A Past with an Alien

CHAPTER 31

ERIER

I stood, staring at Iris, sleeping on the long sofa with both hands inside my pocket. I heard noises while she slept, which made me smile in fascination. After we ate together, she came here to the living room. I went to the house den and talked to Alta through her 3D hologram.

I told Alta about our team that was still alive yet held captive, and I guaranteed her that I would do everything to save them all. Alta talked to me with sadness in her voice. She was still coping with the death of Captain Zegyr. I felt the same way, but we must be strong and move on now. Four team members were still out there and needed us, so her grief wouldn't help.

After our conversation, I went to the living room and found Iris asleep. I wanted to talk to her more but let her sleep anyway. My mind became deeply interested in love because of what she had said a while ago—that you could never force it and that it was a feeling of free will instead.

It makes sense to me now that I never won her over with my goal of making her fall in love. When she said she loved someone, I felt a pinch in my heart and didn't know why. Since then, I promised myself that I would protect her at all costs, and I felt an unexplained attachment to her—as if a force controlled my feelings. But I tried to forget those thoughts because what was more important now was that she was my friend, so I had to protect her. And that was my new goal for her.

This was the first time I witnessed how a human slept, which was interesting. Even though they appeared lifeless, when my vision scanned Iris, I could see that her internal organs were still functioning. It was a strange sight because what if they were in danger? How could they defend themselves in that state? On the other hand, she looked cute while sleeping, with her mouth open and emitting a muffled sound.

I opened the sliding door and stepped onto the veranda. The sky was changing from gray to orange, and the environment was shifting as I gazed beyond what my eyes could see. It was quiet and peaceful, and the fresh breeze added to the tranquility, unlike on our planet, where you would hear roaring thunder every moment of your life.

Suddenly, an idea came to my mind. What if I joined the Alien Convention and became a member like Marinagua? I would love to protect humanity, especially Iris. My life would be more meaningful if I did that. But for now, I must rescue the team first. What was Crey planning now that they had let them live with all the humans they had abducted? Whatever it was, they must stop it.

I talked to Marinagua using the ring on my finger and decided to visit Isla Agua. I will take Iris with me and introduce her to the group of aliens who could help us.

***

IRIS

I stretched my body like I had woken up from sleeping on this sofa for a hundred years. I had never felt so good doing it, and I had never been this relaxed after so many days of running. It was a good thing I stayed in a house like this. I was very thankful to Hector for providing me with everything I needed here.

I woke up with peace of mind but knew it was only temporary. I thought everything that had happened to me over the past few days was only part of a dream, but it wasn't. As thoughts started to fill my head, I sat on the sofa. What would happen next? What creatures and things might I encounter? I'm having a mental breakdown now, and I might lose it in just a matter of time.

"Good morning!" I came back to my senses.

Turning my head to the left, I saw the robot with Hector beside it. Hector beamed at me as he stood there with his hands in his pockets. The way he posed made him look like a male model. However, the only issue was that Hector had turned into a mannequin again, and his smile had become more creepy. Despite this, he still approached me.