Back aboard the ship, Jazzia told me they were all on the other side, enjoying a small waterfall. Naturally, I went there.

  The air was cooler, heavy with droplets that formed a fine mist. They were naked, wet, playing in water so cold it hurt the bones. I shivered just approaching and sat on a rock, simply to watch them.

  “Come on, William,” Anastácia called, her smile openly inviting.

  “I’ll pass… Ana should come out. She’s shaking.”

  Ana didn’t take long. She was trembling so badly she could barely walk in a straight line. Towels were hanging from a branch; I took one and wrapped her in it, drying her carefully.

  “Go take a hot shower. Jazzia will get everything ready for you.”

  Anastácia came right after, still smiling. Her nipples were hardened, her entire skin covered in goosebumps, her lips nearly purple from the cold. I wrapped her in the towel and stayed silent for a few seconds.

  “I love you,” I said, still caught in her presence.

  “I don’t want to get out!” Tariel complained.

  She was almost white. All her fur stood on end, forming a thin protective layer. Her eyes, more red than pink, resembled living rubies. There was something singular in that beauty, perfectly aligned with the calm smile she kept on her face.

  “And I love you,” I said, wrapping her in the towel. “Your eyes are even redder.”

  She thanked me with a light bite to my lips.

  “They are. Jazzia said it’s because my body is already mature… but we still can’t have children,” she said, without the slightest embarrassment.

  “Maybe, in the future…”

  “Not maybe.” She smiled. “I just asked Melissa. She said it will be possible. She said the four of us — and anyone else who wants to — will become something new. A new species.”

  “Then we’ll have as many children as you want,” I replied, holding her close.

  My story was taking an increasingly frightening direction. Even so, after thinking about it for a moment, I realized I would do anything for my family — even stop being human.

  I set the future aside. There was much to be done in that moment. And even with the end of the afternoon approaching, I couldn’t resist a hot bath beside them. A silent, deep relaxation — exactly what I needed.

  ---

  Jazzia had already hidden herself in a small clearing among the trees. With the backpack on my shoulders, I prepared to leave.

  “Am I going with you?” Tariel asked.

  “AX told me they might be aggressive. Once I establish a dialogue, I’ll come back for you.”

  “But AX won’t let anything happen to you, will he?” Anastácia stepped closer.

  “I am capable of protecting him,” AX replied immediately.

  The smell was different. The humidity heavier. The sounds as well. It wasn’t a dense forest; it was possible to walk between the trees, some of them quite tall. In one of them, I noticed something like a hut, empty. Then the space suddenly opened. Just ahead, the houses appeared…

  “We’ve been detected. Arrows incoming,” AX warned.

  Four or five came toward me, easily stopped by him. Shouts rose as we approached, but the agitation quickly faded, giving way to an attentive silence.

  I moved closer.

  “I’m alone. I pose no threat.”

  Even so, an arrow was blocked by AX.

  “There’s no point in attacking me. It won’t have any effect,” I said louder, as murmurs spread around us. “I want to speak with your leader. Or your elder.”

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  Three Seliums emerged from behind the houses, bows in hand, advancing cautiously. They were slightly taller than the females, with long hair tied back.

  Realizing it would take time for them to calm down, I sat on a bench made of logs.

  “This bench is comfortable,” I remarked, observing the construction.

  Others appeared. Weapons slowly lowered.

  “What are you doing here?” one of them asked, looking at me strangely.

  “Are you the leader?”

  He gestured behind him. From there came a calmer face. The man studied me from head to toe before introducing himself.

  “I am the leader here. My name is Aluram.”

  “How good it is to find someone willing to talk,” I said, noticing his more measured posture. “You are truly beautiful.”

  “Is that really something to say in a situation like this?” AX scolded me.

  “And now was the moment for you to show up?” I shot back, as everyone took a step backward. “This is AX. A soul from another world.”

  When they didn’t react, I continued.

  “Sit down. It’s been a long day. My name is William. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  Aluram nodded. They brought him a bench.

  “You are a different kind of human,” he observed.

  “I don’t belong to the humans of this place. I vehemently condemn what they do to the Seliums.”

  “That’s new,” he raised an eyebrow. “What did you come here to do? And where did you find that artifact?”

  “Artifact?”

  “It’s ancient, isn’t it? We have many stories about them. I never thought I’d see one.”

  “It’s not an artifact. We’re from another world. I’ll explain everything… and I want to hear all the stories and legends you have. But first, there’s something important to deal with.”

  “Something involving us?” he asked, his expression unchanged.

  “A group of three hundred humans is one day away from here. They went around the mountains. I believe they intend to attack you by surprise.”

  “Interesting. Naturally, you want us to believe that.”

  I smiled and leaned back on the bench. I decided to play a little. Despite their distrust, they were comfortable.

  “It took me only a few days to realize you have a heightened perception. I’m human… and yet you’re relaxed.”

  A slight discomfort spread.

  “You instinctively know I’m not a threat. And that I’m not lying.”

  “Then you have our enslaved ones,” he said, with a sarcastic smile.

  “I have more than three hundred Selium females. And I’m married to one of them.”

  Aluram spread his arms, stopping a few who moved forward. He kept watching me.

  “I more or less ‘stole’ all of them from the other humans. And I found it impressive how quickly you realized my intentions were good.”

  “Good?” he almost shouted, teeth clenched.

  I found that interesting.

  “There are no Selium slaves left on this planet. They’re all with me. Free to leave whenever they wish.”

  “I admit you tell good stories,” he said, smiling. “You even claimed you married a Selium.”

  “I’ll say more,” I raised my voice. “My wife is Tariel.”

  Laughter echoed throughout the place.

  “You’re entertaining,” Aluram laughed. “The last Tariel died more than three hundred years ago.”

  “Just one detail,” I met his gaze. “You use Tariel as a noun. For me, it’s my wife’s name. And I love her. AX, bring her.”

  Aluram straightened.

  “I think I misunderstood. I thought you said your wife was a Selium, but—”

  The large blue sphere interrupted him. When Tariel emerged from AX, Aluram leapt to his feet.

  As always, Tariel ignored everything around her and ran straight into my arms.

  “I’m here!” she smiled, searching for my lips. “When are we going to them?”

  “We’re already among them…”

  It was better than I imagined. The expressions on their faces were priceless, but I restrained myself. Tariel turned without letting go of my arm.

  The silence was broken by Aluram’s murmur.

  “It can’t be…”

  “Wow… they’re so beautiful…” Tariel said, letting her eyes wander over every Selium present.

  “Tariel, you’re my wife,” I complained. “Contain yourself.”

  “I’m yours. Forever,” she confirmed, a sly smile on her lips.

  I sat down again, and Tariel settled beside me.

  “Do you believe me now, Aluram?”

  “No…” he denied, as if he didn’t trust even his own voice.

  Some knelt before Tariel’s overwhelming presence.

  “Tariel… is what this human says true?”

  “He doesn’t lie. He saved me from death and rescued all who were enslaved: Nissi, Even, Lira, Dama, Mila, Luem…”

  “MILA!” a Selium shouted, running toward us. “She’s my daughter!”

  “She’s fine,” Tariel said, standing and taking the woman’s hand. “She was sick, but AX cured her. I’ll go get her!”

  “Easy,” I stopped Tariel before she took another step. “AX, take Mila’s mother to her daughter.”

  Once again, silence. The woman vanished before their eyes.

  “Aluram, we need to get your people out of here,” I said. “Believe me or not.”

  He nodded slowly, then asked:

  “You said… planet?”

  “Do you know what a planet is? A rock in space that orbits a star?”

  “We do. We had many books. You burned them all.”

  I took a deep breath.

  “Just don’t place me on the same level as the humans who live on this planet. They’ve lost themselves. They’ve become something unacceptable even to the humans of their original world.”

  The call of an animal echoed before I continued:

  “I can guide your people through the forest, keeping distance until they give up. Or you can come with Tariel and me, aboard a ship, to a safe place, until it’s possible to return.”

  “A containment field would take days to assemble,” AX explained. Not that they knew what that meant.

  “We’ll go with you.”

  I held my breath.

  “But already? You trust too quickly. That’s… wrong.”

  “But you have Tariel.”

  I smiled, despite the weight of that answer.

  “Your world, at its peak, must have been an exceptional place. The simplicity and intelligence you carry are evident. And that’s exactly what humans exploited as weakness.”

  “We’re no match for the violence they carry.”

  “I realized that. Tariel and the others only want to live happily. Even after everything they’ve endured, they show no resentment.” I paused. “I’ll arrange the ship.”