Meanwhile, Christina, who had been listening to the entire conversation through her Lav, sprang up from Rachael's bed, her face a picture of fury.
Stefan, who had also been taking a slight nap, flinched awake, his eyes lingering on Christina's angry expression. "Is something wrong over there again?" he inquired, his voice tinged with concern.
Christina's response was curt. "Nevermind! I'm going home!" she curted, storming out of the room and slamming the door behind her. The sound echoed through the hallway, a testament to her anger.
"Something was definitely amiss with her, wasn't it?" Stefan asked, his gaze drifting toward Rachael. His eyes sparkled with curiosity.
Rachael burst into laughter, her voice melodious. "Of course! You can call that jealousness, isn't it obvious?" she replied, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. "A lady must know how to play hard-to-get. She's in love with Mike after all, despite her facade and pretense. Her pride is suffering greatly."
Stefan chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "I guess Mike was flirting with pretty Anthropters over there, that would explain the reason for Christina's behavior earlier," he said, his tone filled with amusement.
"I doubt that. My brother is not the type to flirt, especially with creatures that aren't human, I thought you know him better than that," Rachael smirked.
Stefan shook his head disapprovingly. "You never know, there might be jaw-dropping and sexy bat ladies over there. You should never trust men when it comes to women. WE ARE DANGEROUS!" he emphasized.
Rachael glared at Stefan through the corner of her eyes. "Dangerous? From someone who's never had a girlfriend before? Don't make me laugh," she scoffed.
"Who says I have never had a girlfriend before? Don't jump to conclusions. My cuteness knows no bounds," Stefan countered, a mischievous grin on his face.
As he glanced at the clock on the wall, his smile faltered. "Jesus Christ, it's 8:47 p.m.! I'm in trouble! I have to go home now!" He stood up from the chair beside Rachael's bed and reached for the door.
Rachael raised her head, her eyes widening in terror. "My parents are late today!" she exclaimed, turning to Stefan. "They'll be here soon. You can't leave tonight," she said, her voice laced with urgency.
Stefan stopped on his track and turned back, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Why?" he asked, his eyes locked onto Rachael's.
"We'll be in trouble if my parents find out my brother is absent. I told them last night that he's staying at your place. It won't work twice," Rachael explained, her tone matter-of-fact.
Stefan shrugged, his expression uncertain. "So what now?" he asked.
Rachael's smile returned, mischievous and playful. "Sleep over. On Mike's bed."
Stefan's eyes widened in alarm. "What!? What about my parents!?" he squealed, his voice rising in panic.
Rachael's grin broadened. "You'll feed them the same lies I fed my parents last night."
Her expression suddenly turned solemn, her eyes boring into Stefan's. "We're dead if we're caught!"
Stefan grimaced, confusion etched on his face. "We or you?" he asked.
Rachael rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Let's call your parents first and tell them," she said, her tone practical.
*****
Mike and Miram took slow, cautious steps toward the cave's mouth, their senses heightened as they attempted to verify the source of the voices. The air outside seemed to vibrate with tension, the sound of distant voices and flapping wings carrying on the wind.
Meanwhile, outside the cavern, Domra and his army, still pursuing Mike and Miram, approached the spot where the duo had seemingly vanished. They halted at the edge of a vast, yawning hollow, their eyes fixed on the breathtaking sight before them. A fire river, its surface churning with molten flames, flowed into the distance, its end unknown.
"They couldn't have possibly gone in there, could they?" one of the warriors whispered to another, his voice laced with incredulity.
"They'd die if they did," another warrior replied, his tone grim. "They can't even fly across the fire river. No one can. Not even the Jyuran, despite his indestructibility."
Domra's gaze locked onto the slow-flowing fire river below, his eyes burning with a fierce, unyielding rage. The power of Dahra coursing through his veins, was consuming his very being. His voice, low and menacing, sent shivers down the spines of his warriors.
"Continue to search around for them," he ordered, his eyes never leaving the fire river. "They should be here somewhere."
The colony dispersed into different directions, their movements cautious and deliberate. However, they maintained a safe distance from the edge of the hollow, their faces set in a mixture of determination as they gazed out at the fiery expanse below.
Mike's eyes widened in utter disbelief as he watched the colony staring right through them, their gazes seemingly passing through the cavern as if it were invisible. "They can't see this place?" he wondered aloud, his voice tinged with incredulity and his mind racing with questions. "How's that possible?"
Miram's brow furrowed in contemplation as she scratched her jaw, attempting to grasp the phenomenon. "Even when we're fleeing from them earlier, we didn't see any hole, let alone the fire river," she mused.
"How is this possible?" Mike repeated, his eyes locked onto Cat's, seeking an explanation.
Cat's response was brief, yet it held deep meaning. "The gastral shield not only works on width, it also works on depth," she said, her tone measured and calm.
Mike's brows arched in realization as the truth dawned on him. "Are you inferring that the fire river is not an illusion, and it actually exists under your land?" he quizzed, his eyes widened further as he grasped the implications of Cat's words.
Cat nodded frantically, her gaze locked onto the colony outside the cavern. "To them, it will always appear as a vast valley with a fire river flowing between," she explained. "The gastral shield protecting this mountain runs down several meters below, making us invisible to them."
Miram's curiosity was piqued. "What if someone accidentally falls inside? Wouldn't they find themselves here, like us?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with intrigue, seeking to understand the intricacies of the gastral shield.
Cat shook her head sideways, a gentle smile on her face. "The gastral shield is powerful beyond your imagination," she responded, her tone filled with a mix of awe and reverence. "It has been keeping us invisible for more than forty years, even Dahra couldn't find us."
She stepped closer toward Mike and Miram, her gaze lingering on Dahra's warriors outside, their movements visible through the mouth of the cavern. "And when I say invisible, I mean completely invisible and transparent," she emphasized, her tone measured. "So, anyone who falls inside is gone, pulled by the incredibly powerful gravitational force of the fire river."
The flickering light from the fire river in the hollow illuminated the area, casting eerie shadows on the walls of the cavern. This allowed everyone inside to watch the activities of the warriors outside with unsettling clarity. The same light also enabled Dahra's warriors to navigate their surroundings, their movements seemingly choreographed.
Cat turned to Miram, her expression thoughtful. "You're able to get in here because of the Jyuran," she said, her tone filled with conviction. "Else, you would have been long gone by now, pulled into the depths of the fire river."
Mike's curiosity never dissipated, his brows furrowed in confusion. "If the fire river really flowed under your land naturally, wouldn't you guys die of heat?" he inquired, his tone laced with skepticism. "Or how are you surviving?"
Cat's response was calm and measured. "The foundation of our houses is strong enough to stop the heat from reaching the surface, and apart from that, the temperature that rises to the surface is not strong enough to affect our daily lives," she explained. "However, unlike your planet, which depends on the star's energy, our planet simply survives on the fire river's, which gives our soil fertility."
Mike's eyes widened further, his curiosity deepening. "What about water?" he asked. "Don't you guys need water?"
Cat's expression turned quizzical, her own curiosity activated. "What's water?" she asked, her tone genuine.
"A colorless and transparent liquid which forms seas and lakes," Mike explained patiently. However, his words only seemed to spark more confusion.
"Seas and lakes? What are those?" Miram inquired, her brow furrowed in curiosity.
Mike's eyes widened in disbelief as he turned around to face the three Anthropters, their faces are contorted in confusion.
His expression turned grim. "WTF! Are you guys pretending to be ignorant?" he grumbled, frustration in his voice, but the Anthropters didn't seem to understand him. They just stared at him, their faces blank, as if he was speaking a different language.
Mike's eyes scanned the three Anthropters, searching for any sign of comprehension. However, their reaction remained the same - confusion and curiosity.
"You're not going to tell me you don't know what rain is, are you?" Mike asked, his tone incredulous.
The Anthropters' response was immediate. "What's rain?" they asked simultaneously, their voices filled with curiosity.