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Her face fell when I hesitated before responding. I didn’t mean to be cruel or hurtful. However, my people were blunt and didn’t believe in coddling or euphemisms. Our relationship needed to be based on honesty and not gentle fibs.

“Yes and no,” I said at last. “Finding one’s soulmate is a blessing. And for that, I’m thrilled that our paths have crossed. But I do hate the fact that you’re human. Obviously, I don’t fault you for that. We do not choose our species. However, Etreya deemed us to be a pair. So I must bow to her will.”

Far from appeasing her, my mate closed off a bit more with each of my words.

“I understand where you’re coming from, but I refuse to be settled on,” Mirella said stiffly.

I slightly recoiled, not having expected that response. Then again, in retrospect, I could see how she might have interpreted my words that way.

“You will not be,” I corrected gently. “Apologies if my wording gave you that impression. What I meant to say is that you’re not your species. Therefore, I will learn to love you, the person that you are. I never thought that I could be drawn to someone who isn’t a Syllen. And yet, I find you very attractive. Your golden strands are amazing, and your love of this world is genuine. The fact that the land accepted you as one of us without a Syllen making formal introductions proves that you’re made for this world. I have absolutely no doubt that I will grow to love you more than I can ever love anyone else, because we are made for each other.”

This time, my words mollified her a little. But Mirella remained guarded, her expression serious as she reflected on her response.

“I appreciate this clarification. But humans are not bad as a species. In fact, I’m proud to be human,” she said with a hint of defiance. “Although our past has not always been the best, we’re good people. We have come a long way and learned from our mistakes. Like with every other species, there are some horrible people.”

She glanced at the beauty of the land sprawling before us with an expression I couldn’t define before refocusing on me.

“This world is beautiful. The people who moved here have been thoroughly vetted and carefully selected. I can’t say if a few bad apples slipped through the cracks. Professor Ludwig certainly wouldn’t have made the cut had I been on the selection committee. What I can say is that we’ve spent the past few decades protecting your people while you were sleeping. Do not condemn an entire species over the actions of the few dreadful Settlers who attacked your homeworld. Those events took place nearly five hundred years ago. We’re not the same,” she said in a passionate tone that struck me hard.

“You’re right,” I reluctantly conceded. “I may be generalizing a little harshly.”

This time, she thankfully gave me a sympathetic smile.

“As it was your people’s first interaction with off-worlders, right before you went into the Long Sleep, your feelings towards us make sense. Your experience has been dreadful. But give us a chance to show you what we truly are like.”

“I can do that,” I said gently.

“That’s all I ask,” she replied.

I looked up and pointed at a small ridge about fifty meters away from our current position.

“This is where it begins,” I said. “You can see how the soil gradually becomes a more reddish tone.”

“Yes, I see it,” Mirella said with a frown.

She glanced down at her bracer, then tapped something on the glass. I looked at it but didn’t understand the symbols on it. Tension immediately crept up my back when her frown deepened.

“There’s indeed a radical change between those two areas,” she said pensively. “What are those tunnels?”

I recoiled. “What tunnels?”

She tapped again on the glass. My heart nearly leapt out of my chest when a semitransparent image appeared in front of us, projected from the bracer. It took me a second to understand what I was seeing. The image showed both the top of the land we were approaching as well as what lay below.

And there undeniably was a massive cave.

“Here,” Mirella said, pointing at the large openings beneath the ground on the image. “This is a massive network of tunnels. They are very deep beneath the ground. As you can see, they are too straight and too even to be organic. These things here are support pillars to prevent a potential collapse. This is a deliberate excavation, not a natural occurrence.”

My mind reeling, I stared in complete confusion at the display.

“This doesn’t make sense. None of this should be there,” I said, distraught.

“Do you have a mole species here? Maybe large creatures that live underground settled in while you were sleeping?” she suggested.

I shook my head. “There are none in this region. The only such species we are aware of lives in the colder regions of Mazeria.”

“Is there any chance at all they might have moved here?” she insisted.

Once again, I shook my head.