Mirae Walkers

Chapter V

Keoni watched as Caste slinked away out of view. He was trembling, and his ears were flat as he pressed against the hill. He was muttering something in his own language.

The Quuarks in the valley addressed the nearest Cognate. "Surrender and nobody gets hurt." The lead barked. The Cognate stood unphased.

"How about you surrender?" The Mir-Cognate spat. "You xemoch quonuyo."

Caste snorted. Keoni would ask him to translate later.

"Just because you speak another language doesn't mean you get to insult us, cheea x-nav."

The creatures gathered around them all giggled at the mispronunciation. The soldiers just shrunk a little at the ridiculement.

"You have ten seconds to leave or we will make you." The Cognate responded after at least five seconds of laughing.

The Quuark grabbed the Cognate by the scruff and held him on a chokehold. "If you all force us out of here, he's coming with us!" She screamed.

"Or you could just blow me up." He said casually. "In fact, please do." The Quuarks gave him concerned looks from his suicidal comments, though the rest of the gathering shrugged it off. "I really hate this body."

Caste was still tightly curled up, making Keoni wonder what was going through his head. Was something wrong with the comment that was just made? Or did he have a personal, traumatic experience like this?

-Comedy Intensifies-

"What's wrong about being a dog?!" Another Mir-Cognate yelled from the crowd in a joking manner..

"Because cats are better!!" The hostage Cognate yelled back, grinning. Every Cognate not in the fight keeled over from laughing so hard at that, except for those who had just been offended. 

Caste didn't react. Something has to be wrong. Keoni thought.

"Seriously!" He called again. "Do the thing!"

Without hesitation, a group of nearby Cognates started creating the glowy energy from their hands. They fired, sending two beams of light towards the group of ten.

The beams collided right before they hit the Quuarks. The collision, however, caused a huge explosion everyone had to duck for.

Keoni covered her ears and ducked next to Caste, Ryley following close behind. After the cascade of magic, everyone began to rise again.

The Mirae world began to grow back. The blast had killed all the grass, but it was already spreading back. Moments later, Keoni spotted two Cognates using some type of magic to grow the pink grass back.

Soon, all the grass consumed what was left of the gallybagger soldiers.

All that was left was an illuminated figure. Keoni didn't think anything of it until it stood up, and she realized it was the Cognate who wanted to die.

People came over to help him up, and supported him as they walked out of the valley.

"If you didn't know - we're immortal, Keoni." Caste emerged from his hiding position and crossed his legs on the ground, watching the cleanup.

"I knew," she responded. "I read about it."

Caste didn't respond. He just watched the rest of the Cognates return to their work. Keoni was no empath, but something was clearly bothering him.