"I’m not sure," John replied, his eyes narrowing at the nu.
"Co on, you have to eat."
John sighed and nodded.
Dalia dragged him inside, and the two of them sat down at a booth.
"This place is weird," John remarked, his eyes darting around the room.
The aliens were mostly humanoid, but their appearance varied greatly. So had horns, while others had scales or feathers.
"It’s not that bad," Dalia replied, her eyes shining, "I think it’s interesting."
John shrugged and looked at the nu. At first, he couldn’t understand it, but soon all the words in the nu clicked in his mind and his eyes widened.
"Wow, even the nu has incredible technology," he whispered.
"Right?" Dalia agreed.
The two of them ordered, and their food arrived shortly after.
John stared at the steaming pile of alien cuisine in front of him and gulped.
"Here goes nothing," he muttered as he took a bite.
To his surprise, the food was delicious and he finished his plate in no ti.
The two of them continued on their date until they arrived at a virtual park. The setting was nightti in autumn, and the leaves were changing colours.
They found a bench and sat down, enjoying the view.
"It’s beautiful," Dalia murmured, her eyes shining.
"It is," John agreed.
Dalia leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.
"You know, John, I’ve always admired you," she said softly.
"Why?"
"Because you’re brave and fearless, and you’re always trying to protect us," she replied, her voice low.
"You said always. I wasn’t exactly fearless when we were kids."
Dalia’s eyebrows creased, "what are you talking about? You were!"
"I was scared of everything," he muttered.
"You were never scared, John. I was the one who was scared."
John shrugged, his eyes narrowing, "Maybe."
"You saved from bullies, rember?"
"That was a long ti ago."
"And you always had my back, and you forgave , even though I stomped on our friendship."
"It’s in the past."
"You were always the one who had a sense of direction and purpose, and you made feel like I belonged," she continued, her voice wavering.
John didn’t say anything, and Dalia placed her hand on his.
"Thank you for being there for ," she said softly.
John wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close.
"It’s alright," he muttered.
They sat there for a few monts, enjoying the fabricated autumn air.
Just then, a voice broke the silence, and John spun around to see a male figure approaching.
"John," the man called out.
John strained his eyes trying to make out the man’s face as he erged from the shadows, "Robert?"
"It’s been a while, John."
John’s eyes grew wide as he saw the man’s face. It was Robert, his old ntor’s friend and a second ntor to John. He had helped him the most after Charles and he had learned most of his skills with knives and weapons from him.
"What are you doing here, Robert? I thought you were dead."
Robert chuckled, "I’m alive and well, my friend."
John was stunned. How was he here already? John didn’t think he would find another human in the spaceport.
Robert smiled, "I know you have questions, John. Let’s talk."
He led the way to a nearby cafe and they sat down.
"How are you here?"
"First off, why don’t you introduce , John? Is this your girlfriend?" Robert turned towards Dalia.
John’s lips parted but Dalia cut him off, "Yes, she is."
John quirked an eyebrow at her but decided not to argue.
Robert smiled and held out his hand, "I’m Robert, and you are?"
Dalia shook his hand, "I’m Dalia."
"Nice to et you, Dalia," Robert replied.
John cleared his throat, "What are you doing here, Robert? More importantly, how are you here?"
"John, you were always asking questions even back then and I’m sure you know it deep inside."
John raised an eyebrow, "What are you talking about? Is there sothing going on?"
"Yes, there is," Robert nodded, "But first, let ask you a question."
"Go ahead," John nodded.
Robert’s eyes narrowed, "Are you willing to accept the truth no matter how crazy it sounds?"
"Of course."
Robert’s eyebrows creased, "Alright, here it goes."
John listened intently as Robert explained, "Firstly, what you suspected even before the invasion, I’m not human and neither is Charles."
John’s heart beat faster as he processed the information and the ntion of his old ntor, Charles.
All of his muscles tensed and his instincts went into overdrive.
"Relax, John. You know , I wouldn’t hurt you."
"Fine, explain."
"As I was saying, Charles and I aren’t humans. We co from a planet called Luthar and our species is called Lutherian."
John’s jaw dropped.
"I’m sorry, but you’re not making sense, Robert."
"I know it sounds crazy, but it’s the truth, John. Charles and I aren’t from Earth."
"Why are you telling this?" John asked.
"I’m telling you this because you need to know. And you need to know why we were sent to Earth."
"Sent? What do you an sent?"
"John, there’s a war going on and Earth is a strategic point. There’s a reason why the Luminar invaded you and it has to do with the mineral deposits in your planet."
"That doesn’t explain why Charles and you are here."
Robert sighed, his face sombre, "The Lutherians are at war with the Luminars and we have been infiltrating their operations since long before the invasion."
"You an..."
Robert nodded, "Yes. I’m a spy and so is Charles."
"Hold on," John interrupted, his heart pounding, "You two were on Earth way before the invasion."
Robert nodded again, "We were sent to gather intel on the Luminar’s plans and we stayed there long after the invasion."
"I see," John said, his voice low and strained.
"I’m sorry for not telling you sooner, John. I had to be careful and make sure we weren’t being tracked or followed."
"Wait, so... Charles, he’s not dead?"
"No, he’s alive," Robert said, his face grim, "He was captured by the Luminars. We never heard of him again, but we can tell he’s alive."
"How do you know?"
Robert hesitated, "We can track him, but it’s faint."
"Do you know where he is?"
"We don’t," Robert replied.
"Then what can you do?"
"We can try to rescue him. We know where he was last seen," Robert nodded.
"That’s a start. I’m gonna beat the crap out of the old man when I see him."
Robert chuckled, "Still aiming to beat your ntor, I see."
"Why not? He always beat easily back then."
"That’s Charles for you," Robert laughed, "But I have a feeling you can take him now."
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