“Will you defend me, even from the demihumans most similar to you?” Endya finishes gathering his things. A backpack, shoulder bag, some tools, and blankets. The water and mud have made everything dirty.

“Hmm… I only have one bullet.” Sely closes the pistol's cylinder and looks towards the horizon.

The cloud front is dissipating and the sun's rays are filtering through the clouds into the sea.

The rain will stop soon.

“Ngh… aaah, too bad.” Endya pulls himself up fully loaded with his huge backpack and duffle bag.

“Are there many beasts around here?”

“No, not many. But you never know. There shouldn't be anyone up here, yet you came from the wasteland.”

“The wasteland? Consider that where I come from is very green!”

Endya shakes his head. “Yes, but you will admit that there are whole days of walking in nothingness.”

Hmm… true, I spent more than eighty days in this landscape… Rocks, grass, crevasses.

I understand!

The young man starts walking again. “Come on, let's go, I'll escort you to Vanoge.”

Sely follows him perkily. “Yes!”

⁂

“So…” Sely walks a few steps back, the rain thinning out… “What were you doing up there alone?”

“I collect herbs that don't grow downstream.”

“I understand, but it's a dangerous place. Why come alone? I mean, the goatmantis would have killed you.”

Endya shakes his head. “Yes, in the city I will thank you properly. I was a fool, that's why.”

“Hmm…”

“You, rather” Endya turns his head to look at Sely, “What brings you here?”

“I have to talk to my father.”

“Eh, you already said that.”

Sely sulks. “What should I say to you?”

“Well, in all these years I've never seen you. I'm curious, are you an ambassador? Are you carrying important news?”

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“Oh yes. Very important, very important!”

“HUH!? I guess you can't tell me?”

Sely smiles. “Ahah, no-no, I just don't want to.”

“HUH!? Why”

“You don't want to tell me what you were doing up there, you're not reliable!”

“Hahaha! Right, right, Touché, Sely.”

“Tou… what?” Sely rubs her antennae in confusion.

“Touché! It's an ancient word. I do not know what it means."

“Oh, so why do you use it?”

“The master always uses it when I say something that contradicts him.”

Sely thinks about the word and weighs its sounds. “Touché.”

"Right."

“Uh!”

“Look” Endya points downstream.

Small houses made of wood and stone, built on concrete ruins of the old era. Some smoke can be seen and the ruined lighthouse sports a brazier at the top.

Sely is amazed, she has never seen such powerful artificial light in her life. The light points towards the sea and is dispersed there.

She glimpses people going back and forth, they have dogs and goats, baskets and bags with them. A shouting and noise from the craftsmen begin to echo through the valley that Sely and Endya are descending.

“WAH! It's immense!” Sely is amazed at the number of buildings created from the ruins.

“That's Vanoge. Yes, once upon a time there was a city of millions of inhabitants here. Now we are a hundred families, nothing in comparison.”

“A-A-A m-million? Huh?” Sely has never heard of millions. She understands it's a number, bigger than a thousand, but she can't imagine it. Vanoge's one hundred families are already an incredible number for her. “A million…” she murmurs.

“Yes, impressive right? The ancients are fascinating. Your father knows a lot about this, he claims that the flying cities themselves are not the works of insects, but of ancient humans.”

Sely listens to Endya as she continues to watch the town get closer and louder.

This place is different than I expected! Mom told me that humans proliferate by creating colonies, but so many people… Oooh!

“Of course, you're strange, for a demihuman I mean.”

Sely looks back at Endya. “Why?”

“Insects create entire swarms in a short time, mice colonize entire regions. But you seem surprised by a hundred families grouped.”

“Ah, eh, haha. Yep, now that I think about it, you're right.”

Endya stops, turns, and stares into Sely's eyes. Sely is enchanted for a moment, then she lowers her gaze embarrassed.

The brown eye is beautiful like the earth, the green one like the ponds... aww what do I think!!!

Mom, forgive me! This being arouses something magnetic in me!

“By chance” the boy interrupts Sely's thoughts, “well, yes, by chance, I assumed it from your atypical behavior huh…”

“Huh?”

“Yeah, I mean, you're not from a hive, are you?”

Oh, that's why he's scared. The hives…

Sely shakes her head. “Do not worry. Mom is lonely, I come from a very small community. No hive, I carry no burdensome tribute with me.”

Endya sighs, then nods. “Well, in that case, let me take you to your father right away. In Vanoge things... are not simple. Not at all, he will intercede on your behalf.”

Sely nods. The two continue on their way. By now the sun has come out and the sea breeze is pleasant.

However…

Doubt.

Perplexity.

Those questions…

Endya, Mom, is there anything I should know?