Noor walked through lush, vibrant forests with blue leaves that flashed like luminous fireflies. He marveled at their captivating beauty, stopping for a moment to take it all in. He brushed his hand against the leaves and looked at his fingertips to find a fine blue dust that twinkled with a faint glow. He tried to explain the phenomenon, attributing it either to tiny, luminous insects that fed on these trees or something unknown to him that made the leaves twinkle like the stars studded in the sky. His contemplation was interrupted by a ringing in his ear. He pressed his earpiece. "This is Noor, go ahead." The voice of his comrade, Sairi, came through. "Have you found the target?" Noor looked at his empty hand and said with regret, "I haven’t, but I’m following its traces. I’ve found a strange forest that seems to have been affected by the target. Or perhaps it’s just a natural phenomenon on this planet I know nothing about. Have you found anything, Sairi?" "I’ve found one clue," Sairi said. "A green oasis in the middle of a barren desert. Scans indicate it’s recently formed. I’m going to check it out; I might find the target there." Newest update provıded by 𝕟𝕠𝕧𝕖𝕝✶𝕗𝕚𝕣𝕖✶𝕟𝕖𝕥 A glimmer of hope sparked in Noor. "Send me your location, and I’ll be right there," he said eagerly. "Send it to the others as well. I’ll send you my current location in case I’m delayed or something happens to me." "No," Sairi said. "Come alone first. We can’t be sure that one of our comrades hasn’t fallen into enemy hands. They could learn what we’re looking for from them. We’ll contact them after we’ve checked the site. I sent it to you first because you’re close to me. I’m signing off now." Sairi disconnected. Noor pressed his wristwatch, and a three-dimensional holographic map appeared, showing the location Sairi had marked. Noor tapped it a few times and began to track the location. It was five kilometers away. He sighed and made his way through the beautiful forest. Soon, he saw a blue-colored monkey with four arms leaping through the branches with its younger siblings, watching him with curiosity and wonder. One of them threw a shiny green fruit at him. He raised his hand and caught it. "Our monkeys aren’t this rude," he said sarcastically. He threw the fruit back at them. They shrieked and fled into the trees. Noor continued on his way cautiously, his ears pricked, alert to every little thing that happened in the forest. Suddenly, he heard the sound of gunfire echoing through the woods. He hid behind a tree and watched. He saw a strange creature resembling a deer or a horse passing swiftly through the trees, with someone riding it. It was being pursued by men in long, blue military-style coats embroidered with buttons that glowed blue. They covered their lower jaws with steel masks and wore helmets with something resembling a rooster’s comb, from which shiny golden hair cascaded. They held long, blue metal rifles with laser blades protruding from beneath the muzzles, capable of piercing through anything with ease. Noor saw them chasing the creature as it ran through the forest, shouting strange words. He pressed his earpiece to activate the instant translator and began to understand what was being said. One of them was yelling, "Catch the traitor!" Another shouted as he fired glowing blue shots from his rifle, "Stop in the name of the Franks Galactic Empire, you rogue!" Noor understood what was happening but didn’t know whether to intervene or remain neutral. He didn’t want to put his mission at great risk, but deep down, he wanted to intervene more than anything. He decided to act smartly, without revealing his presence. He looked at his right hand and saw a round object forming in the air from nothing, a product of his imagination, until it solidified. He grabbed it and placed it on a tree. As soon as the three soldiers passed near it, the device flashed, and sharp wires shot out, piercing their feet and bringing them to the ground, screaming and writhing in agony. Noor smirked from behind the black mask that covered the lower half of his face. His thick, soft hair fluttered in the wind along with his stylish black coat. He then continued on his way. After a while, Noor emerged from the forest into the darkness of night. Before him lay sprawling blue plains that shimmered like stars, dotted with flowers that had a captivating, milky-white glow. And in the middle of these plains, within his sight, was a village that had been reduced to ashes, with flames still clinging to it, consuming everything until it was nothing but ruin. Noor sighed sadly. In the distance, he saw many men and women, their features indistinct in the dark, fleeing with whatever they had managed to salvage from the flames. But behind them, he noticed dozens of soldiers in blue, chasing them, firing at them, and claiming a few souls each time. Noor raised his hand, and a pair of binoculars materialized from nothing. After it formed, he grabbed it and began to watch the situation closely. Suddenly, he heard a rustle in the trees. He spun around and saw a man descending on him from a treetop, wielding a blue lightsaber that burned like the flames of searingly hot blue stars. Noor leaped backward, pulled a flash grenade from behind his back, and threw it in the attacker’s face. A blinding light erupted, burning the eyes. The attacker put a hand in front of his face, and Noor gracefully spun behind him, grabbed his arm, and twisted it in a swift motion, making him drop the sword. He then threw him over his shoulder, slammed him to the ground, kicked the sword away, and placed his foot on the attacker’s chest. "Identify yourself," he said. The attacker spoke in that strange language he had heard before, but the translator in Noor’s ear translated everything. "Who are you, intruder? Don’t you know this land belongs to the Franks Empire?" Noor ran a hand through his windswept hair. "I have no business with your land. I came to get something I lost, and then I will leave in peace." The being on the ground shouted, "Then why did you attack our men in the forest? Do you think you can get away with this and escape the law?" Noor pressed his foot harder on the being’s chest. "Then you should overlook what I did if you want to return to your men in one piece." The being grew angry and aimed the palm of his hand at Noor. Flames began to erupt from it. Noor stepped back. "So that’s how you burned this beautiful village in the plains, then hunted its people down like rats. If this is your land, why are you killing those who live on it? Have you ever seen an emperor kill a few weak villagers to preserve his rule?" The soldier stood up, his features becoming clear under the light of the three moons and the stars. He wore clothes similar to the soldiers who had been in the forest a moment ago, but he was bulkier, and his clothes were more ornate. "And you think they are weak and helpless?" the soldier said. "They hide among them those traitors who emerge from the forests and reap the heads of our soldiers." Noor pulled a knife from behind his back and began to twirl it in his hand. "And why do they reap your heads? Isn’t it because you took their land? They are defending their rights." The soldier pulled a rifle from behind his back and aimed it at Noor. "I am Lieutenant Baek. In the name of the Emperor of the Franks, I order you to surrender yourself. You will be given a fair trial. If you are innocent, we will leave you be." Noor laughed. "A fair trial? Like the one you’re giving those helpless people running in the plains with no power, fleeing from you after you burned their village." The lieutenant looked at his soldiers as they picked off the fugitives one by one. "Then you have sentenced yourself to death." He fired a shot wreathed in blue flame from his rifle but was surprised to see Noor holding a round shield, blocking the bullet and advancing toward him with determination. Baek was astonished, wondering where Noor had gotten the shield so quickly. Noor threw his shield forcefully at the lieutenant’s wrist, who immediately dropped the rifle from the force of the blow. Then he saw Noor leap into the air and kick him in the chest, sending him crashing into a tree behind him. Noor then pulled out a knife and tried to stab him, but the lieutenant quickly dodged it and ran to grab his sword. But Noor threw a metal chain at the sword, pulling it toward him before Baek could reach it. He held it, examining it, then swung it at a tree, cutting it down in a single blow. "Not a bad sword," he said. "What’s it made of?" The lieutenant stood, bewildered by the stranger’s audacity. Who is that creature?