While he hadn't really felt the pressure to get the spaceship into his system space before, he was definitely feeling it now.

The Red Dragon spaceship was something highly sought after, it was a big risk leaving it out in the open like that.

The spaceship's AI had assured him that the current position of the vessel was safe, but that was only temporary.

Two months ago, when he'd first woken up in the spaceship with a new body, the location had been very safe. The Obscuron hadn't expanded so much into the northern regions like he was currently doing.

But after Tatehan had spent two months in a coma while going after the Hexapod Mauler, a lot of things had changed during that time. The Obscuron was now surely spreading more rapidly than before, and it was only a matter of time before he found the spaceship.

Tatehan should be there now, doing repairs, trying to get the vessel into his system space as fast as he could.

The northern region of Mars seemed to be harder to gain control of than the other regions, Tatehan noticed. The occupants of this place were putting up a real fight against the villain, and Tatehan could bet he already knew how this would eventually end, in a way.

Perhaps all the people of Waython Hollow would face the Obscuron together. Some sort of planetary war—everyone versus him and his forces.

They drank in silence, the coffee doing its job of awakening his brain, which still carried some lingering fatigue.

The partial regeneration ability had done a lot of work, he noticed, and he was even surprised Riven hadn't asked how he could walk normally or even use his hands properly after taking such brutal hits from Mub.

'Maybe she thought I got treatment from the medical equipment in the room.'

This made him think about Lyra. He had expected to see the girl and talk to her, but reality had been disappointing in that regard.

Her father, Kael, had said that the core would be used to power up some medical equipment that would treat his daughter.

Back at the medical room, Tatehan had seen the nurse place the bio-neutral core directly into Lyra's chest. He didn't fully understand what he'd witnessed.

That didn't seem like powering up equipment at all. That had looked like something else entirely.

——

Finally, after finishing his cup of coffee, he watched Riven drain the last of hers and set down the cup with a soft clink. "Come on," she said, standing. "Let me show you where I live. It's not far from here."

'Uh... she wants to take me to her house?'

This surprised Tatehan because he hadn't expected this at all. She'd only said she would show him around the city, not her actual home.

Well... luck was on his side. He hadn't seen what the inside of a Martian house looked like before.

He was also surprised by how well he and Riven seemed to get along, as if they'd known each other for much longer than they actually had.

They left the coffee shop and stepped back out into the morning sun. The city was even busier now, the streets packed with people going about their daily lives—working, trading, surviving.

The sight of people on Mars doing actual jobs was fascinating. He hadn't really expected to see something so... normal.

But he was probably just being unrealistic. Of course humans would still have jobs and actually work, even though they had superpowers and advanced weapons.

Mars was a civilized planet now, with actual futuristic-looking buildings and vehicles of all sorts,basically people living relatively normal lives.

If they didn't work, there would be no way they'd survive in terms of securing good shelter and eating proper food.

Otherwise, Mars would probably just be a desolate planet where people lived in caves and canyons, killed monsters and ate their meat to survive, and drank water from ponds.

Riven led him through several more streets, gradually moving away from the commercial center and into a more residential area. The buildings here were less neon and flashy but still undeniably futuristic.

Many had external staircases and balconies.

"Here," Riven said, stopping in front of a particular building. "This is where I live. Top floor."

She led him to an elevator instead of stairs.

As they stood inside together, just the two of them, Tatehan looked the space over. It was cozy, the walls incredibly smooth, he couldn't see a single stain or mark on them.

He had been expecting they would climb a staircase, but what was he thinking? Why would there still be staircases a century into the future, on Mars?

The crazy thing was that back on Earth, before the Great Space Dragon War, humans had already been advancing rapidly in similar ways.

Riven pressed a button marked with the number four on the illuminated panel, and the elevator began ascending smoothly.

The speed was moderate but efficient, and soon they reached the fourth floor. The elevator door slid open silently, and they stepped out into a clean corridor.

Riven walked to the last door on the left. She placed her hand on a biometric panel mounted on the wall beside the door. The panel glowed briefly as it recognized her signature, and the door unlocked with a soft click before sliding open.

Tatehan noticed that biometric recognition seemed to be the standard way people accessed their homes on this planet, rather than using physical keys like back on Earth, though even before he'd left Earth, there had already been inventions moving toward more advanced door systems.

"Welcome to my humble home," she said with a slight, self-deprecating smile.

Tatehan stepped inside and looked around carefully.

The apartment was small—very small. The main room served as living space, sleeping space, and kitchen all at once. There was a narrow bed pushed against one wall, neatly made with simple gray sheets. A small cooking area occupied one corner, featuring a portable heating unit, a few pots and pans hanging from hooks, and a tiny sink. A single window provided natural light, and through it, Tatehan could see a view of the city spreading out below.

Against another wall was a small desk cluttered with various items, maps, what looked like tools, some kind of technical equipment, and scattered papers. Above the desk was a shelf with a few personal belongings: a couple of books, a small plant that was somehow surviving in a tiny pot, and a framed photograph of people Tatehan didn't recognize.

"It's not much," Riven said, closing the door behind them. "But it's mine. Rent's affordable, it's relatively safe, and I can lock the door at night without worrying too much about someone breaking in."

"It's good," Tatehan said honestly. "Better than a lot of places I've seen on Mars."

That was somewhat of a lie, considering the only other places he'd really seen on Mars were the wastelands and the Red Crest Clan compound.

Nevertheless, he found Riven's place to be quite nice actually. It was better than any apartment on Earth meant for a single person—cozy, functional, and clearly well-maintained despite its small size.

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