Phase Zero [5]

The path to the island's edge unwound like a serpent's spine, jagged and silent.

Jarek walked ahead, his storm-gray aura flickering with each step. Aay kept his distance, golden eyes narrowed, while Mei hummed a tuneless melody beside Sajuan, her bandaged arms swinging like badges of stubborn pride.

It was Mei who broke the silence first. "So," she said, nudging Sajuan with an elbow, "when were you planning to tell us about the heartbeat thing? Or were you just waiting for Aay to punch it out of you?"

Sajuan laughed—a low, rumbling sound that seemed to startle the forest into stillness. "I suppose now's as good a time as any." He glanced at Aay, who stiffened but didn't look away. "I owe you both an explanation."

Aay's jaw tightened. "You don't owe me anything."

"Maybe not," Sajuan conceded. "But trust is a two-way path, isn't it?" He paused, fingertips brushing the fresh bruise on his cheekbone.

"When I was twelve, I broke a sacred rule in my tribe. Stepped beyond the mountain borders. The Elders… didn't take kindly to that."

Mei's steps slowed. "They trapped you underground?"

"For three years." The words fell flat, as if he'd long since scraped the emotion from them. "No light. No voices. Just the drip of water and the scuttle of rats. After the first year, I started listening to their heartbeats. The rats', I mean. Learned to tell when they were hungry, scared… or being hunted. By the third year, I could hear my own pulse like a drum. Knew when the guards outside my cell were lying just by the skip in their rhythm."

Aay's gaze flickered. "And people?"

Sajuan tapped his temple. "Yeah. Yours, for instance." He smiled faintly. "It's been racing since the cave. Not from anger anymore. From shame."

Aay stopped dead. The admission hung between them, sharp as Mei's bloodied sleeves. "I shouldn't have attacked you," he muttered, the words gritted like gravel. "Even if you were hiding things."

Sajuan shrugged. "You were right to. I'd have done the same." He extended a hand—not in truce, but in offering. "The Pro Exam's ahead. I'd rather face it with allies… Do you feel the same?"

Mei slapped his palm before Aay could react. "Deal. Now quit being dramatic. Both of you." She looked ahead over the horizon with a smile. "We've got an exam to pass!"

The trees thinned abruptly, surrendering to a strip of cracked asphalt that gleamed like a knife wound in the earth. At its edge sat a light aircraft, its silver hull streaked with rust and old rain.

Jarek stood beside it, gloved hand resting on the fuselage as though it were a restless animal.

"This," Mei breathed, "wasn't in my guesses. I thought we were going to board another ship!"

Jarek's scar twitched. "The Association prefers its exam sites… discreet."

He yanked open the cockpit door, revealing a cabin barely large enough for four. "Get in. We have three borders to cross. Our trip is a long one."

Aay lingered, studying the plane's weathered tailfin. "Mr. Jarek, can I ask you a question?" he asked suddenly. "About the test. Why did we pass?"

Jarek stilled. For a heartbeat, his gray aura froze. "Because," he said quietly, "to my shame, my feelings interfered with the test. I'm sorry."

"Why?" Mei asked. "Did we do something wrong entering the island?"

Jarek shook his head. "No. It's… a personal regret of mine."

The trio exchanged glances. Sajuan merely nodded, attuned to Jarek's emotions.

"If you want to hear my story, we could talk during the journey." Jarek gestured for them to climb in. "Consider it my apology."

"Okay!" Mei agreed, scrambling into the aircraft.

The two followed, and Jarek closed the doors before settling into the pilot's seat.

As the engine sputtered to life, Aay leaned close to Sajuan. "Your heartbeat trick," he murmured. "What's Jarek's tell?"

Sajuan's smile didn't reach his eyes. "A heartbeat can't lie," he said. "So he must be telling the truth." He glanced at the cockpit, where Jarek's gloved hands clenched the steering wheel.

The plane lurched forward, wheels screeching against the runway.

Mei whooped as the island shrank below them, its emerald canopy swallowing the secrets they'd carved into its skin.

Aay closed his eyes, listening. To the drone of propellers. To Mei's off-key humming. To the arrhythmic stutter of Jarek's pulse, just audible beneath the roar of ascent. He opened his eyes again and glanced downward.

Somewhere beneath those trees, a golden bird tended her nest, untroubled by the hum of engines.

Soon, the island became a dot on the horizon, and Jarek began his story. "Once again, please accept my apologies."

"It's alright, Mr. Jarek," Mei answered, while both men nodded in agreement.

"I appreciate your kindness. Thank you."

"But Mr. Jarek," Mei began, "we don't understand why you're apologizing? Did you do something wrong?"

"Yes." Jarek sighed. "Because I let my feelings override a simple test—to disqualify you from the Pro Exam."

He looked at them. "I'm just a filter examiner, but I tried to use my full ability to stop the three of you."

Aay raised his eyebrows. "Why? Isn't that your job?"

"Yes," Jarek answered, glancing at the rearview mirror. "However, my test was far harsher than it should've been."

"Why? Is catching animals harder than fighting other applicants?"

"Unfortunately, yes." Jarek nodded. "Trust me on that."

His warning carried weight—Aay could sense it. Jarek wasn't bluffing.

He glanced at Sajuan, who nodded in return.

He shifted his gaze back to Jarek. "Then what about this apology?"

Jarek remained silent for a moment.

Instead, he asked Mei, "Young lady, what did you think of the forest?"

Mei startled at the question. "The forest? You mean the island?"

"Yes. What did you think of its condition?"

"Hmmm." Mei looked down, hand on her chin, contemplating.

Sshhhh…

As if steam were rising from her head, Mei struggled to answer the vague question.

"C-can you give me a hint?" she asked sheepishly.

Jarek chuckled gently.

Sajuan chimed in, "Is it about the lack of animals in the forest?" he said uncertainly.

Jarek glanced at him in the mirror before returning his gaze forward. "Yes. You're correct."

"Twenty years ago," Jarek began, "that island was nothing but a broken rock."

The trio listened earnestly.

"Due to a mad scientist leasing the island with government approval for his experiments, the ecosystem was damaged beyond repair. His experiments leaked from the lab and wreaked havoc on the island's animal inhabitants."

Mei's eyebrows arched in pain, but she listened without interrupting.

"Do you know what happened to him?" Jarek glanced at them again.

"Nothing." He spoke with bitter resignation.

"Why?" Mei demanded. There's no way someone could act like that and go unpunished! she thought.

"Because he was a Professional! The law didn't apply to him."

His words hung heavily in the air. The trio fell silent.

Aay broke the silence. "Is that why you're apologizing? Because you hate Professionals and tried to sabotage our chances?"

Jarek nodded. "Yes. You're correct."

He fell silent briefly before continuing, "That island… it was important to me. You could say it was my first home." Sadness tinged his voice as he gripped the wheel.

"I was cast out when the scientist took over. Three years later, I heard about the island's state and returned by boat. When I arrived, the life I'd known was gone. The trees were stripped of leaves, the grass parched, and dead animals floated in decay."

Jarek's grip on the wheel loosened. "That day, I vowed revenge. I passed the Pro Exam, and… succeeded." He glanced at the mirror. "Then returned as a filter examiner, as you see."

The trio had no words.

Mei's eyes glistened.

Sajuan mourned silently.

Aay remained stoic, hardened by the world's cruelties but still sympathetic.

Mei began, "Sorry to hear your—"

"No need for apologies, young lady. You've done nothing wrong."

Jarek stared at the horizon. "Do you know why I'm telling you this?"

Mei shook her head. "Please tell us."

"Because I've realized I've been a fool." Jarek sighed. "I killed a man and wasn't punished by the law. Ironic, isn't it?" He laughed mockingly.

"I was so blinded by hatred that after becoming what I despised—a Professional who crushes dreams—I still had the audacity to sabotage others."

"Do you agree?" Jarek asked.

"No!" Mei refuted. "You might've hindered dreams, but you didn't kill anyone!"

"You're wrong," Jarek said. "Dreams aren't meant to be trampled so easily."

"I agree!" Mei stood her ground. "But dreams can be pursued as long as you're passionate! Losing a home is different!"

Jarek studied her fiery gaze in the mirror, then smiled. "Would your answer change if you'd failed my test earlier?"

Mei stammered, silenced by the logic.

"It's easy to be generous about others' suffering," Jarek said, interpreting her silence. "But when it's your own dreams at stake… perspectives shift."

He softened. "Don't be discouraged. You're young. My words aren't universal truths. It's good to hold your bright morals. Forget my pathetic story."

Mei looked down, defeated.

Sajuan patted her back to comfort her, but it only steeled her resolve to speak again.

"You've changed," she said quietly. "Isn't that better than the man you killed?"

Jarek fell silent, meeting her determined eyes in the mirror.

"Yes. You're correct," he finally said. "Would you like to know why?"

"Yes. Please."

"A peculiar event happened a year ago." Jarek gazed into the distance with a faint smile. "A bird native to the island migrated back to hatch its eggs. When I saw that… it felt like the world had healed. Tragedy strikes, but miracles and hope follow, ready to reshape everything."

Mei's sadness bloomed into a smile.

Jarek continued, "In that moment, I knew tomorrow could be better. As long as people live, change is possible."

The plane soared silently into the horizon, greeted by a golden sunset. Serenity filled the cabin, Jarek's words weaving peace into their turbulent world.