Onder stared at the cracked wood above him. The mess of fur and feathers that made up his bed was soaked. Leftover rainwater slowly dripped from the ceiling onto his face. He sat up and stepped into the puddle of water that now made up his floor.

  Nasty storm, but it’s finally over. Does that mean mother is back?

  He pushed the plank of wood covering the entrance to his hut and his eyes were met by the blood-orange sky of Sigiba. The sun serpent danced around as she found her spot, curling into a big ball. The dark-age was over once again. The sun returned to them.

  That was a short one. I wonder if anyone survived.

  He grabbed his travel back from the makeshift hut, pulling out a canteen filled with dirty rainwater. The disgusting slurry made its way down his reluctant throat. He put the pack over his shoulder and started walking towards the market. The barren wasteland of Sigiba faltered under his weight, and creatures from the shadows kept eyes on him. Nothing would dare attack him.

  Eventually the desolate landscape turned into a dreary path. A small market came into view with a few stalls that were seconds from falling apart. Onder made his way to the only secure booth, a carved-out window in a huge tree. Within the base of the tree stood a skinny made whose body was intertwined with the roots and branches of the tree. They were keeping each other alive on the miserable planet, though both were looking worse for wear.

  “Prince!” yelled the figure, beckoning Onder to come closer. “You grace me with your warmth once again.”

  Onder peeled a scale off of his arm. “Got anything for me today?”

  The man nodded. “Anything for you, prince.”

  “Aphmor, please. I’m not your prince!” Onder whined.

  He chuckled and slapped a fat canteen on the counter. Onder pushed his scale forward and took the canteen, taking a quick swig of fresh water.

  “Ah,” he sighed. “I don’t know what I’d do without your water.”

  “I don’t either, son.” Aphmor chortled and patted the tree from within. “This ol’ girl is real generous with her water. Especially after a big storm.”

  Onder scratched his chin. “Mother returned earlier than usual. I guess she had a good hunt.”

  “I’m not one to question it. I’m just glad business’ll be coming back,” said Aphmor.

  Onder looked around. The familiar faces of Sigiba’s most resilient population came into view. Brutal opportunists and muscle-heads that could survive off of rat meat were the only ones that came back after a purge. He didn’t know much about the permanent residents, not even if they were born on the planet like he was. It was possible they were the warped descendants of previous settlers, but he couldn’t fathom anyone surviving here without a biological miracle. Onder didn’t know where they went for shelter during the dark-ages, and he didn’t want to.

  At this point, most had learned not to mess with Onder. He was not just called prince due to his lineage. Many had tried, and failed, to demonstrate dominance over the ginormous boy. He was only a young teen, but he already towered over the largest ruffians of the planet. No one could match his brute strength or durability. A few glances were directed at him, logging his location in case he became a threat.

  It’s not like I’m looking for a fight… You all attacked me first!

  It was a truly lonely existence on the miserable rock. Aphmor was the only person he could consider a friend. Other than brutes, the other people who came to Sigiba were desperate settlers, eager to utilize the spades of empty land Sigiba had to offer. It seemed too good to be true, and it was.

  Onder tried to warn any arriving groups of the coming danger. The dark-ages, the hardened survivors of the planet, the vicious creatures lurking in the darkness. They never listened. If he was lucky, they would “take his words into consideration” and stay anyway. Other times he would be chased away as if he were a monster. They could never actually damage him, but it still hurt emotionally.

  He couldn’t blame them for their ignorance. They were all lost and in desperate need of a place to call home. Regardless, he cursed himself everytime he saw a town annihilated by a storm or an earthquake. Sometimes the gangs of Sigiba would raid the villages and exterminate them before a dark-age could.

  “Do you think more settlers will come?” he asked, head towards the ground.

  “Prince… There’s always gonna be more,” Aphmor sighed.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Onder nodded; his friend was right. He packed up the fresh water canteen and made his way out of the market. He reached his shack just before sundown, sighing as he opened the door to find that his house was still a small pond.

  I guess I’m sleeping under the stars.

  He watched his mother disappear from the sky as the planet turned. The Milky-Way was twinkling in the sky. It was a beautiful night to sleep under the stars.

  It could be worse…

  He laid down in a nice pile of dirt. It was a good thing he didn’t get cold, otherwise he had a chance of waking up dead. No one was more suited to survive Sigiba than the son of the sun.

  Whirring sounds woke him up at the crack of dawn. He shot up and saw a fleet of ships starting to land right in front of him.

  That was fast. This has to be a new record. No one’s ever landed so close to me, either.

  Strange-looking beings with beady eyes and stick-lick extremities started emerging from the ships. Onder watched closely as they surveyed the area. It wasn’t long before they noticed the 12-foot teenager in the distance.

  Here come the pitchforks.

  To Onder’s surprise, no pitchforks were in store. One of the beings left her group and started walking towards him. That gesture alone made him sweat. He was confident in his abilities, but he was still a child. Every attack was terrifying, even when he knew he would win.

  The woman stopped within a meter of him. His shadow could cover her entirely. Her head tilted to the side before she spoke.

  “Dawn is good.” Her mouth widened into a twisted grin.

  Onder could feel his heart racing. “It won’t last.” His voice was shaking. “You don’t know where you are. You need to leave now and find another planet. If you stay too long, the planet’s scent rubs off on you. The serpent in the sky won’t let you leave if you smell like her property. Please…”

  Her expression did not change as she moved her head to the other side. “Son of sun.” She pointed at him.

  Oh… Maybe you do know where you are.

  “Yes, that’s how I survive here. You won’t. When the sun leaves the solar system, you’ll freeze or die in some sort of natural disaster.”

  A giggle. She started to giggle at him.

  “Hek species short-lived. Hek descendants will adapt.”

  Onder looked at the people she brought with her. Many looked at their new world with excitement. They saw Onder as an example. A powerhouse that was built by the suffering of Sigiba. None of it was true. Onder was not a fighter. Every fight was won with sheer strength alone, no skill involved. His father may have left him there to become a warrior, but even the warped bodies formed by disaster couldn’t compare to half of the serpent’s blood.

  “Son of sun, try understand Hek struggle.” She opened her arms to gesture at her fleet. “Hek have a lot. Hek has weapons. Hek has agility. But not enough. Hek need everything to survive what’s next.”

  “What’s next?” asked Onder.

  Another giggle from the strange woman. “Son of sun, or son of conqueror?”

  His breath hitched. It was the first time anyone spoke of that name in front of him.

  “How do you know that?” he hissed.

  “Hek know lots. Conqueror has plans. Hek must survive. Purge will prepare Hek for purge.”

  Onder stepped through his fear, lunging forward and lifting Hek to his face. “What is he planning?”

  She was calm in his grip. “Hek told you. Purge.”

  “What does that mean!” he yelled.

  “Son of sun doesn’t know meaning of word? Son of sun is dumb oaf, ha!”

  Laughter rang throughout the air. Hek’s people followed suit, with the exemption of some more hesitant individuals. Onder could see some of them starting to tear up.

  Wrong answer. WRONG ANSWER!

  Anger filled his veins like fire. He felt like he would burst into a pile of ash if he didn’t do something. His fists tightened around the woman’s arms just enough to signal lethal intent.

  Crunch.

  It was strange. His body felt a small jolt of something knew in the middle of his throat. He looked down to find Hek’s thumb wedged just a centimeter into his skin. The drop of pain was small, but the shock was enough to loosen his grip.

  Hek moved to land gracefully on all fours. Her cat-like stance whipped around Onder’s body, disorienting him further. She mercilessly jabbed at his feet as he kept trying to turn to face her. She evaded his gaze until the thousand cuts broke his balance. A small stumble onto his knees gave her the opening needed to escape. Within seconds she was back on her ship, the dirt behind her filling the air. She stood tall, but Onder could barely see her through the dust cloud.

  “Hek would not win today. Hek’s children will have to try another time.”

  The door closed behind her as her people boarded the ships once again. The fleet hovered slightly in the air as they left Onder’s sight. They weren’t leaving the planet; they were just getting a safe distance away from him.

  You’re all fucked now! Dammit!

  He kicked the ground as tears fell from his face. What once was an act of kindness was now an embarrassing loss for the planet’s young prince. He could always try to track down Hek, but the planet was so large that even he didn’t have the stamina to explore a significant amount. In the end, it hardly mattered. Hek’s group would be annihilated by the next dark-age, assuming Sigiba’s finest residents didn’t get them first.

  Relief was followed by immense shame. Onder knew that Hek’s group had their own weak links. The poor souls he noticed crying in the crowd would surely be gone first.

  I bet that’s just what she wants. Purge her weak members. She’s using this planet, she wanted this planet. Just like father did.

  There was nothing more he could do for them. All that was left was to continue on and wait for the next dark-age. He prayed for a quick death for the scared members of her group. A building collapsing. A lightning strike. Hypothermia would be ideal if they could make it that long. At least they would feel relaxed before they went. Anything that wasn’t a bandit raid would be preferable.

  Onder went to bed thinking he knew exactly how this story would end. He neglected to consider that settlers survived Sigiba before. They were the very bandits he feared would massacre Hek’s weaklings. He always assumed they were born there as well, but that was only wishful thinking from Sigiba’s only native resident. The loneliest child in the galaxy.