A shirtless man paced back and forth in front of a child sitting on a bench. Two red suns in the sky hung directly above their heads, making their pale-purple skin seem orange. The child seemed to be about ten years old, but his body’s muscles had already developed well beyond his age. His bright-red eyes followed the movements of the adult ahead of him. Behind the man stood a tent that emitted a woman’s shriek every minute or so. The man’s pacing caused the line in the sand to become more prominent with each step. The woman’s screams stopped, and the desert fell silent. The man sucked in his breath and released it again as the screaming resumed. The child frowned and said, “You’re going to faint if you keep doing that, Dad.” The man glanced at his son and stopped mid-stride. He let out a sigh and nodded. “You’re right,” he said and clenched his hands. “Mom is a lot stronger than she looks.” Seconds later, his body shuddered, and he clutched his shoulders. He shook his head and star

The day passed uneventfully with the two siblings fast asleep. A few times, a beast would come by and sniff the tent, but it would leave after smelling it. One beast bit the tent, but quickly left afterwards. The suns set and were replaced by the green and blue moon. A beastial roar rang through the air, followed by a series of howls. Palan’s eyes flickered and regained their luster. “Andrea,” he said and gently shook his sister’s shoulder. “It’s night time. Wake up.” Andrea groaned and stretched her arms out in front of her body. She flopped to the side and nibbled on Palan’s leg. Palan winced and extricated himself from her jaws. Andrea rubbed her eyes. “Palan?” “Right here,” Palan said as he inspected his now-torn pants. A tiny trickle of blood dribbled down his thigh. “We’re going to town today.” Andrea yawned and sat up. Her stomach gurgled and drool leaked from her mouth as she blinked a few times. She turned towards Palan and pouted. Palan sighed. “There’s still half of th

Palan and Andrea walked along the uneven road with a trail of sticks left behind them. There were only three scorpion kebabs left in the younger sibling’s hands. She nibbled off a scorpion claw while speaking, “Tell me the story.”Palan grunted. “That man’s name is Bogar. According to him, he was running through the desert, being chased by a herd of wildebeests when he saw a portal appear in the air next to him. He jumped inside the portal, figuring that it would be better than being trampled to death.”“The portals you throw things in to get stones?”“Yes,” Palan said and nodded, “those. He’s the only person I know who claims to have returned after falling inside one of them that actually has some sort of proof, the glowing stone. Of course, he could be lying and found it somewhere else. He said he was teleported to another world where the people he met were like children. They didn’t have any sins and they didn’t kill each other. Everyone worked together to help each other, even per

The golden light faded from Palan’s view. He squinted his eyes and his nictitating membranes flickered. A yellow moon hung in the sky, illuminating the surrounding trees. His eyebrows furrowed as he walked next to a tree and sniffed its trunk. He tilted his head and squatted, observing the grass that was growing out of the ground.“So this is the angel’s world,” he said and raised his head, inhaling deeply through his nose. His nose twitched and his stomach growled. He smiled. “I guess angels bleed too.”Palan weaved through the forest; twigs snapped and leaves crunched underneath his feet. He followed his nose and ended up at the edge of the trees, revealing an open plain. A road extended through the grass with a carriage parked in the middle. Four men stood in a square around the carriage, pointing spears outwards. They wore metal armor that reflected the moonlight. One man was leaning against the back of the carriage, clutching his bleeding arm.A pack of twenty wolves surrounded t

Raea stopped the carriage in front of a metal gate with stone walls on either side. She stood up and exited the carriage as her guards approached from behind. A man dressed in blue armor squinted at the group of people below from the top of the wall. “Lady Raea? I was expecting you.”“Yes,” Raea said and nodded. “On the way here, we encountered Lady Menyel’s carriage and I took the liberty to bring it here.”“Just her carriage?”“She is no longer with us.”“I see,” the man said and nodded. “That is unfortunate.” He signaled behind him with his arm and the metal gate creaked as it rose. He turned around and walked down a set of stairs. Raea and her group entered the city with their carriages in tow.“This way,” the man dressed in blue armor said and gestured with his arm. “You can tell me all the details over tea.”“I appreciate the hospitality, Captain Ishim,” Raea said and smiled as she walked next to the captain. Her guards glanced at each other before following behind the two. The