Two Sides Of The Same Coin

Another thunderous roar echoed across the land as the ocean fell. Torrents of blackened water slammed into the earth like a god's wrath unleashed. The world shook beneath its weight, but the barriers held.

Dune exhaled shakily, his body tense even as the flood slid past the shimmering dome that surrounded them.

They had survived.

For now.

His stomach twisted, empty and aching. How long had it been since he got here? Two days? Maybe more. 

Ocean fell three times, that means it has been 36 hours since he got here. But that would only be true if days here worked in a same way as they did on earth. 

The only thing keeping him from collapsing was the steady pulse of Neba he kept channeling through his limbs to stay conscious.

Syras hadn't fared much better. He sat curled in a corner of the cage, hugging his knees as his stomach growled louder than the ocean.

Dune shifted slightly, pushing himself up and knocking his hand softly against one of the cage bars. The metal clinked dully, the vibration traveling through the barrier.

The Yellow Fox turned her head. Her golden mask gleamed faintly in the moonlight as she met Dune's eyes. He pointed at the cage, then at her, making a subtle motion, a request.

Touch the cage.

Liora hesitated, her thoughts racing.

What? The Whisper is… trying to talk to me?

She tilted her head, watching him curiously. Does he want me to free him?

She tried to ignore him. But he insisted, motioning again, calm but persistent.

Eventually, curiosity won over doubt.

Slowly, Liora extended her hand and pressed her palm against the cold metal.

Nothing happened. But then a faint vibration hummed in her fingertips.

A voice echoed through her thoughts, faint, rough, but clear.

"You… hear… I?"

Liora's hand recoiled instinctively as she stepped back, eyes wide.

"What…?" she was stunned. "He spoke… but how?"

Her heart raced beneath her ribs. How is this possible? Was he listening to us? Did he memorize the words? No… that's not it. It's not perfect. And that sound…

She glanced at the cage. He's… sending his Neba through cage? Communicating through intention?

This is…Terrifying.

But she stepped forward again, more careful this time. Slowly, she placed her hand back on the cage.

A faint green glow lit her neck as she focused.

"How did you know our language?"

Dune's eyes widened.

It worked.

But what surprised him more was not just hearing her voice, it was understanding it perfectly. 

"I do not speak in your language," he answered, his voice carried not by his throat but by the Neba in his core.

Liora blinked.

What? Then how? 

"I think Neba doesn't carry words," Dune continued, voice calm, controlled. "It carries meaning. Intent. I'm not talking to you, not really. We're just… sharing thought. Through Neba."

Liora's lips parted behind her mask, speechless.

A Whisper… is speaking to me…

A creature who hadn't even passed the trial, communicating through one of the highest and most difficult forms of Neba usage. She had never seen anything like it.

This wasn't a trick. This was real. And it was terrifying… 

But also amazing. 

Dune let out a long breath as they continued moving through the dense silence. His voice was low, almost blending with the wind.

"Where are we going? And… who are you people, really?"

Liora's steps slowed. "We're humans," she replied quietly, her hand brushing the cage beside her. "Our purpose is to protect this place… from Whispers."

Dune tilted his head, not entirely satisfied.

"Your voice just now, I barely felt it." He placed a hand against the cage again, feeling the hum of Neba through the metal. 

"You know how it works. Neba doesn't carry lies, it echoes intentions, raw and unfiltered. If your heart doesn't match your words, they won't come through properly."

Liora flinched at the truth of that. She stepped back slightly, her brow furrowed.

But… I wasn't lying, was I?

And yet, she knew. Deep inside, there was always a part of her that questioned things, a restless curiosity that refused to take anything at face value. She'd never been one to blindly follow rules without seeing both sides of the coin.

She touched the cage again, her voice now more honest, more real.

"…I apologize. The truth is… we don't know what's right or wrong either. But we know what we've been told to do. We're just as lost as you Whispers. You're trying to pass your trial… and for us to keep living, we have to use you."

Dune sat down slowly, pressing a hand over his face. Then, without a word, he reached out and placed his palm against the cage again.

"…How exactly does our existence affect your lives?"

Liora looked down and placed her hand over the same spot. Her voice carried through with a somber weight.

"Whenever a Whisper completes the trial and leaves… one of us, one of the Trial-born faceless gets sacrificed. Our Neba cores are used to open the portal that sends you back to your worlds. That's the cost. We used to be many. But each time someone leaves… one of us disappears."

Dune's hand trembled slightly.

So that's it.

The trial people… they're the fuel. Their very lives are the price for our freedom. If I pass… someone like her dies. Just so I can return.

"…This is insane," he muttered.

Still, he touched the cage again, and spoke softly.

"…I'm sorry to hear that."

Liora blinked, caught off guard by the sincerity of it. She placed her hand on a cage to speak, but Dune's voice reached her again.

"But I have my own life. And I intend to hold onto it for as long as I can. I'm not planning to die here. I won't beg, and I won't try to change your mind." 

"I understand your side… truly. Just as I hope you'll understand mine. You'll do what you must. And I will too."

Liora's fingers slowly let go of the metal. She nodded once, quietly, and stepped back.

Dune leaned against the back of the cage, exhaling deeply.

This wouldn't be easy.

Not at all.