"Do you understand, Kairo?"
"Yes… yes, I do… it's going to take me some time, but I do!"
"Alright, cool."
Magnum replied once more.
An uncomfortable wave of silence followed, thick and unhealthy, and Magnum was fully aware of it.
"You don't look like you're from here… where are you from?"
Sweat flooded Kairo's forehead. His eyes twitched from side to side.
The problem was not that he did not know what to say. The real obstacle was whether Magnum would believe him or not.
An entire city hidden behind a massive fence—a fence that somehow disappeared out of sight. An electric veil covering the sky. It sounded impossible.
But Magnum was waiting.
"I have to take a chance."
He swallowed.
"I am from a place called the Veil," he began, staring at the floor like a child summoned to detention. "The officials there called it Africa's last chance to survive. Since my sister and I entered it while the outside world was in terrible condition, we had no reason to doubt them. People in the Veil are forced to wear the same clothes, eat food from a specific list—everything there is precise and closely monitored."
His fist clenched tightly. Veins bulged.
"It was only hours ago, when I saw the walls disappear, that I realized they were just bastards who never cared about saving humanity!"
His voice shook.
"My sister is still in the veil. Alone. Without anyone to protect her.....I understand if you don't believe me. But that's the truth."
He looked up at Magnum. In that moment, Magnum held his fate.
Magnum stayed silent, eyes fixed on the road, processing everything. The tension inside the car tightened like a wire about to snap.
Then—
"Aaaah…"
He sighed.
"Don't worry. I believe you."
Remi blinked.
"You do? How?"
"There have been sightings over the years. People report a giant fence that shines different colors when touched. When they return with equipment, the wall is gone. Even the best technology can't locate it again."
Kairo froze.
"You're actually the first person to come out of that fence. That alone makes you a rare individual," Magnum continued, focus sharpening in his eyes like never before.
"Seriously?"
"Yeah seriously"
He rubbed his chin, narrowing his eyes like a scientist trying to break through a difficult equation.
"But what bothers me most is how the officials control the city. Telling you it is Africa's last chance at survival even though there are countless healthy cities across the continent. Controlling what you eat and wear—it's almost like they were creating perfect conditions for something and didn't want anyone disrupting the balance. And if we account for that reasoning, you surviving wasn't something they were planning for."
"That makes sense. Sometimes I felt something was off, but I just shrugged it away," Kairo admitted.
"Your instincts were right on the money. It has creepy vibes all over it. And that's not even the strangest part. With a fence that massive, someone would have seen it being built or at least documented it but there is nothing. I must hand it to them—whoever is orchestrating the Veil is a very smart and very powerful person."
The words stabbed Kairo deeply. With every sentence Magnum spoke, it felt like his sister was drifting further away.
"We have to go back to the fence. From where they tried to kill us, I know the directions. We can find it."
"Hold your horses, kid. Weren't you listening, you won't find it back there," Magnum said calmly.
"Let's just try?"
"You can't find something that is teleporting!"
"Teleportation? Can you even hear yourself?" Kairo barked, his voice heavy with anger and regret.
"Changes direction randomly each time. Like a dice roll. You never know where it will land. Going to check it out is a worst of time."
Kairo's face fell into shadow.
"So you're saying it's impossible to find Ayanda?"
"I didn't say that. I believe in fate kid. You will find your little sister. My friends and I will help you."
Kairo narrowed his eyes with suspicion. A stranger offering help was never something you accepted easily.
"What's in it for you?"
"You're smart. I'll be direct. In exchange, you join our crew."
"Wait… what?"
"You're an Oxide. We need people like you to continue protecting our continent."
"I'm not an Oxide. I don't even know what happened back there."
"Yes, you are. I saw you. See those vents on the roof?"
Kairo raised his eyes to the gas vents on the roof.
"Carbon dioxide pumps. If you weren't an Oxide, you'd suffocate and die in a matter of seconds."
Kairo stared.
"But I used to breathe oxygen."
Magnum smiled faintly.
"That's the beauty of our bodies. We don't even fully understand them."
Kairo fell silent. All his life, he had dreamed of being an Oxide. Now it felt like another burden stacked on top of failing to protect his sister.
"I'll give you time to think about. But for now, you're about to see what an Oxide mission looks like."
"A mission? We're not going to a safe house or something?"
"No. I was already on the road when I heard you choking to death."
"You could've said something earlier."
"Don't worry. The mission is easy. And besides… we're already here."
Magnum stopped the car abruptly, the loud engine grinding to a halt.
Kairo's eyes widened with fear, his heart pounding with sharp precision, but a boy has to do what a boy has to do. With regret tightening his chest, he stepped out of the car.
Magnum's gas mask hung from his jumper like a loyal pet.
"I thought you can't breathe oxygen."
"It weakens me. But for a few seconds, I'm fine. You should wear this mask though,I took it from the thin Oxide who tried to kill you."
"You must be joking right."
"We'll have one custom-made for you. For now, manage with this one. I've sprayed it with antibiotics if you have any concerns."
"Hmh… shit."
Reluctantly, kairo put it on. And surprisingly It fit perfectly, as if it had always belonged to him.
"See? You don't look so bad," Magnum admired brightly, like a father watching his son try on clothes at the mall.
"Shut up!!"
Kairo shut him down like a teenage son who doesn't care what his parents think.
Swiftly, they walked through wet branches, dew soaking into their clothes upon contact.
Suddenly, the sound of flowing water grew louder with each step.
"Here we are," Magnum muttered, clearing the path ahead.
A beautiful beach stretched before them. It looked like paradise—a cold chill drifting from the ocean onto the shore, the water crystal clear beneath the fading sky.
There was no doubt about it: in the old world, this place had been a tourist attraction. People from across the globe must have traveled here just to gasp at the wonders that could only be found in Africa.
"I know the beach is magnificent, but I have to ask—what are we doing here instead of searching for my sister?"
Magnum rolled his eyes at the inquiry.
"Look."
He pointed toward a distant section of the beach.
Men were unloading heavy boxes from a ship, fully equipped with different weapons as if preparing for World War Three.
"Who are they?"
"Soldiers from other continents—the United States of America, Europe, Asia. They say Africa is locked. But secretly, they come to mine our gold and diamonds."
Kairo watched silently, confused at how far people would go for money.
"The outside world is horrible," Magnum continued. "The people are disoriented. Some hate each other just because of their skin color. They don't love each other the way we do here."
"So… what's the mission?" Kairo inquired, his interest sharpening.
Magnum took a deep breath, like a high school student preparing to deliver a presentation.
"To make sure none of them ever return home."
The words landed like a hammer striking a coffin shut.
Kairo froze in shock, completely wordless, his eyes shaking as though soap had burned into them.
"The outside world doesn't know Africans are building an empire. And at all costs, we must keep it that way."