Chapter 3 – Strangers in the Wasteland

-Volaris System, Sector 7-42D

 Abandoned Shelter, Ruined City, Xyphora

The wind howled through the cracks in the structure, carrying the faint scent of rusted metal and dust. A dim purple glow from the twin moons seeped through the gaps in the walls, casting faint shadows over the room.

Rei lay on his back, staring at the ceiling.

He hadn't slept.

Every time he closed his eyes, his mind raced—images of the ruined city, the Sentinels, the explosion that had come from his own body.

What was happening to him?

The answer didn't come. Neither did sleep.

Across the room, Seyra sat with her arms crossed, leaning against the cold metal wall. She had removed parts of her armor, revealing a tight-fitting combat suit underneath, but her weapon remained close.

She hadn't slept either.

Or maybe she didn't trust him enough to.

The silence stretched between them. Neither spoke. Neither moved.

At some point, Rei must have dozed off, because the next thing he knew—

A dull thud echoed as Seyra dropped something beside him.

He jerked awake, startled.

"Eat."

Rei blinked, still groggy. He looked down at what she had tossed him—a small, dull-gray food ration, wrapped in unfamiliar markings.

"…What is this?"

Seyra, now sitting cross-legged across from him, took a bite from her own ration. "Food."

Rei hesitated.

It didn't look like food.

He turned it over in his hands, then glanced at Seyra. "Is it safe?"

She gave him a dry look. "If I wanted you dead, I wouldn't waste poison on a ration bar."

That wasn't exactly reassuring, but she had a point.

Rei carefully unwrapped the food bar and took a small bite.

It was… strange.

Not bad. Not good. Just edible.

Chewy, slightly bitter, with a faint metallic aftertaste. Like eating dried oats mixed with something artificial.

He forced it down.

Seyra watched him with mild amusement. "You act like you've never had a ration before."

Rei swallowed, grimacing. "Yeah, well, we don't exactly eat metal-flavored bricks where I come from."

She raised an eyebrow. "And where exactly do you come from, Stray?"

Rei hesitated.

Do I tell her?

Would she even believe me?

He thought back to their conversation the night before. Seyra didn't seem to recognize the name Earth.

That meant one of two things.

Either this planet was so far away that Earth wasn't known here.

Or…

Earth really is just some backwater planet no one in the universe cares about.

He exhaled. "Far away from here."

Seyra didn't push for more.

Instead, she leaned back, resting one arm on her knee. "Never seen someone like you before."

Rei frowned. "What do you mean 'like me'?"

She studied him for a second before shrugging. "You don't look like anyone from Xyphora. You're too… clean."

"Clean?" Rei looked down at himself. His clothes were torn and dusty, his face probably looked like hell. "I feel the opposite of clean."

Seyra smirked. "You feel that way. But you're not. The people who live here—survivors—they all look like they've been through hell. You?" She tilted her head. "You don't have the eyes of someone who's fought for their life before."

Rei didn't know how to respond to that.

He wasn't a fighter. He had never needed to be.

And yet…

Last night, something inside him had fought back. Something he didn't understand.

The memory of the shockwave that erupted from his body flashed in his mind, sending a shiver down his spine.

Seyra was still watching him. "You sure you don't have a death wish?"

Rei frowned. "What?"

"You didn't even try to run last night," she said. "When the Sentinels attacked. You just stood there. Froze up."

Rei clenched his fists.

She wasn't wrong.

He had been useless.

If Seyra hadn't shown up, he'd be dead.

"I didn't expect to be shot at by murder-bots the moment I woke up," he muttered.

Seyra shook her head, ripping off another piece of her ration. "Then you better start expecting it."

Rei exhaled. "This planet is really that bad?"

Seyra scoffed. "Stray, this city is the garbage dump of a planet that's already a warzone. The only things here are rusted machines, failed experiments, and people too stubborn to die."

Her words sent an uncomfortable chill down Rei's spine.

"So what does that make you?" he asked before he could stop himself.

Seyra's smirk faded.

For a moment, she didn't answer.

Then she simply said, "Alive."

Rei watched her, waiting for more. But she didn't elaborate.

He realized then that Seyra wasn't going to hand him answers.

If he wanted to understand anything—about this place, about her, about why the hell he was here—he'd have to figure it out himself.

The thought exhausted him.

I just wanted to go home after school. Now I'm in some wasteland, eating space rations, getting life lessons from a soldier who doesn't trust me.

Great. Just great.

He let out a long breath. "So, what now?"

Seyra finished off her ration and stood up, stretching.

"Now?" She grabbed her spear and slung it over her shoulder.

"We find out if you're going to survive Xyphora."