Krypton’s black, lifeless sky reminded Ni’hil of planet Dheron during the war, when the first Necro-bomb fell on the city Li’aar. That day the sky seemingly died as well as everything beneath. Since then, Ni’hil, like most child soldiers, felt only nothingness.
‘Krypton has become a grave,’ he said while peering through his black helmet with dead eyes. ‘I suppose all things are inevitably impermanent.’
His torch was the only thing illuminating him. His lips were as black as crow’s feather, and his skin so pale he looked dead. His clanking footsteps made him feel exposed to the ghosts of Krypton. Each footstep sent spirals of dust spinning into the air—Ni’hil could have sworn he saw howling faces in them.
He shined his torch to his right in an attempt to make out an object protruding from the surface.
‘What is that thing?’
He jumped, and three streaks of fire shot from under his boots. He hovered over a cliff and landed gently, despite his suits bulk. The thing, now illuminated, was the remains of two skeletal corpses. They clung to each other, one had its hand on the others face—or skull. Only the top piece of the bodies remained visible while the rest had been swallowed by the planet.
‘Cute,’ Ni’hil smiled.
Ni’hil knew of Krypton’s collapse, only it was his incorrect version. He tried to imagine their fear, the sight of the apocalypse and the death of millions, all in cinematic fashion.
‘This planet was so beautiful and yet corrupted,’ he said. ‘It’s a tragedy because Krypton’s evil outlives them.’
He continued to tread across the surface, crushing the skeletons skull with his boot. It made him smile at the thought of crushing his enemies.
‘The great seemed so fond of abusing the small. I wonder if they have brotherhood in hell,’ he said, biting his tongue and laughing through his teeth.
He let out a groan at the sound of a loud humming. A black ship soared over him with threatening, mechanical roaring and descended carefully. Its doors opened revealing an old man.
‘Welcome back Nil,’ he said sarcastically with a smile.
Ni’hil was angry and walked through the image of the old man which blurred with multiple colours. He took off his helmet, revealing black, soulless eyes. He stared at the man, meaning to hurt him if he could.
‘What? Krypton is a goldmine,’ he shouted. ‘This better be important.’
‘Ever the opportunist,’ he said, ‘But while you were out scavenging I locked onto the beacon produced by the scout ship, and was able to produce a definite image of its current location.’
He summoned a holographic map of the solar system, and enlarged the three-dimensional image of earth. He took it and held it tenderly between his hands.
‘Here you will find your Kryptonian,’ he said. ‘Now tell me, what is more important than your duty?’
‘My duty, as a soldier, is to serve to the Dheron Empire,’ he said. ‘I will find this Kryptonian and when I do. I will kill him.’
The ship began to rise and then thundered across the sky until shooting off into space leaving behind a trail of light particles.
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