A Century

***

The airboard’s engine hummed softly beneath my boots as I glided toward the tower of the Wood Hunters’ Headquarters. The sky above was a clear blue, clouds drifting lazily across the horizon. The warmth of the sunlight brushed against my skin as I soared higher.

But Kael’s words still lingered in my mind, refusing to fade.

“I felt happy. Like my lungs were finally… free.”

I knew he was fascinated by the Biocores, but to such extent?

He was a young soul but he definitely felt like an ancient human with that mentality.

What a bunch of nonsense though. Oxygen was poison, a silent killer.

But as much as I wanted to dismiss his words, they had taken root somewhere deep within me.

When I finally entered the grand atrium of HQ, the scale of our achievements loomed over me in shimmering glass and towering steel. The vast hall bustled with activity—scientists, Wood Hunters, and technicians moving with purpose.

Along the curved walls, holographic displays chronicled the rise of Kyslicium, detailing the experiments, the breakthroughs, and the sacrifices. There were no memorials to the past—no mention of the world before Kyslicium. Only the glowing triumph of what came after.

This is what happens when humanity cuts itself free from its own biological leash.

“Mr. Talos!”

The voice cut through the hum of conversation and machinery.

From the side hallway came a young scientist, clutching a tablet against her chest as if it were a shield. Her glasses slipped down the bridge of her nose, and she pushed them back up hastily as she rushed toward me.

“I told you not to call me ‘Mister’,” I said as she stumbled to a stop in front of me.

“O-oh, but I have to! Heroes must be addressed with respect!”

I snorted softly. “A hero? Hardly. Would you call Kael ‘Mr. Sylas’ as well?”

She faltered, her gaze dropping to her boots, her silence louder than any answer she could have given.

“There we go,” I said with a sigh.

“B-but, Mr. Talos, you know I’ve been your fan since day one!”

“Alright, alright. Did you need anything, Perla?”

"N-no! I mean, y-yes! The Director called for you!"

I raised an eyebrow. "I already know that. Why else would I be here after my contract ended?"

Her cheeks flushed red as she hid behind her tablet. “Right! I’m so stupid. Please excuse me!”

Before I could reassure her, she spun around and darted off down the hallway, her footsteps fading behind her.

Despite her awkwardness, Perla was sharp—brilliant, even. I heard that her quick thinking had pulled us and many other teams out of more than one disaster in the field. I liked the girl.

I continued down the polished corridor, past lab doors sealed with reinforced glass and offices buzzing with quiet conversation. My ex-colleagues—Wood Hunters and scientists alike—nodded respectfully as I passed.

Each bow, each glance, felt heavier than the last.

At the far end of the hallway, the Director’s office doors split open with a faint hiss, revealing the expansive room beyond.

The office was lined with massive glass windows, giving an unobstructed view of Worlderia’s skyline—the spires, the parks, the open sky stretching far and wide. The sunlight bathed the room in soft gold, painting patterns across the polished steel desk at the center.

Behind it stood the Director. His presence filled the room effortlessly, even as he studied some scrolling data across his e-glasses.

As I stepped inside, he removed the e-glasses and set them down with care. His sharp, steel-gray eyes locked onto me, and the faintest smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

“Good to see you again, Zehn!”

Before I could respond, he stepped around the desk and pulled me into a firm hug. The scent of leather and antiseptic clung faintly to his coat, a strangely comforting mix.

“Good to see you, too, great-great-grandpa,” I said, patting his back lightly.

When he stepped back, his eyes scanned me briefly—looking for something I couldn’t quite name.

“So, how is the hero of our family these days?”

I let out a soft laugh. “Oh, come on. You’re far more heroic than I could ever dream to be.”

He chuckled in return, a warm sound that softened the edges of the room’s tension.

“Why the long face, son?” he asked, his voice carrying both authority and grandfatherly warmth.

I hesitated, my fingers curling around the edge of the armrest. “I just can’t shake the feeling that we failed miserably on that last mission.”

The Director sunk back to his chair, the faint creak of leather breaking the silence. He folded his hands across his chest, letting out a long sigh.

“Hmm. That, you did, unfortunately,” he admitted, his tone blunt yet calm. “However, we still have about a hundred years to come up with a solution to maintain this peaceful era of humanity.”

I froze, my brow furrowing as his words registered. “What do you mean, a hundred years? Aren’t we going to run out of Kyslicium in a year or so?”

At this, Director Talos groaned and ran a hand down his face, his palm lingering briefly over his eyes before he looked back at me.

“Boy, I’ve been leading this facility for over a hundred and fifty years, and I have yet to meet a Wood Hunter as dense as you.”

I blinked. “Excuse me?”

“Worlderia is going to run out of wood supplies from the Biocores in a year,” he explained, emphasizing each word as if I were a slow child. “The final Biocore that Team B retrieved will be turned gradually into Kyslicium for the next year or two and it will convert the energy into Kyslicium that will last a century, Zehn. That’s surely enough time for our science division to figure out a solution.”

I sat there, staring at him, my mouth slightly open. My mind raced to process what he’d just said.

“What?!”

He chuckled deeply, leaning forward and resting his elbows on the desk. “I called you here because I heard you’ve been running around, muttering to everyone about how you failed, how humanity’s doom is just two years away… Honestly, it’s starting to sound like you’re auditioning for a tragedy play.”

The sound of his laughter was oddly comforting, even if it was at my expense.

“So… you’re saying that—“

“I’m saying it’s fine, Zehn,” he said, cutting me off with a wave of his hand. “You can stop carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. Go back to your ordinary life. Enjoy the memories you’ve made during your time as a Wood Hunter.”

The words settled over me like a heavy blanket being pulled away after a restless night. For weeks, the crushing guilt and creeping dread had eaten away at me, but in this moment, they started to ease.

“Thanks a lot, great-great-grandpa!” I said, my voice lighter than it had been in months. A smile tugged at my lips, and before I could stop myself, I leaned forward and planted a quick kiss on his cheek.

The Director froze, blinking at me in mild surprise.

“You’re the best!” I added, grinning from ear to ear as I stood up and turned towards the door.

Behind me, he let out a low chuckle, shaking his head.

“Get out of here, you rascal.”

As the metallic doors hissed shut behind me, I walked back through the hallways of Wood Hunters HQ, my footsteps lighter than they’d been in weeks. For the first time since the incident, the knot in my chest had loosened, and the shadows hanging over me didn’t seem quite so suffocating.

But somewhere, buried beneath that relief, a quiet thought lingered—one hundred years is a long time… but it’s not forever.

Chapter 2: END