The sun blazed overhead, flooding the endless desert highway with waves of scorching heat.
The glaring light bounced off countless car roofs, scattering dazzling gold reflections as the packed lanes finally began to inch forward, slowly untangling.
Not long after Ghostfreak returned to the Rustbucket, local police arrived in a rush, hauling away the greasy-looking man and his gang, along with the middle-aged driver and his crew.
Among those taken was the bewildered tattooed man—he had barely regained consciousness before being "rewarded" with a pair of shiny silver handcuffs.
Lucian sat quietly on the couch, his expression dark and unreadable, not saying a word.
Grandpa Max kept his eyes on the road. "Lucian, something was off about you today. You weren't your usual calm self."
"Yeah, Cuz," Ben added, shrugging. "I thought you were just gonna rough them up, not try to kill the guy."
Gwen walked over and sat down beside Lucian, speaking softly. "I know Cuz had his reasons. He wouldn't just kill someone without cause."
Even though that tattooed thug had nearly strangled her, she still trusted Lucian completely.
"Lucian," she asked gently, "do you know what went wrong?"
Lucian drew in a deep breath. "At first, it was fine. I just felt a little cold, but I could still control myself. Then, when all thirty of them rushed me... something snapped. This strange anger and hatred just took over. I couldn't think about anything except beating them—maybe even killing them..."
"Could it be... something's wrong with the alien you turned into?" Grandpa Max suggested suddenly.
Lucian arched a brow. Leave it to the veteran Plumber to hit the nail on the head in one sentence.
"No way," Ben said with a grin. "Ghostfreak looks pretty awesome—if you ignore the nightmare fuel part."
Gwen frowned slightly. "Either way, Cuz, you need to rest. Take some time to recover."
Lucian nodded slowly, then looked up, guilt flickering in his eyes.
"Sorry, Gwen. I almost hurt you back there."
She smiled faintly, her cheeks tinged pink. "It's fine. As long as you're okay."
"Alright, that's enough serious talk," Grandpa Max said with a wave and a grin. "Now that the traffic's cleared, I'm taking you all somewhere special!"
"Oh yeah! Awesome!" Ben cheered, practically bouncing in his seat.
Lucian gave a small smile, though his thoughts were elsewhere—already planning how to face the danger that was sure to come.
That thing... wasn't going to be easy to deal with.
...
After nearly two hours on the road, the Rustbucket finally rolled to a stop at their destination.
Grandpa Max pulled out several black satin ribbons and tied them over everyone's eyes, a mischievous grin on his face. Once they were out of the vehicle, he finally said, "Alright, take 'em off!"
Lucian lifted his head, eyes settling on a massive sign overhead—bright red English letters gleaming in the sunlight.
Thanks to the memories of his body's original owner, he could read it easily.
The sign read: Sparksville!
...
Sparksville looked rather outdated, with its old amusement facilities so worn that few visitors ever came. Towering deer statues stood on the rooftops alongside oversized beer bottles and hot air balloons, all arranged in a distinctly 80s–90s style. There was no Ferris wheel, no pirate ship, no roller coaster—not even a carousel. Ben and Gwen were speechless.
"Welcome to Sparksville! Isn't this place amazing?" Grandpa Max beamed, clearly holding fond memories of it.
"Not at all!" Ben shot back. He couldn't see anything fun about it.
Gwen sighed. "Good thing I brought my laptop, or I'd die of boredom."
It was obvious the park didn't appeal to them—it just wasn't meant for their age group.
"Welcome to Sparksville, guests of joy," a middle-aged man in a blue shirt approached, expressionless. "I'm the park director. If you have any questions, feel free to ask."
"Thanks, Director." Grandpa Max was full of energy. He waved and smiled. "Alright, kids, I'll go handle the check-in. Don't cause any trouble."
"Lucian, keep an eye on them."
"Got it, Grandpa," Lucian replied with a nod.
He looked around and quickly noticed how empty the place was—he could count the number of people here on one hand. Ben and Gwen didn't wander off either; they weren't interested enough to bother.
Before long, Grandpa Max came back holding several tickets and handed them to Lucian.
"Lucian, take Ben and Gwen to have some fun around Sparksville," Grandpa Max said kindly, wiping sweat from his forehead. "I'm a little tired from driving, so I'll rest in the room for a bit."
Lucian nodded. After hours stuck in desert traffic and a few small incidents on the way, it was no surprise Grandpa was exhausted.
"Alright, Grandpa, you go rest. I'll keep an eye on Ben and Gwen," Lucian said with a light smile.
Grandpa patted his shoulder. "Kid, I can rest easy with you here."
A wave of warmth stirred in Lucian's chest. He smiled, saying nothing more.
After escorting Grandpa Max back to his room, Lucian led Ben and Gwen to the ticket gate.
Seeing the deserted counter, Ben rolled his eyes. "Ugh, this place is dead. We've been played!"
"Alright, Ben. I can tell Grandpa really likes it here. Let's just humor him for a bit," Lucian said, pressing the bell on the counter. "Next time, I'll take you to the arcade. Deal?"
"Awesome! You're the best, Cuz!" Ben cheered.
Soon, a middle-aged man stepped out and stood behind the counter.
Ben scratched his head. "Wait, aren't you the park director?"
The director took the tickets from Lucian, expressionless, tore them to pieces, and said calmly, "Kid, I'm sure you understand the meaning of 'those who can, do more.'"
Lucian's mouth twitched slightly. It was obvious there weren't enough visitors to justify hiring a separate ticket clerk. But there was no need to call him out. He simply led Ben and Gwen into the park.
And so, their tour of Sparksville began. They took photos with the deer statue, marveled at houses built from giant playing cards, and drifted through a dim space-themed chamber, gazing up at models of the nine planets.
What broke the illusion was Lucian spotting a staff member holding a light nearby, trying to make the starry wallpaper and planet models look more realistic, adding to the cosmic atmosphere.
Lucian shrugged. He had to admit—the place was really boring.
Before long, the park director appeared again. He led them to a wooden cabin and said, "Once you pass through this door, you'll see the strangest and wildest attraction in the Sparksville."
"Remember... follow the rules," he added.
Lucian nodded and led Ben and Gwen inside.
It was pitch-black inside—he couldn't see a thing.
"Oh man, I'd rather go home and play hide-and-seek!" Ben groaned.
No sooner had he spoken than the darkness was flooded with lights—bright, colorful, and dazzling.
Gwen looked around and read aloud,
"Do not touch it."
"Do not photograph it."
"Do not use batteries or any electronic devices near it..."