Kalina's eyes fluttered open, the vivid dream of her time with Eva in the top-secret labs still lingering in her mind. The memory of their collaboration on the meteor project brought a bittersweet smile to her face.
"Ah, Professor Eva, you were truly something," Kalina whispered to herself, a fondness evident in her voice. She stretched in her makeshift bed of dried leaves, feeling the dampness on her skin. Confusion struck her as she realized it wasn't just a dream – the rain had found its way into their cave.
Clicking her tongue, she glanced around the place where ten or twenty people, her newfound followers from Baktou's village, were stirring from their sleep. The rhythmic pitter-patter of raindrops created a soothing backdrop to the awakening scene and the bitter memories of how she was kicked out from that village started to resurface in her mind.
