Broken Symmetry (NTB Book 2) (A Socksfor1 AU)

Welcome Home

(AKIK POV)

We sat there for a while. It was probably closer to, like, ten minutes, but it felt like eternity. Soon, I finally saw the Xeronian ships in the distance.

"There they are!" I said. Everyone looked up to see the recovery ships headed our way.

The communications button lit up again as a voice popped up over the speaker on the dashboard.

"Socks, we see you!"

"Do you guys want me to come your way, or do I wait here?" I asked.

"Just wait there, we're coming for you," the voice said. We waited a few more minutes until the ships came close enough to see inside the front shields. I saw a familiar face in one of them.

"Hey, Nyau!" I said.

"Hey, Socks! Glad to have you back!" Nyau said over the comms.

"Please," I said, "Call me Akik."

"Finally decided to go by your real name?" He chuckled.

"Yup," I said.

"We'll guide you back to Xero," Nyau said, "Welcome home, Akik."

---------------

I looked out the window at the lush, blue-green scenery below as I landed the ship with ease. The others stared in amazement at the environment around us.

Once the ship was landed, I got up and turned to the others.

"Come on, the exit's this way," I said. Everyone followed me to where the exit to the capsule was. I pressed the button and it opened, revealing the planet that I once called home.

The cold air hit me almost instantly. I had forgotten how cold it was here, being so far from our central star, Nova. It was basically autumn and winter all year round, besides seedfall, where it was slightly warmer because of the formation of Xero's orbit. The trees grew tall, and touched the pale, blueish-purple sky, showing three moons - Wronix, Quoian, and Keinus. Wronix shone the brightest, being the main source of light on Xero.

"So this is Xero..." Dusk breathed. The poor kid had never seen the planet he was born on, if he did it was so long ago that he was too young to remember.

"Yes, it is," I sighed. Behind the beauty, I knew, were the tragedies of the Demon-Angel War, that overcome the magnificence of the planet in some places. Especially the cities that had been burned to the ground, whether by the demons or the angels.

"Akik!"

I turned to see Nyau and a couple of other Hybrids coming towards me.

"Nyau!" I said, "Been a while, hasn't it?"

The demon-stalker smiled. "Yes, it has."

When they got closer, Nyau looked behind me and saw everyone else. "Who are these guys?"

"Right!" I said, "Nyau, these are my friends. Everyone, meet Nyau."

Dusk waved slightly. The others were still taking in the surroundings.

"What... species are they?" Nyau asked, "Because they kinda look like that thing you sometimes turn into."

"They're humans," I explained, "And that is what I can turn into, yes."

"Huh," he said, "Cool."

-------------

(BLAZA POV)

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

I sighed. "Please shut up, Vizor."

"Why should I?" Vizor chuckled, "You guys killed me, so I can torture you as much as I want."