"Elder sister! Elder sister, you are back!" Raza greeted everyone with a warm smile.
Lily nodded and stepped inside. "You tell me, is Star back?" she inquired directly.
Raza wore a confused expression on his face. "She's not back, but... didn't you guys leave together?" he replied.
Lily's brows knitted tightly. "She's not here either," she murmured, and her heart began racing with panic. "Then where could she have gone?" she questioned.
"Calm down, Angel; she will be fine," Art moved closer to Lily and held her gently.
"I don't... I don't know why, but... I can't shake this feeling that something isn't right, and... and I can't see any vision about her. I can't understand what's going on," she responded, her voice shaking.
Knock! Knock!
Everyone exchanged glances, their eyes fixed on the entrance door.
"Let me get the door, maybe it's her" Raza suggested, immediately moving to the door. He opened it, his brows slightly knitted at the person standing at the entrance.
"Who is it?" Lily called from behind.
"It's Tribe Chief Yanny!" Raza announced, shifting to the left to let everyone get a closer look at Yanny.
"Yanny?" Lily exclaimed, slightly surprised. She looked at the entrance, but upon seeing Yanny's appearance, she was left speechless.
Yanny stood at the entrance with messy hair and a bleeding arm. She looked miserable, as if she had just fought a life-threatening battle.
Everyone remained stunned, staring at the wretched-looking Yanny, and silence took over.
.....
Inside a weird-looking cave.
Star slowly opened her eyes, her brows knitted as she surveyed her dark surroundings. She wanted to move but realized she was already tied to a cross tree.
"Yanny! You crazy witch! Come here now and release me, or you will face the endless strikes of the stars!" Star shouted, trying to break free, but as she struggled her wound reopened, and blood began flowing out. The pain was unbearable, but she gritted her teeth, refusing to scream.
"Aiya! Yanny isn't here; it's me instead, Gerilla!"
Suddenly, the cold cave lit up at Gerilla's voice, revealing her and Ziber, stunning Star.
Star's eyes widened in shock, and she felt nauseated at the sight of the two. "Who are you two?" she questioned coldly, not hiding her disgust at all.
Gerilla chuckled and circled around Star, lingering beneath her bleeding arm and allowing the drops of blood to enter her mouth.
"Ah," she sighed in relief, a satisfied smile spreading across her face. "Your blood tastes so good; I crave more, but I don't want this beautiful body of yours to lack this sweet blood," she commented.
Star took a deep breath. "I don't think I've seen you two before, and I don't have any grudge against you. Why are you making things difficult for me?" she queried.
Gerilla glanced at Ziber and laughed loudly before turning back to Star. "Beautiful lady, indeed we don't have a grudge against each other. I invited you to my house just to ask you some questions," she replied.
Star cast Gerilla a mocking gaze. "Surely your reasoning is lacking; you call this an invitation? Who invites people like this? Hanging me up like I'm a sinner? Even a sinner wouldn't be treated like this," she commented angrily in English.
Gerilla's smile froze, and she looked at Ziber. "What is she saying?" she questioned.
Ziber focused on Star with a serious frown. "She's going crazy," he commented.
"Your whole generations are all going crazy!" Star shouted in annoyance. "It wouldn't kill you to keep quiet if you don't understand! What's the point of cursing me?" she gritted her teeth angrily.
Ziber and Gerilla exchanged glances, left speechless for a long time.
"You tell me—how did you get this beautiful skin of yours? I am very envious, and I promise you now that if you tell me, I will free you," Ziber's cold tone echoed in the cave.
Star remained silent for a long time. "You kidnapped me just for this?" She raised her brows in disbelief.
"That's right," Gerilla affirmed. "We will free you as long as you tell us."
Star nodded her head. "You both want to have skin like mine?" she asked, and Gerilla nodded eagerly in excitement.
"You both are sisters, right?" she inquired again, and Gerilla nodded again in confirmation.
A devilish smile appeared on Star's face. "That's good, very good... Actually... it's quite simple. All you need to do first is to eat each other's poop and use each other's urine as a soft drink. After that, you will find a cow defecation pit and bury yourselves inside for a year without eating good food. Once you complete that, and if you are still alive, you will then go to the desert without bathing and stay under the terrible hot sun for half a year while the sand there will serve as your food. If you can survive these three steps, trust me, all you need to do next is to sit at home, take a warm bath, and then sleep. By the time you wake up, your skin will have changed and might even be better than mine," she explained with a smile on her face.
The room was abnormally silent after Star's explanation; even the sound of a pin drop could be heard due to the eerie stillness.
Star observed them with hesitant looks and raised her brows. "Why? I told you already what you wanted to know; won't you free me?" she frowned tightly.
Ziber regarded Star suspiciously. "You must be faking it! How can you tell us the secret so readily? What you said must be fake!" she retorted coldly.
Star's mouth slightly opened. "Are you dumb?" she questioned. "What I told you wasn't even a secret, and it's not a secret because no one would want to try such embarrassing ways just to become beautiful. Even if you didn't kidnap me and asked me directly, I would have informed you with the same answer," she replied, her expression filled with a convincing frown.