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Kuzhma-Or leans forwards and clears his throat. Then he speaks calmly in perfect English while stressing his words. “Shaillah, you should know the Rom-Ghenshar world is your real home.”

She can’t tell whether Kuzhma-Or is threatening her or warning her, but she finds the tone of his voice very convincing. Still, she can’t bring herself to believe him.

“Rom … Ghenshar? What kind of world? And why do you keep calling me Shaillah?”

“Rom meanspower, Ghenshar,glory. Shaillah is your real name, the name given to you by your creators. We all come from our vast, beautiful, and indomitable Rom-Ghenshar world.” Kuzhma-Or continues unabated, completely disregarding Erin’s rebellious mood.

Rothwen is subtly smiling as he keeps scrutinising every gesture she makes.

“You have Rom-Ghenshar blood and cells now,” Kuzhma-Or declares, swaying one arm in the air. “Your transition will soon be complete. Nothing of your inferior human genes will remain. You will think as we think, act as we act, dare as we dare.”

Erin’s mind is racing as she strives to make sense of what she’s hearing. She promptly concludes that this must be another of her recurring dreams. She tries with all her inner strength to wake up and be in the comfort of her bedroom, even if that means hearing Mrs Lobart’s nagging voice again.

She attempts to stand up from her chair in a bid to run away, but her body hardly moves. Feeling powerless, she wants to scream in fear once more.

Noticing her despair, Rothwen uses his telepathic mind to calm her down. He induces his pervasive brainwave field on her mind, disconnecting her overexcited neurons and bringing her back into a relaxed state.

Rothwen offers her another goblet of the sweet, energising drink, and she feels a numb sensation overpowering her thoughts. This time, she doesn’t hesitate and gulps it down in one go.

“Rom-Ghenshar, eh? And from what continent is this?” She sarcastically asks as she puts the empty goblet back on the table.

“Shaillah,” Kuzhma-Or calmly replies while stroking his beard, “we come from no continent at all. We come not from this planet but from much, much farther away.”

“How f-far?” she stutters, trying to withhold her sarcasm.

“It’s thousands of light-years away, on the opposite side of our galaxy, our beautiful Senyeraikh” (Milky Way). “Humans’ feeble tools have not even found it yet.” Kuzhma-Or pauses as Erin dumbfoundedly stares at him.

“Then … it would take you thousands of years to get here,” Erin contests. “Even travelling at the speed of light … how could you possibly make it? Or do you use wormholes?”

The men burst into rapturous laughter while Erin shows her impatience by biting her lips, her face turning red in frustration.

“Impulsive!” Kuzhma-Or lifts one eyebrow as he glances at Rothwen, who can’t keep his eyes off Erin’s firm stance.

She catches a glimpse of Rothwen’s long-drawn, admiring gaze, and her entire body shivers.

“Daring!” Rothwen exclaims, his whole face beaming in unrepressed satisfaction.

“Shaillah, I would say not everyone would agree with your calculations,” Kuzhma-Or remarks in a dismissive tone.

She throws herself back onto her seat in a bout of resignation and dejection.Anyway, all nightmares must come to an end.

Athguer walks towards the table, ceremoniously folding his arms as he announces, “She is progressing so quickly. I can confirm she’s ready!”

“And about time too. Brilliant, Athguer!” Kuzhma-Or cheers, briskly standing up and gesturing for Rothwen to follow him.

“I can tell she’s ready, even without looking at the data,” Rothwen quips while walking towards Kuzhma-Or and Athguer.

The men animatedly converse while pointing at the bright pictures and symbols. Erin is attentively watching them out of the corner of her eye. Kuzhma-Or seems so dominant. How did I dare confront him? Athguer looks serious and aloof. But Rothwen—he is so handsome.

She straightens up in her seat as she sees Rothwen walking towards her. As he holds her dainty hands, the warmth of his palms makes her feel protected, and for that, she feels grateful. A gentle smile spreads across her face, her tense muscles slowly relaxing as she keeps gazing at him.

“Shaillah, I only ask for your patience,” Rothwen tells her in a soothing tone as he slowly lifts her off her seat. “Let me take you—”

“Where to?” She looks around the vast white-walled room, wondering where he would be taking her.

Rothwen sharply nods at Kuzhma-Or, and to Erin’s astonishment, the sturdy commander starts disintegrating in front of her eyes. In a flash, he has completely gone. But before she can recover from her shock, she next sees Athguer vanishing in front of her eyes. She tightly holds Rothwen’s hands, thinking he would disappear too.

“They were only body copies, Shaillah. You’ll soon meet them in the flesh when we reach our domain. And that’s where I’m taking you.”