Three hours later, Rex awoke, sensing a change within him, but he didn't mind much being a kid. The intensity of his headache had lessened, he stood up and resumed his journey in search of his mum or any human, hopeful that he might find a home.
The long trek across the scorched land left him worn and ragged. With scarce food to sustain him, he found himself battling exhaustion, trudging on day after day, for a staggering 328 days until he stumbled upon fertile land. At that point, he was seven years old.
There, in the midst of the forest, he spotted a hut, and he ventured towards it, where he met three young teenagers sitting outside, two boys and a girl.
The first one a tall guy with dark brown hair who seemed like the eldest stood in a relaxed manner gesturing and addressing the other two, a young girl with long pink hair and a young boy with dark hair who sat down listening closely.
Spotting Rex approaching unsteadily, the eldest sibling, Felix, rushed towards him alarmed by his frail appearance. Rex's clothes were torn, his hair unkempt, and his body covered in dust, resembling a weary traveler.
"Oh no! What happened to you, kid?" Felix exclaimed, bending down and gripping Rex's shoulders.
Too drained to respond, Rex promptly lost consciousness in Felix's embrace.
"What should we do with him?" Felix inquired concerned "He appears to be from Vitoria," Felix observed
"He couldn't possibly have walked from Vitoria to Bethel," Aliya chimed in.
"It's possible," Felix mused. "I'm amazed he had survived the earthquake."
"Wow! Poor kid!" Aliya exclaimed. "Let's take him in." a hint of excitement in her voice.
"Yeah, although he does seem extraordinary as he's endured so much, I can't believe it" Felix added.
Merlin, who had been observing quietly, interjected, "I can't believe it too, so maybe, this is not a good idea"
"Why?" Aliya inquired.
"I can't explain it, I just have a strange feeling about this" Merlin confessed.
"Well, kill that feeling, because this little guy here is just too cute for me to handle" Aliya squealed.
"We can't turn our backs on him," Felix insisted. "He's just a child, and he needs our help."
Merlin sighed and rose his hand in surrender "Fine! I have no say in the family affairs by the way"
"Don't start" Felix warned as he carried Rex gently inside.
Felix, Aliya, and Merlin had lost their parents at a young age and had been surviving together by hunting and selling their catches in the market. Through this, they managed to feed and support themselves. Felix, the eldest at fifteen years old, took on a protective role for his younger siblings, Aliya and Merlin, who were thirteen-year-old twins. Merlin had always felt excluded because his opinions were seldom met with agreement by his siblings.
They brought Rex into one of the two rooms in their hut, carefully laying him down.
When Rex eventually woke up after four days of slumber, half of his memories had vanished. He could only recall snippets of moments with his mother and the day the earthquake had struck.
"Hey," Aliya said gently to Rex, brushing his hair softly as he roused.
Rex looked around with tired eyes, trying to comprehend his surroundings. "Where am I? Where's my mom?"
"We found you outside, on the brink of death, so we brought you in. I'm Aliya, and these are my brothers, Felix and Merlin," she explained.
"Okay," Rex replied quietly, then drifted back into slumber.
"All he does is sleep," Merlin said "He's not even had anything to eat for four days"
"He does seem, I don't know, strange?" Felix added. "Let's wait until he's fully awake."
"Perhaps he's not ready to confront the reality of losing his people," Aliya surmised with a sad countenance.
"Or maybe the earthquake had some kind of effect on him," Felix speculated.
"So, do you think he might be sick?" Aliya asked.
"I can't say for sure," Felix replied.
Merlin sighed heavily, raising his hand in resignation, shaking his head as he exited the room. It appeared futile to persuade anyone to heed his advice. Despite his attempts to convince them not to take the little stranger in, his words fell on deaf ears. He couldn't shake off a sense of unease, mindful of inviting a potential threat into their midst. The possibility of the little guy being a demon in disguise, one carrying infectious diseases, or worse, a psychopath disturbed him.
Rex slept for another three days, causing Aliya and Felix to worry that he might at this point be dead. They were on the verge of seeking help from an herbal doctor when Rex finally stirred.
"Hey! Are you okay? How are you feeling?" Felix asked with genuine concern. As he rushed to squat in front of him
Rex nodded weakly. "I'm hungry," he managed to say, his voice lacking strength.
"I'll fetch some food for you right away," Felix said, dashing out and returning with a meal.
He watched as Rex ate silently before speaking out "Do you remember what happened?"
Rex shook his head, showing that he couldn't remember things clearly.
Felix pursed his lips, nodded, and decided not to press further on the matter. 'After all, he's just a child,' he reasoned silently 'there's no way he would pose any harm.'
"Make sure you eat enough, okay!" Felix said cheerfully as he patted Rex on the back. "I'll go let everyone know you're awake."
Rex continued eating silently, not saying anything to him. He nodded to himself, pressing his lips together as he got up to find Aliya and Merlin.
"He's awake!" Rex called out to Aliya and Merlin, who were playing outside.
"Really!?" Aliya exclaimed excitedly, rushing inside to meet Rex.
"Hey!!" Aliya greeted him with a big smile. "I'm Aliya. Are you feeling okay?" she asked.
Rex nodded, looking directly into her eyes. After a moment, he managed a small smile, which made Aliya smile even wider and hugged him tightly.
"And this is Merlin," Felix added, noticing Merlin's hesitation to speak up.
Rex gazed at Merlin, who was trying to force a smile as Felix had instructed him to. Rex could tell that Merlin was suspicious and scared, so he gave him a warmer smile. "Merlin," he said softly, causing Felix and Aliya to smile.
Rex had learned to survive at such a young age, so he knew how to act friendly and do anything to ensure his survival. But understanding how others felt, their emotions and all, was something new to him. He could sense every heartbeat and feel their feelings as if they were his own.
They decided not to bother him with his past and took care of him like their own brother and Rex never mentioned anything about his past nor his mother.
Merlin, however, still harbored suspicions about Rex and the situation but kept his concerns to himself, not wanting to worry his siblings.
* * *
King Carlos of the Xenos, tirelessly scoured the forests for days but found no trace of the gem. Over time, he erected a fortress in the midst of the dry land making it their new home base.
Despite his relentless efforts, the gem remained elusive, causing him to summon reinforcements from their home planet. Recognizing that their trio alone couldn't conquer the search, he rallied all Xenarmies to aid in the quest.
As time elapsed, Carlos needed to ensure the survival of his people. He made the bold decision to relocate them to Earth, transforming the planet into their new home so they could stay alive, while they continued the search of their gem. Some of the elder Xenos, weakened by age and disappearance of the gem were unable to withstand the rigors of interstellar travel, remained behind and eventually died, while others forged ahead.
Establishing their settlement in Vitoria, the Xenos expanded their presence. Periodically, Carlos dispatched the four separate groups of Xenarmies on expeditions to scour the Earth for the Auragmite. Each group had a leader and strict instructions to get rid of anyone that stood in their path. Among those encountered were journalists and soldiers from other part of the world sent to investigate the disaster that unfolded in that region of Earth.
The xenos had no plan to relent until they could secure the Auragmite and return to Mite, their home planet. And as time passed, their efforts led them to expand their exploration, gradually encroaching upon fertile lands on Earth that had been spared from the cataclysmic impact.
Carlos had saved the young girl on the brink of death, and gave her the name April because they found her in the month of April when she was fighting for her life.
She lived in the big fortress with the King and other workers like as a princess under the care and tutelage of Leah and Gor, who assumed the roles of her guardians. Every day, they trained April to make her stronger and taught her to become a valuable member of their army.
April possessed powers derived from the Auragmite, similar to her fellow Xenos, and even surpassed them, due to the portion of King Carlos's own energy infused into her to save her from dying. With the guidance of Leah and Gor, April honed her newfound powers, steadily growing stronger with each passing day.