The story of Zerzhul was a touching tale of determination. One man and his brave team fought against immeasurable odds, saved a species at the cost of their lives.

It might not have been the most appropriate piece of history for a chitaurian to tell a human, but it was the motivational speech they needed right now.

At that moment, a sound came from Naomi's mobile phone.

"Emma here, captain Jack has reached my escape pod. He is resting right now. Although this is… really… uncomfortable, he'll have to rest for an hour or so, we also need a bit more charge on the magic gun. Expect us on the surface in another 4 to 5 hours, over."

"Naomi here, roger that, over."

Naomi's face got brighter. She cut off the transmission, but not before Emma's voice of complaint echoed into the device. "Captain, you're so heavy...!" Naomi smiled.

Naomi turned to the doctor. "You should rest now, it's my turn to keep watch, Emily."

The doctor nodded and closed her eyes. She didn't need to lie down, as this was how chitaurians rest. They just locked their entire bone structure and kept whatever posture they were in before they went to sleep.

Coupling it with the fact that chitaurians didn't have lungs like humans, the doctor sat completely without movement. It was like she eerily turned into a stone statue.

Silence dawned again. But Naomi no longer felt hopeless and alone in the world.

***

"Doc, wake up, there are people approaching this place."

The monster statue just instantly opened its eyes. It was a bit horrifying no matter how many times Naomi had seen it.

Naomi was on a treetop, pointing toward somewhere.

It was early in the morning, 6 hours from latest contact. Emma and the captain had not surfaced yet. Naomi hoped nothing happened to them. As they were no longer inside the escape pod, communication was not possible.

"I'd better hide away, eh?" Emily laughed. "I'm sure you will handle our first contact well. I have heard people saying that you are really cute."

Naomi blushed. She jumped down from the tree, dust blew up as she landed. Emily stood up, and in one jump, disappeared from the camp.

***

Handril picked up the reins and urged the horse. He commanded at the direction behind him. "Move faster."

He did not like working with these… filthy creatures.

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Handril understood that some witches are of use to the church. They can maintain magic for longer and did not need a mana tank. But they are still vile animals that accepted the contract of devils!

The Commander wasn't going along with the team today, as he had stayed at the West church to complete his report. Therefore, Handril could treat the witch as rough as he wanted.

Tied to the back of his horse was a disheveled woman with lifeless eyes. She changed her pace into a jog as the horse accelerated.

Before long, the woman tripped and fell. Handril did not stop the horse. The woman was dragged for a few meters until she clumsily got up and jogged.

This witch was employed to help Handril find the buried human underground. Handril hoped the witch wouldn't suffocate in the earth before completing the mission.

As the small army of a Crusade team leader, a witch and several hundreds of soldiers approached the location, Handril spotted a small human standing amid the huge empty space in the forest.

"Halt!"

Handril commanded. He observed the human in front of him.

The young woman, in a strange white attire, smiled and bended her waist. She spoke in a language Handril had never heard of before. She then waved her hands around.

[Oh my god, that woman has a metal arm!]

[It's a witch!]

Handril's expression turned ferocious. The woman in front of him seemed flustered and continued to speak faster in the strange language.

He commanded the troop behind him. "It's a witch! She is chanting the devil's words! Men, ready your weapon! Capture or kill the vile creature!"

The soldiers behind him quickly lined up in front of the witch and readied their crossbows.

The witch stopped chanting. She put her hands in front of her as she walked backwards, shakily.

[Surrendering, huh? That's good. Capturing a live witch will surely earn me another promotion. The priest should be very pleased.]

"Archer team, stay on target. Soldiers, advance and tie her up. Don't forget to put a Source Stone locker on her neck."

Handril smirked.

"Shoot if she tries to resist."

Five soldiers wielding mana tanks moved up in between the crossbow archers. As they were approaching the witch, she closed her eyes and lowered her body as if she had accepted her fate.

However, the next second, a loud noise startled everyone at the scene. Arrows flew everywhere, but the witch had already disappeared.

Handril was flabbergasted. Did the witch teleport? That's impossible. There was no such power recorded in the church's manual.

"Stay calm, men, she must have gone into the ground. She can't stay in there for long. We are waiting here until she appears!"

"Spread out, search this place. Four people form a team. Do not let the witch escape!"

Handril got off the horse and held onto the captive witch's big, crude metal collar on her neck. The last thing he wanted was the new witch freeing the captive witch and cooperating with each other.

***

Naomi hid behind a big tree. Thoughts ran through her head like an infinite train.

Why did they suddenly turn hostile?

What have I done wrong?

What should I do now?

However, her biggest concern was, Emma and the captain must be near the surface by now. They'll be in danger!

[I should try to drive them away from this place.]

She thought. But her legs weren't moving. This was the first time she faced enemies alone.

When Naomi broke the sound barrier earlier, she had seen the cold stare of the soldiers. They despised her. They wanted her dead. It reminded her of the eyes that looked at her on Earth.

Time slowed down.

Painful memories poured out. She could feel her heart beat, every pound inside her little chest, drowning out everything else.

She was back in her lonely, confined room again.

Suddenly, a black shadow leaped out.

The soldiers screamed in surprise. Many couldn't move, stood rooted to the ground or had fallen down with horror-filled eyes. The leader of the human soldiers shouted, and the army regained their composure. He yanked the poor captive woman onto his horse, in a violent manner.

They moved away from the open space to chase after the black shadow.

Time resumed. But Naomi stood still.

"Doctor Emily…"