"Mom, why do the leaves keep falling? Will the tree die?" Gala asks. His hands, wearing bright orange gloves, tightly hold the hand of the woman he calls 'mom.' The woman turns, smiles, although her face is not too clear, Gala can feel the warmth of her smile there."There are times when leaves leave the branches of big trees, Gala. Later, new leaf buds will grow. New life will continue.""Will the tree not die?"The woman shakes her head. "Unless someone cuts it down.""Ah, that's cruel."Once again, the woman shakes her head. "Trees are useful for human life. It's just that sometimes they want things in excess. South Metro is still beautiful for us to enjoy, Gala. There's an even more beautiful place. West Metro. Someday, maybe you'd like to visit there?"Gala looks up, staring at his mother in confusion."Later, when we go there, you'll encounter many things that make you forget your origins..."Gala's forehead wrinkles. His heart beats irregularly, gradually faster. What he just e
All night long, Luke couldn't close his eyes. He was restless, especially when he arrived at the restaurant. His anxiety heightened when Gala entered through the back door. Their eyes met briefly, and Luke immediately turned away, avoiding as much as possible. His mind was filled with the terrifying image of Gala from the previous night, especially the way he stared. Like a hunter ready to pounce on his prey. His weapon was also ready to eliminate Luke at that very moment.Luke was right to suspect that Gala was hiding something. When it came to that reckless young man, Luke always felt superior. Gala never argued when scolded by Mr. Kim, even if it wasn't necessarily his fault. Gala always yielded to whatever his colleagues did to tease him. A loser, that's what Luke used to call Gala. But last night, Luke seemed to need a new courage to follow Gala.What was he doing? Was it true what Hanry said about him working extra outside?Or could it be that Gala was involved in arms trading b
"Is today the day you work at Mr. Jian's house?" Dice asks, playing with the colors on her body. Actually, yesterday when they were together in this dark alley, Dice wanted to comfort Gala. She knew she had gone too far pointing a gun at her employer. Although she knew the time limit for Gala to accept his fate was getting thinner, Dice still couldn't force it.The colors Dice emits make the atmosphere in the alley feel like it's in the middle of a nightclub. The twinkling lamp light serves as its center, with the loud background noise becoming its soundtrack. Gala had imagined himself being there, moving his body to the music he hears. But... to get a ticket to enter, Gala had to think hundreds of times."No. Earlier, Mr. Jian informed that there's a job out of town."Dice nods stiffly. "Looks like Luke won't bother you anymore."Gala chuckles. "I guess."They fall silent, enjoying the alley that rarely sees any signs of life."But I'm curious enough, Dice. Did Luke see you yesterday
Once again, Gala slept restlessly after silently having dinner earlier. Dice didn't ask anything either, letting Gala deal with his tumultuous thoughts. Dice believes that the time will come for Gala to ask more questions and eventually realize that what has been outlined for him cannot be avoided.He gazes at Gala, who occasionally groans in pain. Not to mention muttering things similar to curses. Dice approaches. The die is back around her neck. There's no color like before; it just looks like an ordinary die pendant. Dice stares at Gala disturbed in his dreams for a while. Occasionally, Gala quietly asks for help."Forgive me, Sir," she says before she actually touches her master's forehead. Her holographic hand glows brightly blue. "You really can't let go, let alone refuse. The Metro needs you."At some point, in an area Gala finds very unfamiliar, he catches his eyes. Throughout the journey through a dangerous forest area, where he hears and sees many wild animals passing by and
This morning's conversation left Gala extremely uneasy. The lack of focus at work resulted in another chaos. Lately, Gala has been receiving praise from Mr. Kim because his performance is improving. His relationship with Hanry and Luke is quite good. Even that arrogant colleague, Luke, started greeting Gala with a different look. Gala interprets it as fear. Who would've thought Gala could be so bold? Maybe that's what Luke thinks. Unlike Gala, who feels guilty.But today, Mr. Kim scolded him countless times, it seems. His face turned redder than the candies Luke often made as one of the other desserts. His breath became shorter, and his stomach moved irregularly when scolded by Mr. Kim. Actually, it's an interesting spectacle, but Gala can only stay silent. He doesn't dare to move, let alone lift his face. He's afraid Mr. Kim's rant will get longer, like the electric trains in the city center."Sorry, Mr. Kim.""I'm tired of hearing your apologies, Gala. You're such an idiot!"Gala ta
"If you don't go look for Sir Xavier, not only Sir Xavier's life is in danger. The galaxy, your child is also in danger."That warning has come to her more than once. Until one incident almost led to their downfall, where they were walking down the street after shopping for groceries, suddenly a sedan targeted them and refused to stop chasing them. Bellamie remembers it vividly. Gala she was carrying half-forced. Finally, she decided to leave, leaving her son alone. With trust in her kind neighbor; Mr. Richard.Her tears fall, wetting her cheeks."Gala," she whispers softly.Suddenly, she feels someone embracing her waist. Tight. Also... a scent of perfume that she has started to recognize belongs to whom. This immediately makes her body freeze. She doesn't even realize when the ruler's convoy entered the mansion. Usually, she knows when the homeowner arrives. Not wanting to talk much and demanded this and that, Bellamie prefers to sit on the edge of her bed. Waiting until the man com
On this intense South Metro night, it's way more nerve-wracking than the previous months. Gala got home later than usual tonight. Dragging two large trash bags out the back door, he seems drained of energy. His stamina is depleted because there was a massive promotion at Mr. Kim's restaurant all day. Luckily, maybe because of the substantial profit the hefty man received today, he generously allowed all his staff to eat what was prepared in the kitchen.As Gala takes a taste, his brow furrows. The dishes made by Hanry, the head chef here, still don't match up to the deliciousness of Dice's cooking. Does the sophistication in Dice's system rival skilled chefs?Walking sluggishly with Dice by his side, glowing brightly blue, illuminating Gala's steps. No words pass between them. Dice occasionally glances at his master, who visibly shows signs of exhaustion. Fortunately, tomorrow is his day off. Dice hopes his master can rest peacefully without anyone bothering him, especially those neig
As Dice expected when entering the flat; Gala would fall asleep easily even though he hadn't shown what South Metro is. Also, the chicken soup he asked for. His master is still asleep in his dirty uniform. His worn-out shoes are still perfectly attached to his feet. Gala's body actually no longer fits on the old sofa. Even the cushion is almost completely flat, but Gala still lies down there.Dice, who watches Gala from the kitchen, just shakes his head slightly. He doesn't serve his homemade chicken soup. Gala's house looks nice now. Not many scattered items and quite tidy. Dice helped tidy up without Gala's knowledge. How could he tidy up when every day Gala was made tired by the work he did? Considering he supports himself, working hard in South Metro is a must.She looks at her palm. The orange glow blends with the blue light she emits. She's a bit unsure of what she's going to do today, but Gala does need a trigger. "Forgive me, Master," she says softly. When she's near Gala, she
"Maverick!" Alex yells, where his sword has been pulled perfectly. Repelling the sudden and quite brutal attack because these big cats are very different from the animals that have been showing the way to this strange forest. Where pine trees that used to look dense now begin to shift or not, who knows. In Alex's eyes, everything seems to be moving away as if bringing them to a fairly large but rocky place.The sky is still as dark as Alex knows. His sword swings several times, pressing the cat to retreat, but it seems their strength is immense. Alex fights against almost four animals, which have very long fangs. Their orange eyes and hisses are terrifying. Alex is sure that if he gets bitten by those fangs anywhere on his body, it will result in a deep wound. Moreover, if these creatures are mythical, it means the injuries they cause can be severe."Try not to get bitten," Alex says loudly. His sword swings again to hit one of the heads of the creature that suddenly jumps to attack h
"Okay. Forgive me. I don't know why you keep saying that I'm careless because I want to throw away the die. You owe me too much, Cathleen.""I know." Cathleen smiles thinly. Her eyes again stare at the link of their hands. "We will live long while holding hands like this, sir. Trust me. The time waiting for you won't be long. And when that day comes, I'm sure we'll all be happy together."Actually, Gala doesn't want to release the girl's grip, but once again, Cathleen's gaze is so convincing. "How long?""Be patient.""How long, Cathleen?" This time the question is so firm because Gala is not a person who likes to wait for a long time, it turns out. Especially when it comes to Cathleen. The question receives a wide smile from Cathleen. She closes it with a sweet kiss as a farewell before she really releases the link of their hands."Do many things with the people who love you, sir. I think the time waiting for you won't feel long."Gala blinked slowly."And never, ever intend to throw
Gala blinked repeatedly. He even woke up with very slow movements as if savoring the moment. In front of him, Cathleen stood with her sweet smile. The color of her face looked fresh. Her blue eyes were lively. Not to mention... oh my! Gala could hardly believe his own eyes."You... you... real?"Cathleen sighed loudly. She walked with a bit of lifting her somewhat bothersome dress. "Actually, I haven't finished my task. Why are you so careless!"The young man stood silent, motionless, with his eyes fixed only on Cathleen, who was now approaching."I've often said that this die can't be handed over. It has a special authentication code regarding its owner. When you intend to discard it, negative energy comes out just like that. And do you know what happens?"Gala is still confused. "Wait, wait! Don't say things I can't digest so quickly.""When are you going to respond to all my statements?" Cathleen grumbled to herself. She carefully took the die hanging around Gala's neck. Her lips s
Gala coughs violently. The pain in his back makes him suddenly breathless. He falls to his knees with a grin that still doesn't want to diminish even a bit. How could it diminish when he repeatedly had to hit trees or large rocks around him. The die still can't be touched again and emits a stronger blue light. Gala still remembers the first time they met in that corridor. The blue light... bright but also makes his heart quite comfortable. But this time, the blue around the die is different.Which Gala eventually realizes, the blue light comes from the hologram girl's projection. The original color of the die itself is a not-too-bright orange, not dazzling, but always makes Gala excited. Somehow the die has a way of being near Gala, but that's what the young man feels."Return," Gala whispers softly while wiping the corner of his lips slowly. The intention to throw away the die as far as possible seems to have to be reconsidered. What he is experiencing now seems to be a protest from
Xavier's earlier remark makes Maverick chuckle. "If you're joking, you should pay attention to your surroundings. If you leave my body there," Maverick points quickly, "What will happen to South Metro without me?"Xavier remains silent. He starts thinking about how to cross this seemingly endless chasm, except for the dangerous fog and steep rocks. He never knew there was a black panther guarding East Metro. He should have asked who this big cat really was before deciding to follow it. Ah, it's all because of Maverick who casually requested the big black cat for this Gala search.For some reason, his heart is restless, and everything revolves around the dice. He feels that the dice did something to Gala, and that fear is proven. In front of him is no longer the forbidden forest where the end should be a twin hill, one of its slopes slightly sloping. Indicating the border with North Metro, but what he sees is no longer what he imagined. Everything looks very different.He has lived for
Moreover, until that moment, his whereabouts were unknown. And now, for some reason, what really happened and what he went through made him even more curious."What do you want to ask, Alex?"The sturdy man is quite surprised to hear a question from Xavier. When he turns, the man next to him just laughs."Your head is so noisy."Alex blinks slowly. "Don't tell me you know what I—""You guys are too noisy," Xavier quickly interrupts, then his eyes turn to Maverick, who is still enjoying his cigar. "Especially you, Mave.""You know, I do love talking. My mouth feels cramped just being silent like this all the time. Luckily, the cigars I brought have enough stock until tomorrow." Maverick only glances briefly. "I'm sure whatever's in my head Alex won't be easy for you to share, right? So don't bait us to pressure you to speak."This time, Xavier laughed. "I still can't find the right correlation about your relationship with Gala. Has my son often visited you guys?"Both Maverick and Alex
The last trace of Seth's troops deliberately following Gala ends near the Netland village border. One of the quite remote villages but is one of the most popular tourist destinations for residents of North and South Metro. Most tourists come from both Metro regions. The village is still surrounded by evidence where snow perfectly covers its peaks, but it gets the most sunlight. Strangely, the warm light cannot make the hilltops melt. Only pine forests that still grow lush and maintain their authenticity.For this search, Seth was asked not to join, although the man insisted. But what Jiro said was true. At least for the next few days, Seth shouldn't leave the White House, especially when his heart is still uncontrollable. Losing Cathleen must be a severe blow for him. Kyler, who came earlier, also agreed with what Jiro said. Choosing to accompany Seth in this city center.Actually, for Xavier, this search is not too necessary. He is sure Gala is fine. Even if this search needs to be d
"Have you seen Gala?" Maverick has been quite curious about the young man since earlier. Since that news came, he hasn't wasted any time. Seth Rafael can't be lying, but after hundreds of years? What really happened? And how can this young man seem to know the girl in the white coffin very well? Maverick is not blind to notice that some people, including Xavier, seem very affected by this event.As far as his memory goes about the battle that took place between all of them and Gideon, there is no leader of the regions who did not survive. Everything returned to normal despite suffering some injuries. Only Gala. Yes, only that young man didn't come back. Xavier, who last met the young man, did not answer any of Maverick's questions about the whereabouts of his son. As if they were hiding something, but Maverick didn't understand.They returned with a lot of questions, which also made Mave and Alexander agree to search for the whereabouts of the young man. Although Maverick doesn't have
For someone who spent a lot of time alone, where he once thought he could never meet his parents again, trying as hard as possible to survive. It doesn't matter who underestimates him. He doesn't want revenge to be his own vendetta. Suddenly, someone appears who observes him, cares for him, raises his hopes, tries to forge him to be better – undoubtedly, the arrival of this new person means a lot to him. And when that new person leaves forever, the young man doesn't know how to face his life anymore.Although... he managed to find both of his parents. He saved them. And at least, what he wanted is achieved. To live peacefully with his family.The sky he's looking at now still offers the same beauty as when he first set foot here. In this wooden cottage, his father spent a lot of time during his visits to East Metro hundreds of years ago. Usually, Cathleen was always by his side. Talking about all kinds of possibilities was also something that left a deep impression on him. The journey