Kestrel and their friends walked into an underground house. Only the top of the building peeked out from the ground level. The unique colored stones in its walls were great at keeping the inside cool.

Even though it was extremely hot outside, surprisingly, it felt a bit cooler underground.

This underground home that Kestrel and the group stepped into was the same one that Greenant talked about - the place where they were getting ready for some joyful events.

The place was beautifully set up with long hallways and stairs going down. Thick rugs were on the floors, and pictures of family leaders from past generations decorated the walls.

The woman in charge of the house looked over the clothes Kestrel’s group brought, seemed happy, and picked many items. She paid with a special kind of energy stone found in the area.

She chose a beautiful dress with red and blue gems, saying it would be worn at the wedding. Though the helpers mentioned the wedding and the festive event, she didn’t seem happy or excited.

Lots of candles were burning in the big room, throwing light on her elegant face, which seemed a little pale. It looked like she was feeling a bit sad.

"My kid, Pain, is really curious about your world. If you can, I’d like you to stay for the wedding. Before the feast, could you chat with him?" she asked, inviting Kestrel and friends to the celebration.

Kestrel said yes right away since talking with the locals to learn more was one of the reasons they came.

Servants holding candles showed the way, leading them to where the groom was — in the young master’s personal space. The groom, Pain, one of the main people in the wedding, was in front of a row of old, hefty teak bookshelves, reading a book on a step ladder.

As the guests came in, Pain smiled happily. Then, he opened a set of slender wings on his back and floated down from the ladder elegantly.

Pain had short, wavy black hair and bright green eyes that looked like sparkling jade. He was somewhat skinny, giving him a delicate look. Holding a book, he politely asked everyone to sit down. He acted so gracefully, nothing like a creature from the Polluted Zone, but more like a prince from a storybook.

"I’m really glad my mom invited people like you for me," he said, his voice as soothing as his jade-green eyes, reminding one of gentle waves in the sea.

"I’ve always liked the idea of your world but never got to visit. Getting to meet some human friends before the wedding is truly a happy moment," he added.

He set the heavy book he was holding onto the table. It was a really old book from ages ago, with a sturdy cover and golden old-fashioned letters on it, a book that told the story of human history. The book looked like it had been read many times, with bent corners and pages marked with sticky notes of different colors.

In Kestrel’s group, which had people like Rakan and Nicole who were of high status, no one had ever read this kind of book — the Tower didn’t let people learn about history, and there wasn’t even a proper library in the Empire.

Books from long ago that were found in the Polluted Zone by the alphas were taken away and not allowed to be kept. The very few that were secretly kept by some people were only shared secretly in hidden places.

For humans, if someone wanted to read an old history book, they had to do it secretly, maybe by a small light, turning the pages quickly and always listening for any noises outside, because they might get arrested. They definitely couldn’t do what this mutant was doing, openly showing this big history book for everyone to see.

"You haven’t seen these, right?" Pain’s green eyes looked a bit sad. "I was hoping that in the place where humans are kept like animals, you would’ve seen some of the things mentioned in these books up close."

"A place where humans are kept like animals?" Kestrel repeated, remembering this phrase.

Pain started talking to them about what the human world was like a long time ago. He talked about how great and rich human society was at that time. Back then, people lived all over the world, with many different groups, cultures and beliefs, and lots of types of clothes and food. He talked about these things like someone sharing precious family stories.

"I really like reading human books. I often picture what that world was like. Sadly, while many things can be pictured with words, some parts are really hard to grasp just by reading," Pain said, getting up excitedly to show Kestrel and the others his collection.

In a series of glass cases, there were many musical instruments from different times on display. Pain opened one case, his eyes shining with hope, "I’ve always wanted to know what sounds these instruments make, how magical they might sound. Do any of you know how to play them?"

"I’ll give something in return. Whatever you want or want to know, I’m open to it," he added.

Nicole paused for a bit before saying, "I know a little bit of violin. I learned when I was little at home, but it’s been many years and I haven’t practiced, so I might not be very good."

She took a violin out from the case. The instrument looked really old, but when she tried the strings, they still made a nice sound.

Nicole put some rosin on the violin’s bow, which took a pretty long time. But Pain didn’t seem to mind waiting, he sat there looking excited and focused.

During this time, a lot of servants came up to him with stuff for the wedding, but he just waved them away. Pain, who had his hair hanging loose and was wearing comfy everyday clothes, just wanted to listen to the music that would come from the violin.

Nicole lifted the violin to her shoulder using her left hand, and held up the bow with her right. She gave everyone a smile and said, "I’m going to play a song called ’The Erlking.’"

"Oh, the one made by the old-time human musician named Schubert?" Pain jumped in, really excited. "Awesome, it’s a song I’ve always wanted to hear. No one here knows how to play such a tricky piece."

The bow met the strings, and a melody that was both tight and lively danced between the bow and strings. It painted a picture of a stormy night and a dark forest where a creepy king sang softly. The sounds were magical, and the tune kept changing.

Nicole, known for her wild and cool hairstyle, was usually all about fun and bravery. But the music she made with the violin was gentle and deep, telling a story of a hidden world, where the creepy king whispered and horse footsteps sounded like drums. It was like you could hear the last cries of a dying boy through the strings.

It was like a story-song, telling the tale of the boy who had died and the tempting supernatural being guiding him to a bad place.

When the song was over, everyone was silent for a bit. Pain’s bright green eyes seemed to sparkle, looking like beautiful gems.

After a bit, he let out a breath, saying, "That was really touching. I guess the things written in books really do exist."

He thanked Nicole and then asked her, "You’re so good at this, why did you stop? It really touched my heart."

Nicole replied, "When I was little, I really loved it. But my dad kept saying that I was only practicing so hard to make my future alpha happy. He wouldn’t let me play just for fun. He didn’t like me playing for friends, classmates, or even the people who worked in our house."

"I got so mad that I quit." Nicole lowered her head as she cleaned the violin with a cloth, her cool hairstyle bouncing as she moved. "Because of that, my dad punished me by not letting me eat for three days, but that didn’t change my mind."

She put the violin away, gave it back to Pain, and said with a big smile, "I heard it’s your wedding day, so I made an exception and played a song, my favorite one, as a gift."

Pain’s light green wings came out from his back, moving just a little. Right then, the simple and beautiful music brought two very different people together for a short time, letting them feel the same happiness, sadness, and excitement, even if it was just for a little while.