Cosmonogic

Chp. 10: Crash on Valastro

The blink of an eye sent Rake back into his true form. Too much time had already passed. Valton was approaching its destruction on the surface of a rogue planet.

Rake's eyes darted around a frozen reality. You can't die here echoed inside his head. The glass protecting them from outer-space was in the process of shattering. Rake walked away from it like it was nothing. It was simply moving too slow to matter.

Upon entering the cabin, Rake could see the initial signs of shock on Nex's face. What's happening to me bubbled inside of his mind. Dawn's spirit was attempting to exit the sword, her hand barely out of the hilt.

Rake grabbed it along with Nex's hand, and everything sped back up to normal speed.

...

"Valastro has an interesting atmosphere," Rake panted. "I guess I've been gone so long that my body isn't adjusted to it anymore." You seem to be doing fine. Rake hunched over, sucking in a great deal of air. This doesn't make any sense. I'm native to this planet.

"You really shouldn't push yourself so hard." Dawn placed her hand on Rake's shoulders, yanking it off quickly as Nex interrupted by shouting 'I feel so free' at the top of his lungs.

"Cut that out, will you," Rake sucked in more breath, "I just need time to get used to it all again." He nearly collapsed at the statement.

"Seriously man, stop talking." Nex bounced up and grabbed onto a tree. "I could climb to the top of this no problem!" he went on shouting once more.

"Quiet," Rake coughed. I'm gonna be sick. "We don't know what's out here."

"Well, shouldn't you?" Nex retorted, only half-interested in the argument. "It is your home planet, after all."

"Sure," Rake gave a flinch reaction, hardly able to process the thought himself.

"I agree with your friend, you must cease this useless conversation," Dawn countered Rake, putting her finger on his lips so that he couldn't speak.

Breaking free of Dawn's grasp, Rake shouted "Will you just shut up!" only to get dizzy and pass out as a result.

"You pass out a lot," Dawn sneered. Nex was nowhere to be seen. "Relax, it's been a couple of seconds. Nex is climbing that tree up there." She pointed at the audacious figure of Nex clutching onto a thick tree trunk.

Memories of the tree he and Moxin climbed up all those years ago came to mind. He was too worn out to care.

Looking up, Rake soaked in the picture of the orange and blue leaves that towered over them. Purple leaves are bad crept back into his headspace, though he wasn't sure why. Roots stuck up out of the leaf-covered ground; they were still, yet it seemed like they were an ever-moving ocean.

Rake forced himself up and started walking. The same from my nightmare. Something he didn't expect was Nex getting high off of his planet's atmosphere, and it taking such a toll on his body. Rake began to put the pieces together.

"Struggling?" Dawn chimed in, completely derailing his train of thought.

"I'll take you over Rakaro any day," was all that Rake said as he continued his trek onwards. Why did he even want me to come here?

Hours passed, miraculously Nex was able to control his euphoria long enough to keep up with him, at times at least. There were multiple occasions where Rake would have to go back and shout, then nearly pass out at the exertion. He was way past his limit.

It took a couple of hours, but balance began to set in. Rake was having less trouble moving, and Nex had at least stopped bouncing around like they were on a small moon. What is Valastro even made of? The thought troubled him. They had no telling whether or not these effects were toxic.