The planet grew larger.
Blue.
Calm.
Too calm.
"…We're going in."
No hesitation.
They entered the atmosphere.
Friction burned across the suit.
Heat.
Pressure.
Then—
Deployment.
The parachutes burst open.
Violent.
Unstable.
The air—
felt wrong.
A warning flashed across Vinh's visor.
[OXYGEN LEVEL: 40%]
His breath hitched.
Too much.
His chest tightened.
"…Tch—"
His heart raced.
Faster.
Too fast.
"Don't breathe too deep."
Hongco's voice cut in.
Calm.
Controlled.
She adjusted something on her suit.
"Activate adaptation mode."
Vinh reacted.
Slow.
Delayed.
Then—
The suit shifted.
Filtered.
Regulated.
The pressure eased.
But not completely.
They descended.
The ocean spread endlessly below.
Waves.
Too strong.
Too violent.
Then—
Land.
A narrow coastline.
They hit the ground.
Sand exploded outward.
Vinh dropped to one knee.
Breathing heavy.
"…Still… not dead…"
Hongco didn't respond.
She stood still.
Scanning.
Her eyes moved slowly.
Left.
Right.
Sky.
Sea.
"…This place…"
A pause.
"…isn't the worst."
Another pause.
"…But it's not safe."
Vinh looked around.
The beach stretched out.
Empty.
No sound.
No movement.
Nothing.
"…Too quiet…"
He pointed.
"There's a cave."
Near the cliffs.
Close to the sea.
Shelter.
Obvious.
Hongco shook her head.
"No."
Short.
Immediate.
"The tide will reach it."
"And predators stay near water."
Vinh frowned slightly.
"…Then where?"
Hongco turned.
Toward the forest.
Dark.
Dense.
Unknown.
"…We go there."
No better option.
They moved.
Step by step.
Into the forest.
The air changed.
Heavier.
Warmer.
Harder to breathe.
Vinh slowed.
His body—
still broken.
Still recovering.
His left arm—
wrapped.
Not healed.
Not usable.
"…Tch…"
The sound—
felt wrong.
Echoes bent.
Distorted.
"…Even the sound…"
His ability—
unstable.
Hongco kept walking.
No hesitation.
No pause.
Time passed.
Slow.
Heavy.
"…We need shelter."
"…and water."
Finally—
They found it.
A cave.
Hidden between roots and stone.
Inside—
Dark.
Cool.
And—
A small pool.
Still water.
Hongco stopped.
Didn't go in immediately.
She crouched.
Touched the ground.
Examined.
Scratches.
Old.
Faint.
Bones.
Small ones.
Broken.
"…Something lived here."
A pause.
"…Or died here."
She moved to the water.
Activated scan.
Seconds passed.
Then—
"…Drinkable."
A pause.
"…But we heat it first."
Not safe.
Just survivable.
They entered.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Silence.
Again.
Then—
Hongco spoke.
"…Have you noticed something?"
Vinh leaned against the wall.
"…What?"
Hongco didn't look at him.
"…We're not the same species."
A pause.
"…But we understand each other."
Vinh froze.
He hadn't thought about it.
Not once.
"…Right…"
Silence.
Then—
Hongco continued.
"…Do you know why?"
Vinh didn't answer.
A pause.
Long.
Then—
"…Because I'm a Displayer too."
No emotion.
No build-up.
Just truth.
Vinh's eyes shifted.
"…So…"
"…not just me…"
Hongco said nothing.
The silence returned.
But it wasn't the same.
Time passed.
Light faded.
Then—
Night.
And the forest—
changed.
Light.
Soft.
Glowing.
The plants—
were emitting it.
Blue.
Green.
Alive.
"…What…"
Something moved.
Fast.
Too fast.
A blur.
Gone.
Vinh's body tensed.
"…What was that—"
A hand covered his mouth.
Hard.
Immediate.
Hongco.
She pulled him down.
Into the shadows.
"Don't move."
Her voice—
barely a whisper.
Something was there.
A presence.
Heavy.
Watching.
Then—
An eye.
It appeared at the edge of the cave.
Large.
Unblinking.
No sound.
No breath.
But behind it—
something massive shifted.
Vinh didn't move.
Couldn't.
His heart pounded.
Loud.
Too loud.
The eye lingered.
Searching.
Waiting.
Then—
It moved.
Gone.
Silence.
But not safety.
Hongco slowly removed her hand.
"…It didn't see us…"
A pause.
Her eyes darkened.
"…But it knew something was here."
Vinh said nothing.
Outside—
the glowing forest pulsed.
Alive.
Watching.
They weren't hunters.
They were prey.