Stella:

Can you describe what sleeping feels like? No? Exactly.

Time had not passed, as far the girl was concerned. At best, some vague memory scraps of a nonsensical dream. She was selling golden coins to someone with a funny beard that moved like each strand had some autonomy.

Wait, no. When Stella took a firmer grasp on the fading recollection, she remembered it was actually someone with an octopus for a face.

...At least she WAS dreaming. That prick fiddled too much on her head. She almost regretted convincing the Knight to let him go.

Eh, not really. Stella couldn't shrug off that Gentō did protect her from a potential assassin. It would feel weird if they ended up in jail after that. She had a sense of honor when all was set and done.

Hm? People were arguing about something near her, louder than necessary, in her opinion. The Knight, Capt. Tash, that general jerk, and someone unfamiliar.

Should she open her eyes? Probably. Too much effort, though...

"HEY, STELLA! WAKE YOUR SLEEPY BUTT ALREADY!"

Of course, Lien was there so her peaceful slumber wouldn't go too far.

"Why is everyone in this stupid place so LOUD?!"

When the first rays of light assaulted her vision while her eyelids opened, the noisy scene gradually became silent, and all the attention was redirected to her. Golly, what a not nerve-wracking situation!

"There she is, my liege! The subject of your nightmare, finally awake!" The Basan general spoke with reverence toward another of his kind. It wasn't difficult to identify this stranger, Monoke, as the Chōkō.

Honestly, for all the hype Veghaan was giving this dude, he... looked like a freaking nerd! The jester-like crown with red feathers, the golden, sparkly glasses, the black robe with flame patterns, and the fluffy pink slippers completely clashed with his status as the leader of the whole city.

Stella couldn't help but feel some profound respect for the guy. It took some serious guts for someone to walk around like this regularly. Although it was strange why there was a large blackboard behind him. It was almost like a...

...

Wait a minute...

When the Human finally paid attention to her surroundings, she had finally noticed they were in a massive classroom. Even though it was mostly made of wood, it was the most luxurious one she had ever stepped on. The ornament designs carved into each pillar, the banners depicting Basan farming, drawing, fighting, and many other activities, and the multiple paper lanterns adorning the roof all caught the girl's eyes with awe.

To fit with the aesthetic, Stella was sitting on a school chair. In fact, everyone in the room who wasn't Veghaan or the Chōkō was in the seat rows like actual students, including the Knight, the Squad, and Lien.

Speaking of the pup, she bounced restlessly on her seat at Stella's right side. Was she also affected by the Baku's mist? The amount of energy she must be storing after such a power nap could destroy this entire building if left unchecked.

"Got caught up by the dream smoke, too?"

"Uh-huh!" She was one step from spinning like a top. "If only this boring meeting ended soon!"

"We're almost there, Lien." Capt. Tash's eye slightly twitched. "Now that the Human is awake, we can hear her testimony."

Stella cocked an eyebrow. "About what?"

"About the Baku and the Tizohi's Chosen!" The Knight interjected. "We need all the information we can get to stop those dastardly foes!"

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

The girl's curiosity flared again. "What the hell are the Tizohi's Chosen, anyway?!"

The Chōkō pecked the board countless times until everyone paid attention to him again. "I want silence in my class!" His voice sounded so pompous and self-important, like a parody of a noble. It was hard to take it seriously. It took everything the girl had to not burst into laughter and destroy any goodwill the Basan could have for her.

The teacher grabbed a piece of chalk with his beak and started writing symbols Stella recognized as words: "Tizohi's Chosen... Can anyone in class tell me where this group came from?"

Namadi's Light, she was back at school! This was a NIGHTMARE!

The Knight frantically lifted his hand as if his entire life depended on it. Of course, he was the nerd...

The teacher pointed his toe at the volunteer. "The Silver Knight. By all means, begin."

The hero jumped from his chair and took the chalk. "When the queen changed her policy on how we'd treat Humanity from now on, not everyone was pleased. In fact, some people reacted in an extremely violent manner..." He drew about ten stick figures, seven with smiling faces and three with a frown. "These Monoke joined forces as the organization called Tizohi's Chosen." He drew a circle around the frowning ones.

The Basan nodded with approval. "Truly astounding, Knight! A round of applause, everyone!"

Stella and the Wolves clapped the usual way. The Basan applauded by stomping the floor rapidly, almost like a clumsy dance. The Knight responded with a full bow and then returned to his seat.

The Chōkō looked at Stella expectantly. "Any more questions, Ms..."

"Stella."

"Ms. Stella! Do you have any questions?! I hope they're short because no amount of matcha in this world can keep me awake for long."

What an impatient bird. But, hey! Since she was already here...

"I-I have one question, sir. Who's this Tizohi? Are they the leader or somethin'?"

"Oooh! That's quite the question!" He wrote "Tizohi" on the blackboard, or at least that was what the Human assumed. "Now, can anyone-"

Tash snatched the chalk from his beak. How did she get there so fast? "Tizohi is the god worshipped by a portion of Sayama's inhabitants. The Weaver of Shadows, who, according to belief, protected us from Humans by 'covering us on his caliginous mantle' during the war."

Whatever the word "caliginous" meant, it sounded dope. But not as dope as the drawing the captain made on the board. It looked like a creature with a deer skull helmet, wearing a mantle. It was simple but still conveyed a cool-looking god. If only Namadi looked as awesome...

"Of course, it's just a fancy way of saying that we used to hide from the enemy during the night. The terrorists we're dealing with today believe they are the only ones who are carrying his will by seeing Humanity as an enemy that must be eradicated."

Of course... Stella was being targeted by a fucking cult. How lucky!

After Tash came back to her seat, the Basan teacher let out a huge yawn. "As much as I love the art of educating young minds, I'm done. I need my roost immediately." The Chōkō sat on the teacher's desk and started drinking his cup of tea by gathering liquid on his beak, then tilting his head up for it to go down his throat. "Please, Ms. Stella. Start your testimony."

Since we already went through all that, I'll spare you from the tedious retelling. The only detail worth noting was the omission of the Knight letting the Baku go.

Wait? Did Gentō get away? Now that she thought about it, Asra could've just arrested the three anyway. Questions for a later time.

The Chōkō yawned again. "Thank you for your cooperation, child of Humanity! We are grateful you're a peaceful soul, not a harbinger of our demise." His eyelids flickered, prompting Veghaan to assist him by lifting him up on his back.

"Come with me, Your Radiance. It is time to return to your blessed slumber."

The Basan leader mumbled something while he was escorted. The rest of the Gunka Army stood up and followed the two upstairs, ignoring the Human they had been so intent on capturing only a few hours earlier.

Silence. These were always fun. The Knight was fidgeting with his glove. The captain was brooding in her seat. Lien was jumping back and forth. Why did it feel like they were in detention?

Looking back, she saw Tarb carving a drawing of a butt on the desk with his claws. Hufen was creating tiny spheres of ice, then throwing them at her sibling, who responded by forming tiny fireballs on the tip of his claws. Those two sure knew how to have fun.

Locci was knitting the same sweater from yesterday. How did he put these tools in his armor? I could enter his perspective, but I prefer to keep the mystery.

Ugh, fine! I'm just lazy!

Stella uttered the first words after a minute of absolute nothing. "So, what are we-"

Lien shouted. "I WANT TO GO TO THE PONDS!"

"We're going home, young lady! And that's final!" Her mother barked.

The Human sighed with relief. "Yes, please! I got my fill from this city AND more!"

The Knight jumped from his seat, as cheerful as ever. "Since we dispatched those villains, we should have a safe passage to Pantsti!"

The captain didn't share his enthusiasm. "I wouldn't count on our luck just yet. We-"

Splurt!

A snowball hit her square in between her eyes. Her killer stare was now laser-focused on the mages.

Euraidd put his hands in the air. "Wasn't me!" Hufen covered her eyes with her paws in shame.

The status quo was restored!