"You lost it?" Xavier raised a brow in confusion. "What do you mean you lost it? It was something important that was entrusted to you and you’re saying that you lost it?"
"Yes." The leader stroked his beard. "Allow me to explain."
"No need. Just tell me where you last saw that rock."
"I am telling you that only. My grandchildren used to play with it, and when I was in my slumber, unaware, they took the rock outside with them and lost it somewhere."
"Seriously..." Xavier was truly speechless. Sure, he hadn’t expected finding the fragment to be that easy, but now it was an entirely different issue.
"They lost it early this morning. They said the rock was glowing and pulsating, so they thought it was a weapon. And they took it to the dumpyard and threw it there. I’ve already asked my people to search for it, but you see..."
The leader looked in the direction of the dumpyard.
"It’s not easy to find. You can stay the night here, and I’m sure my people will locate it," he said calmly.
"No. This is an urgent matter. I can’t sit around and wait for others to find it. Take me to the dumpyard. I’ll look for it myself."
"Very well." The leader led Xavier and Lyra to the dumpyard, and the others followed behind.
’The fragment was pulsating?’ Xavier thought to himself. ’Unfortunately, I don’t know the timing, but early morning means... when I killed Bull. I now know that the fragments react to the host’s condition. To be honest, I think this is better than fighting or searching for it in the entire Beast Land. It will be easier to find, and maybe... the fragment will react to me too? At least, I hope it does.’
After walking for a few minutes, they arrived at the dumpyard. It was located inside the crater of an ancient meteorite strike. The terrain was uneven, blackened, and jagged, with strange glowing stones scattered around. The entire area looked like a hollowed-out volcano without lava. Piles of scrap metal, broken parts of machinery, discarded weapons, shattered bones, rusted containers, and even mutated body parts were stacked around in large clusters. Some piles moved slightly—likely due to small creatures hiding inside.
The ground sizzled in places. Steam rose from cracks. The air smelled like burnt metal and rotten chemicals.
Just as Xavier was about to step down into the crater, the leader extended an arm.
"Xavier, you’re a human. Your body isn’t built for this terrain. It’s too hot, too unstable, and the air may get toxic deeper in. Let my people handle the search."
Xavier looked at the crater, then back at the leader.
"I appreciate your concern," he said, "but I didn’t come here to wait. If I don’t find it myself, I’ll regret it later. I’ll be careful. And I won’t be alone."
Lyra, who had stayed quiet until now, stepped forward. The wind blew strands of her silver hair across her wolf ears.
"I’ll go with him," she said, calm but firm.
The leader looked at both of them, sighed, then nodded.
"Be careful," he said.
Xavier and Lyra began descending into the dumpyard. Each step was careful. The ground cracked under their boots, and more than once Xavier had to hold on to some metal piece to avoid slipping. Lyra moved more easily, her beast instincts helping her navigate the unstable terrain.
They started their search, digging through scraps, lifting broken crates, and checking any object that looked out of place. Several glowing stones had to be moved. Some let out a faint humming noise, but none of them was the fragment. The other beasts also moved efficiently and searched for the fragment.
A while passed.
Then, footsteps echoed from above. The three children—two boys and a girl, no older than ten—climbed down awkwardly.
"S-Sorry," the smallest one said, eyes wide. "We didn’t know it was important. We thought it was dangerous... We didn’t mean to lose it."
Xavier paused. He looked at them for a moment, then gave a small nod.
"It’s okay. You didn’t know. But now, help us look. We need to find it."
The kids joined in, and together, they spent nearly an hour searching through the dumpyard. More than half of it was covered now although Xavier and Lyra had just joined, the others were searching for it for a while. Everyone was tired, but still pushing.
Eventually, they called it for the day.
They climbed out of the crater.
The good news—they had cleared half of the dumpyard. Now only the other half remained.
They returned to the settlement. A large circle had formed where food was being served. The beasts had gathered, curious, murmuring among themselves.
As Xavier and Lyra approached, all eyes turned to them.
But most of the curiosity wasn’t for Xavier—it was for Lyra.
A beast girl, part of them, yet somehow different. She stood beside Xavier with a calm expression, but her sharp eyes watched everything.
They all sat and ate together. The meal was hot and simple. Grilled meat, roots, some glowing mushrooms, and broth that smelled stronger than it tasted.
Beasts surrounded them, especially Lyra. They kept staring, whispering, trying to get closer, sniffing the air around her.
After eating, the leader approached them again.
"You both should rest. The search will continue tomorrow."
But Xavier stood up, brushing the dust off his clothes.
"No. I’m going back. I’ll search until I find it."
Lyra silently stood up beside him, ready to follow.
"We will come too!" The kids jumped in excitement as they got to play more.
The other beasts also joined them since they couldn’t let the guests do the work. Now, almost 300 of them were searching for it, while a few of them stayed back to protect their base.
It was a silent night. But everyone was startled by the loud noise of guns and lasers. Explosions came from all the side, followed by the screams, and then, a spaceship descended just above the carter, blocking everyone’s only way of exit.
The spaceship’s door opened and a lion-like man came out of it, followed by a few dozen armed beasts of his gang.
"Everyone has gathered here. And that makes my job easy! Kikiki!" He laughed out loud like a maniac with his tongue out.