It was another cold, hard working day in the village like no other. Except there was no fog covering the village, not too many black clouds covering the sky, making the glowing sunlight more charming than always. Miners singing their jolly pleasant songs as trucks filled with heart stones moved from one place to another.

“You guys there! Put your back on it! We have to make this trade deal by tomorrow.”

Halo shouted while looking down at the mining construction.

“Aye aye old man!” they replied with a jolly expression.

“I want 1 pound mined right now. And stop calling me old man!”

The people of this village were hard workers. They were happy to work under pressure because, to them, getting the job done meant food would be on the table faster. The buildings were colorful, with small reptiles and unicorn-like horses walking around.

In the middle of the village beside the well was a middle age alien with glasses in his eyes and a charismatic go tee on his chin.

“How's the analytics going, Luck” Kalo said, walking close to the man. His name was Luck. The chief of the village. A set of glasses to his eyes and a brown hat atop. His clothes weren’t all that magnificent despite being a chief. It was certain from the looks that he was a hardworking person. The only shining part of his cloth was a badge that displayed the word “World’s best dad”

“Well, this is gonna be another tough year, I guess,” luck said with a sigh.

“Ah don’t worry. We’ll make it like we always did”

Kalo said, patting Luck on the back. Luck gave out a faint smile, which quickly disappeared.

“Uncle, it's not as easy as you think.”

He pulled out a locket and opened to see the picture within.

“Our only option for economic development are these heart stones. We don’t have an abundance of resources, manpower or technology.”

He walked towards the mining rig and observed from the top.

“We’re even lucky that space travel is even a thing. Without these intergalactic businesses, we could have been in a much more serious condition.”

Kalo let out a sigh at hearing that. He gently grabbed Luck’s shoulder and said,

“I… I know you are still blaming yourself for your wife’s unprecedented death. But you have to move forward."

"Unless I find a permanent solution to our crisis, I can't"

Luck had ambitions greater than anyone could think of. He was resilient, smart, and determined. For his people, it was the heart stones that were key to their survival. But an insecurity always loomed in the back of their head. How long would these last?

A grim atmosphere formed just thinking about it. But fortunately, that didn’t last as a shout from the girl changed it instantly.

“Dad!”

Lola and Liam came running from the village.

“Ah! Kids!” Luck’s expression widened with joy at hearing Lola’s voice. He immediately picked Lola up to the top and asked with a grin on his face,

“Have you been good to your aunt?”

“Yes, Dad.”

Lola said with a smile on her face. Luck gently put her down on the ground and patted Liam on the head.

“Good job taking care of your sister, young man.”

“Leave it to me! With me around, Lola will never cause trouble,” he said in a proud voice, hitting his palm against his chest.

“But brother, aren’t you the one who runs of the moment you see a reptile”

“Oh, shut up!” he retorted.

They all laughed it off. Life was simple but had struggles like any other place.

But that joyful environment couldn't seem to last. A few days passed by. Luck and his family were spending time at their house like any other day. Kalo and Halo with them keeping the kids' company. While Kalo was playing with Lola, Kalo was sitting down with Liam and Luck as they were showing Liam the importance of the mining rig and many other necessities.

“Why do I have to learn these, Dad” Liam said, rubbing his eyes to knock off the sleep.

“Because someday you will take the mantle of the chieftain. For that, you must learn what it takes to be the chief of the village.” Kalo said.

“Can’t you guys teach me this stuff when I get older?”

Luck let out a sigh as he patted Liam on the head.

“It's not a simple job, boy. And life itself is one unpredictable ride. Who knows when one’s journey will end? I just want to prepare you for that inevitable future. A future where I might not be…”

“No!” Liam shouted at his father.

“If there is a future without you, then that's a future I don't want to be a part of!”

Luck could not help but smile. Seeing the love his son had for him.

“My bad. Let's get something to eat, ok?”

“Ok” Liam nodded. Kalo observes their moment. Not saying anything. Just a proud smile on his face.

“Go grab Lola” he sent Liam to Lola’s room.

“The future huh” he opened the locket on his neck once again, staring at the woman’s picture embedded in it.

“What will the future hold, I wonder…”

“It's gonna be ok,” Kalo said.

Luck was almost lost in his thoughts, but a sudden noise snapped him back into reality.

“What's going on?” Kalo shouted.

They rushed outside, seeing all the ruckus. Folks running out of the mining rig as if their life depended on it.

“The mine is collapsing on itself”

One folk yelled.

“No… no… no!” Luck ran towards the rig.

“Luck! Wait!” Kalo dashed behind. Luck tried to tackle his way through the crowd, but to no avail. Kalo grabbed him from behind and pushed him to the side.

“If the mine collapses on itself, we will lose all the vital shipments for next month,” Luck shouted at Kalo.

“That doesn’t mean you should run at it, you stupid. One order means nothing!”

Luck grabbed his own hair, trying to calm himself down. But it was not working.

“If the mine collapses, we lose the deal. Without that, we can’t survive this eclipse.”

“We'll figure it out like we always do!” Kalo shouted back at him, which calmed him down a little. The mine had collapsed on itself, with it a month's hard work. There was nothing to say, for whatever reason it was the mine had collapsed. A few days went by and the villagers had seized on a sorrowful expression. Kalo didn’t know what to do in this situation. One folk walked towards Kalo with a depressed face,

"Old man Kalo, with the mine closing for repairs, everyone went into a state of panic."

"I know"

"How will we manage food?"

“I Don't know"

"Old man-”

" Just shut up for a few seconds and let me think!" Kalo shouted out of frustration.

Kalo realized he had just unnecessarily lashed out towards one villager. He quickly tried to apologize.

"Im.. Sorry. I.."

The villager replied with a smile

"It's ok sir. I know we are in a tough time and my questions won't solve the matter. I just hope the chief can pull through and save us from this issue."

"Me too…"

Kalo murmured. He strolled towards the edge of the village and opened the door to Luck’s home. Lola and Liam were sitting in front of their dad’s office room, observing it, but not daring to go inside.

“What's the matter, kids?” Kalo asked.

“Dad hasn't come out of his room for 2 days.” Lola said as tears fell from her eyes.

“What's wrong with that old man,. Her daughter is crying here. Doesn’t he understand?” Liam felt pissed, trying to act tough in front of his sister. But a child can never hide their sadness so easily. Kalo patted both of their heads, reassuring the kids that everything would be alright. He entered the room when he suddenly noticed another person was sitting in front of Luck. The feeling of an isolated, non-ventilated and cramped up feeling was also present. Luck didn’t come out of his room for a few days. Luck sitting down on his chair thinking of a great person with the mysterious hooded figure in front of him. The hooded figure was large, but a large size to a ploutonian can’t be considered large. Rather, it was an ideal shape. Like a human. He was talking to Luck arrogantly. But Kalo couldn't hear their words properly. A coin in his hand. That figure was constantly flipping. He threw the coin in the air one last time and opened it in his palm. A huge grin on his face

“So do we have a deal, Mayor?”

The hooded man spoke up, which Kalo heard.

“What deal?” Kalo asked.

Luck remained silent for a few seconds. Not talking, not listening to a word that Kalo asked. After a moment, he uttered.

“Yes, we do.”

The hooded man pulled his hand forward and replied,

“Then let's shake on it.”

Kalo felt something was strange about the atmosphere. It seemed that Luck was hesitant to do what he was doing. But Luck went through with it and shook his hand.

The mysterious figure walked close to the door, looking back at Luck and Kalo.

“I’ll see that the supplies are delivered.”

Saying that, he left the place.

Kalo looked back at Luck, confused.

"What was that all about?"

Luck didn't reply

"Aren't you going to answer me Luck?"

"Dad, listen carefully. Whatever happens in the next few days, just know that I did it for our people "

Saying those words, he left the room. Kalo Couldn't fathom what was about to take place. Neither did the civilians.

2 days later..

Huge shipments of food, clothing were brought to the place. With them were the wolves who came as peace-loving travelers. Helping the villagers distribute the food amongst themselves. For the villagers, it felt like something of a heaven sent. They wouldn't have to worry about anything. From one of the cargo ships came 5 unique individuals. They differed from the wolves. Hugo, Vik, Vigle were among them. Alongside was a piglike humanoid creature with a huge belly, farming clothes, and a shotgun strapped on its back. And behind these 4 was another wolf. Whose size was far bigger than any of them. Silver fur, blue eyes and long sharp claws, with a huge belt filled with grenades on the back and a cowboy hat. All the normal wolves kneeled before them. They slowly strolled towards the village. Luck and Kalo stood in front of them. The big bad wolf walked close to Luck, pulling its hat down. His razor-sharp teeth were visible because of his hideous smile.

“It's nice to meet you, village chief. My name is Kuro, Kuro bloodsmite”