Author Comment: This chapter hasn't been beta-read yet. This is the first version for those who might get a little impatient. The correction will be done better by FollowerOfAnhamirak when he has time.

The next day after Theb-Saar came to Chaotic, the effect was immediate.

Tom held his scanner in his hands, wondering if he should port in or not. He never hesitated since the first time.

That nervousness wasn't something he had when he ported in. The words of the creature were still haunting him. He knew they wanted to come to Earth. He knew more would come to Chaotic, not only his tribe but the other tribes too.

Right now, he realised that Chaotic was some kind of safe heaven from the creatures. It never felt that way. It was just a place to hang our or to have Chaotic matches in a drome.

Not anymore.

The teenager took a deep breath and decided to port in. He had many reasons to port back in, "I won't let this end."

Chapter 28: The Empty Port Court

Tom was in the Port Court and already, he could see that everything changed. The battle machines that appeared yesterday were still present. However, they spread out to cover everything, and weren't showing their weapons right now. They were much less players around too. It used to have many people wandering around or having matches, but many tables were empty. It was much quieter now. From what he could see on his scanner, more than half of the usual players didn't port in.

The boy saw why when he noticed Mudeenu in the corner, watching a match going on. The gaze the creature had was one of amazement and anger. It was obvious his mind had blown.

MajorTom checked the match and saw Mudeenu battling against Odu-Bathax.

"It's a strange sight, don't you agree Tom?" someone told him.

A Caucasian boy with short blond hair and blue eyes went towards him on his silver and brown all-ground wheelchair. He wore a green vest, a white shirt and green pants.

"Reggie. How is it going?" the boy asked.

Reggie turned his wheelchair towards the creature, "No problem at all. Mudeenu isn't causing any trouble at all and is sometimes sulking when he saw the foods passing near him. I suspect that the machines are doing this on purpose."

"For now," he commented as they went elsewhere together.

"I wouldn't worry about it. If the creatures don't do anything troublesome and with the fact that anyone coded in Chaotic will have their code back, other players will come back. Mouth to mouth will bring the others," he stopped his wheelchair near a table, "I'm honestly happy that I wasn't the only around. There are much more than I imagine."

"What did you imagine?"

"I feared that it might have been deserted, but it isn't," Reggie let out a small relieved smile.

"What are you going to do today?" Tom asked.

"I'll port to Perim and get a few scans. I won't let everything change my life. Good to see you again Tom," he went to port into Perim, "See you later."

"Sure Reggie!" he replied as his friend went to Perim. He thought about it and nodded to himself, "Reggie is right. I shouldn't let that change everything," but some thought haunted him, "But what will happen later on?"

"Tom!" Sarah waved at him.

He joined her at the table and sat on a chair, "Hi Sarah."

"Hi," the teenage girl gazed at the Mipedian.

"I wasn't sure if you would come," he commented.

"Of course, I would. I won't let a creature standing in my way. If I did, I wouldn't try to get scans in Mount Pillar," she replied with a hint of annoyance in her voice, "I knew you would come and you weren't certain."

"I was hesitating for a while," he admitted.

She sighed and grabbed her drink, "I was creeped out by how quiet everything is now."

The boy sat down and asked for his own drink. He wasn't hungry but drinking something might help clear his mind a little more. There was a small tension rising between them.

Sarah sighed as she crossed her arms, "I still can't put aside what we saw yesterday. I just realised I should have been more careful! The Danians are using me for something, just like Theb-Saar. You're lucky Maxxor was your friend before this mess began."

"He told me that he wasn't sure if it was true or not. He takes this situation as true, because the other tribes do so," the boy searched for something to cheer her up, "It's not the worse that you can wander around without trouble-" he raised his hands before she replied some nasty reply, "But I know it's wrong."

She finished her drink, "We are all getting used by the creatures to reach the 'Cothica'. Now we have Mudeenu probably spying around for something to reach our world."

"He's watching a match with a player using himself," he replied. He thought about it and had to agree that they would obviously search something around.

"Maybe that's why they might use us. To find something some secrets in Chaotic," Sarah commented.

Kaz arrived and said, "Probably," he sat on his chair, "That means that we don't have to search for anything in Chaotic. It's not Kaizeph," he raised his hand, "Hi guys."

"Hello bro!" Peyton said with his usual enthusiasm, although it felt a little forced this time, "What are you guy stalking about?"

"What we shouldn't do if any creatures are asking us," Tom replied.

"That means that we don't investigate Chaotic for short. If there is something that could help them reach the Earth, we don't search for it," she ordered.

"Yup!" Peyton agreed without any protest. "This is such a bummer. It's so empty now. Maybe it was like this when it began," he wondered as he grabbed something to eat.

They were quiet for a while and let their mind wandered. Tom decided to check out on his scanner to prepare for his next match. He had one this afternoon and knew that the other player logged in.

"How's your mom Kaz?" she asked.

"Good. She saw the news and we had to talk about it. I told her I won't be in trouble since it's my code self. She just began her match against another player," he pointed at a screen where Vinta and Rothar faced each other's.

"Do you know what happen after Alexandre talked to the Codemasters?" Sarah asked.

The red-haired boy played on the table with his fingers, "Yeah. Alexandre isn't in trouble and told them everything he could. Someone is going to get him today, but that's all she knows. Maybe it's the government."

"So, we might be next bro? We aren't bad guys!" Peyton protested as he finished eating, "None of us has the evil laugh to go with it."

"It's not about that. I'm sure the government wants to know what happened when he was younger. The Codemasters didn't know what happened in Kaizeph," Kaz answered.

They had nothing else to go on. They checked on the Mipedian who went elsewhere. Mudeenu went at the other side of the court and looked at the other screens. They were multiple matches going on.

"Have you ever imagined what would happen if they came to Earth?" Peyton asked.

"If it is like my nightmare, it won't be pretty when they fight in the city," Kaz replied.

"I think the cops and the army would show up and shot them down," Sarah wondered.

"Or nuke them all out with a big boom!" Peyton overdramatically replied.

"And destroy an entire city?" she asked.

"Maybe. If they could imagine it in some video games, they could do it for real and erase the proof," the large teenager answered.

"That way overboard Peyton. There is no zombie outbreak," Tom replied as he crossed his arms.

"And mom won that round," he concluded while adjusting his glasses.

Sarah repeated their plan, "And remember. We won't try to solve anything in Chaotic."

"Of course, Sarah," the Overworlder player agreed.

The group was quiet once again as they watched the match.

Peyton was in deep thought as he thought. He tried not to overthink about why Theb-Saar offered his friendship. He wondered if he was used for something and he sighed.

She turned towards the brown-haired boy, "Is everything okay Peyton?"

"Yeah… Not really," he admitted, "I know Theb-Saar said that we are friends first, but still-" he cut himself when the Mipedian was approaching them.

"There you are Peyton. I didn't notice you sooner," the Mipedian prince said.

"What's up Mudeenu?"

"Prince Mudeenu!" his gaze went to the other humans and grunted, "Theb-Saar wants me to tell you that he is in his palace today, if you have any questions about yesterday."

"Why didn't he come here himself today?" Sarah suspiciously asked while the other boys were quiet.

"He has Al Mipedim to rule human," the lizard man didn't like her tone.

"I should go then," Peyton stood up, "There is a lot of things I have to say."

"Not alone Peyton," she stood up.

The prince grunted, "Why would you come? I know about you Sarah."

"So? I am being used up by the Danian's just like your tribe are using Peyton for something! Whatever plan you have for us, we won't help you," Sarah grunted back.

The prince was getting angry and the boy had to say something now, "Sarah. Chill out. Fighting is out of question for you too. We'll be going bro. We can't go alone with M'arrillians haunting for us," he dragged Sarah before he pushed the creature too much.

The two teenage boys and the Mipedian looked at each other's quietly. They knew there might be trouble. The prince had knowledge of their 'allegiance'.

"My uncle isn't some Danian," he frowned and turned around, "He sees Peyton as a friend first. If it has been me…" he let the message passed and walked away.

The two best friends looked at each other's.

"This was a little dangerous. They know I'm a friend with Chaor and you are a friend of Maxxor. If things get big, we are mixed up in this mess."

"We were friends with them before this mess," Tom tried to calm his friend.

"Chaor isn't the same deal as Maxxor. He just has taken a liking of me or something. With them surely believing we come from the Cothica, it might be different. Chaor will use me to reach our world if he could. Still, I won't help him with that. This is way too dangerous for everyone. Sarah is right, what if a cop shoot one of them down. A pistol isn't like a Pyroblaster. It's really fast," the boy thought as he put his hands on his forehead.

"Would it even hurt them? They could take a Rockwave and still fight, but not us."

That reminded the boy when he received an attack from Mudeenu when they helped Reggie. The pain he felt was bigger than he let it out to be. His friend would have been worried sick. Kaz still wasn't sure if he had broken bones or not with that one attack. Maxxor mugic did heal him that time and he felt better. The boy and felt uneasy with him there. He didn't spell it out, "Who knows. We just can't let it happen. Like Sarah said, we won't check it out," he sighed and asked, "Tom. If we didn't go to Kaizeph, would everything still be normal?"

His best friend raised his shoulders and replied, "I don't know. Theb-Saar was surely already interested before we went here. We got curious because Rath'tab went after me."

"Nothing would have change anyway," he let a defeated sigh.

"Hey there you two," someone said.

They turned around and replied, "Hey Alexandre."

The man came with a bag on his back.

Tom continued, "Are you okay? I thought you wouldn't come today."

Mudeenu heard the name and turned around. He was wondered who was the Messenger and saw him in person. He could already saw the aura of the hero who saved Perim long ago.

The three humans continued talking together. Alexandre explained, "I wasn't forbidden to use my scanner. I have to be careful when I wander around. I am someone known," he crossed his fingers and smiled, "Once you come here, you don't want to stay away from it that long. I left Perim a long time ago and I missed it so often. I had dreams of seeing my friends again, but I know I never will. They're all dead."

"Sorry for that," Tom quietly said.

"Do you have a match today?" Kaz asked.

"No. I'm going to do something important I put on the side. I'm going to meet Gosh descendants. It's the least I can do for him," he stood up and added, "Maybe pray to his spirit too. I'm sure he'll be happy to see me again."

"Go for it and be careful. M'arrillians are around and hunt for us. They will go after you too," Tom warned the man.

Alexandre waved at them and went to Al Mipedim.

His best friend paled as he associated them with everything going on, "Because they want to reach the Earth too."

"And I'm sure they got something against Alexandre," Tom commented. He thought about it. He made sure Mudeenu couldn't hear them and whispered, "If only I knew where Phelphor could be."

"If he didn't-" his friend said no more.

"He knows more about what the M'arrillians wants to do."

The two stood up.

"Looks like we are on a scan quest," Kaz commented as they went to port in Perim.

"It won't be easy," he commented.

"When is it? I'll leave a message to mom and let her know what we are doing."

"Sure."

The duo ported in Perim.

AC: This is the end of this chapter. This one is pretty much a set up for the next chapters. As you can see, this is going to be a game of patience. Creatures believe that the humans shall guide them to the Cothica and until the four refused to do it, it won't progress.

This Arc will be longer before it moved to the third one.

Next chapter: Welsh and The Messenger.

Alexandre visit the village of Gosh ancestors and discovered what happened to his friend after he left.

Followed by: Confronting The King.

Peyton and Sarah confronted the Mipedian King on his intention of befriending Peyton and why he wants to reach the Earth.

And: He Who Let His Tribe Behind.

Phelphor lived in secrecy, away from the eyes of the tribes and he crossed path with Reggie.

After this, if I don't change idea, the story will shift on what is happening on Earth some of the characters.