Chapter 139
Chapter 139
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Cornered
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The trigger was trivial.
In a survival drama unfolding on an alien planet, even the slightest lapse in attention could lead to irreversible consequences. And the incident that befell his younger brother was no different.
“Ow…”
Unlike his sturdy older brother, the younger one had a frail constitution. While foraging for edible food, he tripped over a tree root. In the unfamiliar ecosystem of this strange planet, such accidents were commonplace.
However, in a survival situation, being unable to walk for several days was a massive burden, no matter how minor the injury. Losing even one person's worth of labor made things incredibly precarious.
“Sorry.”
“Forget it. Just focus on recovering. Stay put and rest here for a while.”
The older brother left his sibling to rest in their hideout and set out alone to scavenge for food. Not only that, he searched the spaceship wreckage for parts to build an [escape rocket].
He bore a responsibility. To keep them both alive and return home. The weight that fell on the elder of the brothers.
He couldn't let his fragile little brother die in a place like this. The older brother knew it well—his sibling was weak in body, but possessed a kindness of heart that went far beyond that. He was too good a kid to die like this.
But the word [good] didn't just apply between brothers.
That was the beginning of all the tragedy,
and the point where the kindness he'd shown started veering in the wrong direction.
Swoosh—
An unexpected breeze blew into the hideout, now empty save for the younger brother. Noises followed in droves.
“…”
It wasn't his brother. The younger one quickly realized just how dire his situation was.
Isolated,
body unfit for movement,
no proper weapons,
and no brother.
So he huddled deeper inside the hideout, clasped his hands, and prayed. Prayed that these unknown natives wouldn't find him, that nothing would happen, and that he could reunite with his brother unharmed.
…But no miracle occurred.
“Agh! Wait…!”
Before long, the younger brother was dragged limply out of the cave, even the pile of leaves he'd hidden under stripped away. It was rough treatment unfit for a sickly boy who offered no resistance.
“Hup, kuh…”
He trembled in fear beneath the talons of his assailants. He'd seen other alien males dragged off by native women before, but he still didn't know what fate awaited them.
That ignorance made it all the more terrifying—the inexplicable gazes of the women looking down at him, and their oddly familiar forms…
“Peep—!”
But the cry that soon rang out momentarily drove the fear from his mind. It was a sound he'd heard many times before.
At the same time, a light pair of wings and feathers settled atop his head. Even the warmth and fluffy texture felt familiar.
“You're…”
It was the native girl.
Wings in place of arms and feathers,
a beautiful visage to match, and a voice like a songbird's trill.
The girl flitted among the tribeswomen surrounding him, chirping something. Then she recited various phrases in her alien tongue before draping her wing over his shoulder once more and flashing a gentle smile.
The younger brother took it as repayment for the kindness he'd shown her. Was this the moment his own gentleness was rewarded?
Yes, it had to be.
“This is the guy! What do you think, did I find him properly? I secretly followed him the whole time.”
But not all goodwill and favors return in kind. Sometimes, even acts born of good intentions bring unforeseen misfortune.
“The hunt was a success, so please let me join in now. Treat me like a proper adult!”
“Well done. Excellent job. We'll handle the rest.”
The women reveled in the thrill of the hunt. There was no greater accomplishment than snatching a male and dragging him back to the nest. It meant they could bear offspring, ensuring the tribe's long history continued unbroken.
“Something's off. There should be another male around… They came in a pair…”
Two of them, even.
The tribeswomen hadn't trusted the native girl's tall tale, but now, with this young male in their talons, her words gained credibility.
“Let's take this one to the nest first. Leave three behind to catch the other male.”
They hatched a small plan.
To capture both males.
Leave three around the hideout,
and drag the older brother to the nest too.
30 minutes later,
the older brother returned near the hideout and witnessed a bizarre sight.
Enormous birds he'd never seen before piercing a familiar form with their talons and flying off.
It was too far to make out clearly. Yet a sudden wave of dread and anxiety swept over him regardless—likely because of the winged native girl he'd glimpsed before.
“No way…”
He couldn't help but run. His lungs burned from the frantic sprint, but he didn't stop.
He had to protect his brother.
If he wasn't there, his brother would…
“Roem!”
He shouted into the hideout. But only a hollow echo answered.
The interior was littered with countless talon marks and scattered feathers. The brother he sought had vanished without a trace.
“You bastards…”
But then, footsteps approached from behind.
Not his brother. The steps were too sharp, and there were too many.
“…Where's my brother.”
He'd never felt such rage before. But he couldn't suppress the fury boiling inside him.
“Where is he.”
In his hands were scrap metal chunks gathered for the escape rocket. Solid metal, yet as he gripped harder, they twisted with grotesque creaks.
“Stop right there.”
The boy clutched a torch cutter that channeled Ember's power. The Ember crystal, embodying both the grotesqueness and mystery of life, vibrated with a plaintive hum.
“This time, I'm really going to fire.”
At his side stood the snake girl from before, gripping a dagger from a decayed desert civilization. She flicked her tongue threateningly, as if ready to slit my throat at any moment.
“Where are Amy and Jenny?”
“…”
I don't answer.
The longer the silence drags, the tighter his grip on the torch cutter becomes. It feels like he'll blast me right in the forehead any second.
“Tell me. Where are Amy and Jenny?”
“…”
The boy stands firm in front of the storeroom door, threatening me. I can see the red rims around his eyes. Even brimming with such complex emotions, he remains strikingly beautiful.
Yet despite this mesmerizing beauty before me, I can't speak or act. I need to get inside and use the Ember.
He's not letting me through. He won't budge an inch from that door until I answer.
“I killed them. Satisfied?”
“Oh, really?”
Thud—!
Ember energy shot from the torch cutter's tip pulverizes my left shoulder.
I see my shattered, sparking arm. Looks like my journey ends here. No strength left to break past the boy and snake girl into the storeroom, nor any way to activate the Ember cannon in this state.
“I know that's a lie. When you lie, the light in your left eye flickers slightly. I wasn't sure at first, but now I'm certain.”
Joo-ho sheathes the torch cutter at his waist. Such a waste to use it just to briefly disable me.
“Elder, should I finish it now…?”
“No, stand down. Nephyr, go check the situation outside and bring back Amy and Jenny. They're probably just knocked out. Those two don't lose.”
Joo-ho trusts his comrades. No doubts whatsoever.
Even in this fog of uncertainty, he's calm. For someone who got so emotional, who's tangled up in things like love and hope… he's got no blind spots where it counts.
Just shoot me already. It'd be easier for everyone.
Why drag it out like this?
“Rophuk, do you know why I've kept you alive this long?”
“Because you're stupid. Weak. An inferior species incapable of judgment.”
I'm tired now.
I know I've lost. Before the machine girl and monster rush to Joo-ho's side, I want to provoke him enough to make him fire.
“No courage to shoot. No idea how to finish the job. You'll live like that and die like that. When something you can't handle with those women arises, you'll scream pathetically until the end. Or maybe those women will kill you.”
“…That's a bit harsh.”
Does he not intend to kill me?
Then perhaps,
in this moment alone together, I could muster my last energy, blast him with my right hand, and kill Joo-ho…
“I'm honoring our deal, that's why you're still breathing. You said you'd become my comrade from now on. Well, technically my comrades beat you, but a win's a win, right? So you keep your promise.”
I could just kill him.
But it's not easy.
Have I grown weak?
Is my mind frail, or my body?
“Let's fire the Ember cannon. I'll control it myself, so no tricks. I'll target only the moon and leave the planet be.”
“…”
Joo-ho smiles to the end.
-Brother, I'm fine.
-I'm really okay. In fact, I'm happy. I can help you, brother.
Even in a moment like this,
he smiles just like that boy.
“Don't like it? Too bad. This is your absolute last chance. Will you become my comrade and follow orders, or die right here?”
A gentle yet coercive angel.
“You're capable. So if you won't join me and insist on staying my enemy, I'll kill you here. I can't leave a threat like you hanging around.”
Kind like that boy,
but now a reaper of my own, with resolve finely honed.
“…This is your final chance. Think carefully.”
Yet a boy who can't hide his trembling hand,
perfectly imperfect.