Father? Nat calls softly, she knows her father must be here. Under the small four pillars stone ceiling, he built for her mother after she passed away.

In the middle is her mother's tomb. Made from a sturdy box of a kind of stone, it's green like her eyes, her father always said. Nat walks past the tomb and finds her father kneeling.

It's romantic yet tragic to find her father yet again, here, in this position. He'd wake up early and in the morning, comes here to clean this place, come back home to have breakfast—if you can call drinking strong tea a breakfast—train with the men, have lunch, comes here again, back to the men to help with any duties, back here again until late at night before heading back home. And repeat everything all over again the next morning.

Father, Lor has been looking for you. He and Dom need you at the Common Hall.

Her father looks up to her with sadness, doesn't matter how often she saw that look in her father's eyes, it always painfully squeeze her heart.

Grief is a price you pay for love. The more you love, the more grief you'll feel.

I'm glad you inherited the green of her eyes. Her father says. He cups her face and touches their forehead together. Today is the day I met her for the first time. The day we got married, as your mother would call it. It was the beginning of the happiest time of my life.

Before, she would try to offer him some comfort, telling him that her spirit is still among them, watching over them, but she knows recently that he doesn't need comfort, she is now believe he just needs an ear to listen to his words.

Her father is a very quiet man, he is truly a man of very few words. But if you want him to talk, ask him about his wife, he will explain everything about her. He would describe her smile as beautiful and as warm as the rising sun, and how the universe lost its glory the day she walked into his life.

He loves her so much, that when she passed away, he let her took his soul too, so she won't be lonely.

Nat puts both hands on his shoulder and give them a slight squeeze. Come father, we need you.

He put his palm on the side of her tomb and she sees him shudders for a second before he lifts his head and stands. He put an arm around her shoulders and petting her arm lovingly.

Has Lor...

Nope. She quickly answers him.

Her father sighs and pulls her closer to him. She basks in his warmth and love. She only have one parent left, and she wakes up every day doing her best to savoring the time they have.

He'll come around. He says, reassuring his daughter.

He doesn't want to disappoint you. She tells him.

Nat hears him hums in her head. I think he doesn't want to disappoint you, Nat.

She doesn't reply to him because she doesn't think that is true. Soon they have arrived at the Common Hall, the decagon-shaped building. Inside they found her younger brother, Dominik, who is engaged in a serious conversation with Lor.

What is the matter? Zer asks to gain their attention.

Dom turns with a frown on his face. Unlike her, his skin is so much lighter, like their mother's, as their father always said. Apparently, Dom takes more of their mother, but he has our father's eyes.

The ship is finished. We ran seven simulations to test its durability and I'm confident that it's ready for breeching in and out of the atmosphere. Dom's dream is to find earth, their mother's home planet.

He would like to see, study, and perhaps brings some women to participate in their society. Not for breeding purposes, but they need more of women's touch here, as the only women they have are Ana and Nat.

If the simulations grades come out perfectly and everything falls into the right sequence, I don't see any reason why not. Zer says. But remember, it's your own life you'll gamble. I lost my wife, if I have to bury my child too, I'd rather die instead. He adds.

Dom's frowns vanished and his body relaxed. You will not bury my body, father. This I can promise you.

Nat can hear her father hums.

I'd like to come with him. She tells her father.

Absolutely not! Lor's voice booms in their heads. Under no circumstances will you get into that ship! You're staying here, on the face of this planet where it's safe for you. She can feel his anger directed at her, for having the audacity to think of getting on the spaceship with her brother. His body is taut, and although Lor hasn't turned Nat can feel a dormant power from him, waiting to be released.

Nat takes a glance at her father and sees him tilting his head. He does have a point, Nat.

Mother would be proud of me. Now she is playing dirty. She hits him at his weak spot. Her father's eyes lost their focus and she know now she has a chance to get on that ship.

We only have you, and your sister as our women. You're too precious, I will not allow you to risk your life for something we are unfamiliar with. We haven't flown for years, we don't know how the universe has changed, we don't know if there is any war out there, if United Universe still rules, if they still watching over this planet, waiting for a moment exactly like this to ambush us! Your brother doesn't even know the exact location of Earth!

He said that she is too precious, despite explaining that they only have her and Ana as the women here, he said she's too precious.

For somebody who is fighting himself not to look obvious, he is doing a terrible job.

I have to say, I agree with him, Nat. Perhaps now isn't the best time for you to venture out of Relish. Her father said in an apologetic tone.

Nat knows whatever she says now will be futile. Her hands are fisted beside her as she turns around and walks away. It doesn't take long for her to feel him following behind.

He doesn't even trust her with herself. He always jumped to the worst conclusion wherever she is concern. It might be adorable when she was younger, but not anymore.

Nat barricades her small house with blazing fire. Yes, just like her father, her element is also fire. But just because he hasn't turned yet, doesn't mean he is weak. Lor is strong, she doesn't know how strong he could get after he turned, if he ever chooses to. But he never has any problem catching up with the rest of them, although he is the only one who hasn't turned yet.

I know you're upset, but I don't want you to accidentally hurt yourself. He says walking easily through her fire. That also another thing, her fire can never hurt him. Guess why, he is precious to her too.

Leave me alone. She snaps at him.

Lor sigh. I could never, even after you laid me down to my last resting place.

This is most probably true, she can imagine him haunting her from the afterlife.

Lor grabs her upper arms with his warm fingers, Nat can feel the heat from his front on her back. Breathe for me, Natasha. She hates how her full name rolls out of his mind like the most beautiful sound.

That's right, see, you're much calmer now, I'd say I'm good at calming you down.

Of course, you're, you idiot! You're my—

She snaps from the thought and moves away from him. Soon, as usual, she hears a low growl from deep inside his chest. To say he dislikes her walking away from him, especially when he is touching her, is an understatement. He despises it.

But she too annoyed at him from talked some stupid senses into her father. If Dom is allowed out there, why is she not? Dom isn't Lor's precious that's why. She thinks as she snorts inside her mind.

Don't pull yourself away from me. His voice drops low and she can feel a comfortable aura surrounding her. Nat should felt scared, she knows she should, but she doesn't. That man behind her will behead himself first before he breaks a single strand of her hair.

She is tired. She is tired of this, of him, her feeling, his expectation, people's looking at them in pity. She's tired.

She turns around and sees him standing tall unmoving. Lor has to be the strongest person she knows, for him to hold himself back... from himself. The battle he has to win every single day against himself. She doesn't know how he does it, she doesn't know how long is he going to do it. She prays to the mother of all galaxies that he will lose the battle soon.

Nat can see black veins seeping from his eyes, down to his cheeks, jaw, and neck. She doesn't know what kind of mantra he keeps telling himself to stop him from snapping and give in to fate, but she hates how he does it flawlessly.

What do you think of Gra? Fire is her element, she does like to play with it.

What do you mean? Even in her head, he sounds like he was forced to speak those words.

I'd like to be paired.