"So, the lieutenant general is down for the count for about a week." Major confirmed.
"Yes…" Maple sighed heavily.
"Oh, well, don't worry instructor." Elke widened his arms. "He'll get better soon."
"I hope." Maple stated. "Anyways, have you been training as I was away?"
The group froze and made unusual faces.
"Well…about that…" Jasper tired speaking up.
"I already get it. Get down and give me fifty." Maple issued.
The group sighed, falling down and doing pushups. After a few minutes, Jasper was the first to complete it and the rest followed. While the other panted, Japer grinned ear to ear and crossed his arms.
"Y'all are weak. Fifty push-ups are nothing!" He exclaimed.
"Hold your horses." Malpe waved her hand. "I was going easy on you. Arthur would've given you 200."
Jasper's face paled. "R-Right…"
The others chuckled light and jolted up, standing at attention. Maple stomped her feet on the ground and tucked her hands into her pockets.
"So…A bit of information."
The group straightened, carefully listening.
"Since, the danger is increasing the deeper we go. The supreme commander has issued night patrol starting from today."
Major's team sighed heavily.
"Don't be so sad! Your turn is the day after tomorrow. The UEOC is responsible for night patrol for the first two days…then, us."
The team then, clenched their fists in victory. Then, again they stood at attention.
"Now, let's get to training, shall we?"
"Yes, ma'am!" They shouted.
***
Night came early as if it were shadow following them. Stars gleamed in the sky like gems in the ocean, swimming amongst them unknow possibilities. Matthew yawned as the time approached midnight, his meta glasses allowing him to see with night-vision. The camp was quite – eerily quiet. He stepped around the tents; his eyes faded with dark and tired steps. Eventually, he found Josh leaned against one of them.
"Yo." Matthew raised his hand.
Josh also raised his hand, tried to greet the lieutenant general. Matthew leaned beside Josh, staring into the endless milky way galaxy.
"It's a bummer we have to night patrol early, don't we?"
Josh nodded.
"Aren't you going to talk? I'm getting lonely over here."
Josh groaned, a frown appearing on his face. "Taking to you is hell."
"Aw…don't say that." Matthew whimpered.
"This is exactly what I'm talking about." Josh grumbled.
"Anyways…see you later." Matthew left – a wide smile spread across his face.
Matthew hopped across the area of the camp with no care in the world. After a while, he rounded it and stepped beyond. Now, in the forest, he chose to take a little stroll.
'Being in the camp all night is boring…let's explore a little…'
He peeked around the trees tugged at the grass and fallen leaves. He did random things, trying to pass time without even trying to look out for dangers. Then…a shiver ran down his shine. Matthew snapped around, body wide and full of adrenaline.
'What the hell was that…?'
A thud echoed in the opposite direction and he turned around sharply. Even with his glasses, he saw nothing. The trees crawled farther away, the sky swirled and his vision blurred. Then, a whisper came like a shadow in the night that he would never forget for the rest of his life.
"Have you…brought the second sun?"
A surge of power stood behind him and he dared not turn around – fearing the worse. But what more could he do as he fell unconscious.
***
Josh strolled around the camp, eyeing for any dangers. He felt a growing unease crawling in his heart as if something was about to go wrong. His vision glitched – the tents disappeared and he was the only one left in the empty space.
"The fuck?" He whispered, alerted.
The ground turned to liquid as he began drowning. He couldn't fight back as if the outcome had been already decided. As he fell deeper, fighting for his life – a voice inside the river that imprinted itself on his body.
"You aren't the second sun…"
The group returned to its original state – the tents reappeared and the voice vanished as if all he had witnessed had just been a dream. He pinched himself, confirming he was not dreaming. While looking at the sky, he asked himself a deep question.
"What just happened?"
***
Nolan was laying comfortably against a tree, watching the stars.
'Such beauty can't be ignored…'
He drew a deep breath, taking in the pleasure of the night but had no idea was about to happen next. The world reversed – the world became the sky and the sky became the world. Nolan blinked as he fell down, crashing against the trees.
'??????'
His thoughts raced being unable to process this. He struggled, moving his body frantically while screaming for help.
"HELP! HELP!"
In the corner of his eye, his saw a shadow move through the cloud. He dipped into the white giants, feeling countless rain drops crash against his body. Unfathomable pain shot through his body like a bullet. Veins popped as he gritted his teeth. He fell beyond them and lifted his head to look at the ground.
But what greeted him was an unsightly horror of a shadow on the clouds manifesting in a humanoid creature with a large dark aura surrounding him like the rings of Saturn.
"Where is the second sun?"
The next second, Nolan was back on the ground, leaning against the tree. Impulsively, he grabbed it, thinking he would fall but didn't. He let go and drew a sharp breath. Standing up, he walked back to camp as he grimaced.
'That was out of my nightmares…'
That was the only thought he could muster. Something so otherworldly – that which broke the laws of physics and his imagination as a whole. Once he reached the camp, he saw Josh staring into the sky. As they both locked eyes they, they said the same thing.
"Did you experience it too?"