Dawn stretched across the horizon with a faint bluish and yellow hue, painting the edges of the clouds with rays of sunlight. The air still smelled of night dew, but the flowers along the road made that damp, earthy scent sweeter.
On both sides of the road, there was a message made of yellow flowers arranged over the grass that read: "Welcome to Lightflower." Nova looked at the flowers and thought the same thing many others had.
'That's new…'
He smiled ironically.
'How am I supposed to read that?! I'd have to be flying above it just to see it properly!'
Some things never changed. Advertising messages were one of them.
As he considered complaining about it, the calm flooding his heart extinguished the heavier feelings. He glanced to the side for a moment and found Miyu.
The girl was still sleeping peacefully, leaning against the window with her seat reclined. She was wrapped in a cozy blanket decorated with little fish drawings.
Her ears twitched from time to time at the sound of other vehicles passing nearby, yet she slept like a rock at the bottom of a river.
In the back cabin, Elara had taken advantage of the empty space beside her and turned both seats into a makeshift bed. She too was asleep, wrapped in a warm quilted blanket decorated with crossed swords and shields.
'You could've given me a blanket too…'
The cold at night was intense. Anyone who slept in a forest overnight would freeze to death, but his coat and clothes did their part in protecting Nova's body from the cold.
'We could've even taken turns driving.'
It had taken a lot for him to stay awake all night, since he was the only one who drove the vehicle.
As if she had heard Nova's thoughts, Elara slowly opened her eyes. She stared at the ceiling, confused and sleepy. Her gaze wandered around until it landed on Nova in the driver's seat.
"Good morning."
"Bad morning," Nova replied.
"Bad? Was it really that hard for you to stay awake?"
Nova sighed. They were already close to the city, so there was no point in complaining. He wasn't going to—but the dark circles on his face told another story…
"It was hard. Remember that an Empath needs rest to regenerate the energy in their body. What would happen if a portal opened on the road right now and I wasn't at my peak?"
Sitting up and letting the blanket fall to the floor, Elara stretched her arms with a long yawn. As she picked up the blanket, she said:
"I'd take care of everything while you rest."
'Oh, sure. That really reassures me,' Nova thought, sighing tiredly and with heavy sarcasm.
"Alright. We're almost there. It's about time we wake the others."
"Alright, boss. I'll do everything you say."
"Don't tease me, Ellie. I have trouble telling when you're joking."
Elara smiled. As she began folding the blanket and fixing her clothes, she glanced at Nova with a pleasant smile. He couldn't see her, but it was clear she had woken up in a very good mood this morning.
Within the next hour, the team prepared to pass through the city's security checkpoint. There were fewer vehicles on the road now. In fact, there were only two nearby.
There was no toll to pay, but they did have to answer a series of questions in order to pass.
Soon, they spotted a booth on the side of the road, where soldiers of the Council of Factions waited in silence.
Some of them carried specialized firearms, such as assault rifles and large-caliber pistols, enhanced with a type of special ammunition made from fragments of the asteroid.
One of the soldiers raised his hand in greeting, but also to signal them to stop. Nova pulled over and rolled down the window. Then the soldier, dressed in black in the old-fashioned military style of a past era, approached.
"Identify yourself, kid."
Nova nodded and pulled his ID from his pocket.
While examining it, the soldier raised an eyebrow, curious. He compared the photo on the ID with Nova's face.
Something more was needed to confirm his identity properly. The ID alone wasn't enough.
"My uncle, Viktor Asmodai, is here. He's the Master of the Blood Crystal faction. My companions and I are here to help."
He glanced toward Elara and Miyu, who nodded without adding a word. When it came to the Council, it was better not to speak too much. Viktor had said it many times. The Council and the World Empath Organization were not entities you wanted to pick a fight with.
"Viktor Asmodai, you say… Give me a moment."
The soldier walked over to one of the booths and spoke to another soldier resting there. He pulled out a folder with several sheets of paper, and they checked the names listed inside.
"Security gets stricter every day," Elara said.
Miyu nodded.
"At least thanks to this kind of strict security, we've been able to live peacefully on this side of the world—unlike New Europe."
New Europe—the continent built of steel and tears. The great industrial power. Home to the greatest architects and weaponsmiths in history after the Impact.
The achievements of that continent's people were no joke. In fact, Elara's weapons had been made there.
The Luzbel girl nodded with quiet regret. Miyu noticed, but just as she was about to ask, the soldier returned.
"We've confirmed your identity. Asmodai said you'd be coming with a blonde girl, a red-haired nekomata, and a brown-haired canine, but…"
"That's right. Go check the trunk for a second," Nova told the soldier.
Naturally, the soldier didn't understand. Nova simply gestured with his thumb for him to do it. Curious, the soldier walked to the back of the van, keeping his rifle raised defensively.
Then Nova pressed a button, and the trunk opened.
Nova smiled, amused.
"There he is."
"Here he is…"
The soldier was completely confused. A boy was sleeping peacefully inside the trunk, wrapped in a blanket with small bone patterns. He even had a pillow, a bottle of water, and a turned-off communicator.
Accompanying Rober in his solitude was also a large chest that took up the entire back of the trunk.
"I suppose that's everything. But before you go, please pass through the scanner."
"Sure."
There were no further issues. Nova started the vehicle and moved forward slowly. One of the soldiers raised a gun-shaped device with a red light blinking behind a flat crystal surface.
The soldier walked alongside the vehicle, letting the device's light scan it. When he finished, he gave the van a light pat and said:
"Instant food and four bottles of water, one suit of armor, a shield, a sword, and some clothing. Everything checks out. You may proceed."
Nova nodded. Miyu relaxed into her seat, and Elara gave the soldiers one last look before Nova accelerated.
"We wish you good luck, comrades!" the soldier called out.
Through the rearview mirror, Nova watched the soldiers return to their posts. The other two vehicles behind them were preparing for inspection.
"That was really boring."
"I know."
Elara and Miyu were perfectly in sync. Nova smiled and pulled out his communicator. He tapped the screen a couple of times, and a song began to play through the vehicle's speakers.
"Maybe this will make it less boring."
They had finally entered Lightflower.