Chapter 10
The night sky
After hours of enduring the relentless moaning and groaning, Joe finally learned to turn a blind ear to what was happening behind him, all while marveling silently at the incredible stamina these young men had to keep up with their "exercise."
At last, the carriage slowed near a river to give the horses a much-needed rest. Joe hopped down and tentatively knocked on the back to inform them they'd be stopping for a while.
........
Slowly and carefully, the two sweat-soaked men stepped out, rubbing their sore limbs and complaining about aching muscles. Joe's face stiffened as he let out a strained laugh, clearly unsure how to respond.
"What's up, Joe?" IAM noticed the shift in Joe's vibe and raised an eyebrow.
Shaking his head, Joe replied, "No… uh, nothing. Nothing at all. Yeah."
IAM shot him a knowing look but then turned his gaze upward—and what he saw stopped him in his tracks.
Due to a string of coincidences—and because IAM had avoided being outside well before dark to steer clear of the notorious gangs of Hope's End, who were said to be especially active at night—plus the exhaustion from days spent in the slums, he'd never truly had the chance to properly observe the night sky.
And what greeted him was nothing short of breathtaking.
The stars twinkled brighter and clearer than any he'd ever seen on Earth. They shimmered with a perfection that felt almost otherworldly—like angels of light had descended just to watch over this imperfect world. But the stars weren't the centerpiece of this cosmic spectacle.
What truly stole the show were the moons.
Moons.
Not one.
Not two.
Not even three.
But nine.
Nine motherfucking moons hung in the sky, suspended as if dropped there by some god-like being, frozen in time for the lucky few to behold. Some moons appeared close, looming large with pearly glows; others rested far back or to the sides, like distant sentinels.
IAM shivered involuntarily, sensing the ethereal gaze of some immense celestial presence, watching the ants below in their tiny, fragile world.
Honestly, thinking about it, it wasn't surprising Holem had so many moons—considering it was the size of a sun. The sun from his world held enough gravitational pull to keep eight planets (including Earth) in orbit—nine if you counted Pluto. So logically, a planet like Holem having multiple moons wasn't so far-fetched after all.
"How lucky," Ryan interrupted IAM's thoughts with a smile. "It's not often you get to see all nine moons at once—and so clearly. They say it's a sign of great luck."
The three men stood silently, captivated by the spectacle. For several minutes, they simply gazed upward, each lost in their own private thoughts beneath the glowing moons.
Perhaps because they had lived on this planet their entire lives, Ryan and Joe soon stopped gazing at the moons, returning to their usual routines as they began settling in for the night.
But IAM's eyes seemed glued to the sky, locked on the celestial display as if under a spell—hypnotized by the swirling lights and silent beauty.
After some time, a voice snapped him back to reality.
"Man, you stink. Go clean yourself!" Ryan's blunt interruption shattered the trance.
IAM flinched, suddenly aware. "Oh, right."
"Yeah, you better," Ryan said with a smirk. "We still have like a week of travel ahead, and we'll only be stopping a few times. I can't have you stinking up the place, can I?"
IAM took one last lingering look at the moons before turning away, a renewed determination settling deep within him. He vowed to become something more—to fulfill the dreams that 'IAM' had dreamed… to be someone great.
He felt a strange obligation to help 'him' achieve those dreams.
Later, the three men found refuge beside a crackling fire, its flames burning bright against the dark night. They dug into dried beef jerky and drank ice-cold water, the chill surprisingly refreshing after a long day.
Nearby, the two horses rested peacefully, sleeping quietly to the side of their riders, who had chosen to camp just a minute or two away from the river—a cautious measure against any unexpected dangers.
"So, Ryan, about what you were telling me earlier... these creatures... where do they come from?"
Ryan shrugged. "I have no idea, really. In fact, I don't think anyone does—maybe except the top dogs of Holem. They probably know but won't share that kind of precious information. These creatures have been around for a long, long time, and there are all sorts of theories about where they came from and why. Some say they're the remains of a divine being. Others believe they're a congestion of dead paths and starts. Because of the incredible variety of creatures, many with unique and strange abilities, people say the failed understanding of the dead paths and starts somehow congealed into these morbid creatures, like they're taking revenge on their creators. There are loads of theories, but those are the most popular ones."
"Divine being?" IAM asked, eyes wide with curiosity.
"Yeah," Ryan said, nodding. "There are rumors that if you raise your understanding realm enough, you'll find a realm above it. From there, you can shed your mortal skin and be liberated—become something beyond the ordinary. But honestly, it's probably just rumors. Nobody's really proven it."
IAM looked thoughtful for a moment. "So... it's like there's a whole other level of existence, and these creatures might be tied to it?"
"Exactly," Ryan said, his voice dropping a little, as if sharing a secret. "But honestly, I don't care much about all that cosmic stuff. I just hope we don't run into any creatures above spawn level—and definitely not devilborns... or worse, devils." His bright green eyes flickered nervously in the firelight, reflecting the flames.
"Devils?" IAM's voice dropped. "That sounds... terrifying."
Ryan laughed nervously. "Yeah, they're no joke.
IAM swallowed hard. "So are those the highest levels? Like, spawn, devilborn, devils... that's the whole scale?"
Ryan shook his head. "Not quite. There are more levels, but the military keeps that information classified. They don't want the public to panic. I guess they think it's better if we only know about the ones they think we can handle. And the higher-level creatures are usually kept far away from humans—at least that's the plan."
IAM nodded slowly, the weight of the world suddenly feeling heavier. "Sounds like the military tries to keep everything under control."
Ryan smiled faintly. "Yeah, they try. When we join, we'll probably get access to more detailed info about all the creature levels and their abilities. Honestly, just thinking about it makes me excited—and nervous."
"So how strong are the creatures we do know about?" IAM asked.
Ryan shrugged again. "I haven't seen them in action myself, but from what I've heard, a devil-level creature could destroy a place like Hopes End without breaking a sweat."