Day was breaking over Saturn as our heroes awoke. Yuga, who had to go to work, had already prepared breakfast.
After a quick shower and meal, the group scattered. Yabal, slouched on the couch, watched television distractedly. Angel, arms crossed on the terrace, contemplated the sprawling city beneath him. Rhea, ever the quiet one, was lost in a book.
The atmosphere was peaceful, almost too peaceful.
A few hours later, Yuga, who had blasted through his tasks at work in record time, burst back into the house after getting special permission to leave.
Ding dong.
"Yuga, you're back already?" Rhea asked, looking up from her book.
"Yeah! I took some leave... for you guys!" he announced, unable to hide his excitement.
Yabal half-turned from the couch. "You really love this stuff, huh? Telling people about END."
"Because I'm passionate about it!" Yuga retorted, his eyes shining. "Ever since I was a kid, I've dreamed of adventure."
"So, where were we?" Rhea asked, setting her book down.
"You had a question for me too, didn't you?" Yuga remembered.
Rhea nodded, her expression suddenly serious. "Actually, I do. I want to know who the Lunains are."
Yuga frowned. "The Lunains? Never heard of them. Who are they?"
Rhea's face fell. "Never mind..." she sighed, looking disappointed. "Just continue your explanation from yesterday."
"Okay, no problem!" Yuga said, his enthusiasm returning. "I'll explain how powers work. In END, there are several types of powers. On some planets, people are just born with them, it's natural. But there are also ways to get them! For example, by discovering stones called 'DAN.' They're all over END and they can grant you powers."
He paused, making sure he had their attention.
"Here on Saturn, it's different again: we form bonds with animals. It's what we saw at the arena. Those transformations are achieved using the 'Hybrid Mode' formula. However..." He lowered his voice, as if sharing a secret. "Saturn has three animals known as the Sacred Beasts. They are far superior to the others. They say they were the companions of the god of Time."
"The god of Time?" Yabal repeated, suddenly interested.
"He's the protector god of this planet. Legend says he might return one day... or not."
"The god of Time..." Rhea murmured to herself.
"Anyway, I've taught you the basics," Yuga concluded. "The rest, you'll have to discover for yourselves. But I'm warning you: if you ever think of becoming Conquerors... then we'll be enemies."
"Creating an ideal world?" Yabal replied with a shrug. "That's not our priority."
Angel, who hadn't said a word, finally turned to the group. "I want to go out. I want to see this city."
"Me too!" Rhea added. "Besides, we've forgotten our main goal: to learn more about the King of END."
"I can show you around!" Yuga exclaimed.
Angel shot him an amused look. "Why not."
...
The East Side of the city was teeming with people, far more crowded than usual. The group let themselves be carried by the crowd, visiting the amusement parks. They soon found themselves strapped into the seats of a dizzying roller coaster.
As the car climbed its highest peak, Yabal began to panic.
"Ahhhhhh! I DON'T WANT TO DIE! I'M BEGGING YOU!" he screamed, gripping Angel with all his strength.
"You're not going to die from something like this," Angel replied, perfectly serene, his arms crossed. "It's just an amusement park. Even if we are two kilometers high."
"Wow! You can see the whole city from here!" Rhea marveled.
A robotic voice echoed from the seat speakers: "Dear passengers, if you wish to remain up high for an unobstructed view of the city, press the 'Stay' button. Otherwise, do nothing. If you stay, your seat will remain at this altitude for 10 minutes before descending at high speed."
"Let's stay!" Rhea declared.
"NO! I'm begging you!" Yabal cried, grabbing Angel's neck.
"I'm pressing it," Rhea said.
"Me too," Angel added with a devilish smile. "Ha ha ha! We're staying up here."
"NOOOO!"
The main car dropped away, but their four seats remained suspended in the sky, offering an incredible panorama.
"Wow... you can see the Plains of Jamir from here," Angel said, his calm returned.
"Look!" Yuga marveled. "That doe... it's glowing!"
Below them, the majestic animals of Saturn went about their business. Leaping rabbits, adorable creatures. As the sun set, a luminous pollen rose from the planet, filling the atmosphere with golden dust. It was magnificent. The pollen drifted high, shining brightly.
Even Yabal had finally calmed down, captivated by the beauty of the fauna and flora. Rhea, meanwhile, watched the massive skyscrapers as they began to light up, marveling at the architectural feats.
"The ten minutes are almost up," Yuga said. "I have an idea..."
"What is it?" Angel asked.
"What if we jumped from here and landed on the ground?"
A sudden memory struck Angel. A plain similar to Jamir. Him, Rhea, and Yabal, much younger, standing at the top of an enormous mountain. They were jumping into the void to land on the surface, laughing, grabbing onto and swinging between the great trees.
"We used to do this when we were kids," Rhea said, laughing. "It brings back memories."
Angel and Rhea burst out laughing. They remembered the time Yabal had gotten stuck by his underwear on a tree branch.
"Let's go!"
And they jumped.
It was an incredible choreography. The four teens raced down the facades of the skyscrapers at insane speeds, grabbing ledges, laughing as they wove between the buildings. They could see into people's apartments, scaring the inhabitants. A Spart, a city guard, noticed them and gave chase, sliding along the structures, but the four friends were too fast.
They finally landed in an alley, out of breath and exhilarated, before deciding to go to the movies.
Around 8 PM, after night had fallen, they found themselves in a park, stopped at the edge of a dark lake. The afternoon's excitement had faded.
"Earlier..." Yuga began, his tone more serious. "You said you wanted to find the King of END. Can I ask why?"
Angel looked down, his face shadowing. "It's a long story. If you stay with us, you'll probably see him. And you'll know why we want to learn more."
Yuga sensed the sadness in his voice and wisely avoided pushing.
Their respite was brief. Not far from them, two individuals were about to attack each other. Tensions were rising. Our heroes rushed toward them.
At the precise moment the two men tried to throw a punch, a figure swooped down from the sky and caught their fists with disturbing ease.
"You shouldn't fight in the middle of the city," a young voice said.
Our heroes looked up to see where he had come from. They were stunned to see a dragon. An enormous brown dragon with golden, luxuriant scales, beating its wings slowly above them.
"A dragon?" Angel gasped.
"Dragons exist here?" Rhea asked.
"Yes," Yuga replied, dumbfounded. "And this is the first time I've ever seen one."
Before their amazed eyes, the dragon shrank, and shrank again, until it was tiny, before coming to rest gently on the newcomer's shoulder.
"Stop this fight," the boy said. "Or I'll report you to the Sparts."
Terrified by the mere presence of the dragon, the two individuals fled without a second thought.
Yabal, unable to contain himself, ran toward the stranger.
"Hey, you! Hi! I'm Yabal Akabané!"
"Akabané..." Léopold repeated thoughtfully.
"I WANT A BEAST, TOO! AND I WANT A DRAGON!"
The boy, Léopold, gave an embarrassed laugh. "Sorry, but I don't know where to find dragons."
The others, having caught up to Yabal, spoke. "Then where'd you get yours?" Angel asked.
"I don't know. My mother told me this dragon has been with me since I was an infant."
"Are you interested in the tournament?" Yuga asked.
"I've heard about it where I'm from," Léopold said. "I want to see what the fights are like before I think about joining."
"You're not from here," Yuga observed. "I'm attracting a lot of foreigners lately."
"No, I'm from Cavally, the City of 1000 Waterfalls."
"That's close to the city, if I remember correctly," Rhea said.
"Even though it's part of Saturn's Eastern Zone, it's very far from the city. If you saw that on a map, don't trust it. The maps don't show the real distances... My name is Léopold. Can you help me find my way around this huge city? I'll compensate you."
"No need!" Yuga said quickly. "We were just sightseeing, you can join us. And if you want, you can sleep at my place. I'm a member of the Order of the Sky, and my name is Yuga."
The others introduced themselves in turn.
"Thank you," Léopold said with a smile.
They spent the rest of the evening sightseeing and even watched another tournament match. Léopold did not seem impressed.
"Why are you heading back already?" Angel asked him later.
"The tournament doesn't interest me," Léopold replied. "I'm not interested in losing a limb for no reason, lol."
"I'm participating too," Yuga said. "My first fights are next week... Maybe I should drop out."
"I'm heading back," Léopold said. "But before that, I have something to show you. Something I need to decipher."
Back at the house, Léopold placed a sheet of paper on the table. It was covered in strange inscriptions.
"Look at this. These are inscriptions on a large tree back home. We call it the Dolphin Tree, or the Waterfall Tree. No one can decipher them. I thought I might find help at the library here. They say fairies wrote this. They supposedly come from one of Saturn's moons. Maybe this will give me a lead on them."
Rhea drew closer, her gaze captured by the complex symbols. She tilted her head, as if listening to distant music.
Her lips moved, and without even realizing it, she read aloud:
"The Great Clan of the Lunains."
Silence fell, heavy and instant.
The four boys turned to look at her. What they saw left them speechless.
The sclera(the white of her eyes)had turned ink-black. Her pupils had vanished. Her eyes no longer looked like eyes, but like a starry sky; a magnificent, deep, infinite night sky, the kind one gazes into to remember events long forgotten.