“Do not forget what I told you,” Endra says. “Do it ‘passionately’. You might gain a sympathizer or two that way.”

Unknowingly, I smile. Endra has been rather accommodating since, well, the start.

“Thanks, for everything,” I say, the desire for sincerity made my voice a tad quieter. But Endra hears it nonetheless.

“This is only natural for me… to serve the people of the Keeper.”

Wait, what? I raise my eyebrows. “People of the Keeper?”

Endra clears his throat. “Of course, I mean the citizens here.”

I want to clear my doubts, but the flying craft now enters the giant doorway. The rail in front of us slides to the side, arranging itself at the back, exposing us to six enormous seats almost reaching sky high. I can’t see anyone on the seats yet.

“These are not seats, but high-rising podiums where the members stand on. The well-designed tall backwalls, however, gave it a seat-like appearance from a distance,” Endra says over my shoulders. Something in his voice gives me the shivers.

But before I can speak a word, a forceful shove pushes me to the ground inches below the flying craft’s floor. It is too sudden, that I find my face planting itself to the ground, raw and un-cushioned.

A wet feeling slowly spreads throughout my face, together with a searing pain on my forehead, lips, and nose. The nose might have broken.

“Ow-” I manage to tilt my head sideways.

But Endra is also lying face flat on the floor, the two guards too; although it looks quite absurd to see insect-like creatures do it.

After a few seconds, they rise up. I follow, too, grunting as my body is shakily cranking itself just to stand.

“GLORY TO ETRAVE!” I scream at the top of my lungs, together with the three. A swift swipe of a hand on my nose oddly suffices the oozing blood and the fiery pain in accompaniment; then a calming feeling wells from my heart. It’s the implanted inhibitor that Endra talked about, I’m sure.

Endra glances at me with approval in his face, and the guards slink to whatever place they should conceal themselves in.

“Excellent!” A voice echoes along the spacious chamber. “You have taught him well Endra!”

“I’m greatly honored, my lord.” Endra locks his eyes at the tallest of the seats right at the center. I still can’t see anyone though.

“Excellent too that the MAD is working. With that, I assume we won’t have any trouble starting our discussion?”

“A little delay with some information, but the linguistic aspect is working just fine, my lord.”

“That doesn’t matter, as long as he can speak and understand our language. Very well then, let the interrogation commence.”

“He looks far from that human!” A different voice growls, brassy and hoarse. “Will he work just as fine then?”

“As long as he is a human,” the Keeper’s voice says back.

“Human, tell us the name of your planet, the magical feats of the people in it, and the mode of transport you’ve used to arrive here!” A grumpy voice demands, sharp but deep.

“I came from a planet called ‘Earth’. Our magic capacity is….” a figure pops in my brain almost seamlessly. It’s telling me this is the standard measurement of a planet’s magical capacity. Is this the workings of the MAD. “It’s… enough to destroy a planet,” I blurt out. “And I don’t know how I came here.”

The voices in unison produce a gasping sound, and a flurry of whispers among them.

From the corner of my eye, I notice Endra giving me a strange look.

“Was it Earth, you say?” The same voice asks.

“Yes, that is correct,” I say. Quite calm despite the absurdity of it all.

“Do you know its general location?” A feminine grating voice from the second seat from the left asks.

“Perhaps you should use the map, Fesyin,” the Keeper says.

Fesyin obliges. She hurls a spherical object in the center, clacking as soon as it stops motionless mid-air. The clacks become faster and faster until it turns into a buzzing whirr. Dancing spectrum of lights emerge from it, closely resembling a disco ball. But the bands of light grow bigger and brighter, whirling and convoluting everywhere, until it all finally turns into a flash of light.

When I open my eyes, my jaw instantly drops. I’m surrounded by some sort of a holographic map of the… is this the Milky Way? A projection of the entire galaxy with its billions of stars and planets.

Durstel Spiral… Something enters my thoughts again. “Name in honor of the first known traveler who traversed the entire spiral galaxy and mapped it… Durstel,” My mouth whispers reading my thoughts.

“Can you point it out?” Fesyin orders.

“I apologize. I have no information about the general location of my planet.”

But then the map zooms in, zooming until a familiar blue planet with white swirls and patches of green and brown appears. My heart skips a beat.

Hanging suspended in the darkness of the void, like a beautiful maiden waiting for her lover, the planet glows breathtakingly. The moon, her flower maid… the moon. Where’s the moon?

I squint in disbelief. But as the map zooms in further, I can see a fleck of rocks orbiting around it… a ring?

“We believe you came from this place, but the inhabitants don’t call it ‘Earth’ like you do. They call it Gliesen. A planet that has a magical capacity of 8 in the Hoggen Scale, which means the most powerful beings in there can cause near planetary catastrophe. Although, espionage reports obtained from an interstellar empire says these two beings are currently dormant. Moreover, the planet has four dominant species, 7 minor species, and uncounted marginal species which include humans,’ says Fesyin. “Now to the issue at hand… Recently, the Etrave Defense System reported sightings of human beings around the vicinity of the outskirts using spatial portals which caused dissonances. And it is only right that they are assessed thus as a threat to the planet’s welfare and require immediate response… with the probable motive behind these unwarranted visitors as ‘espionage’ and ‘theft’; it is also worthy of note that Gliesen is currently sanctioned by the Union of Hamae due to the atrocities it committed at the last war, and its inhabitants are not allowed to cross to other planets. And recent reports about such spatial dissonances due to the use of a portal, and the sighting of Gliesen’s human inhabitants here in Hamae is clearly a violation! So tell us what you know, and the motives of your ilk or your commanding species, or the consequences will be dire. This can mean war, and surely the destruction of Gliesen and all of its inhabitants, including the ones you hold dear. And this is a price surely you can’t afford.”

I gulp. This is actually more serious than I thought. I want to say that Planet Gliesen is not my planet, but the possibility that Irina and her brother came from there seems legit. Perhaps I might just find the answer that I need right there. And besides, I can’t believe humankind on that planet is only a marginal species?

“I-I don’t know anything at all. But there’s one thing I can assure everyone, we humans are against such war!” Why… Why, do I just have to run my mouttthhh. I’m so stupid, fuck this nervousnes.

“I’ll take your word, but know that if you are mistaken, the death of all humans shall be your sole fault!”

“Any other questions for this human?” The Keeper asks the council.

“What magic do you wield and its capacity, human?” The brass, hoarse voice asks.

“I don’t know.”

“Nonsense… then how did you arrive here. Even if you used a portal, surely everyone knows that you need to have a magic capacity of 3 in the Hoggen Scale to withstand the spatial pressure, including a higher degree of spatial knowledge!”

3 in the Hoggen Scale? “I-I… don’t know.”

“Are you feigning ignorance?!” The voice gets harsher. “Only it is that I ask this question to ensure the safety of Etrave!”

“If I had an inkling of the strength that you have imagined me to have, I would never be here!” I shot back.

Endra gives me a sharp glance.

“That last ascended human has burdened interstellar empires for millennia, and we don’t want to have a repeat of-”

“That’s enough Tereant. He may feign helplessness, or any sort. But I sense no magic in him yet. This is why we have discussed this beforehand!” the Keeper says. “Have you forgotten the agenda of our meeting earlier?”

“A foreign-”

“Enough!” The Keeper roars. “You are not helping here Tereant! I shall give you a chance to present your case, only if you can present a reasonable logic behind it. That lousy spout of yours…”

A hiss of murmurs rises from the seats.

“Now considering the gasses have fizzled out from your bottom, the council members have more questions for the human? Or none, so that we may end this?”

“I request that further questions be asked in transmission, of course to be reviewed beforehand,” The first seat from the right asks.

“Request granted. Any more?”

“Request for another memory probe discussion?”

“Let us make this clear…. Do you want your memories searched, human?” The keeper asks, direct and stern.

“No!” I say, loud and crisp. I just know I have to avoid that.

“Then, the request is denied.”

“Request for a physiological examination?”

“Examination results will be transmitted after this meeting.”

Physiological examination? Have they done it on me? An urge to speak lumps in my throat, but a warning glance from Endra quells it.

“Bite your tongue, Jayr,” Endra hisses beside me.

“Per sunset assessment.”

“Accepted…. And done. We have lingered on this matter long enough. Further requests can be transmitted thereafter. Now, Fesyin, you may take the stage.”

“So in consideration of the Keeper Hettre’s comprehensive account in the council meeting before this regarding the detainee’s status: that humans are a subjugated species and are only forced to do criminal acts by the ruling species of Gliesen and should only rightly be extricated from all acts of violation involving the recent spatial dissonance events as it is not a dire situation that requires a heavy response. And thus by that account, human… after a much heated discussion, we agreed that we will pardon your illegal intrusion without a travel pass… ONLY IF you promise to work for Etrave and become an Etravean. To go with this, the Etravean government will not treat you as a prisoner but as a citizen and thereby be granted citizenship; including meriting of, that is, a level 3 access to public knowledge, utilities, and benefits and a level 2 access to classified information and magic. The terms are now written on scroll, and shall be given to you for your blood signature, to be followed by a vow of loyalty and it’s magic symbol counterpart. Furthermore, this agreement will also be done with full knowledge of the interstellar laws regarding individual privileges and rights and expected interactions of governments in dispute; more importantly, that the individual and the government involved are fully aware of this agreement and shall be witnesses.”

Feysin pauses for a moment, as if to let all that information slowly sink in, then continues. ”Should you disagree on this matter, you shall be treated as a prisoner and may face charges. And by any chance, if you break the terms of the agreement, you shall be stripped off of your Etravean rights and privileges and will face a fate worse than death…. So, do you agree, human, that goes by the name Jayr?

Eh. I don’t freaking know what to say. I feel like this is something extremely important, and that I have to think about this reaalllyyy carefully. But- Fuck it! I don’t have a choice.

“Y-Yes?” I say.

“Yes… Yes?” Fesyin says, mirroring my tone.

“Say, ‘Yes, I agree’.” Endra’s whisper, sharp and whistling.

“Yes, I agree!”

“Alright, let the rite of loyalty begin.”

Two guards walk towards me from the shadows, one carrying a wooden platter and an object that resembles a signet on top of it, and the other a platter too, but this time, a scroll on it.

“Take the scroll, Jayr,” Endra says, his voice solemn and proper. “Read and sign it with full intent. May it forever remind you of this agreement and guide you.”

I slowly lift the scroll from the platter and read it. It is not written in the English language, but in the official Etravean language. Thanks to this maddening MAD, I can read the text seamlessly; although, I honestly just skim over it. This is because my stomach feels weird. I want to lie down and… eat. Since when was the last time I had food in my mouth?

‘I’m hungry,” I weakly say. Now that my future strays off from the path of a certain doom, everything comes crashing at once. My body feels wobbly, and my brain is about to shut itself off.

“Jayr? Are you ok?” Endra’s voice diminishes as my vision blurs.

‘I want to slreeeffpp-”

Darkness.