An ominous air filled the surroundings. Anne and Seren began to tremble.
"W-What? Why not?" Anne and Seren both questioned.
"You're clearly not from this planet, you could be working for the other side. I can't risk that." Marcus replied.
"Other side? What other side? I'm not working for anyone, I'm here to gather information."
"I don't know, the government, the enemy, the bad guys? I just don't know, and I can't take that chance." Marcus said.
"We're not the enemy, we're just scientists. We're not soldiers, and we're not spies, we're just trying to learn more about this planet." Anne sniffled.
"I just can't bring myself to trust two extraterrestrial beings; it wouldn't be logical."
Anne and Seren were bewildered by Marcus' words.
"What are you talking about?" Anne asked.
Marcus turned his head and walked towards the entrance.
"This is over, I'm leaving."
"Why can't you just give us a chance?"
"You're aliens, that's reason enough."
"But, we're not bad people. We just came here to find out why the Earth was giving off unsettling vibrations!"
"You're not like the humans, you're not like me, and you'll never be. I can't trust you."
"What's the difference between us? Why can't you just trust us? Why are you treating us like criminals?" Anne asked, her eyes starting to water.
"You're not human, and I can't trust someone who's not human. You could potentially be the reason why this whole cataclysm started." Marcus scoffed.
"THAT'S ABSURD! We would never do anything to harm this planet." Seren spat.
"Just because you haven't done anything wrong yet doesn't mean you won't."
"You're being ridiculous. How can you even think that?"
"I'm not going to repeat myself again. Get out of my sight."
Seren walked up to Marcus and grabbed his shoulder.
"Let me go."
"Please, please just give us a chance. We have no way of getting back to Elyndra." Seren pleaded.
"I can't take that risk. You'll have to find another way to survive, now let me go."
Seren let go of Marcus, his expression filled with sadness. "Fine. There's nothing we can do that will change how you feel about us, I guess there's no point in us staying here, we're just wasting your time." Seren stated.
Marcus sighed. "Look, I don't trust you, but I just don't know if I can trust anyone anymore. The world has gone to hell in a handbasket, and I'm just trying to survive."
Seren shook his head. "We can survive together; I give you my word that we will not betray you."
"It's not that easy." Marcus replied, his voice filled with frustration.
Seren smiled. "Please, give us a chance. We may not be human, but that doesn't mean we're not people. We're not trying to hurt anyone, we're just trying to survive and learn the reason why the planet became this way."
"I can't trust you, but if you prove to me that you're not going to betray me, then maybe I can start trusting you."
"That's all we want, a chance." Anne said.
"How are we supposed to prove that?" Seren asked.
"Learn." Marcus answered, his tone blunt and emotionless.
Anne and Seren glanced at each other. "What do you mean by that?"
Marcus raised his arms, showing his hands. "You're clearly not from this world, and if you're going to survive, you're going to need to know how to defend yourself."
"Defend ourselves against what? Other survivors?" Anne asked.
Marcus laughed. "You're going to have to be prepared to defend yourselves against everything, including me. I'm not saying I'm going to turn on you, but I can't say for certain that I won't."
"But we're not soldiers, we're scholars, we're not fighters. On top of that, it seems us being Elyndrans puts us at a disadvantage." Anne argued.
Marcus smiled. "Don't worry, you will be."
"I don't get why you're so obsessed with fighting."
"Because it's the only way to survive."
"But we're not soldiers." Anne stressed.
"Just shut up. This is the only way you can survive. If you can't fight, then you die. You'll either learn how to fight and survive, or you'll die. Those are your choices. I'm not saying that you have to kill people, but you need to be able to defend yourselves. The world is a dangerous place, and the sooner you learn that, the better off you'll be."
Anne and Seren looked at each other. "I still don't understand; what's the point of this?" Anne asked.
"You'll find out when the time comes. All I can tell you is that the only way to survive is to fight. Fighting isn't just about killing people. It's about being able to defend yourself against the people that oppose your ideology."
The silence of the air, the decay of the land. It all felt as though it was ripped from a nightmare.
"You're right Marcus, there's no other way around it."
The sun reached its peak, painting the sky in a crimson red hue; the breeze gently touched their skin, and they couldn't help but feel mesmerized.
While they had come to accept the idea that they would likely never see the familiar landscapes of their homeworld, they clung to the hope that there would be a day when they could return home.
Marcus looked at the two of them as they watched; they talked with each other about the situation and couldn't help but let out a smile. Even though he couldn't trust them, he felt connected to the two of them. "So what do you guys say?"
Anne turned her head towards Marcus. "Huh?"
"I apologize for my outburst. I may not be familiar with your kind; to be honest, you give me a bit of the creeps, but you also don't seem like an imminent threat in this dying world." Marcus smiled at the two of them.
"R-Right," Anne stumbled, realizing how lost she was getting within the conversation.
"You can trust us," Seren stepped forward. "You saved us and now we are in this together."
Anne nodded with enthusiasm, a warm grin appearing on her lips. "Thank you, thank you for letting us be a part of this. I feel like we're going to make a good team."
"Hey," the deep timbre of Marcus's voice got both Anne and Seren's attention once more. "There is one condition of me teaching you guys survival and helping you, understand?"
"Anything," Seren grinned while nodding.
"For real, anything. As long as you help us survive and teach us what we need to know, we will do whatever it is you wish." Anne was surprised by Seren's eagerness to agree but held the same opinion, with the sole exception of Marcus trying anything suspicious.
"Okay. Great," Marcus was visibly relieved.
"What is the condition? We already agreed to whatever it is, and we would hope not to break it."
"It's just you two will have to follow my directions when given. That is really it."
Anne and Seren took a moment. "So that means no disobeying commands when in battle or fighting and what not?"
"Exactly," Marcus responded.
"It seems that is all fair," Anne confirmed.
"It is," Marcus stretched his hand to seal the agreement.
The two of them looked at the gloved hand for a second but quickly met it. Marcus grasped both of the Elyndrans' hands with a warm smile on his face. The Elyndrans did the same, a moment of gratitude transpired.
"What about you, Ser? Are you comfortable with these conditions?"
"What? Oh... uh," Seren stammered as his train of thought had wandered away. His mind was swimming with thoughts of hope, nostalgia, and a sense of excitement. A tinge of fear lingered among those, as the circumstances had turned rather peculiar. "I guess... I am."
Marcus turned to his side.
"Follow."