It was green as far as the eye could see as he left the house.
"Can you continue explaining why I was considered a threat and why you changed your mind?" Javohir tried to hide his excitement at the beauty of nature.
"Oh, yes. First, we are not meant to guard Earth at all, but some of the phenomenal disasters that occur on Earth are caused by things we can use for our own purposes. That's why we have patrol groups that wander around Earth and hunt those dangers. During our patrol in your city, you acted differently. The way you walked, looked around, and even the way you spoke—everything about you seemed somehow threatening whenever we were near.
To make it clearer, let's take that road along the garden. You were the only one who used it. Others avoided it because we created a sort of barrier—one that prevents people from getting close." She tried to explain everything in one breath.
"You know what, Lumin?" Javohir said, a good-natured expression on his face.
"What?" She answered with a questioning look, still trying to find the right words.
"Why can't you just get to the point? We can explore the tiny details later. I don't know about you, but I'm not in a hurry." With a reassuring smile, Javohir turned to Lumin.
Lumin stopped, lowering her head to avoid eye contact.
"In short… you are here to be executed," she finally said, her voice quiet and filled with sadness.
"Oh, that's sad." Javohir's tone was oddly calm. "So for now, I don't need to know why I'm being executed… But you said you changed your mind after seeing my memories, right? Can we talk about that instead?"
He looked up at the sky as they neared the hill beside the house.
"I wouldn't mind to be executed either. Because, I don't think your people wanted me dead for no reason. But now, after everything I've seen… How can I just throw my life away? Would they at least give me some time before the execution?" His face lit up as he gazed above from the hill at the view of sky.
"Javohir, I said I'm going to save you! That settles it. You may not be able to return your world… but I don't think you would want to, either." She looked straight into Javohir's eyes with confidence and continued walking down the hill. "You can catch up if you run fast enough. Down this hill, there's… hmm… a village, I think you call it?"
She left Javohir alone, knowing he wanted a moment to himself.
Javohir was still looking at the sky—not because he found it more beautiful than the nature below, but because he was trying not to cry. Yet, as soon as he was sure Lumin was far enough away, he broke down.
"I never thought being taken to another world to be executed would be... Such wonderful," he whispered to himself, unable to hold back his tears. He bit his sleeve, trying to muffle his sobs. He couldn't allow himself to cry out loud. But this time, all he did was cry—uncontrollably, endlessly—in front of the vast world before him.
To his left, endless greenery stretched as far as the eye could see. To his right, reddish-black cliffs loomed in the distance. The sky was clear, and a soft light illuminated everything, even though the sun itself was nowhere to be seen.
Overwhelmed with emotions, he clenched his left fist while biting his right sleeve. Yet he didn't dare to close his eyes—not even for a second. He wanted to see every wonders of this world for as long as he could, while he still had the chance.
As Lumin's words echoed in his mind, he quickly wiped his tears. If I don't hurry, I might get lost in the forest, he thought. But he had already been crying for over an hour. His eyes were red, his eyelids swollen, his sleeves and collar damp with tears.
The road wasn't as long or winding as he had imagined. It was a straight path—leading directly down the hill. And as soon as he stepped out of the forest, the village came into view.
At the end of the road, he saw Lumin leaning on a tree.
"Did you wait this whole time?"
With embarrassment on his face, trying to hide his reddened eyes, Javohir looked around as he questioned Lumin.
"Hm? No. I did some preparations back at the camp, and since you were taking forever, I came to check on you for a bit," she said, then turned and led him toward the village ahead.
As they entered what she called a village, Javohir began to feel uneasy. Everything was strangely silent. Even though he could see a crowd ahead, not a single sound came from them — and that silence made his heart beat a little faster.
A large group welcomed them. They were all lightly armored, much like Lumin — although Javohir couldn't even tell if it was armor or not. It looked more like woven cloth, but he assumed it had to be protective.
Surprisingly, everyone was smiling. They looked genuinely happy. But still… silent.
The crowd was busy preparing for a big dinner—a feast laid out in an open space with long tables and dishes being arranged with meticulous care.
"Mm, Lumin?" Javohir whispered, eyes scanning the crowd.
"What?" she responded, still staring at someone in the front.
"Why is everyone so quiet?" There was a puzzled tone in his voice.
"Oh—right, wait a sec…" She suddenly looked like she'd forgotten something important. Raising her voice, she shouted,
"Squad 3! As I told you earlier, he's human. So use your voices!"
And just like that, everyone burst into laughter, as if they had been laughing the whole time.
A man with long, flowing beards stepped forward, a broad smile playing on his face. "Let us take our time and chit chat while the others ready the dishes," he announced warmly. "There are only few of us left in the 3rd Squad that understand human language... Though, honestly, that isn't really necessary for you to know in full detail."
He paused and grinned. "I'm Tharn, for starters."
Standing proud with his rugged features and battle scars, Tharn continued, "It's the first time I've actually used my name, so come on—show some reaction!"
He then shifted his gaze to a blond girl standing beside him. "And this is Garr," he announced. "Garr is a quiet soul—she's always been cold, and she rarely communicates even with our own kind. But believe it or not, she's one of the few among us who understands the human language" he paused briefly and whispered to his ears trying to avoid eavesdropping "and also she is very kind."
While Tharn spoke, Lumin moved among the others, lending a helping hand wherever needed—arranging tables, checking on the dishes, and making sure every detail for the feast was in place.
Javohir listened with a mixture of curiosity and awe. "Only four of you in the 1st Squad?" "Its like im in some fantasy anime" he murmured, still trying to piece everything together.
Tharn nodded. "Exactly. The 1st Squad handles missions on Earth, while those in the 3rd Squad—like us—are here to inform the Supremes about what's happening. More than a hundred of our kind are already on Earth, rarely returning. The rest help relay intel and support both sides."
He took a moment to glance around as the preparations for the dinner continued while Javohir was wondering if it's okay him to know such informations about them, a festive atmosphere slowly taking shape in the quiet center of the camp.
"…And don't worry," Tharn added suddenly, his eyes shifting sharply toward Javohir with a firm, serious look, "our squad is not here to execute you. I probably shouldn't be saying all this, but I think you already got the idea."
Then his stern demeanor broke into a warm smile. "Now, let's enjoy the party all night!"