After a hallucination — complete with a sunset, interstellar travel, epiphanies, and blocked memories — Myles feels nausea, sand on his face, the sun burning his arms and neck, his clothes wet and cold. The sound of the waves seemed distant, as if the ocean were miles away, although Myles could still feel the salt burning his throat. He coughs and vomits a mouthful of water, when he hears clapping:
“– Well done! You went further than I ever imagined!”
The boy struggles to open his eyes and sees a slender figure approaching. Another stands farther away, where the voice seems to come from. He is then dragged into a cave where the second person stands at the entrance. Once inside, he feels a bit of fresh water gently poured into his mouth. In the shade, he slowly recovers. He starts to get up and notices both people are still there, watching him: a slim young adult with a skeptical gaze, completely wrapped in bandages, wearing a gray overcoat with a hood and a pair of kitás (a typically Eastern sandal), barely looking at Myles. And the other, very old, appearing to be over 150 cycles in age, with purple skin, a white, patchy but long beard, a disc-shaped hat, and a heavily worn gray poncho, smiles with the joy of someone who has just received the best news of their life — or the most spectacular gift ever. His eyes remain fixed, transfixed on Myles as the boy recovers.
“– Who are you?” he asks in a threatening tone (even though he knows it’s not the best time for that), jumping to his feet and assuming a defensive stance.
“– Show more respect when speaking to Elder Jenson! I won’t tolerate rudeness and disrespect towards him, BOY!” replies the slender young adult, with a touch of sarcasm at the end.
“– He doesn’t know who I am, Alek... Not even who HE is.”
“– Of course I do. My name is Myles Rabbit, I’m 17 cycles old and was raised in the alleys where I learned to defend myself. I’m now an apprentice at the South/07 Instruction Station, I live at the Hotley shelter in Dankan Docks, and in the future, I’ll be part of the G.M.R.T....”
“... born in New Babylon, son of Kyle Rabbit, a native of New Tech Jackal Creek, and Mayleen Rabbit, a native of the Blazing Bamboo Groves. Lived underground in New Babylon with your parents until you were 4 cycles old, when they handed you over to the Shaoo Dynasty Temple.”
(Tears fill Myles’s eyes. He struggles not to blink, in order to prevent teras from rolling down his face. These words cut through his heart like a hot knife through butter, and the boy bows his head in silence.)
“At 11 cycles, you were expelled from the temple and lived on the streets for 3 periods, surviving through small delivery and smuggling jobs, where you met Treavour Shifter, leader of the Pink Shifters gang. Treavour saw potential in you and invited you to join the gang, blackmailing you with information about your parents. After 3 cycles, realizing it was all a lie, you ran away and enlisted in the G.M.R.T. to protect yourself, however horrible that might have been for you.”
The boy breaks the suffocating silence after the elder’s speech with a shout, finally blinking and letting those thick tears stream down:
“– How do you know all this? Who do you think you are to mention my parents? Are you going to tell me where they are, finally?!”
Alek and Jenson exchange glances. Jenson shows a slight hint of consternation; Alek, a flicker of compassion.
Almost whispering, Alek subtly asks:
“– Will you tell him, Master?”
The master looks at his own toes, eyes focused on the dark cave floor.
“– Myles... poor Myles...” the master begins, with utmost caution. “... I didn’t want to be the one to give you this information, especially under these circumstances, but...” — he hesitates — “... unfortunately, you are the only Rabbit left. I’m truly sorry.”
He lowers his head, now almost entirely covered by his conical Chinese hat. His voice grows more emotional with every word.
As Jenson speaks, Myles recalls moments spent with his parents: his father playing with food during a typical dinner, his mother teaching him to read, all three of them running in a park, playing with their household drone. He remembers the scent of his father's skin and his mother’s hair when he hugged them both at once.
Myles then screams at the top of his lungs while he punches the cave wall, holding the pain but clearly having hurt his hand with it. His cry startles the birds perched in the trees around the cave, sending them flying in a tragic flock that might otherwise have been beautiful. Before the birds can get five meters away from their branches, Myles shoots upward in a chaotic flight, still screaming, leaving behind only drops of tears.
Alek, concerned, says:
“– Now what, Master? He ran away?”
The master calmly and confidently replies:
“– Don’t worry, my dear Alek. He’ll be back soon. Let us meditate.”
Myles flies aimlessly. The tears don’t even get the chance to wet his face, so fast does he cut through the air. He finally lands on the roof of a medium-sized building. His feelings and thoughts are in turmoil. He cries, hits himself in the face and ribs, a shiver runs down his spine — unlike anything he’s ever felt. His throat tightens, his vision goes dark for a second… and then he bursts out in a scream.
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“– Am I really...? And if they…? What if I…? But… why?”
Myles collapses to his knees, sobbing. He clutches his chest, hoping to feel something there. But there’s only a hole. An absence. A void.
As the sun nearly sets, the master’s words prove true — Myles returns, his face swollen, clothes dirty with dust, hair disheveled, swollen fist. He walks slowly into the cave as if he finally realizes there’s nothing more to be done.
“– What do you want from me?” he asks.
The two men sympathize with him.
“– 99 cycles ago, when T?ten beheaded Nasser and removed from his neck the legendary collar, the temple prophets — just three of them at the time — foretold that the last human on Earth would lead a team to end his reign of blood, hatred, and oppression. That day, I, then an experienced and much more productive member of the Black Plasma Samurai clan, was tasked with finding you, Myles. To guide you, warn you, and prepare you for this saga. You are that man. You are our hero. Whether you want it, accept it, believe it, or not — you are the last legitimate human being on this planet.
The prophecy was kept secret. The prophets whispered its details as if speaking of Earth’s very fate. But T?ten's ears are all around and so he heard it. And decided that no legitimate human would survive. The stars blessed you with the ability to assimilate the sacred gems. The white gem corresponds to the connection between air and ground — you can fly, as long as you don’t stray too far from the earth.”
“– Me, a hero? Why? Because I’m broken? Because I feel like trash? A worm? A disgusting, vile being, unworthy of existence? I’m a coward — I couldn’t even protect my parents! And what do you mean, ‘legitimate human’? We all have human genetics, but everyone knows pure-blood humans vanished over 300 cycles ago. And if you were watching all this time — when I got kicked out of the temple, when Treavour used me like a puppet with his disgusting pink claws and all the times I've been in danger, sorrow, starvation and all other adversities that whipped my very soul through this whole time — why didn’t you help me?”
“– Protecting your parents wasn’t your responsibility. It was theirs to protect you — and they did everything they could, even died trying to save you.”
(Myles’s crying continues without pause.)
“I’m not telling you this to make you feel guilty, just so you understand that you were never abandoned, and it was never your burden to protect them.” – Jenson speaks gently, while Alek appears to be in a trance, meditating in the background. “Feeling fear doesn’t make you a coward, Myles — it makes you cautious when facing danger. And you do face it. That’s why you are a hero.”
Still sobbing, Myles asks:
“– Beautiful speech. But that doesn’t answer the other questions.”
“– Very well. Knowing the prophecy, T?ten’s Royal Metropolitan Guard wiped out what they believed were all ‘pure-blood’ humans, during the so-called ‘Hunt.’ But one bloodline was preserved by the Obsidian Statue core for five generations — until you, Myles, became the last survivor.”
Jenson, eyes brimming with tears, gazes deeply into Myles’s pupils and confesses:
“– Adopting you was all I ever wanted, Myles, whether you believe it or not. But no matter how anxious or desperate I was, I couldn’t risk the success of our mission. The lives of millions — perhaps billions — depend on it.”
A single tear rolls down the old master’s wrinkled face, just as an off-road vehicle running over speed bumps as he speaks his final word.
“My heart twisted, and my anguish grew with every lie ‘The Pink One’ told you.”
After a long minute of silence — rare for Myles — the boy asks:
“– Touching. But what does that have to do with you leaving me to face all of this alone?”
“– I don’t have all the answers either, Myles. But right after your parents passed, I was ready to find you. One night, I woke up to an intense light in my living room and I quickly rushed there. By the time I crossed the house, the light was gone. I found a note on the table:
‘Do not seek Myles until the first obsidian statue signals. Otherwise, all plans to end T?ten’s rule will be compromised.’
In that moment, I knew I had no choice. But know that I was always with you — even if not in person.”
Moments when Myles narrowly escaped death or received anonymous gifts flash through his mind as he hears the master’s words. It allows him to truly believe. Myles calms down and begins to understand his purpose — though he still has questions:
“– Inside the house, before I found the statue, I saw that same bright light. Can you tell me what it is?”
“– Honestly, I don’t know, Myles. But it seems to have a powerful connection with the gems and the statues.”
“– Hmm. And do you know why the hell I fell into the water?”
“– The white gem represents the connection between air and ground. When the ocean water broke that link, you lost support and fell.”
“– How many gems are there? What can they do?” Myles asks.
“– There are many legends, myths, theories, and assumptions, boy. Most have been lost over countless cycles. But it's believed there are four gems: white, red, blue, and yellow. Each one with its own properties. But we’ll only know for sure what each can do when — or if — you find them. Honestly, I didn’t even know the white gem would do what it did. It was your experience that proved the theory right.”
“– How did I survive that?”
“– Three nights ago, my disciple Alek came to me, saying he had been visited by the same light you and I have seen. He said a neon display delivered a message:
‘The last human will be granted the first gem in three days, on the shores of Rhakotis.’
Alek and I camped here, having taken two days to travel. Earlier today, while meditating, we heard a loud whistle. Alek ran to the beach and saw you flying. My heart clenched — I knew it was you. I asked him to bring you back. He returned with you unconscious. I felt a mix of failure and despair. Alek laid you face down on the ground, to have you puke all the water, and came to update me. Moments later — thankfully — you woke up.”
“– So that’s why I fell in the water?” the boy asked.
“– Yes, precisely,” the master replied.
“– This is Alek Shtewi, one of my most dedicated and accomplished disciples. He’s from the Bamboo Groves. And I am Jenson Kony. But many call me Master Jenson, even though I'm not really sure why.”
“– Alright. That part I get. It’s a pleasure to meet you gentlemen, but I still don't understand why all of this is happening," said Myles, showing clear insecurity and curiosity, wiping his tears.
The cave fell silent for a second that seemed to have lasted way too long. Myles felt a shiver run down his spine, and his mouth went dry.
Then Jenson said:
"— You are the one who will remove Nasser’s collar from T?ten’s neck," Jenson clarified, a thin smile on his face.
Why is this happening? But the real question might be: What sort of consequences will this journey bring?
