17.A New Day in Nova Lumina

Chapter 17 – A New Day in Nova Lumina

Moon leaned back against the soft hotel bed, letting out a quiet sigh. His eyes slowly closed, exhaustion finally winning over his body. The room was silent, except for the low hum of the ventilation system. They had been through a lot lately, and for once, they could rest.

Two hours passed.

Ding-dong.

The sound of the doorbell echoed softly through the room. Kai stirred a little but didn't open his eyes right away. The bell rang again. Still half-asleep, he groaned and dragged himself out of bed. His hair was a mess, and his eyes barely open, but somehow, he managed to reach the door.

He pulled it open with a sleepy expression. Standing at the door was a familiar face—the same girl from last night who had brought them food. She was wearing the same light brown uniform and had a polite smile on her face.

"Um, excuse me, sir," she said in a soft voice. "Just a reminder… your room time expires in an hour. If you'd like to stay another day, please visit the reception to extend your booking."

Kai blinked slowly. His brain needed a moment to process her words. Then he gave her a sleepy wave. "No, no. We're packing up. Thank you."

She gave a nod and walked away.

Kai slowly shut the door and turned around with a sigh. "Here we go again…"

He walked over to Moon's bed and stood there, staring down at him.

Waking Moon up was, without a doubt, one of the hardest jobs in the world. If someone gave you two options: fight that terrifying black octopus again or wake up Moon... most people would choose the octopus. Probably even Moon himself.

But jokes aside, Kai gently shook his brother's shoulder.

"Oi… Moon. Wake up. We gotta go."

No reaction.

Kai's eyes narrowed. "Don't make me do this."

Still no movement.

With a small grunt, Kai grabbed Moon by the arms and pushed him toward the bathroom. Moon was still half-asleep, mumbling nonsense and resisting like a lazy cat. After a few failed attempts, Kai finally shoved him inside and shut the bathroom door.

Fifteen minutes passed.

The sound of running water continued. But no sign of Moon coming out.

Kai crossed his arms and stared at the door. Then, knocking loudly, he shouted, "Hey! You better not be sleeping in there, you overgrown pig!"

That did the trick.

Moon's voice from inside: "I'm up, I'm up! Damn, stop shouting..."

Kai smirked to himself.

Even though they were the same age, and non-identical twins, Kai had always been the more responsible one. The older brother, in a way. Moon... was Moon. Wild, strong, stubborn, but a complete pain to handle in the mornings.

A few minutes later, Moon stepped out, rubbing his wet hair with a towel. But something caught his eye.

On the table nearby was a folded set of clothes—deep black fabric, unfamiliar in design. He raised an eyebrow.

"What's this?" he asked.

Kai's voice came from the other bathroom where he had just entered for his shower. "Oh that? I asked the staff to bring some clothes—just said give me something black. That's what they gave us."

Moon picked it up, inspecting it. It looked traditional, something out of a historical drama. "It's nice, but… how the hell do I wear this?"

"Internet, bro," Kai replied, voice muffled by water. "There's Wi-Fi in the room. Just look it up."

[Note:- Any electronic device only able to work when you are inside base out of it it became a useless box]

Moon groaned but followed the advice. He sat on the bed, watching a short tutorial video on how to wear a hanfu and kimono combination. It took a few tries, but eventually, he managed.

When Kai stepped out of the bathroom, water dripping from his hair and a towel around his shoulders, he paused.

Moon stood tall in full black hanfu robes, tied neatly with a dark gray sash, the outer kimono flowing like a shadow. His medium lenght damp hair added to the look.

Kai blinked. "Damn. You actually look good. Like... scary good."

Moon smirked. "Help me tie yours?"

They both helped each other get dressed, laughing a little as they fumbled with the complicated layers. It was a rare moment of peace between them.

Finally, they stepped out of their hotel room.

And were immediately surprised.

The entire base was decorated. Lights, banners, and streamers hung from every corner. The streets were cleaner than usual, and soft music floated through the air. But the most surprising part?

Everyone was wearing traditional outfits. Hanfus, kimonos, long gowns—everyone.

"Uh…" Moon looked around. "Did we miss a memo?"

"Probably some kind of local festival," Kai replied, adjusting his sash. "Let's not get distracted. We're heading to the teleporter."

They walked calmly through the festive base, their black robes flowing with each step. Though they blended in now, Moon noticed a few people giving them curious looks. Maybe because of the color. Everyone else wore colorful robes—reds, blues, golds. They were the only ones in full black.

They reached the teleporter station soon. A man in a red uniform sat at the desk.

"Destination?" he asked.

Kai stepped forward. "Nova Lumina."

The man tapped on the console, nodded, and pointed toward one of the active portals.

Moments later, a soft whoosh surrounded them, and they vanished into the glowing circle.

—

They appeared inside Nova Lumina's Main Teleportation Station. The city was nothing like Earth.

Nova Lumina wasn't even on Earth. It was a human space colony floating among stars, twice the size of Earth itself. Everything here was high-tech but artistically designed—like a city from the future had merged with ancient elegance.

From here, their next destination was simple: Mr. Takashi Watanabe.

Kai led the way. Soon, they reached a large shop with a familiar wooden counter. And there, as always, sat Takashi Watanabe—straight-backed, sharp-eyed, quietly observing his customers.

As soon as he saw Moon and Kai walk in, his eyes widened.

He stood up abruptly, walked around the counter, and hugged them both.

"I thought you two were dead," he said, voice slightly shaky. "Seriously… people die in there. I've lost so many customers to that damned place…"

Moon and Kai looked at each other.

If only he knew…

They had died.

Literally.

But they had long stopped trying to understand how they came back. It only gave them headaches.

Takashi noticed the silence and quickly waved over one of his human workers. "Get us some tea."

His shop still used real human staff in a world ruled by AI and automation. That old-school charm was part of why his business was so popular.

Kai smiled politely. "Actually, sir… if you're free, maybe we could talk more comfortably at your home?"

Takashi's face softened. "Of course."

He told the worker to cancel the tea order and led them to his nearby apartment.

Fifteen minutes later, all three were seated around a warm wooden table. Freshly brewed tea in clay cups rested before them.

"So…" Takashi leaned forward. "How was the Shifting Expanse?"

Kai took a sip before answering. "It was… intense. But if you stay sharp, and avoid the wrong people, you can survive."

Takashi raised an eyebrow. "Survive? You were in there for weeks. What did you fight?"

Kai chuckled, but quickly answered before Moon could say anything outrageous. "Well, we didn't find any team, so we went in alone. We killed a lot of low-level essence beasts. Then one day, we ran into a Cryo Rhino."

Takashi's eyes widened. "You what?"

Kai nodded. "Almost died. But we got lucky. This katana—" he summoned the weapon with a flick of his wrist, letting the blade shimmer in the light— "came from its core drop."

Takashi leaned back, stunned. "You killed a Cryo Rhino? Just the two of you?"

Moon finally spoke, a little smug. "We are twins, after all. It couldn't focus on both of us at once."

Inside, both Moon and Kai were thinking the same thing.

If he's reacting like this over the rhino, imagine what he'd say if we told him about the Obscure Octopus…

For the next half-hour, Takashi told them old Shifting Expanse stories—about his own early days in the Expanse, the comrades he lost, the rare beasts he'd seen.

Moon started to feel drowsy again. His head nodded slightly.

Takashi noticed.

"Well, I've got work anyway," he said kindly. "Get some rest."

Moon and Kai thanked him and left.

But Kai told Moon to stop and he go back to Mr Takashi and discussed something we will know in future.

—

Back in a cozy hotel room, Kai sat on the bed and pulled out his phone.

He dialed a number James had given him earlier.

After a few rings, a voice picked up. "Hello? Kai sir?! I didn't think you'd actually call!"

Kai's voice turned cold. "You thought I was going to run away with your money?"

James panicked. "No-no sir! I didn't mean—!"

Kai suddenly laughed. "Relax, man. Just messing with you."

James exhaled loudly. "You almost gave me a heart attack…"

Kai smiled. "So? Where do we meet?"

James asked, "Where are you right now?"

Kai replied, "Nova Lumina. Sending you my location."

Within seconds, the map pinged. James read it and replied quickly.

"Got it. I'll be there in 15 minutes!"

On the other side, James quickly grabbed his bag, activated a small portal device, and selected the closest teleport station near Kai's hotel.

With a soft pulse of light, he disappeared.

To be continued...

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