A millions-of-kilometers-wide asteroid ring was orbiting around Elysira. Within that massive ring, two moons shone brightly Icolis and Xir.
Among the two, Icolis was larger, more magnificent, more beautiful. And between its towering mountains, A sudden burst of light tore through the air. A teleportation portal flared to life.
The next second, Mika and Jun stepped out of the portal. The moment their feet touched the ground, their bodies felt the heavy gravity that crushing them.
This wasn't normal. It was nearly three times heavier than Elysira's gravity. Jun's breathing became heavy instantly. His legs began sinking into the ground.
Mika also lost her balance, but she managed to steady herself probably the result of her training.
"Jun!" Mika shouted.
Jun somehow dropped to his knees, barely stopping himself from collapsing. Every second, the pressure on his muscles increased as if invisible mountains were pressing down on him.
He quickly bent down and scooped up a small handful of soil. On their hand-GPS, a two-minute timer was still running. Jun's body was failing to adapt to the intense gravity.
"Too heavy…" he muttered through clenched teeth.
Before the countdown could finish, Jun activated the emergency return. The portal opened again and at that moment, forcing his body to move, Jun jumped and fell into the portal along with Mika.
Back in the lab, Frank suddenly saw their GPS signal vanish. For a second, his heart almost stopped.
"How is this possible…? I sent them to the safest area on Icolis,"he said quietly. He immediately began checking trackers and trying everything he could.
But then, The teleportation chamber lit up again with a blinding glow. Two silhouettes appeared inside the portal. The light faded and both Jun and Mika were back. Before Frank could say anything, Mika grabbed Jun.
"Are you okay?!" she asked urgently. Jun was still breathing heavily.
"What just happened? We came back before the countdown ended,"Mika said, with confusion.
Jun replied softly,"I don't know… my entire body felt the heavy gravity. It was too much for me."
He extended his hand,"Here, uncle."
In his palm was a small amount of Icolis's soil.
"I picked it up in a hurry… maybe it'll be useful to you."
Frank carefully took the soil and stored it in a flask. Along with tension, excitement now glimmered in his eyes.
Looking at Jun, Mika said,"We still have time. Just keep practicing. I can only pray that your body adapts to the pressure soon."
Jun nodded slowly,"I'm going to the hospital now. After that, I'll continue my training."
Mika stepped closer,"Should I come with you?"
Jun looked at her,"Yes… you can."
They said goodbye to Frank. A while later, they were sitting in a cab. City lights blurred past the window. Jun remained silent, lost in deep thought. Suddenly, Mika held his hand.
In a soft voice, she asked,"What's wrong, Jun? What are you thinking about?"
Without looking at her, Jun replied,"I'm thinking… how long until my mother gets better."
Mika said gently,"Don't worry. She'll recover soon."
The cab stopped near the hospital. They both stepped out. The hospital building stood before them but this time, Jun wasn't looking at it like a helpless boy.
He had taken his first step. And now, turning back wouldn't be easy.