happening, for now, it doesn't concern us ignorant ones."
Completely detached from the problem, they lacked the information needed to form any theories.
"You're right," Elara said, putting her communicator away.
As the atmosphere began to grow tense, Nova turned on the vehicle's lights—the night had already fallen. It was his way of regaining control of the situation.
With a faint smile, he said:
"Look. It seems we're already entering the border."
Fields of flowers began to stretch across the entire plain, a gentle breeze pushing petals across the land.
The stars in the sky shone brightly alongside the majestic full moon.
Like the beautiful stars above, small insects lit flickering lights over the flowers, illuminating the scene even more with rainbow-like colors.
Miyu gazed at the flowers with nostalgia, while Elara smiled at the most beautiful sight one could find in this country.
Flowers, without a doubt, are perfect.
"It's beautiful…"
For Nova, who had lived his entire life in Luminaris, this scenery felt like a distant fantasy tale—so strange and far away that it made him feel like an outsider. Like the reader of a story.
The peace and calm emanating from the scene blended perfectly with his Serenity. Elara looked at that Serenity and smiled with a sadness she barely understood.
"Yes… It is."
The night was bid farewell by the perfection of this plain.