The freighter's cargo ramp dropped with a loud hiss.
Lian slipped out before the bots started unloading. He melted into the shadows of Nova Prime Station—a massive ring orbiting a blue-green world far from Khar-9's red dust.
He stopped in a dark corner and just looked.
Everything was too big. Too bright. Too loud.
The station was endless metal walkways, glowing signs in languages he couldn't read, air thick with smells he didn't know—spices, oil, ozone, something sweet like fruit.
People rushed past in waves.
Humans, yes—but not like the miners back home. These wore clean clothes, bright colors, aug lights blinking in arms and eyes.
Then came the aliens.
First time Lian saw them up close.
A tall, thin creature with blue skin and four arms walked by, carrying floating boxes that followed like pets.
A short, furry one with big round ears argued with a vendor in clicks and whistles.
A reptilian woman—green scales, long tail—brushed past, her eyes slits that glowed yellow.
Lian pressed against the wall.
His heart beat fast—not from fear, but something new.
Excitement.
Mixed with lost.
He didn't know where he was. Didn't know the name of this place. Didn't know how to get food, water, or a place to sleep.
But everything felt alive.
Above him, through huge glass windows, ships flew without wings—sleek metal shapes gliding silent between towers taller than mountains. Flying cars zipped in neat lines, lights blinking. Giant screens on building sides showed moving pictures of people fighting with glowing energy, flying through clouds, breaking stone with bare hands.
Qi powers.
Real ones.
Not the weak tricks overseers showed off back home.
Here, people used them like breathing.
A man in robes leaped from one walkway to another thirty feet away—landed light as a feather.
A woman waved her hand and a broken crate fixed itself, pieces flying back together.
Lian's void eyes widened a little.
The spark inside flickered brighter.
I want that. More. All of it.
But he was nothing here.
Clothes torn and bloody. Face dirty. Hair wild. Scars fresh on his skin.
People glanced at him—then away fast. Like he was trash.
He was an outcast.
So he hid.
Slipped through service tunnels. Crawled under walkways. Stayed in shadows.
First day, hunger hit hard.
He watched food stalls—steaming meat sticks, glowing fruit, bowls of noodles that smelled like heaven.
His stomach growled loud.
He waited until a vendor turned away.
Then moved.
Fast.
Faster than before.
The awakening made him different.
Hand shot out. Grabbed two meat sticks.
Back into shadow before the vendor blinked.
He ate hidden behind crates. Hot juice ran down his chin.
Good. Better than anything on Khar-9.
Next day, clothes.
He saw a laundry line in a lower worker area—clean gray shirts and pants hanging.
Waited until night cycle lights dimmed.
Snatched a set that fit.
Stronger now too.
Jumped higher than normal to reach the line. Pulled the clothes down easy.
Changed in a dark corner.
Still scarred. Still thin.
But cleaner.
He moved through the station like a ghost.
Stole fruit from carts.
Drank from public water fountains.
Slept in empty cargo bays or under stairwells.
Watched everything.
Learned.
Signs pointed to "Surface Shuttle – Nova Prime City."
Ads screamed about "Stellar Martial Academy – Enroll Now! Unlock Your Qi Potential!"
People talked about it.
"The best academy in the sector."
"Only the talented get in."
"Changes lives."
Lian didn't know what an academy was exactly.
But he knew power lived there.
He watched young people in clean uniforms head toward the shuttles—confident, laughing, some already glowing faint with Qi.
He stayed back.
Hidden.
Not ready.
Not yet.
But the greed grew.
The revenge burned quiet.
The lost feeling faded a little each day.
This was a new world.
Bigger.
Full of strength.
He would take some of it.
One theft at a time.
One hidden watch at a time.
One step closer.
His void eyes reflected the city lights now.
The spark inside grew steady.
He was still lost.
But he was free.
And getting stronger.