Again, Noelle saw creatures with that strange mutation, and because these creatures had no hair on their bodies, she remembered where she had encountered those striking black veins before.

It was during the invasion of Vyndra, that humanoid creature that fought the Betas and the invaders, had those veins.

This time there were 6 with that mutation. They fought fiercely as they moved through the forest. He also recognized the creature he had previously encountered within the fray.

One group was intentionally leading the battle to the portal. When she recognized this, she picked up the pace to find the children.

She had avoided the fighting by taking advantage of the fact that the creatures were totally focused on their opponents, and although she did not fight, she had to deal with the aftermath of the fights. At this moment a fire was eating a part of the forest.

When she finally caught up with the group, she urged them to change direction. Sarah pointed out where they could be headed to go to another portal. The change of direction was quite rapid, and Noelle, in her thoughts, congratulated them for not questioning their appearance and the sudden order.

They were aware of the chaos that was surrounding them and following it could be considered the most intelligent decision. The problem was that Noelle's experience was not so coarse; she was gifted and received the same kind of education these children would receive. But she was not prepared to be on the front lines, as her instruction took the path of teaching, specifically in everything related to controlling the "Gift.

One could say that her control was of a high level so that she could survive the invasion. The months after that attack she dedicated herself to improving her practical knowledge because she knew that she was lucky to survive. If that shot had hit him now, he wouldn't be here.

Coming on this journey was also to sharpen his senses. Although she had turned down the enlistment because she had a student, if she didn't get one by the time Tom graduated she would be forced to go to the front and she wasn't sure she could survive long enough if that happened.

Time passed and Lessar reported that they were approaching a hilly area, had gotten far enough away from the chaos, so Noelle ordered them to rest while they positioned themselves nearby. She also sent Batze to do some reconnaissance.

The children and creatures were quite tired, Noelle was no exception to this. They were still far from the next portal and would have to move for about 8 more hours of continuous walking. They would arrive at night if they cut their rest now. Half an hour later, as I was deliberating what to do, she noticed Sarah's arrival. She also watched as Drako left the site and headed towards the previous portal area where they were originally headed.

- I sent him to investigate what happened to those creatures," commented Sarah when she was some distance away.

- Okay, that's pretty fast. How are the others?

- mmm... it's the first time we've moved for so long at that speed... with one more hour of rest I think we'll be able to continue, but... - Sarah seemed to be calculating something and continued... I don't know... if it's ideal to leave at this time.

It was already incredible that they resisted so much that the group's tenacity kept them firm; it was what Noelle thought as she watched the rest, rest but still vigilant.

- I found a cave on the other side," interrupted Batze who returned from exploring the surroundings, "it was quite hidden, I wouldn't have discovered it if I hadn't connected with the roots, I think we could rest there.

- Did you explore it," Noelle asked.

- No, I sealed it and came back here; I didn't want other creatures to enter while I was inside.

- I understand.

She decided to give it a try and sent Sara to inform the others.

Noelle does not consider herself a nature lover, but it was not pleasant to see how fire consumed so many trees.

As she watched the fire, she realized that a distant part of the fire was being extinguished and slowly threatened to do the same to the rest.

Considering that there were creatures that could cause such a level of indiscriminate destruction, it seemed to her that there would also be others who would take it upon themselves to protect the earth.

It took about 40 minutes for Drako to return.

- So they didn't fight within range of the portal? Noelle asked to reconfirm.

- Yes, after the guardian instantly killed those who wanted to continue fighting, they stopped, and as they were at a standstill, I returned.

- Was that thing that strong? Aiden didn't seem to believe what Drako said.

- Now that we're all here, let's go to the cave," Noelle said.

Thanks to his ability to connect with the plants, he could cover a lot of ground, and that's why Batze could find the cave in such a short time. When they arrived at the site, he approached it, and, after touching some roots, they moved and deinterlaced, thus freeing the entrance.

The path went down for about half an hour until they reached the largest and flattest space. Strange fluorescent plants grew in some parts and illuminated the interior. The stalactites were agglomerated and scattered.

Bira and Yuan felt a stream of water and its slight murmur nearby, so they investigated. The rest took care of setting up the tent, not forgetting to send others to explore the cave and see how safe it was.

Noelle was aware of how exhausted they were and said nothing when the children settled in. While they were moving around correctly, if she coldly tested them, it was too much to settle in the cave so soon. He could understand that they might have thought they would spend the night here, but this place gave him a strange feeling that made him quite uneasy.

She didn't say anything and quietly told Batze to tell her right away if he found anything strange.

After eating and resting for two more hours, they explored the cave. This time, except for Batze and Iska, the creatures would stay and guard the camp. They obeyed calmly as there were no traces of creatures in the place; besides, they could rest, and they needed to establish their state well after "absorbing" so many creatures.

After absorbing those particles from the bodies of the creatures that killed Drako and the others, they felt their bodies getting heavier. They discovered that their bodies seemed to digest those elements every time they rested or did some rest, and they felt their bodies become strong. They lost that extra weight or rather that feeling of weight, which they felt every time they absorbed those things, but the process of digesting was not instantaneous, and they needed more time to finish assimilating those molecules.

Batze could not determine the full extent of the cave since he tried to access information about what surrounded the plants, and there was an energy within the plants that blinded him.

They only walked in a straight line from the camping tents. They maintained a distance of 10 meters between each other; Noelle put them at a distance where they could know their companions, and so they could internalize a little.

The landscape didn't change much. At some point, crystals appeared that shone thanks to the fluorescence they reflected from the plants.

The scenery didn't change too much for a while; at some point, crystals appeared that shone thanks to the fluorescence they reflected from the plants. This broadened the group's vision. At one end, they could see the stream that crossed the walls and snaked into the cave.

- Teacher...- Tom looked at the stream while touching his arms and thought that it had been a few days since he had taken a bath.

- We'll explore a little more, then come back. - The children nodded in response; Noelle wanted to take a bath too.

A few moments later, they came across a circular room that had its entrance sealed off with a glass wall.

- Adolf muttered what everyone could see. But because of the structure of the glass, they could not distinguish the figure.

- We can't break this," Aiden said as he touched the wall.

- We don't need to either," said Sarah, focusing on the surroundings.

- This seems to continue," Noelle sighed as she watched the cavern spread out.- At the moment, it seems safe.

- I think the energy I can feel from the plants has to do with what's in there. - Batze seemed to feel a headache after disconnecting from the flora.

- Iska? - Tom noticed that his sales clerk was out of sight.

- A moment ago, he was circling this thing. - Aiden ran to the left side of the "room."

Tom was about to head to the opposite side but stopped like the rest when he saw the light inside the room dim.

- Are you inside?" asked Tom.

The response he received was the sound of rumbling impacts on the walls of the room.