Star Childs

February 18, 2024

It’s been a long time since I had that dream. A lot has happened since. I no longer talk to those girls. I was in love with one of them—her name was Cennet—but she didn’t feel the same, and I fell into a deep depression. I stopped taking care of my hair and beard, sought happiness and peace in video games, became a poet, wrote many poems, and compiled them into a book. I even wrote songs. So, yeah... a lot happened. But I can tell you about those things later.

Today’s events, however, can’t wait. It started off like an ordinary Wednesday. I had breakfast, got on my school bus, and headed to class. After the first lesson, we had a twenty-minute recess. That’s when it happened.

I stepped out of the classroom, intending to go to the cafeteria. Everything seemed normal. And then I saw her—Natalia.

She was about five meters away, standing by a classroom door, chatting with some people. At first, I couldn’t believe it was her. To be sure, I called out, "Natalia!"

She flinched slightly and turned around. Her face showed a mix of surprise, happiness, and relief. In a soft voice, just loud enough for me to hear, she whispered, "Mert..."

Then she started walking toward me—and before I knew it, she was running. Without thinking, I ran toward her, too. We collided in a tight embrace. She hugged me so tightly I thought she’d squeeze the life out of me. I hugged her back just as fiercely. She leaned her forehead against my shoulder, and I felt something wet—she was crying, silently, without saying a word.

Then, in a trembling voice, she whispered, "Do you have any idea how long I’ve been looking for you? I finally found you. I have no one else. Please... don’t ever leave me. Please..."

I’m not usually someone who gets emotional, but even I teared up at those words.

"Never. No matter what, I’ll never leave you. Remember? Our destinies are intertwined. We exist for each other."

I hadn’t planned on saying that. In fact, I had never even hoped for something like this to happen. Yet, here she was—Natalia, standing by my side. I needed to find a place where we could sit and talk. But there was something odd—how did Natalia know Turkish?

"I think I’m in your class," she said. "I wasn’t listed in the other classes, and yours was the last one left."

"Come with me. I’ll find you a seat. There should be an empty desk right behind mine."

"Sorry if I made you cry," she said, sniffing a bit.

I brought Natalia to our classroom and seated her at the empty desk behind mine. Unfortunately, this was right next to Cennet—the girl who had rejected me. Natalia must have noticed the way I glanced at Cennet because she suddenly wrapped her arms around my neck and said, "We finally found each other, my love."

I wasn’t expecting that. Cennet gave a sharp breath, stood up, and walked out of the classroom. Natalia’s face lit up with a mischievous smile.

"Why did you do that?" I asked her.

"Isn’t this what we were always meant to be?" she replied. "Besides, that girl hurt you deeply in the past. She broke your heart. Yet, you don’t harbor any ill will toward her."

"Wait... did you just read my mind?"

"Yes. It’s my specialty."

"Specialty? What does that mean?"

"I’ll explain later. But right now, we need to talk about something more important. Have you noticed anyone acting strange lately? Or sensed odd waves coming from people’s bodies?"

"No. Should I have?"

"Good. That means they haven’t reached you yet. If they didn’t follow me, we should be safe."

"Who’s following you?"

"The Lizamorphs."

"Lizamorphs? What are those?"

"Think of them as reptilian creatures—like lizards or crocodiles, but human-sized. I’ll explain more later."

We talked until the bell rang, signaling the end of recess. Our conversation flowed like that of two old friends reunited after years apart. Natalia told me why she was here, how she had gotten here, and what she meant by "specialty."

Her story was tragic. Six months ago, her family was slaughtered by those creatures she called Lizamorphs. She found their dismembered bodies drenched in blood when she returned home. Her little sister was missing—likely abducted because the Lizamorphs thought she was the "Star Child." Natalia also discovered that a bounty had been placed on us across the universe. Different species were hunting us, hoping to claim the reward, though she didn’t know exactly what they would gain.

After losing her family, Natalia embarked on a journey—from Moscow to Volgograd, through Dagestan, and eventually to Georgia. Finally, she arrived in Turkey. Along the way, she encountered several more Lizamorphs but managed to eliminate them. That’s how I learned the only way to kill them: decapitation.

She also explained her specialty. Each "Star Child" has a unique ability that sets them apart—hers was mind reading, and she could even use some telekinesis. To demonstrate, she pushed a water bottle across the desk without touching it. I tried to do the same, but failed.

"Your abilities will only reveal themselves when your adrenaline kicks in," Natalia told me.

The bell rang again, signaling the start of the next lesson, and we ended our conversation.

During class, Natalia introduced herself:

"My name is Natalia. I’m from Russia. I hope we get along well this semester."

She was tall, almost my height, which made her stand out among the other students. After the lesson, everyone crowded around her, bombarding her with questions: "Why did you come here? What do you like?"

One boy asked if she had a boyfriend, as they always did with new students. Natalia glanced at him, and I silently hoped she’d say my name. Knowing she could read my thoughts, I held my breath.

"Yes, I do," she replied.

"Is he from this school?"

"From this class," she said, turning around and taking my hand.

The room fell silent. The others were stunned, especially Cennet and her friend. They knew Cennet had rejected me and had mocked me for it. Now, seeing someone like Natalia by my side, they were speechless. I couldn’t help but laugh quietly, resting my head on my desk.

One of the girls asked Natalia, "You’re joking, right?"

"No," Natalia said calmly. "Why would I joke about something like that? Mert is the best boyfriend I could ever have. He’s not just my partner but also my friend. I couldn’t ask for anyone better."

The girl was left speechless. Natalia stood up, took my hand, and pulled me along. "Let’s go to the courtyard," she said.

We walked out, hand in hand, as the crowd parted for us like we were royalty. Outside, we sat on a bench, gazing at the sky.

"How did I do? Their reactions were priceless!"

"Yeah, especially Cennet’s," I chuckled. "But I have to ask... what exactly are we?"

"Honestly? I don’t know," Natalia admitted. "Two people who met in a dream, reunited in reality, and happen to be the children of cosmic beings.” "I know you have a lot of questions on your mind. I think we’ll find the answers together. Look, I’ll tell you what."

"Go on, I’m listening."

"Why don’t you stay over at my place tonight? We can chat, get to know each other better, and talk about what we’re going to do next. What do you say?"

"Ahh... Okay. I’ll tell my mom that I’m staying at a friend’s place."

"Perfect!" Natalia said, hugging me.

She was so happy. I was glad to have made her happy. That sparkle in her eyes was worth everything. We sat together on the bench, watching the sky. Before we went back to class, Natalia even made a joke: “Look, isn’t that Orion up there?” We both laughed at that.

When we got back to class, the others still looked bewildered. I chuckled quietly to myself. Soon, class began, and before I knew it, lunchtime had arrived. We headed to the cafeteria on the top floor. After grabbing our trays, we went to wash our hands.

I went to the restroom first. While I was inside, someone else entered the washroom. When I finished, I saw that it was a younger student, likely from the lower grades. He had black hair, dark eyes, and looked to be in 10th or 11th grade. He was slightly shorter than me and was washing his hands.

I must have been starving, because not only did my head hurt, but I also noticed waves of energy radiating from the boy’s body. They seemed strangely still. And that’s when it clicked—Natalia had asked if I’d ever seen strange waves coming from people’s bodies.

Could he be a Lizamorph? Without understanding how these waves worked, making a move could end badly. The smartest option was to wait and wash my hands.

As I washed, I decided to talk to him—maybe he was just a normal person? “What grade are you in?” I asked.

"11th," he replied.

The waves started shifting. It felt like a strange interaction. He walked toward the exit but didn’t leave—instead, he grabbed the door handle and twisted it the wrong way. The handle snapped off. He turned to me and said: "The son of Orion. Ha-ha. One down, three to go."

His skin began to scale, turning from light flesh to gray. His eyes narrowed into reptilian slits. His tongue split in two at the tip, and his teeth sharpened. His nails grew longer and became claw-like. There was no doubt—he was a Lizamorph.

He hissed and lunged at me. I dodged, but his claws grazed my arm. The cut wasn’t deep, but it bled. As he turned his back to me, I kicked him in the spine. He stumbled slightly, but barely budged.

["What did Natalia say? ‘You need to sever its head.’ That’s right!"]

I had some combat experience, though not much. The creature turned and spat at me. Luckily, I dodged again—the spot where the spit landed began to dissolve. Acidic saliva.

It swung its claws at me, and I tried to grab its arm, but it was too strong. The force sent me flying into a toilet stall door, knocking it off its hinges, and the door fell on top of me. Considering I weigh around 90 kilos, this thing was really powerful. Luckily, the door was light, and I quickly shoved it off me.

I grabbed the door and rammed it into the creature, pinning it against the opposite wall. The door pressed against its neck. ["This is my chance."]

I pushed the door with all my might, hoping to choke it unconscious. The creature prepared to spit again, so I pulled the door back slightly and slammed it forward once more, focusing all my strength into the push. It couldn’t spit this time. It was choking.

I repeated the move a few more times. It seemed to be suffocating. But this time, it grabbed the door from the other side and pushed it back at me. I was flung across the room, slamming into the opposite wall, hitting my head hard. My head throbbed, and I could feel blood trickling down.

The Lizamorph advanced toward me. "Give up. You can’t defeat the servant of Maanen," it said.

Who was Maanen? Right now, it didn’t matter—I was about to die.

A piece of broken tile lay on the ground near me, sharp and jagged from where it had cracked. But it was too far away.

["These powers manifest when your adrenaline spikes," Natalia had said.]

I focused all my attention on the piece. Stretching out my hand, I tried to pull it toward me. The Lizamorph grabbed my neck, choking me. If I couldn’t pull that tile to me, I was done for.

"Come on!" I shouted.

"What’s the matter? Do you want me to kill you already?" the creature mocked.

"No, I want this!" I said.

The tile flew into my hand, and I stabbed it into the creature’s throat. A strange fluid oozed from the wound. It let out a high-pitched shriek, almost like a whistle, and staggered back, clutching its neck.

I didn’t waste any time. Running toward it, I grabbed the jagged tile and began sawing at its neck. The head was still attached by the spine. I stepped on its shoulders, grabbed its head, and pulled with all my strength.

There was a sickening crack. I had done it. I had severed its head.

The head burned my hands, so I tossed it against the wall. Both the body and head dissolved into a foul-smelling, colorless liquid.

It was finally over.

My arm throbbed with pain. I used some paper towels from the sink to clean the wound. It looked manageable for now.

Just as I was about to leave, I noticed the broken door handle. I tried to fix it, but it wouldn’t budge, so I kicked it back into place. The door wouldn’t close properly, but at least I could get out.

Natalia was standing outside the restroom.

"I’m here," I said. She turned and saw my arm.

"What happened to your arm?! Those are claw marks... Don’t tell me—"

"Yes, a Lizamorph. Don’t worry, I took care of it. And... I think I have telekinesis."

"I’m so glad you’re okay! I heard noises but wasn’t sure what was happening."

"I’m fine, don’t worry," I said, placing a hand on her shoulder and pulling her close. She seemed to relax, at least a little.

As we headed toward the lunch line, I thought to myself:

["I just killed a strange, reptilian creature. And I did it using telekinesis! How much weirder can my life get?"] I was truly someone special. I was a descendant of the universal beings, Orion. We took our food and moved to one of the tables to start eating.

Natalia asked, "Did he say anything to you?"

"Well, yes. He told me while locking me in the bathroom."

"What did he say?"

"The son of Orion. One went, leaving three."

"So there are four people?"

"No, remember what Orion said. One lineage from each continent. So there should be a total of seven people. Considering what he told me, there should be four men. Also, I think I know one of them."

"How so? Who is this person?"

"I'm not sure, but his name is Samuel. He’s in America. So if he hasn’t changed continents in the last two years."

"When you come to visit me, let’s investigate this. Okay, let’s say this Samuel is one of us. Then it means—"

"Four people remain. You are from Asia. I am from Europe, and Samuel is from America. That leaves Africa, Australia, South America, and Antarctica."

"We can somehow reach the others, but Antarctica? That seems like it will be very difficult."

"Probably, yes. First, let’s find the others, and then we’ll figure out how to get there."

While we were having lunch, I was carefully looking at Natalia. It was the first time I was looking at her this closely. I hadn’t noticed her beauty, the happiness, and the surprise. Her eyes were even more beautiful than I had dreamed. Her facial features, nose, eyelashes, eyebrows, lips, hair, and the freckles on her face... She was truly a perfect girl. Her body was like that too, with an hourglass figure. It seems that when Orion's DNA combines with a human's DNA, such a masterpiece emerges. After lunch, we chatted about things we liked. Almost everything we loved was the same. I had really found my counterpart. We spent the whole day together, talking, laughing, and having fun during every break. When our last class ended, we grabbed our bags and got on the bus. We were heading to Natalia's house, and we would have plenty of time to talk about everything that had happened to us. Of course, we talked on the bus as well. It was completely ours. After a 15-minute journey, we arrived home. It was a single-story detached house. We entered through a small garden gate. The house had two rooms and one living room. It was quite sufficient for a single person. We moved to the living room and sat down. Natalia went to the kitchen to make us tea. As I sat quietly, I heard sounds coming from behind the sofa. There were waves of aura emanating from behind the couch. I got up from where I was sitting and cautiously looked behind the sofa. I was actually expecting a strange creature, but instead, I found a large orange cat. Although that didn’t change the fact that it was a strange creature. I asked Natalia what this big, furry creature was doing here. She told me she found it sleeping in the garden when she came to rent the house. She had been living with the cat ever since. The cat would go inside the house if it wanted, or stay in the garden. Usually, it came home in the evenings and slept at the end of Natalia's bed. While I was petting the cat, Natalia brought our tea. She told me about the things that had happened to her and the places she had seen. The capital, Moscow; the Historic City of Volgograd; Tbilisi, famous for its cathedrals; Batman, the oil source of Turkey; Trabzon, the Black Sea Fisher; Samsun, the Footsteps of the Republic; Istanbul, the Capital of the World; and Yalova, Paradise on Earth. The Lizamorphs had appeared the most in Russia, especially in Volgograd. She had planned to stay for a week but had to stay for two days. She encountered five of them at once there. Two of them finished their job, but they fled to Tbilisi because they were injured. By the time she got here, she had defeated one more of them. I killed one of the remaining two. We don’t know where the last one is. If possible, we wouldn’t want to know either.

"I’ve talked about myself a lot. You should tell me what happened while I was gone," Natalia said. "I don’t have much to tell. As you know, Paradise rejected me. Other than that, nothing significant happened," I replied. "Hmm, I see," said Natalia. "Now that we have found each other, I’m sure we will create many beautiful memories together," she said. I agreed with her. We would create thousands of memories together that we would never forget. She leaned towards me on the couch and whispered in my ear, "Let this be the first of our memories, okay?" She wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed her lips against mine. It was something I had never expected. At the same time, it was both my and her first kiss. I hesitated for a moment. She pulled her lips away from mine and looked into my eyes. "If it’s too early for this, I can—" Before I let her finish her sentence, I started to kiss her. We were filled with passion. After that, we watched movies and series together. After the episode we were watching ended, Natalia took a shower. Even as she went to take a shower, I jokingly asked, "Can I join you?" After thinking for a moment, she said, "Maybe in a few months," and smiled as she turned her back and left. While Natalia was showering, I tried to find out where our other kin were. But no matter how much I thought, nothing came to my mind. I went out to the balcony to clear my head a bit. I lit a cigarette and sat down in a chair. Looking at the sky, I said, "Hey, Orion. If you can hear me, help me." Just then, Natalia's phone rang. I went inside to check who was calling. Natalia had arrived before me. She was still wearing her shower towel and a towel on her hair. She was trying to answer the phone with one hand while holding her towel with the other. "If you need help, I can hold your towel," I said. Chuckling, she said, "Pervert," and put the phone to her ear. The caller was the landlord. He was asking about the rent. Natalia said, "I’ll pay the rent soon, I’m sorry for the delay in my work." I could only hear the landlord say, "No problem." After hanging up the phone, I said, "Landlords here usually don’t take delays this well." As she placed the phone on the table, she replied, "I know, but these people haven’t encountered a mind controller like me before." She was right. Not only here, but no one in the world had encountered people like us. We were special. We had powers. If these powers were in the wrong hands, the world could go to very bad places. Thankfully, these powers were with us. "I tried to find out where the others are, but I couldn’t find anything. I’m very tired; I’m going to sleep," I said. Natalia replied, "We’ll find a way. Also, it’s normal for you to be tired. Fighting with one of the Lizs is exhausting." "Liz?" "Yes, Lizamorph is too long, this is easier." said Natalia. We gave each other a goodnight kiss and went to our beds to sleep. I fell asleep peacefully and happily. In my dream, I was floating in space. I heard a familiar voice that I hadn’t heard in a long time, calling my name, "Mert." I recognized it was Orion. "Orion, yes, we need your help." I think you and Natalia have found each other. Congratulations. This was expected from you." "Yes, we found each other. Now it’s the others' turn. How will we find them? What are their names?" "Unfortunately, I have no information about their locations. I can only tell you their names and the continents they are on." "So when we reach the continent, how will we find them?" "There is a bond among the kin. The closer you are, the stronger this bond becomes. You are two people. When you reach the place where the others are, hold hands. This will maximize the power of the bond." "I understand. But where are they? Is there someone named Samuel among them? He might be in North America." "Very good. You’ve already found someone. Samuel is in North America. Benke is in South America. Akia is in Africa. Kevin is in Australia. Finally, there’s Eira. She is in Antarctica. I barely know about her. She is still alive, but I don't understand how. She has been stationary for the last 3000 years." "Wait a minute, what!? What do you mean you haven’t heard from her in 3000 years? Are you sure she is alive, Orion? Because for a human to live that long—" "I know, it’s impossible. I have more knowledge about her species than you do. Eira was in the most advanced city of that time." "How advanced exactly?" "Enough to travel between planets. It’s a pity that she was destroyed in the war with Mars." "The war with Mars?" "Yes. You need to leave without wasting more time. If you want to discuss this topic later, just call me," said Orion. He woke me up before I had a chance to speak. I fell out of bed, shouting, "Orion!" "You bastard," I muttered to myself. Natalia must have heard me, as she rushed into the room, wearing a nightgown that clearly had been thrown on in a hurry. "Mert! Are you okay? I heard you shout," she said. I replied, "Yes, I'm fine. Something important happened." "What happened?" I looked up at her and said, "Orion... I learned the names and places of the others." "That's wonderful! We need to talk in more detail," she said, taking my hand and pulling me up from the floor. It was just before 5 a.m. At this hour, the beach would be empty. We put on our jackets and went for a walk. We talked while walking. Natalia asked, "So who are they?" "Samuel is really from our lineage, from North America. Benke is in South America. Akia is in Africa. And in Australia, there’s Kevin." "That makes six of us. Orion said there’s one generation from each continent. But what about Antarctica?" "That’s the most complicated place." "I can guess why. No one lives there in our time." "Yes, but that’s not the main problem." "Then what is it?" "The person who is 'living' in Antarctica is Eira." "Wait a minute, is the seventh person dead?" "Worse. Orion felt their presence there 3,000 years ago." "Is Eira 3,000 years old!?" "If she’s alive, yes. According to Orion, she’s still alive." "But how is that possible? How can she survive for thousands of years?" "According to Orion, Eira was born in the most advanced city of that time. It was so advanced that they had technology capable of interplanetary travel. Unfortunately, all of the civilization was destroyed in a war with Mars. Including the Martian civilization." "My head is spinning. Did our ancestor fight with the Martians? Wow!" "Yes. That’s all he explained to me before waking me up." "We definitely need to get Orion to explain this to us." "Yes," I said to Natalia. We sat on a bench by the sea. She rested her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes. A sense of peace filled my soul. [Finally, someone who loves me.] "Always," Natalia said with a slight smile. "Are you reading my mind again?" I asked. With an embarrassed demeanor, she said, "I’m sorry." "It’s fine. Just don’t do it too often, okay?" I replied. The time for the shuttle to arrive was approaching. We got up from the bench and headed home. On the way back, we decided we needed to leave as soon as possible. The closest time we could do that would be after graduation. So we decided to spend time and make memories until then. When we got home, we put on our school uniforms. When the school shuttle arrived, we went to school. After a normal day at school, we went home. The next five months passed like this. In those five months, we did a lot of things. We went to the movies, had dinner, created nights and moments I could never erase from my memory, went swimming, and did tons of things. Finally, graduation day arrived. We were getting ready for the graduation ball at Natalia's house. Natalia didn’t like to wear makeup. She applied a bit of mascara, nail polish, and light lipstick, finishing her makeup. She called me to zip up her dress. It was a brown dress that matched her eyes, with a slit on her right leg. "You look perfect, as always," I said. With a sweet smile, she replied, "You look very handsome too, as you always do." After all the time that had passed, Natalia and I had become more like a married couple than just lovers. We had come to know each other better than ourselves. Although we had a few differences, we were almost the same. I couldn’t tell if our meeting was a result of Orion's wish or if it was already written in our destiny. But if there was one thing I knew, it was that I had found the perfect person. We completed our final preparations and got into the car I had bought with the money I earned from book sales over the past months. This car was my dream car: a '67 model Chevrolet Impala. It was a love from a show I had watched about two brothers hunting creatures. We headed towards the venue for the ball. We had a cassette with our favorite road trip songs playing in the car. We put it in and turned up the volume. The sun was setting, casting its light over us. With the windows down, we were cruising along. I held the steering wheel with my left hand and her hand with my right. As we navigated the curves in the road, she was moving closer to me. I could see pure happiness and peace in her eyes now. She was no longer the hopeless Natalia I had met on our first day. After a 15-minute drive, we arrived at the venue for the ball. I got out first and went to her side to open the door. She extended her hand, which was adorned with transparent nail polish. Gently, I took her hand and helped her out of the car. The venue for the ball was very beautiful. It was a wedding hall by the sea, with a garden. You entered the garden through a large wooden arch. The garden was decorated with tall black candlesticks. Everyone from the senior class was there. Since Natalia arrived, she had kept a good relationship with the class. Everyone in the class adored her. All the girls surrounded her, complimenting her beauty. We exchanged smiles. The boys were chatting amongst themselves. I wasn’t talking to anyone. I remembered how they had all mocked me when I was writing my books before Natalia came, especially when Cennet rejected me. I also remembered how they had treated me differently once I became a writer, after Natalia arrived. Now I was in a place they could never reach. I was special. In every sense.

While I was lost in these thoughts, I heard someone call me from behind. When I turned around, I saw that it was Cennet. I felt a strange sensation inside me. I could read her thoughts. Over time, we had developed our abilities. I had become quite skilled in telekinesis. Along with that, I had also honed my telepathy skills. If I was close enough, I could hear the thoughts of the person nearby. Cennet was thinking, "Where did I go wrong?" but the words coming out of her lips were different. "How are you?" she asked. "Better than ever thanks to Natalia," I replied. "I know. I'm aware." "Then why are you asking?" "You’re right, that was foolish. I shouldn’t have talked to you at all. Maybe that was my mistake." "Maybe," I said, pulling out a cigarette from my pocket and lighting it. "Maybe we shouldn’t have met at all." "Maybe. I'm not regretful. If we hadn’t met, I wouldn’t have been able to write those books." "Really?" "Yes." "I see..." she said, and I walked away from her and went back to Natalia. [I shouldn’t have had that conversation.] "What were you talking about?" Natalia asked. "I talked to Cennet." "What did you talk about?" To save time, I transmitted the memory of our conversation to Natalia mentally. "I don’t think that way," Natalia said. "Why not?" "After all, we met in a dream where you hoped to see her, right?" "That's true, but..." "No buts. This is fate. You can't change your destiny, Mert." Was she right? Was every choice I made, every decision I took, every right and wrong written in a book beforehand? Was fate a rigid reality? I would take time later to ponder these questions. The ball was about to start. Everyone had taken their place on stage. We were dancing in pairs to a waltz. We looked into each other's eyes as if to say "I love you." I held Natalia and spun her around. We were experiencing one of our happiest moments. The expression on her face was worth everything. We danced for ten minutes. We were the last to leave the dance floor. As we were about to step off the floor, I called out to Natalia. When she turned around, she saw the ring in my hand. I asked her, "Will you be my family?" She didn't know what to say. Two drops of tears rolled down her cheeks. She jumped into my arms and continued to cry. Everyone started to applaud us. Although Natalia couldn't control her tears, she reached out her left hand to me. After I slipped the ring onto her finger, we embraced again. Teachers, other students, everyone was applauding us. Natalia's friends were hugging each other, wiping their eyes. After Natalia calmed down a bit, we moved to our table and sat down. She was looking at her finger in happiness. We had officially become a family. I had already mentioned this to my mother. She thought I would study at university abroad after high school, but we were actually going to start searching for Natalia and the others. Natalia and my mother got along very well. Now, she would know that we were both studying at university abroad in America and were even married. As soon as we were done with Orion, we would have our wedding too. For now, we would only be engaged. There was no need to rush. Our priority was to save our world. We would gather everyone and eliminate AIdebaran, also known as the "Phantom King." After a few dances and congratulations, we reached the end of the ball. Everyone began to say goodbye to each other. After all, it was very likely that we would never see each other again. While Natalia was saying goodbye to her friends, I saw Cennet sitting alone on a chair, looking out at the sea. When I approached her, she was watching the waves crash on the shore with a vacant stare. I quietly approached her with my hands in my pockets and pulled out a chair next to her. When she saw I had arrived, she suddenly stopped. "Hello," I said, looking at the sea. Cennet replied in the same way, "Congratulations. I hope you find happiness." "I want you to know that I have no anger or similar feelings towards you." "Neither do I." "I came to tell you to take care of yourself, even though nothing happened between us." "..." "As I slowly got up from where I was sitting, I said, 'Take care of yourself, Cennet. I hope you find that person you've been waiting for one day. Goodbye.'" "Mert!" she called out behind me. "Yes?" I turned around. "You take care of yourself too, okay?" she said in a hoarse voice. "I will," I said and went back to my lovely fiancé waiting for me. "Are you done saying goodbye to your old love?" "Natalia, don't!" "What shouldn't I do? After all the sadness you caused me, you go and say goodbye to her." "Look, I know I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry." "You can't just get away with such a small apology." "Okay, what should I do for you to forgive me?" "Hmm? My high heels hurt my feet so much. If you carry me to the car, maybe I'll forgive you." "Ahh... Just take off your shoes." "No telekinesis allowed." "I don't need to use it," I said, picking her up on my back. She wrapped her arms around my neck and took her shoes with her left hand. The car was already nearby. If we kept going like this, we would be there in five minutes. Even though I couldn't see it, I could feel Natalia looking at her ring with a big smile on her face. As we walked, the first thing that happened was a flash of lightning, followed by heavy rain pouring down. With her voice barely audible over the rain, Natalia said, "Don't even think about putting me down! If you do, I'll throw the ring away." She laughed. "Even if I have to fight, I won't let you go," I said, laughing as well. We somehow managed to get into the car. Natalia's hair was soaked and stuck to her face and neck. She looked so cute. "Can we get home quickly? I'm starting to get cold," Natalia said. "Your wish is my command," I said and started driving the car home. Along the way, we shared our ideas about our wedding. Natalia wanted a simple wedding in an open area adorned with daisies, not too flashy. I had a different wedding plan in mind. It would still be an outdoor wedding, but I was thinking of a special area designated for musicians. I wanted the music to be played, not just turned on. I envisioned a wedding in a fjord, not in a place decorated with daisies. Just as we were talking, a woman in her thirties stepped in front of the car. I swerved left to avoid hitting her. The car crashed into a trash can. The hood of the car was wrecked, but we hadn't hit the woman. After unbuckling my seatbelt, I checked on Natalia. She seemed fine. The impact had shaken her up. "Are you okay?" "I'm managing. Nothing serious. What about you?" "Oh... I'm fine too. Just my foot hurts. I think it's stuck." "I'm calling for help right away, don't worry." "Okay. Don't panic. I'm fine for now." "Alright," she said and called for an ambulance. After explaining the accident, she put the phone back in her bag. The woman I had swerved to avoid came over to us. "Are you kids alright? Do I need to call an ambulance?" she asked. "No, thank you. We already called. My fiancé's foot is stuck." "Wife," I corrected her. Natalia smiled in response. The woman said, "Oh, how sweet. The grandchildren of Orion are getting married." I exclaimed in astonishment, "What!? Do you know Orion?" The woman turned to Natalia and said, "I'm surprised you don't know me, Natalia." "Who are you?" Natalia asked. "Sweetheart, how can you not know the person who killed your family?" she said, and her body started to change. As she transformed, she continued, "You lost your family and killed my companions. Now you can neither take revenge nor escape from me." She ripped the door off Natalia's side. This creature was bigger than the one that attacked me. I was trying with all my strength to escape from where I was stuck. The Lizamorph grabbed Natalia and pulled her out of the vehicle. I shouted to Natalia, "Watch out!" I threw one of the trash cans at Liz. After seeing the creature fall to the ground, I managed to pull my foot out with great effort. I got out of the car and looked around for Natalia to help her. She was still in the creature's grip. "You bastard! Let her go and fight me!" I yelled at the creature. "As you wish," it hissed. It threw Natalia to the ground and started walking towards me. I had to come up with a plan quickly. I ran and tore off the already damaged hood of the car. The creature threw a motorcycle parked on the street at me. Although I slowed it down a bit with my strength, it wasn't enough to stop the motorcycle. I managed to dodge its attack by throwing myself to the side. Natalia was no longer where she had been. I think she had moved to a safe place. I had to focus on the creature. Natalia could take care of herself. The motorcycle crashed into a wall and broke apart. I started throwing the motorcycle parts at the creature quickly. It was faster than one would expect from its size. If I wanted to attack, I had to immobilize it. Lizamorph began to quicken its steps. It was coming towards me. I shouted, "Natalia! It would be great if you could help right now!" hoping she would hear me. I heard a voice from the top of the building I was standing under, "Don't look up or make any noise; I found a barrel here. When the creature comes close, pull the barrel down. I'll push it from here. If we can hit it, we might have a chance." That was Natalia. She was speaking telepathically. I shouted at the creature, "Enough! I won't run away. Come and fight me, chameleon!" Lizamorph angrily replied, "I am not a chameleon, stupid human! I am a soldier of the Supreme Being Maanen. I will crush all your bones and present them to him!" It got even closer to me. Everything was going according to my plan. Telepathically, I said, "Now, Natalia!" Natalia pushed the barrel down. I accelerated the falling barrel even more. The barrel fell onto Lizamorph's head at an extremely high speed. At that moment, I ran towards the car. I got behind the piece I had pulled off. I focused all my attention on it and threw it at the creature's head. The piece lodged itself at the very base of its neck. That foul-smelling liquid began to flow from Lizamorph's body, but the job was not finished yet. While Lizamorph was trying to remove the hood, I heard Natalia's voice, "Get back!" She had found another barrel. She threw the barrel down from the building onto the empty side of the hood. The moment the barrel hit the hood, the creature's head separated from its neck. It was gushing liquid like a fountain. "Did I hit it?" Natalia asked from above. "Yes! Right on target," I replied. As Lizamorph's body began to dissolve, Natalia came to my side. I immediately hugged her. "Are you okay? Did anything happen to you?" "Just my arm and back hurt." "I'm glad you're okay." "What about you? Are you alright?" "Yes, I'm fine," I said. My car was totaled, but at least we were okay. That was what mattered. Natalia looked like she was about to cry. "Is it because of what Lizamorph said?" I asked Natalia. She nodded in response. I hugged her again and placed her head on my chest. "Look, never forget, I am your family too," I said. With a tearful voice, she replied, "I know, I know... But I can't get them out of my mind. I don't know what to do." I cupped her cheeks in my hands and said, "We will get through this together. I'm by your side." She smiled as tears flowed from her eyes. She was better now. While waiting for the ambulance to arrive, we called for a tow truck for the car. Within a few minutes, the ambulance came, followed by the tow truck. They did the necessary checks on us. They said my foot was fine. While my car was being towed, we took a taxi and went home. We were both exhausted. We were about to hit the road soon. We had determined the route we would take: Brazil, Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico, and finally, America. It was a bit of a long route, but it also gave us the chance to find our compatriot in South America. Before going to sleep, I replied to the message Samuel had written: "Hello, I had a similar dream about two years ago. Can we talk?" After writing the message, Natalia and I went to sleep. When we woke up in the morning, our first task was to check if Samuel had replied to our message. He had responded! The reply read: "Hello, when you click the link, you will download an app. This is a one-way messaging app. If you enter the correct password, you will see your location. There is only one person who knows the password. You know who it is. Ask him for help." If I understood correctly, that person was Orion. "Natalia,