The young Sentinel became animated, gesturing wildly toward the ship.

"Can this metal rock truly fly?" he asked, getting even closer to Zion's face.

Zion smiled awkwardly.

"Yes, it can," he said, scratching his head.

"Ohhh, amazing!" it exclaimed, jumping back. "My name is Koru. Human, can we leave now?"

Zion glanced sideways, locking eyes with the Elder Sentinels.

The cold Sentinel stared back at him with unblinking eyes, nodding once.

Zion swallowed hard, turning back to the young Sentinel. "Yes… nice to meet you, Koru. We'll leave right away."

Without any delay, the ship's ramp started lowering, drawing Koru's attention instantly. Its eyes went wide as it dashed towards the hatch.

In that time, Zion turned to the Elder Sentinels again.

"Are you both sure about this?" he asked, voice low. "He doesn't seem like a good fit for the universe…"

The warm-toned Sentinel nodded slowly, a difficult expression on its face.

"We'll take our chances," it said.

Zion fell silent. He felt like the Sentinels weren't telling him the full story at all.

'Even if humans came here and ravaged this place,' he thought. 'They wouldn't casually attack Sentinels.'

Whatever they were protecting must be something of immense value if they suspected humans wouldn't leave a clan of Sentinels alone for it.

The Sentinel noticed Zion's troubled look and opened its mouth. "The young one will tell you more," it said. "But only after leaving this planet."

Zion snapped out of his thoughts, nodding lightly.

"I have one more question," he said. "What do you want me to do with him after we leave here?"

A small smile grew on the warm-toned Sentinel's face.

"That will not be decided by us," it said, voice soft. "He needs to reach a civilized planet safely. From there, he will choose his own path."

Zion remained silent, a slight relief washing over him. 'I don't have to take care of him forever.'

Before he could respond, the cold Sentinel spoke up.

"Now get going," it said coldly. "Or the young one will break your ship apart."

A flicker of confusion flashed across Zion's face. He glanced at the ship, no longer seeing Koru outside.

'Ah, shit,' he thought, his expression darkening.

He glanced at both Sentinels, nodding to them one final time. Then he turned around, dashing toward the ship.

Zion jumped inside, his eyes falling on the trail of moss and muddy footprints on the floor.

'Close the ramp and start the engines,' he thought, pinching his brows. 'I want to get off this cursed planet as soon as possible.'

[Affirmative,] Uriel responded, jumping into action.

As the ramp shifted closed behind him, Zion followed the trail, discovering Koru in the training room.

"How did he even get in here?" he muttered, glancing at the thick metal door beside the doorframe.

[Host left it open,] Uriel replied instantly.

Zion let out a sigh, closing his eyes for a moment. As he approached Koru, the engines hummed to life beneath the ship.

The young Sentinel jumped up, its eyes darting across the room, a hint of fear in them.

"Hey," Zion said, closing the distance.

Koru spun around, looking down at Zion instantly.

"Human!" it said, pointing at the floor. "What is that noise?!"

Zion stared at the young Sentinel expressionlessly. "That sound was the ship's engines starting," he answered.

The Sentinel's mouth fell open. It quickly recovered, firing the next questions at Zion. "What are engines? Are they going to take us into space?"

This time, Zion decided to just ignore it and deal with more pressing matters first.

"Please follow me," he said, gesturing toward the door. "We'll be taking off in a minute, and I'd prefer it if you were seated for that."

"We'll be taking off?!" Koru repeated, nodding enthusiastically. "Lead the way, human!"

Zion turned around, leaving the training room and heading for the control room.

'Uriel, the ship has a function to get some large chairs, right?' he asked.

[Affirmative.]

'Alright, can you switch one in? And make sure it has good restraints on it,' he thought, unlocking the door to the control room.

Seeing how surprised Koru was by the engines, Zion knew he couldn't just let him wander around while they lifted off or exited the planet's atmosphere.

Getting killed because a scared Sentinel broke something wasn't anywhere close to planned—especially not after all the trouble he'd just gone through.

Zion and Koru entered the control room, the large chair he'd requested already in place.

"Sit down in there," Zion said, pointing at it while sitting down in his own.

Koru tilted his head slightly, nodded, and sat down.

Just as Zion opened his mouth to continue explaining, Koru spoke up.

"What now, human?" he asked. "Are we flying yet?"

"We'll be restrained first," Zion pressed, trying his best to keep calm. "The ship can shake violently during takeoff, so it's a requirement."

"Ah," Koru let out, opening his mouth as if he had gained some clarity.

Without further ado, straps shot up from both their seats, locking them safely in place.

"Wow," Koru exclaimed softly, gripping the seatbelts with his hands.

Zion ignored his antics, signaling Uriel to take off.

The engines roared to life beneath the ship, slowly thrusting it upward. As the ship hovered, it began pitching its nose up.

Zion glanced back at Koru once, catching him with his mouth open in amazement.

[We'll be taking off now,] Uriel's voice came through.

The rear thrusters ignited, firing the ship forward. It pierced through branches and leaves within seconds, revealing the clear sky above.

"The sky…" Koru let out softly, eyes practically sparkling.

[We'll be leaving the planet in five minutes,] Uriel spoke in Zion's mind. [Should we make a stopover at the nearest planet before heading to Daresk?]

'Sounds good,' Zion replied. 'That way, we can send the information to the Mercenary Guild early.'

[Starting route to planet Yalqe,] Uriel said, voice mechanical. [Estimated time until arrival: three days.]

A faint smile grew on Zion's face. He closed his eyes briefly, his thoughts drifting to the money he would earn from this mission alone.

But he didn't have long to enjoy the feeling before a rough, child-like voice echoed from beside him.

"What now, human? Are we in space yet?"

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