no matter how high you go
no matter how far you reach
i'll do so too. i'll work so i too can fly.
and we'll never be apart.
Kris landed, for the first time in a while, on his feet. He smiled looking around, a field. A plain field. Nothing. No one. Just a field. With grass. And other field features. Kris smiled a little, taking a small loaf of bread he’d managed to trace something for, out of his bag. He ripped a little off and began walking through the field. He assumed that walking in one direction was at least going to help him find this « tree of life » that he was supposed to be looking for.
He could sense someone was around but he shrugged it off. He was sure it was no one and if it was someone who attacked him he’d just fly or control their mind into leaving him alone - which was always an option. It was actually how he knew there was someone around he felt the presence of a mind he could control. That sounds creepy and rather annoying but it actually wasn’t a bad feeling. It took a little getting used to but when his powers had become rather present the feeling had started. He’d gotten used to it.
Kris felt the presence getting closer he turned around and looked around. It was weird, he felt as if something weird was happening. “Who’s there?” he said in English. He was pretty sure he was being followed. “Come out” he said in Chinese.
Tao was walking towards the field he saw the other day. It was greener so he figured that might be where the tree was, hopefully. But he paused as he heard a small thud. It was faint but he was sure he heard it. He spotted a pathetically dead tree and hid behind it. Tao watched as a person landed… from the sky. Could it be? Another Exotian? After all, he didn’t recall humans being able to fly. However, the heads did tell him there were going to be other Exotians on Earth. Tao heard the other call out, first in a language he didn’t quite recognize and then one he identified as Chinese. He had to learn two languages for this mission, so he chose Chinese and Korean. His native tongue was of course Exotian.
Stepping out of his not so effective hiding spot, he slowly made his way to the other male. “Who are you?” he asked, tone even as he looked the other up and down. The male was tall, at least a couple inches taller than him and his features were sharp, almost intimidating, but Tao didn’t show it. Vulnerability wasn’t something he could afford. The other also had bleached honey blonde hair, which Tao wouldn’t have normally liked on anyone else, but it actually looked pretty decent on him. Maybe he won’t be too bad. Maybe.
Her heart raced at a speed she can’t cope, it pounded heavily deep inside her chest, that she could almost hear the mechanical movements of every of her heart muscles on her ears. It was loud, and deafening. Aside from the pain, she could feel herself cold, the heat paradoxically dissipated despite the internal turmoil her body was going through. Her body temperature lowered, but she could still feel the immense tension on every of her fibers.
Scenes came through her eyes once more, the tree, the downfall of Earth, an unusual place that she hasn’t seen before. Everything was so disintegrated that she couldn’t connect those pieces of puzzle to even give her a clue of her past. But she knew these were significant. Hana closed her eyes, took deep breaths, trying to calm herself - and it quite worked. The pain slowly faded, contradictory as to how it abruptly attacked her, until it came into her consciousness that she was with a company. He has seen it.
“What was that again?” Her hand reached to her temples, massaging the left over pain away, pretending that nothing happened. She was unsure of what he had seen, of what his reaction is to her sudden silence, all the she was able to grasp was his last sentence. What does he wants to show to her? She smiled at him, acting as if she had not undergone a deep pain. The man had probably decided to tour her in his pod.
Tao blinked as the other smiled. It was as if nothing happened so he decided to go along with it and dismissed her sudden silence. At her question, he repeated his previous inquiry, “I was gonna show you my powers. You didn’t believe me right? So I’ll show you.” He gestured for her to follow him and led her to a plant nearby. Tao knelt down beside the greenery and brushed his fingers along its leaf. He glanced up at Hana before looking down at the plant again.
With his hand hovering close to it, he began the process. It wasn’t much, just the subject growing weaker and him growing stronger. The plant began to wilt, rewinding the process of life or maybe speeding it up. He didn’t really spend too much time thinking about it. It was just natural, a part of him. He finished and the plant disappeared in a wisp of smoke. Tao turned back to his audience, the girl, and waited for her reaction. He was waiting for her to run away like the others. They usually run away after they realize what he was capable of, that he could kill them just like that. And he didn’t mind. That usually kept them from bothering him again anyways.
The coldness of his words was surely biting, but Hana didn’t mind, not at all. As if she was immune to it, for some reasons. It was more interesting to listen to him and his story, and somehow, she wished he would be more friendly to tour him around his house. Her curiosity was at its peak, it was the first time she had seen anything clean and in order, and it was rare to find another person to talk to except for her savior. “Your home is quite neat, and nice, really.” She uttered with amusement as her eyes took stolen glances from time to time on its interior.
Hana almost laughed as he explained. It wasn’t meant to poke fun at him, but what he had just said was just.. far from reality. She took in shallow breaths as she recovered from her laughter. “Hahaha.. Sir, it was interesting enough to see a house such as this, but I find you more interesting. That was funny.” Her eyes curved into crescent as she turned around, following the man who was walking past her. “So what are you? An alien? hahaha. But you don’t look like one! See, you are human!” Carelessly, her arms brushed past him as she overtook his fast pace, standing in front of him to hold him into their conversation. “Did your head hit off somewhere, mister? I am not sure what this world looks like before the apocalypse happened but one thing’s sure, this is still Earth, there is no such thing as…” The stance in her voice subsided. “…exoplanet.” There was a tinge of familiarity that had struck her upon the mention of exoplanet. Did I hear it from somewhere before? And…the heart of the tree of life? She stood in front of him, dumbfounded for a moment. A sudden scene came running in her mind, and her heart was starting to hasten its beat, a prick of pain came along with a headache.
A tree, a very big tree, standing gloriously on the field of green grasses and vibrant flowers. The big roots that grew along with time were deeply sunk on the healthy soil. Its branches spread enormously, like arms ready to embrace the whole world with its power.
Her hands found its way to her chest, the pounding of her heart was getting severe, painful. Too painful. What is happening to me? It was the first time that she had experienced such, and it was unexplainable. Perhaps a part of her memory was coming back to her? But if that is so, then, why a tree? What does it have to do with her? She tried to extract more from the scene that had just came into her mind, but it only remained as such, a still plate with no other clues of her identity. And it only caused her more pain.
Tao heard the disbelief in her words and laughter. He felt her arms brush against him in an attempt to stop him from leaving. Let her be ignorant, she’s human after all. Tao concluded from the girl’s reaction that she certainly couldn’t be exotian. He eventually gave in with an annoyed sigh and stopped to continue conversing with her. He let out an amused chuckle at her statement. So what are you? An alien? When she stubbornly declared he was a human, he shook his head in displeasure. How dare she accuse him of being a part of such a disgraceful race. “Seeing from your reaction, you obviously think that all aliens are little green guys with four eyes and eight tentacles. You think they all come down to Earth in round flying saucers with a lot of futuristic gadgets and buttons. How typical. You don’t have to look like some green, deformed creature to be an alien. You’re an alien because you’re not of this world. I’m not human; I’m not from Earth, therefore I’m an alien. My race is called exotian.” He concluded his response and added with a small smirk, “But if you’re still not convinced, I can show you the most prominent way we exotians are different from humans.” He won’t be able to demonstrate his time control but maybe life absorption… Tao looked around for a plant nearby and spotted one not to far away.
Tao was about to pull her along to so he could show her, but when he turned back to face her, he found her hand clutching her chest as if in some kind of pain. Awkwardly, he stood and watched, unable to decide if he should help or leave her be. When he decided that she was going to be fine, he asked again, “So, do you wanna see or what?” Tao wondered what happened since she was fine before, but dismissed it seeing how it was none of his business.
What would you do if you could go back and change anything? Would you do it and change your whole life?
Space pod? What is that? It is probably the lack of her memory, that she didn’t even know such thing existed. However if really did, then people would have probably used these space pods and survive the disaster that caused their deaths. She knew, for a fact, that humans of this time, were intellectual enough to think of such plan, especially when they have the capability to do so. But they didn’t. And the way this pod landed on such natural scenery almost seemed like a piece of puzzle, perfectly fit, but of different blueprint. “I’ve never seen such. It is your home? You’re probably the richest man alive now. People only have the remnants of the apocalypse, and there you are, living grand with your abode!” Her eyes curved and narrowed at her realizations. This could be a big new to everyone. Maybe she could share this news to the others, and probably this will open a new hope for the deserted ones.
However, it felt uncanny for someone to call the place he live in in a more scientific term. Earth? And, mission? “Mission? What kind of mission is that?” Hana added, disregarding the cold air he had casually exude with his glare and statement.
Tao raised an eyebrow, his level of amusement growing as the girl voiced the conclusion she made. “Oh is that so? Well, I wouldn’t say I am richest man but it does seem like it right now, doesn’t it?” Tao was very much aware of the conditions that the humans were living in now after their world was destroyed and he would say his pod was like a mansion compared to the other forms of shelter. However, it wasn’t like it was his idea for the space pod to double as his living quarters. He guessed the higher ups really did want their agent to survive long enough to find the heart of the Tree of Life and bring it back for them. But most of the time, he didn’t even like being in there, it was cramped and stiff. Everything was all robotic and computerized, with no warm feeling that a living quarters should have, as ironic as that sounds. He preferred to be outside under the stars and close to nature, so he often slept outside and used his pod for storage.
Tao listened as she delivered more questions and waited for his answers. She didn’t seem like she was planning to go anywhere anytime soon. With a sigh and slight roll of his eyes, he began to explain again, “I am not from Earth. I am from another plant, more specifically Exoplanet. I was sent here on a mission to find the heart of some stupid tree they called the Tree of Life. Supposedly, the tree is really important and valuable so I must go find it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I must go continue my searching.” He began to walk past her, abandoning his journal for later so he could just leave the girl, feeling that he already gave her more than enough answers for her questions.
Hana’s eyes screened the vessel with such amusement. It was the first time she had seen this kind, not that she had seen many, all that she saw as far as her conscious mind could remember, were ruins of cars, trains, and planes, and nothing such as this. However it was quite familiar. She wasn’t so sure though. Her hands touched the cold metal, palms brushing as she walked around its perimeter, keenly inspecting the intricacies of the said vessel. There were few glasses that opened to her a sight of the inside. The white interior was almost blinding, few dots of lights blinking one by one, like stars shining on daylight. Few screens spread over one side, but she couldn’t cipher anything that was written, or rather drawn into it. But one thing was definite. It was foreign, unworldly.
The silence of the nature was interrupted by a dark voice, and Hana almost jumped in surprise. What do you think you’re doing here? She turned around, to see a man, whom she judged to be someone of her age, his brows annexing in a vexed manner, and Hana deemed that he was not amused with her presence. But she was. “H..hello.” She stuttered as she speak, probably because the way his eyes dawned into her was too strong that he could almost kill her if he could, but the naivety and innocence on her wouldn’t believe that the man could do that. “Sorry to interrupt you. I was just curious about…this.” Hana spoke, a smile adorned on her lips as she tries her best to sound friendly. “What do you call this? And.. how did you manage to survive using this one?” She asked, assuming the self-made theory she constructed with regards to the vessel and its owner. It wasn’t too logical for a question, to ask such thing, but she hope he’d understand. She was just, after all, curious about everything.
Tao watched as she spoke, somewhat amused by her naivety and lack of fear towards him. Others would’ve fled by now, but he wondered why she didn’t. Probably just out looking for trouble, he thought with a small smirk. Figuring that she would leave after she got her answers, Tao decided to give them to her. He glanced toward the piece of metal before explaining, “That is called a space pod. I survive by using it as a symbol of my presence here on Earth and why I should even bother with this… mission. And I’m pretty sure you figured out, more or less, that it is also where I live. It provides me with shelter, food, and water.” He finished and gave her an expectant look, waiting for her to leave him alone so he can get his journal and continue his search for the ‘Tree of Life’. He didn’t have time to waste talking to this girl. Tao just wanted to find the tree and go home.
