Ever since he was a child, Kaiser had dreamed of Pandora.

The walls of his bedroom had been plastered with posters of distant galaxies, colorful nebulae, and unfamiliar worlds. He had spent countless afternoons sketching what he imagined Pandora might look like, filling notebook after notebook with impossible forests, towering mountains, and alien skies. To him, it had never been just another planet—it had been the dream.

So when NASA and the military selected him for a five-year expedition aboard the massive VRS-7 hypership, he could barely believe it. Every grueling hour of training, every sleepless night, every sacrifice had led to this.

The voyage itself lasted five years.

When Pandora finally came into view through the observation windows, Kaiser found himself speechless. It was everything he had imagined… and somehow even more breathtaking. From orbit, the planet resembled Earth, yet every color seemed richer, more vibrant. Two brilliant moons drifted across its sky, while the planet itself dwarfed Earth, easily twice its size—perhaps even larger.

The descent was slow, lasting nearly four hours. The VRS-7 executed its deorbit burn before plunging through Pandora’s atmosphere, deploying enormous parachutes before finally touching down on the frozen surface with a thunderous rumble.

As soon as the hatch opened, Kaiser stepped outside and instinctively drew in a deep breath.

The air was astonishingly clean.

No exhaust fumes. No machinery. No distant roar of engines. Just crisp, untouched air carrying the scent of snow and ancient forests.

Before them stretched a breathtaking landscape. The continent looked like something from a fairy tale—a vast winter wonderland blanketed in shimmering white and pale blue. The only blemish was the scorched patch of earth beneath the ship, where the engines had burned the snow away during landing.

Roughly a hundred meters beyond the landing site, a dense forest stood in complete silence. Frost-covered trees sparkled beneath the alien sky, while towering mountains loomed on the horizon.

Then something moved.

A lone figure emerged from the shadows between the trees.

…Wait.

Kaiser narrowed his eyes.

There was definitely someone there.

The figure continued its slow, cautious approach, partially concealed by the icy forest. In one hand, it carried what looked unmistakably like a long spear.