Images of nightmares flashed by: horrific pasts, consumed by countless wars against the mutants.
Ramos, lost, dressed in a soldier's uniform, was covered in wounds and at the end of his strength. He sat down for a moment and brought his canteen to his lips, when suddenly a tentacled mutant, of colossal size, emerged from nowhere.
— Damn it, will this never end!
Ramos got up and ran away. The monster's attack ravaged the ground and destroyed the city in one blow. Explosions erupted on all sides, and Ramos felt his final hour approaching. Yet, he stopped and faced this titanic creature.
— We humans are proud! I will not run anymore. Come closer, you filthy monster, so I can smash your face in!
— Graaaaaah! roared the mutant.
Ramos ran toward it. With one motion, he pulled a war rifle from his back and fired at the creature, with no effect whatsoever.
— Damn it, this thing is bulletproof!
The mutant spread its tentacles and destroyed everything around it. Those colossal appendages struck Ramos head-on, hurled him against a skyscraper, and went right through him. He fell back to the ground, spitting blood. He got up and stared at the monster.
— So this is my end… Where is the army, to bring this thing down?
— Ramos! Ramos! Ramos!
— What? This mutant can talk? And it knows my name?
— Ramos! Ramos!
The world began to shake, and the reality around him shattered into countless shards of glass, then…
****
Ramos opened his eyes and looked around. Salomé was beside him, and they were in a place resembling a plain.
— Huh? So it was just a dream?
Salomé looked at him and smiled. Ramos smiled back.
— I am glad it was only a dream: I thought I was going to die. Hello, Salomé Satsujin Otoko. Where are we?
— We are in the plain. Sakolomé and Bakuzan are clearing Mom's land, and Dad is repairing your plane.
Ramos, surprised, tried to sit up in a hurry, but a pain shot through his abdomen.
— Arghh! What is…
He lifted his jacket and discovered bandages on his stomach.
— But what is this?
— Mom put them on you, after the beating Dad gave you yesterday. Do you remember?
— Huh?
A memory crossed his mind, then everything came back to him.
— Ah yes… against Niyus.
Salomé nodded.
— You know, Mr. Ramos, Mom gave Dad one hell of a scolding because he hurt you!
Ramos blushed.
— But she should not have! I asked for it.
Salomé stood up.
— Shall we go join Dad?
— Of course. After what happened yesterday, I want to know more about him.
Salomé smiled. Ramos observed her: she was an adorable little girl, full of energy. Beside her brothers, she was the one who radiated the most warmth. Was it because she was still so young, and did not know how much her own kind were hated in this world?
*****
Ramos and Salomé finally reached Niyus, who was busy repairing the plane.
— Hey, Niyus!
Niyus pricked up his ears, looked for where the voice was coming from, and caught sight of Ramos. He came out from under the aircraft, stood up, and came toward him.
— My dear friend, have you just woken up?
— Yes. I found little Salomé beside me; she explained the situation to me: I was a little lost.
— I am glad to see you in such good shape. Your plane is almost fully repaired. You will soon be able to get back on the road.
Niyus went over to a small basket and took out two cans of beer. He handed one to Ramos, who smiled.
— Damn, Niyus, you have good taste! This is a beer I love.
— I am glad to hear it. Please, let us take a seat.
Niyus, Ramos, and Salomé sat down on a blanket, directly on the ground. Niyus took a can of juice from the basket and handed it to his daughter.
— Here, this is for you.
— Thank you, Dad!
Sitting down, Niyus turned toward Ramos.
— So, Ramos, I hope you are feeling a little better? I am not used to hitting humans, and I did not know that, with my kick, I had crushed your stomach and severed your spinal nerves.
Ramos, stunned, spat out his beer.
— What?
— Yes, my friend. Fortunately, my wife masters the healing and advanced medical techniques of the dragon men. She managed to reconnect them. She says you will have to keep the bandage on for more than a week, and avoid sudden movements. But do not worry: everything has been repaired.
Ramos remained silent. Never in his life had he seen a human hit so hard. Niyus was not a human: he was undoubtedly a superhuman.
— Niyus, where does such power come from?
Niyus sighed and closed his eyes. He took off his T-shirt.
— It is a very long story, which goes back a long way.
Ramos could not believe his eyes. Niyus's body was covered in scars, as if he had been tortured for years.
— Wow… How could you have so many scars?
— I do not know if I can reveal that to you, but I will tell you one thing. These scars are the memory of my power, but that power cost me dearly. I lost loved ones, I went through terrifying chaos, and I never want that to happen to me again. I have a family that I love, and my life as a mutant hunter is far better than my former life. In truth, even today, I have lost an enormous amount of power. In the past, I would have had what it took to wipe out all the mutants, but I did not have them in my sights: I was focused on something else.
— Niyus, what you are telling me is incredible.
— When you are weak and you desire power, you do not imagine what it can have that is bad, especially when you want it in excess. Today, I prefer the man I have become. Life is much better, and I assure you that I prefer having mutants as opponents rather than my former enemies.
Ramos fell silent. He felt that, no matter how much Niyus spoke, he was keeping things to himself. Niyus seemed to regret his past, even as he said he had possessed phenomenal strength.
— Niyus, you mentioned the dragon men when talking about your wife. Who are they?
— The dragon men, in my memories, were a sacred people. They were all wiped out by… hum…
Ramos, consumed by curiosity, pressed him.
— By what?
— I do not want to talk about it. But do you know Princess Amu Stella?
Ramos thought.
— The princess who, according to history, is said to have pleaded for her people by teaching medical care during the war against the mutants?
Niyus nodded.
— No… do not tell me that is your wife?
— And yet, it is indeed her.
Ramos's astonishment doubled.
— That story goes back so long ago! The war against the Satsujin Otoko had not even happened yet. That woman had been called a traitor, because she had kissed a Satsujin Otoko and declared before everyone that they were not monsters. That Satsujin Otoko… was it you?
Niyus nodded.
— But then, Niyus, how old are you?
— I am 3050, and my wife is 3045.
— What? Yet, to look at you, I look older than the two of you!
Niyus smiled.
— The tea of longevity. She knows how to prepare it. It extends life by thousands of years, without a single wrinkle appearing. My wife was… no, she is the princess of the noble dragon men, and the princesses of that ancient people possessed broader knowledge and more advanced practice.
Ramos remained silent. He was so absorbed by Niyus's words that he forgot that his plane needed to be repaired.
— Niyus, do you have some of that tea on you?
— Of course. Wait a second.
Niyus reached into his basket and took out a bottle containing a slightly dark liquid. He opened it, poured a little into a small glass that he had also taken from his basket, and handed it to Ramos.
— Go on, taste it.
Ramos took the glass and looked at it for a moment.
— Its smell gives me a slight dizziness.
— That is normal. Go on, taste it.
Ramos took a sip. Immediately, he felt a change within himself. His internal injuries disappeared completely, and the illnesses that were about to attack him later vanished. A new energy filled him, and he felt as though he were coming back to life.
— Wow, that is incredible!
He began jumping around like a child, which made Salomé laugh.
— Ha ha! Mr. Ramos is acting all strange!
— Of course, my little one! This tea is extraordinary. Why is it not known?
Niyus closed the bottle and stood up.
— Because people take us for sorcerers. They believe we want to kill them. At the market where my wife works, the town hall circulated her name, and since people learned that her name is Amu Satsujin Otoko, customers distrust her and believe she is evil. Fortunately, there are still people who trust her and buy her products: that helps us pay for the children's schooling and feed ourselves.
— How much does she sell them for?
— Oh, only six KM.
— WHAT?
Ramos had shouted. Niyus smiled.
— It is cheap. She sells several, for medical care and the rest. One thing is certain, though…
Ramos cut him off.
— It is far too unfair to sell such products for six KM! It makes no sense! In the world of big business, it would be at least twenty million GKM.
— GKM? That is an immense sum, considering that one million KM is already gigantic.
— Listen, Niyus, I have a friend who is an entrepreneur. He is going through a rough patch, because his medicines are not always effective: some illnesses are too serious and even require amputations or euthanasia. It is unfortunate, because the hospital where he sells his products was renowned for curing ninety-eight percent of illnesses, and the rate has dropped to forty-five. I would like to talk to him about it, present this proposal to him, and then we would discuss it with your wife. What do you say?
— Hmm… I do not really know. I do not want her to get into trouble.
— Do not worry, I promise you she will have nothing to fear. She could earn millions of GKM; it would be very beneficial for you.
Niyus smiled.
— It is true that it would be very beneficial for us. I will talk to her about it.
— Noooo!
Niyus, puzzled, looked at Ramos with a lost expression.
— We are going to surprise her. Your wife is extraordinary; she will be recognized for what she knows how to do. It saddens me to see that a product capable of offering longevity costs only six KM at the market. It should sell for hundreds of billions of GKM at the very least, I tell you, not the price of two ordinary pieces of bread.
— We ask for nothing more, Niyus replied with a smile. But the tea of longevity must be consumed in moderation. At the market, she sells the kind that extends life by at least twenty to one hundred years. The one that can last up to a thousand years is a tradition, and even more: a family secret.
Ramos calmed his enthusiasm and suddenly became thoughtful.
— But then, which one did you have me taste? The one from the market, or the family one?
— The family one. Amu says that, if our children like you, it means you are a good person. She therefore considers you a member of our family.
Niyus then handed the bottle to Ramos.
— Here, this bottle is yours. Take a sip every twenty years: it will purify your sins and destroy the weaknesses that time accumulates, illnesses included.
Ramos was dazzled.
— I do not believe it… A tea like that, for me? Seriously?
Niyus nodded and smiled. Ramos took the bottle and looked at it with moved tenderness, as if he were holding an egg in his arms. He held it carefully, like a sacred object.
— Well, Niyus resumed, I still have a few touch-ups to make on your plane, and then it will be good. Are you coming?