The ash still clung to the air.Gukutto's breath came out in ragged bursts as he pressed a bandaged hand against his side. The burn from the earlier blast still sizzled faintly — a reminder that his power was more curse than strength. The Saijanti pod behind him hissed quietly, metal warped and half-buried in the cracked ground. It had been home for too long, if that word even meant anything here.
He adjusted the torn edge of his green gi, wrapped his burned hand tighter with a strip of cloth, and began to walk.
Kael'ryn's horizon stretched endlessly — rivers of magma carving through black stone, the air shimmering with heat. The wind carried the smell of scorched iron and dust. Every step echoed like a challenge.
The planet wasn't meant for living. It was meant for testing.
Days blurred together in a haze of hunger and violence. The creatures that once roamed nearby — hulking, bone-armored beasts — had grown scarce. Either he had hunted too many… or they had learned to stay away. The silence was louder than any battle cry.
"Nothing left here," he muttered to himself. His voice cracked. "Time to move."
He kicked a few ashes aside, revealing old claw marks scorched into the ground. Even those were fading. There was no future in this patch of hell. If he wanted to live, he'd need to find something — anything — beyond it.
Hours passed. The terrain shifted from burning plains to jagged cliffs.Gukutto climbed, boots scraping against stone, every movement sending small tremors through his healing arm. The wind up here was colder, sharper. It carried strange sounds — echoes that almost resembled voices. He ignored them. Hallucinations were common when you hadn't eaten properly in days.
Then came the faintest sign of life.
A rustle — too deliberate for the wind. He crouched instantly, scanning the landscape. His instincts flared. Something was watching.
Moments later, a low growl rolled through the valley.Three creatures emerged from the shadows, leaner than the ones he'd hunted before — fast, with obsidian-like skin that reflected the planet's crimson glow. Their eyes burned gold.
"Guess you're dinner," Gukutto muttered, smirking despite himself.
The first lunged.He spun, striking it mid-air with his good hand. A flash of Ki burst from his palm — too much — and the creature disintegrated into ash. His burned hand trembled violently. Still too much power... control it, he scolded himself.
The other two hesitated. He could've killed them both in an instant.But then one stepped back, positioning itself protectively in front of a smaller one.A child?
His smirk faded.
He'd seen this before — predators, parents, and prey — but never like this. The smaller creature trembled, clutching at the ground. Its parent hissed, ready to die defending it. Gukutto could have ended them both in a heartbeat.
Instead, he lowered his hand.
"…Go," he said quietly.
They didn't understand his words — but maybe they felt the intent. The parent beast nudged the child away, retreating slowly until the heat shimmer swallowed them.
For the first time in a long while, the silence felt gentle.
Then came another noise.A screech — not of mercy but of hunger.
Three larger predators had been stalking from the cliffs, watching the same prey. The spared creatures didn't stand a chance.
Gukutto sighed. "You've got to be kidding me."
Before the predators could strike, he blurred forward — fists and Ki bursts colliding like thunder. He fought with instinct, not rage. His movements were sharper this time, his energy tighter, controlled. But one swipe caught his shoulder, drawing blood.
When the dust settled, the predators were gone — reduced to scorched remains.The smaller creatures had vanished, safe. Probably.
He touched the wound on his shoulder and laughed softly, bitterly."Kindness hurts," he muttered. "Guess that's new."
By the time the light dimmed — if you could call it light — Gukutto had covered miles of terrain. The lava rivers thinned into streams of glowing rock, and the sky faded into a dull red twilight. Strange pillars rose from the earth, ancient and cracked, as if the planet once held civilizations that dared to challenge it.
He climbed one last ridge and exhaled heavily.
Below him stretched something he hadn't seen before.
Structures — small, broken, but undeniably built.Wood? No. Stone carved roughly into shapes. Fires flickering weakly in the dark.Movement. Shadows.
A village… or what was left of one.
He stood there in silence for a long time, the heat of the wind brushing against his face.Life — intelligent life — existed here.
But was it new, or ancient?Friend… or foe?
His burned hand flexed unconsciously. He didn't know if he was ready to meet others. He wasn't sure he even knew how to talk to people anymore.Still, curiosity sparked where fear should have been.
He stepped forward, eyes narrowing, scanning the horizon where smoke curled up into the red sky.
Maybe this world wasn't done testing him after all.