Rayli stared at the far horizon, where the orange hue of steppes appeared even brighter in the sunset. He closed his notebook filled with poems and took a slow breath, enthralled by the place.

"Rayli..." - A girl, about fourteen years old in appearance, with brown hair and hazel eyes, murmured softly.

"Yes, Ino?"

"I wondered, how far are we from home?"

"Farther than the darkness can reach, nobody will find us here." - Rayli paused. - "We can start a new life."

Ino lifted her eyes, staring at floating rocks of crimson shrubs. Yellow runes underneath kept them in the air and filled the pond in their center. The water overflowed, forming waterfalls.

"Here?" - Ino uttered quietly.

Rayli smiled lightly. - "Perhaps."

"How?"

"We'll find a cozy cave, then we'll pick up some wood, build a house. There's plenty of wheat, and we can catch frogs, or build a few bird traps."

Ino wrapped her arms around her chest, she was cold. - "I... I don't like this place."

Rayli turned to Ino, speechless. - "Why? It's beautiful."

"It feels... lonely."

"It's safe."

Ino looked straight at Rayli, her eyes gleamed like embers. - "Do you want to spend your life here, hiding?"

"It's the best bet."

"I don't want this."

Rayli had a sad, dispirited smile. - "I understand, then let's keep going."

[ . . . ]

Rayli and Ino walked on top of an elevated highway, a red sun dawned in the distance and a few crows sat on the road's steel barriers.

"Rayli..." - Ino stopped, panting. She rested against a steel post in the middle of the road.

"Yes, Ino?"

"Water."

Rayli uncorked a waterskin, then knelt and gave it to Ino.

"How far are we from home?" - Ino asked, she was fatigued.

"Farther than the length of yellow ocean."

"I miss... mom and dad, and the garden."

"I miss them too."

"Do you think, do you think we can go back?"

Rayli shook his head. - "I'm afraid, no."

Ino hid her face behind her arms and started sobbing. - "Why? Why did it happen to us!?"

Rayli could not answer, it was better not to answer.

"What should I do, Rayli? I don't want to feel like this, it hurts." - Ino curled up.

"Try... try to forget."

"I don't want to forget! Our little paradise..."

"We will recreate it."

"Without them, it's not the same."

Rayli looked at the sun, its rays slowly illuminated Ino's freckled cheeks.

Rayli brushed Ino's hair behind her ear. - "Do you feel its warmth? We must be close, so don't lose hope. Maybe one day, it all will be just a memory."

Ino stopped sobbing and revealed her reddened, messy face. - "It's sad."

"I know, but it's better to move on." - Rayli extended his hand, Ino grabbed it and stood up, and Rayli smiled. - "Let's keep going."

[ . . . ]

"Look!" - Ino pointed, calling Rayli.

Rayli stopped writing and closed his notebook. He stood up and approached Ino. Far on the horizon of a mountain valley, a group of ostrich-like feathered lizards grazed the grass.

Rayli smiled. - "Shall we take a closer look?"

Ino nodded, with her eyes glued to the herd.

They marched together and stopped behind a large stone, Ino kept staring, while Rayli knelt next to her.

"What do you see?" - Rayli asked.

"Their feathers, a bit grayish and brown. I think, these are males."

"Do you think that they might be hunting in packs?"

"They look like omnivores, so it's possible."

"You think, that they're preparing to hunt right now?"

"No, they're resting. A few of them lied down."

"Okay then, nothing to be afraid of." - Rayli said, then walked out of the cover. Ino observed how the boy cautiously approached the flock of lizards, which acted unalarmed. Rayli laid his hand on a neck of a single animal, then started to gently stroke it. - "Come Ino!" - Rayli called, while waving his hand.

Ino hesitantly came out and hesitantly walked up to Rayli.

"Touch it. It's very docile." - The boy suggested.

Ino lifted her arm, petting the animal. The lizard growled with pleasure. Ino continued, while Rayli just watched with a smile.

"I think, it's safe to ride it." - Rayli said.

"Really?"

"I think so, but stay close to me, so you can jump off."

"Okay."

Rayli lifted the girl and carefully put her on the lizard's back, the animal seemed not to mind it and kept eating.

[ . . . ]

"What now?" - Ino uttered, after climbing down her lizard.

Rayli stared at the horizon of an ocean, where a few scattered stars illuminated the night sky.

"We must be so close." - Reyli said as he knelt and touched the sand.

"...but ...can we cross it?"

"Nothing is impossible."

Ino looked at the forest behind the beach. - "How long will we have to stay here?"

"A few days, I promise."

"Do we build a raft?"

"Only as the last resort. We should search along the shore, perhaps we're at our journey's end."

Ino nodded and took her shoes off. Rayli did the same, they both walked, letting shallow waves cool their feet. The two lizards followed, held by the reins.

"Are you hungry, Ino?" - Rayli asked.

"Only a bit."

"I think, we'll have a grilled fish. It'll be nice for a change."

"Okay."

They kept marching, admiring a tranquil scenery, even when large steel anti-tank structures, iron hedgehogs, appeared on the beach.

"What is that, brother?" - Ino's curiosity was showing.

"It's a sign, sign that people were afraid."

"...but ...but we walked so far." - Ino hugged a corner of Rayli's shirt.

"We did."

"Shouldn't... shouldn't we be safe?"

"I don't know, perhaps we walked too far."

"Brother, I'm scared."

Rayli stopped and touched an iron hedgehog. - "It's old, very old. I think that this place was forgotten."

"Let's leave." - Ino uttered quietly. - "I don't want to be here."

Rayli's eyes, however, were focused on a small spot, far away. - "Ino, I see a flickering light."

"She... she's here, I can feel it. We should just go."

"No, Ino. It's just your imagination." - Rayli reassured. - "You wished to meet people. Can you chase that dream without taking a few risks?"

"I... I... What If she really is here?"

"I think, she would already realize there are intruders, so don't be scared."

Ino quivered.

"Take your time, but we'll have to take that step."

"I... I'm ready..." - Ino said with closed eyes. - "...but you lead the way."

They walked a few hundred meters, with Ino refusing to take a look at what was ahead of her, in anticipation of the worst. Rayli's eyes, however, could recognize a shape far away, on a scarp above them.

"Ino, that flickering light, it's a lighthouse." - The boy explained.

"A lighthouse? Here?"

"It appears the traditions weren't forgotten. The hope lives on."

Ino opened her eyes. - "Brother."

"Yes, Ino?"

"There are shadows inside, they are moving."

"Those must be people. We might be finally here, Ino."

"What... what should we do?"

"We wait."

A dark silhouette appeared far on the horizon, it waved to Ino and Rayli, who sat on the sand. They got up and started walking, until both groups met in the middle of the road.

In front of them, was a female soldier with short pink hair, a microphone, and a green beret cap. She wore a large, black cuboid device on her back. Four hands protruded from it, one with a flashlight, second with a camera, third was like an automatic gun, and the last reached to the girl's chest and held a touch screen.

"Target found." - The soldier girl spoke to the microphone, then looked at Ino and Rayli. - "State your origin."

"Berhast." - Rayli replied.

"Berhast?" - The soldier inputted the data into his tablet. - "That region is long gone."

"We escaped." - Rayli clarified.

The soldier lifted her right eyebrow – "If you say so..." - her camera moved, then scanned the two.

"Ino and Rayli Tarnov, identities confirmed." - The soldier spoke to her comms, then listened for a long while. - "Understood. You two, come with me."

Ino lifted her head to her brother. - "Where are we going?"

"Somewhere safe." - The soldier responded. - "You should know, since the fall of your district, the whole plane is quarantined."

"What does that mean?" - Ino uttered timidly.

"The freedom is just across the ocean, but we are not allowed to pass it."

"How long will it last?" - Rayli inquired.

"Nobody knows." - The soldier answered. - "We are worried that witch will find the path to other planes, so the gates remain closed."

Reylis's head dropped. - "I was mistaken, sorry Ino. We walked for nothing."

"It was not for nothing." - The soldier interrupted. - "Against the witch, every soldier counts."

Ino appeared worried. - "Brother..."

"I think you misunderstood, we are not here to fight." - Rayli explained. - "We simply look for a place to live."

"...and who will pay the rent?" - The girl replied snarkily. - "Look at me, do you think I was given a choice? The neighbor planes are overcrowded with refugees and it takes money to get beyond the boundary."

"Rayli, I don't want to fight." - Ino said with concern.

"You won't have to, Ino. I promise." - Rayli comforted his sister. - "We will find a better way to make a living. We can always live outside."

"Eh..." - The soldier spoke. - "...I don't want to interfere in your choices, but getting a ticket outside before the quarantine is over, is the safest option. These lands might not remain unclaimed."

"Rayli ..." - Ino uttered with worry.

"I understand, Ino. Once we're inside, we'll figure something out."

"We can find a better job for the girl, since she's young..." - The soldier continued. - "...but If you don't join the army, you'll only be a burden for her. You only have to do it until the quarantine is over and you get the tickets."

"Is it, how they recruited you?" - Rayli asked bluntly.

"Kind of." - The soldier pulled the beret on her eyes.

"Have you earned a ticket yet?" - Rayli inquired.

The soldier hesitated to answer. - "...no."

"How long do you serve?" - Rayli continued.

"Four years... but... I was on the frontlines only once... and that's all you need to know." - The tone of the soldier's voice was quite grim, like she wanted to warn them, but wasn't allowed to.

"What happens... If you are captured or die?" - It was Rayli's last question, he didn't want to push any further.

"Your family gets an equivalent of a severance package. It should be enough for one ticket." - The soldier answered.

"Ino, all I want, is for you to be safe." - Rayli looked his sister in the eyes.

"Rayli, don't do it." - Ino pleaded.

"The choices we make can shape the future, and knowing that you're safe out there, is enough of reward for me." - Rayli said in a gentle voice.

"Don't say that! Promise me that you will not leave me!" - Tears welled up in Ino's eyes.

"As long as I'm alive, I'll be by your side."

"No, promise that you'll stay with me forever."

"Forever is a long time, but I can do that." - Rayli smiled.

They reached a bunker surrounded by a metal fence. What they would see inside, would be one of the last bastions of defense in their sector.