The drawing depicted a white-skinned man with long hair, posed in a reverent manner, as if he were a divine messenger extending an arm of mercy toward blue people prostrating before him, while his other arm rested upon something—or someone—blue, with four small horns.
The standing figure in the portrait looked exactly like Sol. But when Sol studied it carefully, he noticed a difference.
The figure had long hair like Sol, but it was completely white pure white. Sol's long hair, in contrast, was a chaotic, random mix of two colors: white and black.
The village chief gestured humbly toward the most distinguished seat among the others.
[He wants you to sit there... They really don't mean any harm.]
As Sol moved toward that seat, Azure clung to his hand, frozen in place. Her face was a mixture of fear and sadness, her gaze fixed downward. It was as if she was terrified to lift her eyes.
Sol looked at her for a few seconds before pulling her along toward the seat. He sat down and placed Azure beside him on his right. When he did this, he sensed something shift in the chief's expression, but he looked away to give instructions to one of the women.
The women immediately exited, leaving only the adult blue men with Sol. The eldest of the blue people took their seats, while the rest either sat on the floor or simply stood.
"They think I'm someone else..."
[You think so too...the person in the picture was handsome]
Sol frowned slightly before the system's voice said
[it's just a joke]
Sol remained completely silent, thinking about the figure on the large panel. Who was it? Was it a human who survived Earth's destruction? That couldn't be right—humans couldn't survive something like that.
Then Sol suddenly remembered a conversation between the scientists at the facility where he'd been held on Earth. They had been discussing theories of space travel and living on Mars.
"Could they have succeeded? Could this be a human who reached here?"
Sol asked in a questioning tone.
[Maybe he saved them from some disaster. Or helped them with something.]
"If they could save someone, they would have saved themselves. And if they wanted to help someone, they would have helped their own kind."
Sol's tone was dark, carrying a hint of bitterness.
[Maybe they did exactly that. Maybe they saved themselves and helped others first.]
Sol didn't argue or dismiss the system's words. He didn't reply, but he didn't seem convinced.
Four women entered the tent, carrying clothes, ornaments, and sandal . They headed toward one of the rooms connected to the main chamber, waiting before the entrance closed with brown curtains.
[they're waiting for you mr holy one ]
The system's voice said sarcastically
The village chief stood up, smiling, gesturing humbly toward the waiting women. Sol remembered that his clothes had been dirtied and torn after the scale-beast attack.
[ Earlier you wanted to fix your clothes. Now you're getting new ones.]
Sol stood and took a step, but Azure grabbed his clothes, her eyes still fixed downward.
[Looks like her fear hasn't faded... Why not take her with you?]
"No."
Sol did not hesitate to say it
Sol walked toward the women, leaving Azure behind, watching him with sadness and worry. He entered the room, and the women followed behind.
The small room didn't contain much—just some fur covers, a few boxes, and a small fur bed for sleeping.
Sol removed his coat, then his shirt, leaving his upper body bare. The women watched intently.
[Hey, wait...]
"What is it?"
[Are you just going to undress in front of these women like that?]
"What's the problem? Didn't you say their intentions were good?"
[That's not what I meant... Don't you feel any shame? or Anything?]
Sol paused, then looked at the waiting women with his gloomy, tired gaze, fixing his stare for a few seconds before replying in his usual bleak tone:
"No. I don't feel anything."
[What about Azure?]
"She's a little girl "
The system's voice sighed in disappointment, then said:
[I think there's something wrong with your head.]
Sol ignored the system's comment, removed the rest of his dirty clothes, and untied his long hair, letting it fall silkily down his back.
He took the wide white trousers from them, then the light white shirt with some subtle embroidery, then put on the long white coat with its belt. The coat was closer to a bathrobe. He tied his hair back with a white cord.
[Woo!..you look handsome now... Such a shame I don't have a body, otherwise I'd marry you immediately.]
Sol ignored the system and exited the room. The tribe members greeted him with laughter, smiles, and what seemed like joy.
He returned to his seat, where Azure still sat beside him. She seemed even more uneasy than before, while all the blue people stared at him intensely.
[Now what? Are we just going to sit in silence?]
Suddenly, another blue-skinned person entered the tent through the entrance. He appeared to be in his twenties, dressed differently from the rest of the tribe.
He wore a long dark coat with a high collar, fastened with a long belt that held a small bag, daggers, a quiver of arrows, arm guards, a half-gauntlet, dark loose trousers, and sandals that concealed his toes well. He carried a bow in his hand.
When this young man entered, followed by others his age wearing similar clothes, all the adults and everyone in the meeting room stood up and bowed to him—he was clearly younger than all of them.
The young man's gaze was fixed intensely on Sol, his expression one of shock and surprise. His features almost shifted to anger, but he stopped when his eyes moved left and right, taking in the blue people present. Then he forced a false smile onto his face.
He approached Sol, then knelt and bowed. Sol could see the disgust on his face that the young man hid by looking down, before lifting his face again with that same false smile.
[Oh... Another one with a messed-up head.]
Sol recognized the other immediately but didn't react. He simply ignored this.
The kneeling young man spoke, still wearing that large, false smile.
Sol looked at him without changing his gloomy expression, then said:
"No need to force your self to the. Your expression says everything."
The young man stared at Sol in astonishment, then placed his hand on his chin for a few seconds. He stood up and grabbed Sol's hand, causing the blue people in the room to gasp audibly.
The forty-ish man Sol had thought was the village chief stood up and shouted at the young man loudly. But the young man said something that silenced them all. Then he pulled Sol by the hand toward a different room, while one of the people who had entered with him stood guard at the entrance. Azure watched with eyes that seemed to want to scream for Sol.
This room was larger, containing many things: a large fur bed, many big boxes, ornaments, and weapons made of black obsidian with blue veins displayed on a table.
The young man went to one of the large boxes and opened it. From inside the burnt-brown box, he produced the last thing anyone would expect—perhaps even the last thing Sol would expect.
He pulled out a small white box, slightly larger than a palm. But that wasn't the strange part—it was the box's design. It had a modern appearance, as if it came from the future compared to these people living in tents in the forest.
It had rectangular and circular screens displaying strange blue symbols in an organized pattern, with black and blue components.
[Wait... that thing..There's something strange inside it.]
The system's voice sounded worried, trembling slightly, as if it knew what was inside the small white box—and that it was bad. But Sol didn't flinch. He remained still, then asked:
"How do you know that?"
[I don't know... I just... I just feel it.]
Sol paused briefly, then asked:
"How can you feel it when I don't feel anything?"
Before the system's voice could answer, the young man pulled out a Necklace from under his high-collared shirt. It was also otherworldly—a small black rectangular chip.
He placed the chip on the white box. Suddenly, the box made a sound, and the symbols on it changed. Then came the sound of something opening, and white smoke emerged from the box before it split into parts pointing upward.
Inside were three small cylinders the size of a finger, with two empty slots beside them.
Sol studied the cylinders carefully as the young man took one and pressed its top. The cylinder made a sound, strange symbols appeared on it—connected like computer code—and five somewhat long needles extended from the other end.
The young man pulled down his high collar, pressed the cylinder firmly into his neck, and let out a soft whimper. The connected code symbols appeared on his neck, spreading to his cheek, ear, and eye.
Suddenly, strange symbols appeared in the air they gathered and formed four magical circles: two before his eyes, two before his ears. Then they vanished, and the young man pulled back sharply.
[I don't think that thing is good.]
The system's voice said.
The young man looked at Sol and spoke, but Sol understood nothing. The young man stared at him with confusion for a few seconds before speaking again, then pointed at himself.
[He wants something.]
"Seems so."
Sol thought to himself.
The young man sighed in disappointment, then picked up another syringe from the white box, pressed its top, and the five needles extended. He looked at Sol.
[He wants to inject you with it.]
The young man moved his hand swiftly toward Sol's neck without even looking. But Sol's reflexes were faster—he intercepted it.
The young man grabbed the syringe with his other hand, quickly aiming for the other side of Sol's neck. Sol intercepted again, even slapping the syringe from his hand. It flew away, landing on the large fur bed.
Both stared at the syringe, then lunged for it. The young man reached it first, but Sol intercepted with one hand. The young man brought his other hand down toward it, only to meet Sol's other hand.
They pushed each other away from the syringe.
The young man drew a dagger. Sol grabbed one from the table and took a defensive stance. The young man drew another dagger from his belt, and Sol picked up another from the table.
[Don't let him beat you... Go, go!]
The system's voice cheered annoyingly.
"Shut up."
The two stood in place for a few seconds. The young man's azure eyes darted wildly in all directions, confusing Sol slightly. Then suddenly, he threw one of his daggers at Sol.
Sol's reaction was genuinely impressive—his reflexes had always been exceptional. A dagger flying at such speed would be too fast for most, but not for Sol.
"Is that all you've got?"
Sol dodged the dagger skillfully—only to find the other dagger inches from his face. Direct hit. But Sol dodged again, looking for the young man who had lost his weapons. But...
"What... Where did he go?"
The young man had vanished from sight. Then suddenly—the syringe struck Sol's neck. He looked down to find the young man grinning maliciously.
The symbols appeared in Sol's skin and hair, burning intensely at his neck. Then the magical circles. Sol felt as though his sight and hearing had vanished—but they returned, unchanged.
"Now, can you understand me?"
Sol looked at the young man in astonishment, then said:
"Wait—you're speaking!"
The young man ignored his question and said:
"You understand me perfectly... What is the reason for your return?"