His eyes focused ahead.

Everyone instinctively followed his gaze.

Two figures were approaching from the opposite direction.

A man.

And a woman.

They walked side by side at an unhurried pace, each carrying woven baskets across their backs. Both wore long robes that reached almost to their ankles, tied neatly around the waist with braided leather belts. Beneath the robes they wore fitted leather clothing reinforced with pieces of hardened hide stitched carefully together, practical enough for traveling yet surprisingly well crafted.

As the distance between the two groups closed, both sides slowed naturally.

For several long seconds nobody spoke.

Everyone simply looked.

Irina couldn’t help staring.

"They really look exactly like us..."

There wasn’t a single visible difference.

Their ears.

Their eyes.

Their height.

Their skin.

Everything appeared completely human.

If Liam had been awake, he probably would’ve struggled to believe they had traveled to another galaxy at all.

The man and woman were equally fascinated.

Their eyes repeatedly moved across Irina’s group.

Not because they looked threatening.

But because they looked...

Strange.

Their clothes immediately stood out.

The materials.

The stitching.

The designs.

Everything about the strangers’ appearance was unlike anything the local couple had ever seen before.

The woman lingered on Tatiana’s stunning looks for several seconds with obvious curiosity before shifting her attention toward Leonid carrying another unconscious man on his back.

The man, meanwhile, found himself staring at Irina’s jacket and boots as though trying to understand how they had been made.

Neither side understood the other.

Neither side knew what language the other spoke.

The silence stretched naturally between them.

Then Mary spoke quietly enough that only her companions heard.

"Don’t engage."

Everyone looked toward her.

"Not yet."

Her tone remained calm.

"We don’t know the customs here. Until we reach the settlement and understand how people live, avoid unnecessary interactions."

Nobody argued.

It made perfect sense.

The two groups continued walking.

As they passed one another, they exchanged nothing more than cautious glances before continuing in opposite directions.

Tatiana looked back briefly.

The local woman was doing exactly the same thing.

They caught each other’s eyes for only a moment before both looked forward again.

Another fifteen minutes passed.

Then the forest finally began opening up.

The trees grew thinner.

Sunlight spilled freely across the ground.

The path widened considerably.

And then...

They saw it.

Everyone stopped instinctively.

Before them stood the settlement.

It looked nothing like Earth.

Nothing.

The houses alone were enough to leave the entire group speechless.

Instead of square buildings with flat walls, most homes were built in rounded shapes using enormous pale stone blocks that seemed polished rather than carved. Thick wooden beams curved naturally into the roofs instead of forming sharp corners, giving every building a smooth flowing appearance as though they had grown from the earth instead of being constructed by human hands. The rooftops were covered with overlapping blue-gray tiles that shimmered faintly whenever sunlight touched them, while colorful vines climbed naturally along many of the walls, blooming with flowers unlike anything they had ever seen.

The streets weren’t paved with asphalt or concrete.

Instead, carefully fitted stone slabs formed winding roads that curved gently between buildings instead of running in perfectly straight lines. Small streams of crystal-clear water flowed alongside many of the streets, crossing beneath tiny arched bridges before disappearing deeper into the settlement. Children wearing simple linen and leather clothing ran across those bridges laughing as they chased one another, their voices blending naturally with the sounds of merchants calling out goods from open stalls.

There wasn’t a single vehicle anywhere.

No engines.

No electricity.

No power lines stretching across the sky.

Instead, wooden carts rolled peacefully along the streets, pulled by large four-legged animals that resembled horses at first glance but possessed thicker necks, broader shoulders, and tails covered in soft silver fur. Strange birds perched atop rooftops, their feathers reflecting shades of emerald and sapphire beneath the rising sun, while tiny glowing insects floated lazily above flower gardens scattered throughout the village.

The people themselves dressed almost entirely in robes, tunics, leather armor, and heavy cloaks dyed in earthy colors. Blacksmiths hammered glowing metal beneath open workshops. Bakers carried fresh loaves from stone ovens. Farmers pushed wooden wagons filled with fruits and vegetables that none of the visitors could even identify. The entire settlement felt alive, bustling with activity despite the early hour, yet everything moved at a slower, calmer rhythm than life on Earth.

There were no towering skyscrapers.

No glass buildings.

No flashing advertisements.

No blaring horns.

Only stone, wood, fire, flowing water, and people living their lives beneath the light of four moons that had only just disappeared beyond the morning sky.

For several long moments, nobody from Irina’s group said a single word.

They simply stood there at the entrance, silently taking in the first true settlement they had encountered on this alien world.

Mary suddenly turned around slowly and looked directly at Irina.

"Who’s the fastest?"

Irina answered without even thinking.

"Liam."

Mary blinked once before rubbing the bridge of her nose.

"I mean now."

She emphasized the last word.

"Since Liam is currently unconscious... who is the fastest now?"

The question caused both Irina and Tatiana to instinctively look toward Liam.

Tatiana was still supporting him carefully while Leonid stood beside her.

For a brief moment, nobody answered.

Mary sighed softly.

"I’ll take that as Leonid."

She then extended a finger toward the settlement below.

Several children were running around a large open space, chasing one another with sticks while shouting excitedly. Some were kicking a handmade ball across the grass while others simply laughed as they sprinted between the houses.

Mary pointed directly at them.

"Can you bring me one of those children?"

Silence.

Irina frowned.

Tatiana blinked.

Leonid tilted his head.

Even Gregor raised an eyebrow slightly.

The only person who didn’t seem surprised was Agatha, whose calm expression suggested she already knew exactly what Mary intended to do.

Tatiana couldn’t stop herself from asking.

"...Why do we need a kid?"

Mary smiled mysteriously.

"I’ll explain afterward."

Leonid simply shrugged.

That was good enough for him.

He stepped toward Tatiana and carefully lowered Liam from his shoulder.

Tatiana immediately caught Liam before his body could slump completely, adjusting him gently until his head rested comfortably against her shoulder. Even unconscious, she still instinctively brushed a few strands of his white hair away from his face before looking back toward Leonid.

The vampire rolled his shoulders once.

Then...

Whoosh.

He disappeared.

There wasn’t even enough time for the others to properly follow his movement.

One moment he was standing beside them.

The next...

Nothing.

Only a faint gust of wind remained where he had been.

Tatiana looked toward the settlement just in time to notice one of the children suddenly vanish from the middle of a game.

Nobody else noticed.

The other children continued laughing and running exactly as before.

Not a single adult looked in their direction.

Whoosh.

Leonid appeared again behind the trees.

A little boy was tucked comfortably beneath one arm.

The child wasn’t crying.

He wasn’t screaming.

He simply looked...

Confused.

Very confused.

His eyes darted around wildly.

One second ago he had been chasing his friends across the village.

The next...

He was standing in front of seven complete strangers hidden inside a forest.

"Huh?"

He blinked repeatedly.

"W-Where..."

Before another word could leave his mouth...

Agatha stepped forward.

The elderly witch gently placed her wrinkled palm against the boy’s forehead.

Her eyes slowly closed.

Her lips began moving silently.

No sound escaped them.

Not even a whisper.

The chanting existed only in the movement of her mouth.

Instantly...

The little boy froze.

Not stiff from fear.

Not paralyzed.

Simply...

Frozen.

His breathing slowed.

His blinking stopped.

His eyes became completely unfocused as if his consciousness had drifted somewhere else entirely.

Nobody interrupted.

The forest itself seemed unusually quiet.

Even the wind slowed.

Agatha remained perfectly still, continuing her silent incantation while faint threads of pale blue light slowly appeared beneath her fingertips. They weren’t bright enough to illuminate the surroundings, but they shimmered delicately across the boy’s forehead like tiny streams of flowing water.

Tatiana couldn’t look away.

Neither could Irina.

Even Gregor quietly observed without speaking.

Nearly two full minutes passed.

Then...

The glow vanished.

Agatha slowly opened her eyes.

She removed her hand.

The little boy remained motionless for another second before blinking normally again.

His confused expression returned immediately.

Agatha looked toward Leonid.

"You may return him."

Leonid nodded once.

He picked the child up exactly the same way as before.

Whoosh.

He disappeared again.

A few moments later...

He returned alone.

The little boy, meanwhile...

"...Hey!"

He looked around in confusion.

"What was I doing?"

His face scrunched up for barely half a second.

Then one of his friends shouted from across the field.

"Hurry up!"

Recognition immediately returned to his face.

"Oh!"

He grinned.

"Wait for me!"

Without another thought, he sprinted after the others as though absolutely nothing had happened.

Watching from the trees...

Irina slowly frowned.

"...That’s impossible."

Tatiana nodded absentmindedly.

"It looked like..."

"He never even left," Leonid finished.

The three of them continued watching the children play.

Something else suddenly caught Irina’s attention.

One of the boys shouted again.

This time...

She understood him.

Perfectly.

Irina’s eyes widened.

A little girl laughed nearby.

She understood her too.

An old woman called someone from inside one of the nearby houses.

Every single word made perfect sense.

Tatiana suddenly looked around frantically.

"I..."

She listened carefully.

The conversations.

The laughter.

The adults discussing food.

The children arguing over whose turn it was.

Every word.

Every sentence.

Every expression.

She understood all of it.

Leonid looked equally stunned.

"I can understand them..."

He genuinely sounded shocked.

"They’re speaking..."

He paused.

"No... they’re speaking the same language as before."

His brow furrowed.

"But somehow..."

"We understand it now," Irina finished quietly.

Mary smiled.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to notice."

Tatiana looked at her immediately.

"What did Agatha do?"

Mary folded her arms.

"She borrowed the boy’s understanding."

The three stared at her.

She continued.

"Language isn’t just words. It’s culture. Idioms. Habits. Social behavior. Expressions. Body language. Customs."

She nodded toward the settlement.

"Agatha temporarily connected with the boy’s mind and copied everything necessary."

Tatiana’s eyes slowly widened.

"You mean..."

Mary smiled.

"Everything he knows about communicating with his people has now been shared with every one of us."

Leonid looked genuinely impressed.

"So she just..."

He snapped his fingers.

"Downloaded an entire language?"

Mary chuckled.

"When you simplify it that much..."

She nodded.

"Yes."

Irina shook her head slowly in disbelief.

"That’s..."

She couldn’t even finish the sentence.

Mary looked toward the village again.

"Now we won’t accidentally reveal ourselves the moment we open our mouths."

Her expression became more serious.

"We can speak with them naturally."

"We understand their customs."

"Their greetings."

"Their expressions."

"Their mannerisms."

"It won’t make us locals..."

She smiled faintly.

"But it will allow us to blend in."

The group instinctively turned toward the settlement once more.

The distant conversations no longer sounded like meaningless noise.

Now...

Every laugh.

Every greeting.

Every playful insult between the children.

Every call from mothers preparing food.

Every conversation drifting through the wind...

Made perfect sense.