Mason stared at the men for a while in silence. Judging by their pale skin and what they said earlier, he assumed they'd been here for some days.
"What happened?" he asked them finally. "What are you doing here?"
"Isn't that obvious?" replied one of them curtly. "We're thrown here to die."
"At least they fed us," another said.
"Do you call that fed?" said the third. "We're barely hanging onto our lives."
"How do you get on this planet in the first place?" Nathalie asked, her voice rising.
"Through a spaceship of course!" the first man rasped. "Didn't you come here by the same means?"
"What did you guys do to those creatures to earn humanity such hatred?" Mason asked, ignoring the man's question.
"It's none of your concern," said a man. "You guys should focus on surviving for now. Those aliens are really dangerous, I hope they'll spare us."
"After everything we've done to them?" another man said. "Our lives are at risk as long as we're still in this damn hole. Our only chance of survival relies on Director John's decision."
Disappointed, Mason and his party sat down on the dry floor, quietly observing the conversation of the men, which did nothing but thicken the tension in the air.
Mason tried to think but there was just too much running on his mind. His head and mind are working simultaneously differently.
They all remained silent for what seemed like hours. Mason's phone has lost its signal. Just what he expected from another planet.
Soon, there was a clanging of steel, and the prison's door swung open. Two guards emerged and one of them approached Mason.
"You seemed to be their leader. Come," he said.
"Seems your time is up," one of the APA agents said, chuckling. Mason turned to look at the speaker but the guard grabbed him and pulled him up from the ground.
"Don't have time, come," the guard repeated.
Nathalie stood up and, with a swift motion, advanced the guard to repel him, but she wasn't fast enough. The guard stepped aside and backhanded her away.
"No matter how powerful you are, witch," the second guard sneered, "it's all useless in here. Just wait here quietly for your turn."
"Turn for what?" Raymond chimed in.
"Do you still need to ask?" one of the APA agents laughed.
"Where are you taking him to?" Nana shouted anxiously.
Ignoring their questions, one of the guards grabbed Mason and pushed him toward the door. Nana and Raymond tried to charge but the second guard trained his spear at them.
Mason glanced at his party. Seeing their expression, he felt a pang of fear settle in the pit of his belly. "I will do everything in my power to protect you," he managed to assure them. "I promise."
Everyone watched helplessly as he was being taken away. The door closed and everything fell back into silence once more.
"This damn barrier!" Nat screamed in frustration after recovering from the guard's blow. "These monsters are no match for me if not for it!" She walked around the room restlessly.
"Pacing around wouldn't solve anything," an APA agent said, "neither does thinking. So stop disturbing the peaceful silence."
"Shut up if you don't want to die!" Nathalie growled.
"Or what?"
"I might not be able to exert my power but I'm still good at slaying assholes."
"I may be starving but my military combat skills are still intact. Do you want to test them?"
"That nonsense you've been taught wouldn't save you from me, you wretched huma–"
"Do you guys have time for this?" Nana's yell cut through the din. "Do you really want to die so badly before help arrives?"
Nathalie snarled in derision and threw herself to the ground, fuming in anger.
Meanwhile, Mason was taken back to the roofless hall and dropped to the ground as though he were some lifeless burden.
"This is the leader of the trespassers," Cat said as she ensconced her wings. "Whatever you do, make sure we're all…" Her words trailed off.
Mason raised his head to see who Cat was speaking to, and his eyes bulged as he beheld the familiar figure.
"Mike!" he exclaimed, letting a sigh of relief escape his lips.
Finally, his savior is back!
"Mason!?" Mike said in disbelief as he furrowed his brows. "How did you get here?" He stepped forward, and Mason could see him more clearly than he did the previous night.
Mike's piercing gaze locked onto Mason, his eyes gleaming like a snake's, with vertical pupils that seemed to shine like bright orange embers in the dim light. His bat-like wings, folded against his back, seemed to ripple with a subtle tension, as if ready to unfurl and take to the skies at a moment's notice.
The sharp lines of his elongated ears, pointed and alert, gave him an air of keen attentiveness, as though he could pick up the faintest whisper from a mile away.
Mike's average physique belied a quiet strength, a sense of coiled power that seemed to emanate from his very presence. And yet, despite the intimidating aspects of his appearance, there was something undeniably handsome about him, a chiseled quality to his features that spoke of a fierce inner beauty.
As he finally stopped in front of him, Mason felt his heart rate quicken, a mix of awe and trepidation swirling in his chest. There was something about Mike that commanded respect, a sense of authority that was both captivating and unnerving.
It was an honor to meet such a formidable warrior!
"Mason! Mason!!" Mike called, tapping him to jolt him out of his reverie. "How did you get here?"
"Through… a… Giras," Mason stammered.
"A portal?" Mike furrowed further.
"Yes, a portal," Mason nodded. "You know what a portal is?"
"Of course. Did you get into space?"
"No, we met a demon. She threw the portal at us."
"A demon?"
"Yes, she probably thought we were enemies, and she threw the thing."
"Is there anything like a demon in our civilized world that I'm unaware of?" Mike wondered aloud. "Did you say She?"
Mason nodded.
Mike pondered for a moment, tapping his teeth with a finger.
"Was she beautiful?" he asked finally.
"Not just beautiful, she was enchanting," Mason replied.
"Give me a moment," Mike said, and he double-tapped a spot on his neck adjacent to his jaw and began to speak. "Hey Miram, did you encounter some people today…?"
Mason was confused. He squinted at Mike's neck, wondering if there was a communicating device that could work despite the vast distance there, but he saw nothing. After a moment, Mike turned to Mason, his face twisted in what could be best described as incredulity.
"She's Miram," he said.
"And… who's Miram?"
"One of us, a witch."
"A witch!?" Mason almost screamed in disbelief. "That beauty?"
"Are you telling the human about us?" groaned one of the bat-women.
"He's not an enemy; trust me on this," Mike told her before turning back to Mason to address him. "Can you wait outside for me while I speak with them?"
"Gladly," Mason nodded.
"Gandoro!" Mike called and one of the guards stepped forward. "Take him outside for a moment. And, treat him NICELY."
"Yes, my Jyuran!" Gandoro said, bowing.
Such reverence! I'm flabbergasted! Mason thought. The guards motioned to him to follow as he led the way out of the hall.
Mason turned to cast one last glance at Mike, and he saw the protector arguing with the bioluminescent creatures. He looked annoyed.
"Follow, human," Gandoro said, pulling Mason's attention back just in time to save him from bumping into the wall. "Don't thank me, hail the protector," the guard added.
"Is the Yuran… er… Mike your king?" Mason asked, though he knew what he asked was stupid, as he knew the protector was a warrior. However, he didn't see who the king or whoever was ruling them.
The only person who seemed to possess the aura of a leader among them was Cat, the old bat-woman. But even she addressed Mike with respect.
"King?" Gandoro's face contorted in confusion. "I'm sorry but I'm not familiar with such a word."
What was I expecting from the aliens? Mason thought. He got outside and took a clear view of the surroundings. The land stretched several miles into the distance.
Below were huge houses built in strange structures. There are several collapsed buildings around, with many bat-people working together in harmony to rebuild new ones.
By the look of everything, Mason could tell a war had happened here recently, and weapons like explosives were being utilized.
Mason's mind flashed back to the APA agents' discussion earlier; he remembered one of them saying he doubted the aliens would spare them after everything they'd done to them. Maybe this was it.
He observed for a moment until he heard his name. He turned back and saw a familiar human approaching him.
"Mike?" he gasped.
"In human form," Mike replied, and he smiled. "Told you, I'm also human."
"Oh my God! Wow!"