Wanderer Ch 14: The Respect Of Equals, Watcher In The Dark!

It seemed that he had been walking for hours without taking a break or resting his legs, yet he still did not feel tired. Instead, he looked around at the amazing sights and couldn't help but be astonished by the Krugar people surrounding him. As he continued his journey with a few dozen soldiers surrounding him on all sides, Jack began to notice that his surroundings were changing more and more. The buildings grew taller and glistened like diamonds, the streets became clearer, and the Krugar people started wearing more elaborate and beautiful outfits of bright orange and bronze.

"What is this?" Jack asked with attitude. "High society?"

"High society?" Ko Jaro echoed, his black eyes widening as he looked at Jack. "You could say that. This is the place of royals and nobles."

"I knew it," Jack thought to himself.

He hated snot-nosed people, and he knew that nobles were exactly like that. They were people who looked down on others, and he would have none of it, or so he thought as he continued his walk. But as one of the neatly dressed Krugar aliens drew near, Jack was surprised when the orange-skinned alien stopped in front of the troop of soldiers and bowed their head in respect.

Jack quickly glanced around and noticed that the troop of soldiers surrounding him were also bowing their heads to the supposed nobles.

"Huh?" he muttered, raising an eyebrow. It was a sight he had never expected, especially from what he initially assumed to be an elitist society.

"What's going on?" Jack asked, his voice tinged with confusion.

Ko Jaro turned to Jack with a calm expression. "This is our way," he explained simply. "You obviously expected something different." Ko Jaro smirked. "But our species is born to show respect to one another at all times, until that respect is lost, either through dishonor or sacrilege."

"Oh..." Jack said, quickly bowing his head in response. "I guess these people aren't so bad," he thought as Exe Borlag and the rest of the soldiers rose and continued their walk without saying a word to the nobles they had just acknowledged.

Jack followed along, still marveling at the wonders surrounding him. He honestly couldn't get enough of the sights.

"What could someone like me have to offer to these people?" he wondered, feeling both humbled and uncertain about his place in this alien world.

***

Thalassa rushed through the raging torrents of energy that made up the space between dimensions, her colossal form cutting through the fabric of reality itself. She was more massive than hundreds of planets and had withstood the ages, existing in solitude. But now, everything had changed. For the first time in millennia, her heart was pounding, excitement coursing through her as she approached her destination.

"Oh my."

"Huh?" Thalassa snapped out of her thoughts and turned towards Eclipsa, who had one hand raised to her mouth, giggling.

Thalassa hated that playful smile on her sister's face. "What?!"

"Oh, nothing." Eclipsa teased, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "It's just that this is the first time I've seen such a look on your face."

Thalassa's cheeks flushed red with embarrassment, her usual composure shaken. "Oh, shut up! And focus. We need to get to this planet of Krugar as soon as possible!"

"I know, I know." Eclipsa smirked, clearly enjoying her sister's rare moment of shyness. "I'm quite interested in this little spacecraft as well... and its occupant."

"You and me both," Thalassa replied, trying to regain her composure as she refocused on the glowing blue light in the distance.

As Thalassa and Eclipsa raced through the dimensions, their focus entirely on the blue light guiding them, they remained oblivious to the small craft trailing behind them. The craft was sleek and nimble, its dark hull absorbing the ambient energy as it maintained a cautious distance. The pilot skillfully maneuvered it, avoiding the colossal toes of Eclipsa, which wiggled with the playful energy that could obliterate entire star systems.

"Interesting," a voice murmured in a dark room, far removed from the chaos of hyperspace. The room was dimly lit, the only illumination coming from a series of monitors displaying the live feed of the two massive beings. A figure, shrouded in shadows, stood in the center, watching the screen intently.

"To think that such beings could wield so much power," the figure mused, a smile slowly spreading across its hidden face. "I must have it... it must be mine." The voice was low, filled with a dangerous hunger that echoed in the small chamber.

But even as the figure plotted, a question nagged at the back of its mind. "Why the rush? What could these monoliths be after?"

The figure leaned closer to the screen, its eyes narrowing as it watched the sisters hurtling through the void. "Whatever it is, it must be something extraordinary. Perhaps... something I can use."