The sound of blood hitting the ground… slowed.
Not because it stopped.
But because Vinh couldn't hear it clearly anymore.
Everything blurred.
His breathing.
His vision.
His thoughts.
"…Tch…"
He pressed his hand against the wound.
Warm.
Wet.
Still bleeding.
Then—
Something hit the ground in front of him.
A dull sound.
Vinh looked up.
Hongco.
She didn't step closer.
Didn't kneel.
Just stood there.
"…Do you see the value of cooperation now?"
Her voice was calm.
Too calm.
"If it weren't for you… and me…"
"…we would both be dead."
A pause.
"So… do you want to continue cooperating?"
Silence.
Vinh didn't answer immediately.
He couldn't.
Not because he didn't understand—
But because he did.
Too well.
"…I…"
A breath.
"…don't have a choice."
Not agreement.
Just truth.
Hongco didn't react.
She simply nodded.
Then—
She threw something at him.
A small mass.
Dark.
Uneven.
"Apply it."
"…your arm will regenerate in about three days."
Vinh stared at it.
Then—
He moved.
Slow.
Unstable.
He dragged himself forward.
Picked it up.
Hesitated—
Then pressed it against the wound.
—
It reacted instantly.
The surface split.
Opened.
Like something alive.
It wrapped around his arm.
Tight.
Too tight.
"…!"
Vinh gritted his teeth.
Pain surged.
Sharp.
Then—
A strange sensation.
It crawled.
Under his skin.
Rebuilding.
Binding.
The bleeding stopped.
Not healed—
But contained.
Vinh breathed heavily.
"…This is what you call cooperation…?"
Hongco tilted her head slightly.
"If you don't like it, give it back."
Silence.
Vinh said nothing.
He pulled his arm back.
Turned.
Moved to the side.
Sat down.
Keeping distance.
Hongco didn't follow.
Instead—
She looked down.
Something on the ground.
A blade.
A dagger.
She picked it up.
Studied it.
"…Is this yours?"
Vinh glanced over.
Then froze.
The dagger.
Still there.
"…Why…?"
The sword—
Had disappeared.
But this—
Remained.
Vinh reached out.
Took it back.
Slowly.
Carefully.
His eyes narrowed.
The surface—
Rust.
Cracked.
At the edge—
A missing piece.
And beneath it—
Metal.
Different.
Not ordinary.
"…I didn't use it…"
The thought came naturally.
Not holding.
Not swinging.
But—
activating.
The sword—
had been used.
Consumed.
Gone.
The dagger—
had not.
"…One chance…"
Vinh whispered.
"…for each…"
Hongco watched him.
But didn't ask.
Not yet.
Time passed.
Silence settled.
Less hostile.
But not safe.
"…I use electricity."
Hongco spoke.
"…and fire."
No hesitation.
No disguise this time.
Vinh looked at her.
"…I…"
A pause.
"…don't have an element."
Not a lie.
Not entirely.
Hongco studied him.
Long.
"…Either you're weak."
Flat.
"…or your element is special."
A pause.
"It needs time."
She turned away slightly.
"…From what I've observed…"
"…it's related to space."
Vinh didn't respond.
But something inside him—
shifted.
Silence again.
Then—
Hongco spoke.
"…My planet…"
A pause.
"…was peaceful."
"…rich in resources."
"…no wars."
Her voice didn't change.
But something underneath it—
did.
"…We didn't need to fight."
"…and we didn't know how."
A pause.
"…Until they came."
Dejteo.
"…They took everything."
"…resources."
"…people."
"…everything."
Silence.
Vinh looked at her.
"…Because their planet lacks…"
"…the minerals needed to develop."
Hongco didn't deny it.
"…Correct."
A shift.
Both of them noticed it.
At the same time.
Something passed above.
Far.
But visible.
A planet.
Blue.
Alive.
They looked at it.
Then—
At each other.
No words.
No agreement spoken.
But both understood.
"…We go there."
Because staying here—
meant death.
And moving forward—
was the only choice left.