“So, there’s this one island where we might find the source of the monsters?” Triggs clarified after hearing answers from Eli.

“Yes,” Eli replied. “When my friends and I meet and chat, they sometimes mention about this place where a certain being lives,”

Triggs and Lae exchanged glances after hearing the information.

“Can you please tell us more about this ‘being’ your friends talk about?” Lae politely requested.

“According to my friends, this being is very powerful. In their own words, they said that this being can spring life out of the dust, make creatures multiply rapidly, and even bring ‘dead creatures’ back into our time.”

“Woaah… scary… but cool,” Calla’s reaction.

After hearing the information, Triggs bowed his head, trying to recall something.

Lae noticed his gesture. She whispered, “Getting something from what he said?”

“‘Bringing dead creatures back into our time’,” Triggs murmured. “I remember the Sirenas mentioning that the thunderbird was supposed to be extinct a long time ago. So... could it be that this is the same being who brought it back?”

“Makes sense,” Lae replied. “It can also multiply creatures. It can be the answer to why there are lots of monsters in different places,” she hunched.

Triggs nodded his head in agreement.

Lae asked Eli, “Uhm, did your friends mention any specific creatures that this being had created or multiplied?”

“Sorry, but they haven’t. They only mentioned that it was mostly scary monsters,” Eli answered.

“Hmm… I see…” Lae murmured. “This being could be our target,” she said to Triggs.

“Possible…” Triggs replied.

BRRRT!! BRRRT!!! BRRRRRRT!!!

As they continued their conversation, a faint vibration was heard. It was from Mrs. Santos’ phone.

Quickly, Mrs. Santos grabbed the phone from her pocket to check it. After seeing that it was a phone call from her husband, she immediately answered it.

“Hello, Honey?...... Uh-hmm… Yes… The students are still here. We’re still not finished with the survey. Why?......... Uh-huh………. Sure…… Okay, got it!”

Ending the call and returning the phone to her pocket, Mrs. Santos informed the trio, “I guess you’ll need to speed up your ‘survey’. My husband told me that the local grocery is closed, and he isn’t familiar with the public market’s layout, so he’s asking me to go with him. He’ll be back in a bit.”

“It’s okay, Mrs. Santos. I believe we’ve gathered enough information from Elijah,” Lae said. “I think we just have a few final questions.” Not wasting time, she shifted her gaze to Eli. “Did your friends tell you the exact location of this island?”

Eli tilted his face upwards as he tried to recall. “Hmm… Let me think…” After a few seconds, he gave some information about the suspected island: the possible location and some notable details.

After hearing the information, Lae replied, “Thanks, Eli,”

“Does it ring a bell?” Triggs asked Lae.

“Honestly, no. I’ve never heard of such a place. But this country has many islands, so maybe…” After a short pause and a sigh, she continued with an annoyed tone, “...maybe I’ll just have to ask Ate Kloe for help again.” The thought of it made her roll her eyes.

“Uhm… okayy?” Triggs murmured, confused with Lae’s sudden shift of tone.

“Are you leaving already?” Eli asked. His music was melancholic, reflecting the sad expression on his face.

“Sorry, Eli. As we mentioned, we still have a very urgent mission to complete, so we need to go,” Lae explained.

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“And it’s also because of your father…” Triggs muttered bitterly.

Eli replied with a warm smile. “I understand…”

“Aww… This is making me sad. I want to talk with you more. You seem like a cool guy,” Calla expressed.

“Well, like they always say: there’s always a next time,” Eli replied, his music very comforting and assuring. “By the way… I think I haven’t asked your names yet?”

“Oh, right!” Triggs uttered.

After that, the Trio told their names to Eli.

“I believe the universe had a purpose in bringing us together,” Eli said with a positive and uplifting tone. “So, I guess this is just the beginning of our wonderful friendship. I’ll see you again next time…”

“Yes, we can definitely meet again once we’re done with our missions. We can chat more about your friends then,” Triggs said with a smile. “Also… if your grumpy father will allow us,” he joked.

They all shared a laugh, and soon after, the trio said their final goodbyes and left the room.

“Let’s hurry before my husband returns,” Mrs. Santos urged as she escorted the trio.

Going down the stairs, Triggs grabbed the opportunity. “Speaking of Mr. Santos… When will he come back to teach our class?” he asked. “Cause you know… so, we can get ready for his return.”

Mrs. felt the mischievous undertone in Triggs’ sentence. After a faint chuckle, she answered, “Well, you can tell your classmates that he will not be returning soon. I doubt you’ll ever see him again the rest of the semester.”

“That’s a relief…” Triggs murmured impishly. After a short pause, a random thought popped into his head. “Uhm, may I ask…”

“Yes?” Mrs. Santos replied.

“I understand that Mr. Santos is one strict father. But I’m just curious, why was Elijah grounded?”

After hearing the question, a smirk formed on Mrs. Santos’ face. “Well, just like you, Eli was also suspended from class.”

“Wait, really!?”

Mrs. Santos nodded her head. “Funny enough, he also couldn't stop talking about mystical things in class. He kept going on about this 'Awakening' that his 'friends' told him about.”

Triggs was surprised by the synchronicities. Even the 2 young ladies were amused.

“I think we'd get along great.,” Triggs humored.

Mrs. replied with a slight chuckle, continuing to escort the trio towards the door.

As they stepped outside the house, Mrs. Santos gave her final questions. “Now that you've learned about our family and my son Elijah, I think it's only fair that I ask: who are you really? I know you're more than just students.”

They were not ready for the question, but Lae tried to answer anyway, “Well, uhm…”

“We are The Unveilers!!!” Calla blurted confidently, stopping Lae’s words.

“The Unveilers?” Mrs. Santos asked curiously.

“Uhm, no. We are not called like that,” Lae quickly corrected.

“Well… I just realized that our group doesn’t have an official name, and ‘The Unveilers’ sounded so cool,” Calla murmured.

Triggs noticed the visible confusion on Mrs. Santos’ face. He whispered, “I told you, Ma’am. She loves reading fantasy novels.”

But it didn’t help Mrs. Santos. She interrogated further, “Are you members of some kind of secret group?”

“I think that’s the simplest way to explain it, Ma’am,” Lae replied. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Santos. But we can not say who we are and what we do exactly,” she explained. “But you can trust us on this one: we promise that your family's information will be kept safe in our group.”

“And how can I be sure of that?”

“Well, your husband already knows our true identities outside this mission. As for me, I have a reputation and title that I uphold at the University. If we ever break our promise, he could use his position to have us expelled from the University,” Lae explained modestly, but politely.

“Yep. Since I'm already suspended, it would be easy for him to get me expelled,” Triggs added.

Mrs. Santos bowed her head as she assessed the situation. Clearly, she was still not fully convinced. However, she said, “Those aren’t the best reasons… but I suppose they’ll have to do. I also noticed how Eli interacted with you earlier. It was the first time I’ve seen him so comfortable and happy. My son is a very special child. If he trusts you, then I guess I’ll have to trust you too.”

Hearing Mrs. Santos’ words, Lae couldn’t help but smile as she nodded in agreement.

“Thank you, Ma’am,” Triggs said.

“You’re a cool Mama! No wonder Eli is cool too!” Calla expressed with a cheerful smile.

“Oh, thank you, dear,” Mrs. Santos replied. “It’s getting late, and my husband might be back any moment. Goodbye, and I hope you succeed in your mission,” she said as she bid them farewell.

Shortly after, the trio left as they bid their goodbyes to the household.

…

…

…

The skies were already full of stars by the time the trio returned to the Base’s Garden.

Sitting under the leaves of the Hanziel Tree, they were reassessing the information they gathered earlier. Isha and Claire were also there, listening to the discussion.

“Wow… He - He sounds like a very interesting person,” Claire commented with a blush after hearing the information about Elijah.

“Yes-Yes!!! He’s so cool!” Calla affirmed.

As Claire and Calla continued their talk about Elijah, Triggs opened up another topic with Lae. “So, what do you think, Lae? Could it be that the beings Elijah calls 'friends' are actually Giyas?”

“I also don’t know. We don’t have enough information to conclude that,” Lae replied. “Well, what really matters right now is that island his friends mentioned. I’ve already relayed the information to Ate Kloe. She said she’ll do her best to give an exact location by midnight.”

“Ohh, okay…” Triggs murmured. “So, what’s your plan?”

“If Ate Kloe can pin down the location, then we’re heading out tomorrow,” Lae answered. “We'll infiltrate the island when the sun sets. It'll be better to move under the cover of darkness so we can sneak in easily without the enemies expecting us.”

“Element of Surprise — makes sense,” Triggs agreed.

“We have no idea what this island holds. For all we know, we could be heading into something we are not ready for. But it's the only time we have left, so we don't have a choice. Please use the morning to fully prepare yourselves. As for me…” After a short sigh, she continued, “... I need to attend my morning classes first.”

“Got it, Lae,” Triggs replied.

“Well… I guess that’s everything for today,” Lae declared as she stood on her feet.

“Ooh!? We’re done already?” Calla uttered as she sprung like an alert puppy. Then, she commanded her turtle friend, “Isha! Go get some twigs! We’ll play fetch now like I promised!”

“KRAAAAA!!!”

Together, the 2 set off to play in the garden.

“I’ll report everything to Lola Vega,” Lae said to Triggs. “I’ll reach out to you as soon as updates are given,” her last message before leaving Triggs and Claire under the shades of the Hanziel Tree.

“Uhm… G - Goodluck po…” Claire uttered shyly. “I’ll pray for your safety tomorrow,” she added with a soft smile.

“Thanks, Claire…” Triggs replied with a soft voice.

As a single night breeze concluded their conversation, Triggs couldn’t help but watch Calla and Isha play in the distance. As he smiled at their merry display, a sudden unexplainable feeling engulfed his heart— an unsettling sensation that something uncomfortable yet necessary was looming.