He leaned back, his thoughts returning to Waddle. Where was that guy? His curiosity gnawed at him, refusing to be ignored. He was just about to lose himself in thought again when he felt soone bump into him—not accidentally, but with a purpose.
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Ty glanced to his side, and his eyes widened slightly. There, settling down beside him with a sly grin, was Waddle.
"You again," Ty said, keeping his voice low as he shifted to face him. "You wanna tell how you know about Earth?"
Waddle's grin didn't fade; if anything, it grew wider. He leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest, his eyes glinting with mischief. "Straight to the point, huh? I like that," he said, his tone casual.
Ty narrowed his eyes, impatience flaring. "I'm not in the mood for gas. How do you know about Earth?"
Ty and Waddle sat in the back of the armored truck as it rumbled along the uneven path, the wheels crunching over gravel and bumps making the ride less than smooth. The other contestants were in varying states of conversation or quiet, so whispering among themselves, others just staring at the limited view through the narrow windows. Rosana, seated beside Ty, had her head back, mouth slightly open as she snored softly, oblivious to the rattling motion. The air in the vehicle was heavy, a mix of sweat, anxiety, and quiet determination.
Uhh, well I suppose that's a long story," Waddle started, leaning back slightly, his eyes clouding over as if he was sowhere else. "It's been about a year or longer maybe since I've seen Earth." His voice dropped, and for a mont, it seed like the entire truck got quieter, as if even the sound of the engine respected the weight of what he was about to share.
"I had a fight with soone—Erebos—and... I lost." Waddle paused, his gaze shifting downward. The mory was vivid, the details still haunting him. "One mont, I was fighting, giving everything I had. And the next, I felt sothing... it was like he reached right into , and pulled sothing out. My soul maybe? Or whatever was left of ." He laughed, but it was empty, bitter.
"It felt like everything I knew, everything I was just... vanished. There was nothing. Just a blank void. I didn't even realize ti was passing. It was like floating in the coldest, darkest ocean, no up, no down, no body... just an endless stretch of nothingness." He shivered slightly, as if a cold wind blew through the vehicle, the weight of his words creating an unspoken chill.
He rubbed his arms, trying to push away that sense of absence that still lingered. "And then, after what felt like forever—I woke up here. With this body." He flexed his hand, as if the gesture still seed foreign to him. "And ever since, I've just been here, in this crazy place, trying to survive."
Ty listened, his face a mix of shock and understanding. He waited for a beat before asking, "This place is fucking crazy, did the sa thing happen to you? Or how do you know about Earth?"
Ty took a mont, as if gathering his thoughts, then replied, "Feels like a lifeti ago, honestly. I've been to a few different planets, dealt with my fair share of chaos... but yeah, it started with being killed by Erebos back on Earth."
Waddle's eyes widened, the glint of shared pain in them. Ty continued, "I never imagined he'd do this to others, but here we are. I was brought before the Demon King, had a bunch of weird stuff happen..."
He paused, looking down at his hands. "This isn't my body either. Technically, I'm... a skeleton. But I will get back to Earth one day, for sure. What about you? You wanna go back?"
Waddle shrugged. "Maybe. If it happens, it happens. As ssed up as this place is, I've kind of found my own way here. Certain people look up to , and it's not sothing I'm ready to walk away from." His lips curled into a half smile.
Ty gave a slow nod. "But you're here, stuck in this ga as a prisoner. Doesn't it worry you'll die here?"
Waddle smirked, shaking his head. "I think everything will work out. Just a feeling. But you... why are you so desperate to get back to Earth?"
Ty sighed, his expression softening. "I made a promise. To my girlfriend. As silly as it sounds, I promised her I'd get back. I'll keep trying until I've got nothing left."
Waddle's face changed, his usual smirk dropping. A chill ran through him, and he leaned closer to Ty, his voice quieter, almost hesitant. "Yo... you aren't talking about Jade, are you?"
Ty's head jerked slightly, his eyes narrowing in surprise, his skin prickling as flas flickered along his arms, his voice cracking, "Y-Yes... you know her?"
Waddle nodded slowly. "Yeah, she joined the sa program I did. The one that gave my power. It was all about keeping Earth safe from an invasion. She was doing amazing things—kicking ass, taking nas. Her power got unlocked after joining, just like mine. Then Erebos showed up, and... well, that's the last I heard. After that, I ended up here. For all I know, Earth could be overrun by monsters now.""
Ty clenched his fists, the flas growing more intense, reflecting the turmoil inside him. The vehicle bumped slightly over uneven ground, but neither seed to notice. In the background, Rosana snored quietly, blissfully unaware of the weight of the conversation. Around them, murmurs of other contestants filled the air, but to Ty and Waddle, it felt like the rest of the world had faded out, leaving just the two of them and the echoes of the past.
Ty stared at the floor of the truck for a mont, lost in his thoughts. "I don't know what Erebos' plan is or how I fit into it... I just want to get back to Earth. I don't know who I can really trust, or if I've made the right choices along the way, but I'm really just trying my best," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
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