?The sunlight of Sector 9 stung the back of Lucas's neck.

  ?It had been thirteen years since that rainy night. Lucas was now eighteen years old. His body wasn't overly large, but it was compact and muscular from years of cutting giant fish bones and lifting cargo crates.

  ?"Hey, Kid! Do you want me to starve to death? Cut the tentacles thinner!"

  ?An octopus-headed alien customer slapped the table with his green slime. Lucas rolled his eyes, but his hands remained deft, slicing the Squid-Mutant meat as thin as paper.

  ?"Have a little patience, Mr. Glup. If it's too thin, it will disintegrate when cooked," Lucas replied casually, wrapping up the order. "Here, fifteen credits."

  ?After the alien left grumbling, Lucas wiped his slimy hands on his apron. The atmosphere at Uncle Garp's stall was quite busy today, but Uncle Garp was taking a nap behind a stack of ice crates.

  ?Lucas picked up an old newspaper left behind on a customer's table. His eyes sparkled looking at the front page.

  ?[BREAKING NEWS: GENERAL REINHARD OF THE UCO ONCE AGAIN CRUSHES INVADERS ON PLANET TYRUS]

  ?In the photo, General Reinhard, currently dubbed the strongest human in the universe, was seen standing gallantly atop the wreckage of an enemy ship.

  ?"So cool..." Lucas mumbled, his eyes unblinking. "Look at him, just from the newspaper I can already feel his aura. He didn't even do anything, his arrival was enough to make those aliens kneel. When will I be able to see a UCO hero in person?"

  ?"Tch. Hillbilly."

  ?A cold voice shattered Lucas's daydream.

  ?Lucas turned his head. At the end of the stall's long table sat a young man with messy black hair. He was devouring a bowl of fish head soup hungrily, but his eyes stared at Lucas with a mocking gaze.

  ?It was the young man.

  ?Lucas knew he often ate here, but they rarely spoke.

  ?"What do you mean?" asked Lucas, slightly offended.

  ?The young man slurped the soup broth until it was finished, then put the bowl down roughly.

  ?"You're amazed by cheap propaganda like that? Reinhard is just a show-off. You're like a frog in a well. Never seen the outside world, have you?"

  ?Lucas's face flushed red. "Have you? At least they protect this galaxy!"

  ?"Protect? Or colonize?" the young man chuckled cynically. "You're too naive, Fishmonger."

  ?Before Lucas could retort, a commotion broke out in front of the stall.

  ?A customer table displaying pearl oysters was kicked until it shattered. Three large thugs with rusty iron implants on their faces stood there. The Scrap-Iron Gang.

  ?"Oy, Old Garp! Wake up!" shouted the thug leader, a bald man with a mechanical arm. "This month's security fee hasn't been paid!"

  ?Uncle Garp woke up startled, hurrying out.

  ?"W-wait, Boss. Sales are slow... give me two more days..."

  ?"The UCO has raised several taxes this month. Two days my ass!... I don't care about the U - C - O, in this sector, I am the leader."

  ?The Baldy grabbed Uncle Garp's collar and lifted him up.

  ?"Pay now or I'll rip off that rusty robot arm of yours and sell it!"

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  ?Lucas's blood boiled. He grabbed his fish-cutting knife and was about to jump over the table.

  ?But someone moved faster than him.

  ?A shadow flashed.

  ?Suddenly, the young man was already standing behind the Baldy. His stance was low, one hand holding the hilt of a katana that had just been half-drawn.

  ?The Baldy's mechanical arm detached from his shoulder, falling with a clang to the ground. The cut was clean and smoking.

  ?"ARGGHHH!" The Baldy screamed, releasing Uncle Garp and clutching his severed shoulder.

  ?His two lackeys trembled, backing away in fear.

  ?The young man turned slowly. The tip of his katana was pointed at the neck of the Baldy, who was now kneeling.

  ?Lucas's eyes widened. He saw it. There was a thin layer of pale blue light coating the young man's katana blade.

  ?It wasn't laser technology. It was pure energy from the human soul.

  ?Lux Energy.

  ?Although the light was dim and unstable like a dying candle flame, for Lucas who had seen nothing but dead fish all his life, it was the most beautiful yet terrifying thing he had ever seen.

  ?"Mercy! Mercy, Big Boss!" The Baldy cried, tears mixing with oil on his face. "We were just looking for food!"

  ?The young man stared coldly. "Look for food somewhere else. If I see your face here again, your neck will be the next thing severed."

  ?"Yes! Yes! We're leaving!"

  ?The Baldy picked up his severed arm and ran away in a panic with his lackeys, disappearing around the corner of the market.

  ?Uncle Garp sighed in relief, clutching his chest. "Thank you, Son. If not for you, these old bones would be finished."

  ?The young man only nodded briefly, then sheathed his katana.

  ?The blue light vanished instantly.

  ?Lucas jumped over the table, his eyes sparkling as he looked at the young man. His annoyance from earlier was gone completely.

  ?"Oy! That was crazy! What light was that? Are you a Lux user? Are you a knight?"

  ?The young man looked at Lucas with a lazy gaze. "Noisy. That was just a cheap trick. Still basic level."

  ?"Basic my ass?! That just cut iron like cutting tofu!" Lucas was still excited.

  ?The young man stared at Lucas intently, as if weighing something. Then he grinned slightly.

  ?"Hey, Fishmonger. I saved your shop. Now it's your turn to help me."

  ?"Help with what?"

  ?"Come with me."

  ?Lucas turned to Uncle Garp. The old man waved his hand while smiling. "Go."

  ?With Uncle Garp's blessing, Lucas took off his apron and followed the young man through the dark alleys of StarCross.

  ?They arrived at an old hangar on the outskirts of the city full of piles of aircraft wreckage. In the middle of that hangar lay a small ship (Star-Scouter) that was jet black. Its shape was sleek like an arrowhead, but its condition was pathetic. Its left wing was broken, and its main thruster engine was scorched.

  ?"This..." Lucas touched the ship's body. Cold. "An old model Viper type ship. Class C Hyper-Drive engine. Rarely anyone has this anymore."

  ?The young man was slightly surprised. "You know engines?"

  ?"I grew up among junk. Fixing engines is easier than dealing with chatty aliens," answered Lucas while tapping on the open engine panel. "This... the Stabilizer is badly damaged. But I can fix it if there are the right spare parts."

  ?The young man's eyes narrowed seriously. "If you can make this junk fly again... I will take you out of this rotten planet. We'll go sightseeing to see the real world. How about it?"

  ?Lucas's heart beat fast. Leave StarCross? See the stars? That had been his dream since childhood.

  ?"Deal!" exclaimed Lucas without hesitation.

  ?They began to work. Lucas was busy welding and connecting cables, while the young man helped him lift heavy parts.

  ?Silence enveloped the hangar, there was only the sound of welding sparks. The young man occasionally glanced at Lucas who was focused on working. Strange.

  ?Usually, the young man was always alert. His instinct as a fugitive always made him tense if there were other people nearby. But near Lucas, he felt... calm. Like there was a warm aura radiating from the young man's body, suppressing his killing instinct.

  ?The young man's eyes fell on Lucas's sweating left neck.

  ?There was a strange scar there. Shaped like an Omega (Ω) symbol. Its color was faded red, like a hot iron brand that had long healed.

  ?"What mark is that?" asked the young man suddenly.

  ?Lucas stopped welding, his hand touching his neck. "Oh, this? I don't know."

  ?"Gang tattoo?"

  ?Lucas laughed a little. "No. What gang would want to accept a fishmonger's kid? This mark has been there since I was little. Uncle Garp said when he found me in the fish basket, this mark glowed briefly, then died."

  ?"Glowed?" The young man's brows furrowed.

  ?"Well, maybe just an old man's hallucination," Lucas shrugged, returning to turn his wrench. "Honestly, I don't remember anything before the age of five. My memory is blurry. I don't know who my parents are, or where I come from. All I know is this fish market."

  ?The young man fell silent, staring at Lucas's back. His gaze turned sharp.

  ?An orphan without memories. A mysterious mark. And an aura that makes people feel calm...

  ?"You really don't know who you are, huh?" mumbled the young man softly, barely audible.

  ?"What?"

  ?"Nothing. Finish it quickly. I'm hungry again," the young man looked away, but his hand unconsciously gripped his katana hilt tightly. He felt fate was playing with him.

  ?Outside the hangar, the StarCross sky began to darken, hiding the stars they would soon explore.

  ?

  To be continue...

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