Time stopped meaning.
There was no night.
Hours passed.
The only thing he sees is distance.
Akane kept walking.
Step.
After step.
After step.
The land stretched endlessly.
Dry at first.
Cracked.
Dead.
Then slowly—
it changed.
The ground hardened.
The air thinned.
The wind grew colder.
The horizon shifted.
Light faded behind him.
Not because the sun moved—
but because the planet didn't.
It was tidally locked.
One side faces the sun
The other—
Darkness.
Akane had walked to reach-
into the cold side of the planet.
Bur he didn't stop.
Days passed.
No food.
No water.
No rest.
His body slowed.
But it didn't fail.
Not yet.
His breathing became shallow.
Controlled.
Efficient.
Like his body knew exactly how long it could last.
And was using every second to its limit.
The terrain became dangerous.
Sharp ridges.
Broken ice.
Frozen rock that cracked under pressure.
Every step mattered now.
A mistake here—
was death.
Still—
he moved.
Then—
a sound.
Distant.
Mechanical.
Akane stopped.
Lowered himself slightly.
Listened.
Engines.
Not large.
Controlled.
Precise.
Not military.
Different.
He moved toward cover.
Slow.
Silent.
Then he saw them.
Mercenaries.
Five of them.
Standing near a transport unit.
Not a dropship.
Smaller.
More advanced.
It hovered slightly above the ground.
Stable.
No visible strain from the terrain.
Four rectangular legs held it upright.
Akane's eyes narrowed.
Their gear—
was different too.
Cleaner.
More refined.
Not mismatched.
Not like the soldiers back at Arkhon.
More efficient.
More evolved.
One of them tapped their wrist—
their armor shifted slightly.
Not fully.
But partially.
Adaptive.
Faster than he can equipment his.
Akane glanced down at himself.
Nothing.
No armor.
No system.
Just the pistol.
He checked it.
Pulled the slide back—
It stuck.
Didn't return properly.
Internal damage.
From the intense cold.
He tried again.
Nothing.
Jammed.
Useless.
Akane stared at it for a moment.
Then lowered it.
"So that's it" he muttered.
No weapons.
No support.
Nothing.
The mercenaries spoke among themselves.
Their voices distorted through the wind.
Unlistenable.
Out of the feeling of being watched
One of them turned slightly—
Scanning.
He hid.
Akane didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
Seconds passed.
Then the mercenary looked away.
Missed him.
Akane stayed low.
Watching.
Learning-
Their movement patterns-
Their spacing-
Not random.
Coordinated.
Disciplined.
More than their soldiers.
More than expected.
They weren't just raiders.
They were highly trained.
Akane slowly moved back.
One step at a time.
No sound.
No trace.
He didn't engage.
Couldn't.
Wouldn't.
Not like this.
Once he was far enough—
he turned.
And kept walking.
Away from them.
Deeper into the cold.
The wind grew stronger.
Sharper.
It cut through everything.
The temperature dropped fast.
His movements slowed further.
His body—
finally—
began to feel it.
Cold.
Real cold.
The kind that doesn't hurt at first.
Just… numbs.
Then takes.
Akane kept moving.
Because stopping—
was death.
Ahead—
something appeared.
Through the storm.
A structure.
Half-buried in ice.
Dark.
Still.
Not natural.
Akane narrowed his eyes.
"Am I hallucinating?" he said quietly.
No answer.
But that feeling—
again.
Stronger now.
"go" the voice whispered.
Akane didn't question it.
He moved forward.
Toward the structure.
Toward whatever was waiting inside.
Because out here—
there was nothing left.