It has been over ten centuries since humans left Earth and arrived on Nebula.
At least… that is what our ancestors say.
Nebula was a beautiful planet, so far away that it felt like a dream world.
But beauty didn't mean safety.
After the great calamity on Earth, humans searched the stars for a new home.
Nebula had the right air and the right land, so they landed here.
And everything went wrong.
The magical beasts who lived here saw humans as weak prey.
Our machines broke.
The way back to Earth was lost forever.
And the little hope we carried disappeared too.
So the survivors gathered near the outer lands of Nebula, protected only by a strange barrier—something people believed was left behind by the Gods.
As time passed, people divided themselves based on wealth.
The rich lived safer and closer to the strong parts of the barrier.
The poor lived with fear every day.
---
Present — The Beast
A giant beast, almost ten meters tall, stood right in front of Arav.
Its sharp claws scraped the ground.
Its rotten breath hit his face like hot poison.
Arav could not even scream.
His legs were frozen.
His heart felt like it had stopped.
---
A Few Hours Earlier
The late morning air was warm and calm.
Under the shade of a huge tree, two ten-year-old boys were sleeping peacefully.
They were twins—identical faces, identical eyes, identical smiles.
Only their hair was different.
One had long silver hair that reached his shoulders.
The other had short silver hair that moved lightly in the wind.
Suddenly—
"HEY! AARAV! KABEER! WAKE UP!"
A girl came running toward them, panting hard.
"I looked everywhere for you! The whole town!"
The twins slowly opened their eyes—bright light-blue, shining with mischief.
They looked at each other, smirked, and immediately stood up.
Before the girl named Minnie could react, the boys grabbed flower petals and threw them at her.
"BEAST! You're a beast, Minnie! Run!" Aarav shouted.
Kabeer laughed loudly. "Run! Run before she eats us!"
Minnie burst into laughter while running. "Stop! Someone save me!"
The trio ran into the market, still laughing.
Aarav, the long-haired twin, pulled out a small book he carried.
"Look, Minnie! These pictures—mountains, lakes, rivers… My father said humans lived on a planet like this before. Maybe it was heaven."
Minnie giggled, covering her face.
"Aarav… your long hair has made you believe too many stories!"
Kabeer laughed harder.
"He really thinks humans would leave heaven to come to this place? Aarav, you're crazy!"
Aarav lowered his head, embarrassed and hurt.
---
The Returning Soldiers
DONG! DONG! DONG!
The large bell rang from the town hall.
The gatekeeper shouted loudly:
"The Vajra Squad has returned from their mission!"
People rushed toward the gate.
Aarav, Kabeer, and Minnie ran with them.
The commander arrived first on his horse, his uniform dirty with blood and dust.
Behind him marched the soldiers.
A cart followed… filled with bodies wrapped in white cloth.
Kabeer stared at the gate, eyes tense, looking for someone.
The commander stepped down.
His face showed exhaustion, sadness, and guilt.
One soldier announced loudly,
"We have killed the beast that attacked Rangaku Village last night. We honor our fallen comrades!"
Everyone closed their eyes and placed a hand on their chest.
Suddenly, a woman ran forward, crying.
"Sir… where is my husband? He's not here… he's not in the cart… where is he?"
Her voice shook with fear.
The commander looked away for a moment, then spoke.
"Lewis… give her the captain's remains."
A soldier named Lewis stepped forward.
In his hands was a small white cloth… but the cloth was stained red.
"Ma'am… this is all we could recover."
Inside it were a head and a left palm.
The woman screamed and collapsed.
Minnie ran toward the commander with tears in her eyes.
"Papa! You're back! I missed you!"
The commander's expression softened.
He knelt, kissed her forehead, and hugged her tightly.
He turned to walk away when a voice from the crowd shouted—
"Sir! Wait!"