Zion barely noticed the passage of time as he planned his next steps, his thoughts spiraling endlessly.

It wasn't until planet Yalqe came into sight that he realized nearly three days had gone by.

'Ugh,' he thought, leaning back in his chair. 'What do I do?'

[Host, it's time,] Uriel's voice echoed through his head. [We're approaching the atmosphere. Please get yourself strapped in.]

Zion opened his eyes, nodding slowly.

He pushed himself out of his chair and left his room, heading for the control room.

'I need to get Koru strapped in too,' Zion thought, glancing at the yellow-white planet outside. 'Is he at the mess hall or in the training room?'

Before he got a response from Uriel, he pushed open the control room door.

There, he found Koru already strapped in, staring at the planet in front of the ship.

Zion slowed for a step.

"Oh," he let out, surprise flashing through his eyes.

Koru immediately turned, a wide smile spreading across his face.

"Morning, Zion!" he waved.

"…Good morning," Zion replied, smiling weakly as he sat down and tightened his straps.

He felt a familiar feeling wash over him, one he hadn't felt for a long time.

'Last time, it was with them…' he thought, staring ahead in a daze.

[Host, our ship has been approved,] Uriel said, his voice soft. [We'll be breaching the atmosphere in three minutes.]

Zion shook his head, pushing away the messy thoughts.

'I need to concentrate,' he thought, staring at planet Yalqe. 'Koru can wait until I've briefed Calder and sent the report to the Mercenary Guild.'

It didn't take long before the ship started shaking as they entered Yalqe's atmosphere.

Zion's eyes darted to Koru, silently checking on him.

He'd expected a similar situation as last time, but Koru only groaned slightly, an uneasy smile on his face.

'He's improved a lot,' Zion thought, nodding once.

After a few more seconds, the shaking finally stopped as they officially entered Yalqe.

The ship's loud engines slowly quieted as Uriel took over the final descent.

[Landing clearance confirmed,] Uriel reported quietly. [We'll be landing at Port 5, Section C.]

Zion let out a slow breath, his shoulders relaxing slightly as the planet's surface came into view below them.

Vast stretches of pale terrain spread beneath the ship, broken up by dense clusters of buildings, space harbors, and wide roads.

"What in the…"

Koru leaned forward, eyes wide.

He glanced at Zion, confusion and awe flickering across his face. "What is all of this?"

"That's Yalqe's capital city," Zion answered, staring through the window. "All those large metal structures you see are buildings where millions of people live."

For a moment, Koru didn't speak. His eyes kept moving, trying to take everything in at once.

"So many… people," he murmured. "All living together like this…"

Zion watched him from the corner of his eye. He knew Koru had practically lived the life of a barbarian on Planet D-418, but seeing it like this made the gap in knowledge painfully clear.

[Apologies, Host,] Uriel interjected. [I've only taught him about the ship to prevent accidents…]

'No, it's fine,' Zion thought, shaking his head. 'There simply wasn't enough time to learn it all.'

As the ship landed safely and metal clasps locked it into place, Zion stood up, glancing briefly at Koru.

"We'll head out later," he said quietly. "There are some things I need to take care of first."

Koru nodded slowly, barely paying attention, his mind still processing what he'd just seen.

Zion smiled faintly and turned, leaving the control room and heading back to his own.

[Host, an urgent message just came through from Calder,] Uriel reported, his voice firm. [He's asking you to call him.]

Zion paused, his eyes narrowing as he entered his room.

"…Call him," he said quietly, sitting down at his desk.

A blue hologram appeared in front of him, quickly expanding as Calder's name flashed at the top.

It didn't take long before the call connected, a one-eyed man appearing on the screen as a hoarse voice came through.

"Zane?" Calder asked.

"Yes," Zion replied.

"Where are you right now?" Calder continued, narrowing his eye.

"I've just finished my mission and am currently on planet Yalqe to send in the results," Zion answered, tilting his head.

"Good," Calder said, exhaling slowly. "Don't come back to Daresk for the time being."

"Why?" Zion asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The Sovereignty, the government, and the Mercenary Guild have put massive bounties on anyone who can find the killer," Calder said, frustration evident in his voice. "It's turned into a manhunt on every street."

Zion's expression darkened immediately.

"Did they catch onto my information?"

"The only lead they have is the weapon you used," Calder replied, shaking his head lightly.

Zion went pale, his finger hovering over the screen. "But… I used that when I killed the Blue Mane Crew…"

From there, it wouldn't be difficult to trace him. He'd applied to join them using a fake ID, and there was an eyewitness who could easily identify him.

It wasn't like he'd had another choice since both parties could've killed him if he hadn't used the railgun. But even so, what was he supposed to do now, as a mere peak E-rank?

Not to mention, Calder would go down with him for lending him a spaceship to leave the planet. And if Calder was traced, the rest of the story would unravel easily.

'Fuck,' Zion thought, dragging his hands through his hair. 'The Sovereignty can't catch onto me yet.'

"That's all been taken care of," Calder said quietly, staring at the screen without blinking.

"Huh?" Zion said, disbelief flashing across his face as he snapped out of his thoughts.

"We cleaned your identity from the logs," Calder continued. "And the witness won't be talking."

The words hit Zion harder than expected.

"You…" he asked, jaw tightening. "You killed him?"

Calder sighed, rubbing his temples before going still.

"It was the only way to guarantee his silence."

Zion's grip tightened around the communicator, a sickening feeling settling in his stomach.

He had saved that innocent kid who'd barely started his journey, yet now, he was dead? Because of what he'd done?

"Couldn't you have tried to move him?" Zion asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "Or hide him, like you did with me?"

Calder looked up, his eye sharp as he narrowed it. "And risk my own life? My crew's lives? Everything I've built over decades?"

He leaned back, quiet anger seeping into his voice.

"Did you think I enjoyed killing a kid?" he asked. "I can tell you that much. I did not."

As Zion opened his mouth to respond, Calder raised a hand.

"With all due respect, Zane, you're valuable and can help me greatly," he said, forcing calm into his tone. "But I won't burn everything I've worked for because you made a mistake and leaked your identity."

The words settled heavily between them.

Logically, Zion understood what Calder meant. Even so, it sickened him more deeply than he'd expected.

Calder studied him for a long moment.

"This was never personal," he said at last. "It was for our survival."

Zion looked away, his teeth clenched.

'This wouldn't have happened had I been stronger,' he thought.

The hologram flickered once as Calder's face vanished.

Then the call disconnected.

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