The car rattled down the cracked, sun-baked road. The sky above them glowed red from the endless Solar haze. The rusty vehicle hummed with a strange pulse — powered by T-Rex's mind and Solar energy. Inside, the air felt heavy, the silence thicker than the dust outside.
T-Rex grinned, one hand lazily on the steering wheel. "About an hour," he said, squinting ahead. "We'll reach Aero Capital soon. Try not to die of boredom before that, okay?"
Jessica smirked faintly. "Boredom's not my problem. It's trusting strangers who joke about killing people that worries me."
Rayen stayed quiet, staring out the window. His reflection in the glass looked hollow, broken.
Jessica leaned closer. "You know, Rayen… you never told me how you ended up like this. I mean, where's your family? Why are you even roaming in this wasteland?"
Rayen's voice came low and cold. "I could ask you the same question."
Jessica's eyebrow arched. "If you tell me first, I'll tell you mine."
Rayen didn't even turn his head. "No. I don't talk about my past."
T-Rex's grin faded. He tapped the steering wheel with his gloved fingers. "Hey, kiddo," he said casually, though his tone carried weight. "You're heading into my capital. You don't just stroll into Aero without earning trust. So here's the deal — tell me who you are, or…"
He turned his head, eyes flashing a hint of green madness. "…I'll have to kill you and this lady right here."
Jessica's hand instinctively reached for her knife. "You're joking, right?"
T-Rex chuckled darkly. "Do I look like someone who jokes when I say I'll kill?"
Rayen's hand twitched, the shadow beneath his seat flickering faintly — his darkness responding to his emotions. "Hey!" he shouted. "This is my private life! Why the hell should I tell you anything!?"
T-Rex's grin returned. "Because I'm the head of Aero Capital. We don't allow ghosts in our home. If I don't know you, you're a threat."
Jessica glared at him. "You act like some kind of king."
He smirked. "Not a king. A survivor who built his own kingdom from ashes."
For a moment, no one spoke. Only the humming Solar engine filled the silence.
Finally, Rayen sighed. His voice trembled slightly, but he kept it steady. "Fine. You want to know who I am?"
T-Rex nodded slowly. Jessica stayed silent, her eyes locked on Rayen.
"My parents got divorced when I was eight," Rayen began. "My mom was the only light I had. She worked hard, always smiled, even when she was exhausted. she divorced my dad because my dad was a drunken person he yelled, broke things, hit walls." this is the reason for my safety my mom divorced my dad
He looked down at his hands. "At school, I was a joke. Everyone mocked me. Teachers ignored me. I was just that weird, quiet kid no one wanted to sit with. But then I met Raj. He… he was different. He acknowledge me i know his condition was like me but someone who was finally with me. We were like brothers."
Jessica whispered softly, "Raj… was he the one—"
Rayen interrupted. "Yeah. The one Umair killed."
The air grew colder.
He continued, voice heavier. "Doctors said I had some kind of mental issue — they said I needed company, a hobby, something to keep me sane. But my mom was always working, So, I stayed alone. Most nights, I'd sit in the dark, thinking about disappearing."
His eyes shimmered. "Then one night, she didn't come home. The next morning, I heard the news. My father... killed her. Stable her to death in a drunken rage. Then i know my mom was coming home late night and my father come with a knife and killed her
Jessica's eyes widened, tears building. "Oh my god…"
"I ran away that day," Rayen said quietly. "And from that moment, I stopped believing in light. Then the Solar Blast came. The sky tore open. The light burned through the clouds. Everything turned red. And when I woke up… the world was gone. Cities were dust. People... monsters. And me? I wasn't human anymore."
The car bumped over a rock, shaking them slightly.
T-Rex's face was unreadable. "So pain shaped you too, huh?"
Rayen clenched his fists. "Pain didn't shape me. It cursed me."
Jessica turned to the window, voice trembling. "At least you still remember your mother. I don't even know if mine's alive."
T-Rex snorted. "Parents, huh? They built a world that burned us. Now we're just the leftovers."
Rayen looked at him sharply. "You talk like you're not one of us."
"I'm not," T-Rex said simply. "I'm unstable. But I'm a different kind. I don't kill for fun like the others. I feed on pain — it keeps me alive, keeps me sane. Pain's my food, not my pleasure."
Jessica frowned. "So, you hurt others just to live?"
T-Rex shrugged. "Sometimes. But I try not to. I built Aero Capital to protect the ones who still want to live, even if they're broken like me.
Rayen stared at it, emotions swirling. "A city built by the unstable to protect the stable… ironic."
T-Rex smirked. "The world's full of irony, kid. But in Aero, we survive first, question later."
Jessica whispered, "And if we can't survive?"
T-Rex's smile faded. "Then the desert eats you."
As the car rolled forward, none of them noticed the dark figure standing atop the jagged mountain ridge, watching them. Its eyes glowed faintly red, tracking the vehicle as it vanished into the Solar horizon.
Somewhere deep inside, Rayen's shadow stirred again — whispering faintly like a voice from the past.
"Don't trust him…"
Rayen blinked, gripping his chest, sweat dripping from his temple.
"Rayen?" Jessica asked, noticing his pale face.
He looked away, forcing a small smirk. "I'm fine… just tired."
But he knew he wasn't fine.
Because every mile they drove closer to Aero Capital, he felt something darker awakening within him. But suddenly the mysterious figure come infront of car and Boom!
To be continued
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