The friendly mantis who offered to show Kestrel’s group around called herself Greenant. She was cute and delicate, even a bit shorter than Nicole. She promised happily to help them find custors who’d be willing to pay a good amount for their ’handmade clothing’, saying, "This family is throwing a party. They are big fans of the detailed handmade outfits from your people. I bet they’d buy a bunch, and I might get a small cut as a thank you."
Greenant reminded Kestrel of Locky and Kaworu back ho, with her animated face and non-stop chatter that was kind of like a rapid-fire of words. Even though she was a mutant, it was getting really tough to tell her apart from humans based on what could be seen outside her clothes.
"You guys don’t need to be too stressed, just a few folks at the border act a bit bossy towards you humans," Greenant noted, lifting her skirt playfully as she strolled on the pathway made of colorful stones, spinning joyfully with each few steps. Even though her dress looked a bit worn, she radiated beauty.
She went on, "To enter here, you have to get past them first. Many humans try to keep them happy, putting up with their bad behavior. This has made them pick up so nasty habits. I personally love being friends with humans. Lots of people here feel the sa. Humans who visit usually bring cool and interesting stuff with them. It’s always a thrill."
"So, after we entered this world, males won’t get treated badly like that any more?" Nicole asked her, intrigued.
"Well, not exactly. It’s generally tougher for guys in this world," Greenant replied. "But you get the hang of it gradually if you stay for a while. Since you’re a girl, you don’t really need to sweat about this stuff."
Right then, the night seed to embrace Mantidale, with brilliant lights making everything sparkle. The small vegetation buzzed with life, and nurous flowers competed to spread their pleasant scent. Nearby, Kestrel could see rows of neatly arranged little rooftops on the ground, which looked like where people lived around here.
Far away, there was an amazing garden full of bright flowers. The vast area was filled with fresh flowers and sweet-slling grass. Big fun rides stood among the flower bushes, making everything look beautiful, like a scene from a fairy tale.
Suddenly, there was a lot of noise coming from the square ahead, pulling in a bunch of people to watch.
"Oh wow, soone’s proposing!" Greenant shouted happily, spreading her thin wings and flying over in the night sky, leaving Kestrel and the others behind without thinking.
The square was filled with red roses, and colorful stones ford a heart shape on the ground. A nicely dressed, pretty woman was on one knee, singing to a man wearing the traditional attire.
The young guy, with a sad blue face, shook his head and looked away. But the woman who was asking didn’t give up; she stood up, moved a bit, and kneeled down again, showing her deep love for him, not giving up at all.
"Say yes! Say yes!" the people around them shouted loudly, encouraging him.
The guy looked even more upset, like he was about to cry, biting his lip hard and avoiding looking at her.
At so point, Greenant ca back, landing next to Kestrel and their friends. She quickly said, "This happens a lot in our Mantidale."
"Especially in this season, a lot of people ask to get married. Sotis, it even causes fights."
"If a guy doesn’t want to get married, he should avoid going out alone during this ti."
Kestrel and the others looked really confused, thinking about the three rules they were told before coming here: no killing, no stealing, and no forcing yourself on the male.
This place seed almost like a regular human town — copying the way humans talk, dress, and celebrate things. It was filled with bright lights and spinning Ferris wheels, looking like a lovely fairy-tale place, but it also felt a bit scary.
"If soone asks you to marry them, think about it really well," Greenant advised, talking to the three guys in the group. "Getting married here is not the sa as in the human world, you know."
She grinned, looking like she was daydreaming, with her arms folded, "But you know, sotis when you fall in love, it’s tough to say no, isn’t it? Even if it ans you have to give up a lot, even your life."
Kestrel was confused, "Why would anyone have to give up their life to get married?"
The place was really open, with small buildings allowing you to see far into the distance. As Greenant was talking, a small light started rising up in the distance, past the big Ferris wheel.
In the night sky, the small light drew a bright line at the edge of the sky. Suddenly, the square beca quiet; all the chatting and music stopped as everyone looked together at the quickly growing bright spot in the sky.
"Quick, the sun is coming up!" soone yelled, but it wasn’t clear who.
Suddenly, it was like a race had started. The roofs of the colorful, short buildings below started to open, one after the other. A crowd of mutants, as thick as a group of termites, began to either fly low or run extrely fast, rushing towards the open roofs on the ground.
From a high spot, Ren could see a huge sun gradually rising at the edge of the sky. Across the flat landscape, a sharp line appeared, separating day from night. This golden, long curvy line, flickering with tiny bright spots, quickly ate away the darkness, moving speedily ahead.
This line was a line of death.
The burning sun brought extre heat. Everything the sunlight touched, whether it was green grass or fresh flowers, quickly dried up and turned brown, then into dust. The mutants who had strayed too far used their long, strong legs to desperately try to outrun the rising sun. Being faster ant survival, falling behind even a little ant death.
So were able to jump into the open underground hos just before the deadly line reached them, the roofs shutting quickly after them. The blazing line of dawn passed over these houses, burning the nearby ground to a crisp.
Among the runners, one figure clearly wasn’t going to make it — a young boy, who looked like he rarely went outside, had run too far, passing the safe area, unable to get back to where the houses were in ti.
Almost overtaken by the sunlight, he panicked and hid under a tall cartoon sculpture, desperately trying to stay in the shade it cast, screaming for help in pain.
Many people were standing on a higher ground where it was still night, watching the boy, but no one could cross the fiery divide to save him.
The shadow from the huge sculpture was getting shorter. The screams from the far away shadow beca more and more heartbreaking. On the night side, countless people witnessed his impending death.
As the line of dawn got closer, a wave of heat rushed at them. Greenant peeked out from a house with an open roof below, yelling at Ren who was standing at a high place, "Get down here fast, what are you doing? Everyone’s inside, we can’t wait for you!"
Ren took a final look at the vibrant sculpture that was now quiet, and then jumped into the underground ho.
The second the roof shut, he could sll a burning sll coming from far away, followed by a surge of heat rolling over from above.
Inside the dark basent, six friends looked at each other.
"Mantidale, here we are."
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