I was unable to hear the captain's further phrases against the background of the general noise, and in the meantime people began to be taken away from us to be resettled in free houses.
I noticed that the main Ruler was again staring at me with his bright, glowing eyes.
"Don't worry so much, Denris... Everything will be fine... I'll take care of you..." said an insinuating voice in my head. "In time, you will become one of us... you will gain eternal life, as you were promised..."
"One of you? Who are you?"
"You forgot everything... well, it's not scary... now you are in my hands... you just need to trust me..."
The Ruler gave some instructions to Adivaris standing next to him and suddenly disappeared!
What!? He just disappeared into thin air! Teleporter!? Outrageous... everything he told me telepathically!
Is he my new Daddy along the way? This huge winged one!? He is certainly handsome, who would argue, but, excuse me, I am no longer the young man with whom Yarison was once infatuated! He was still here on this planet and they claimed that I will not be allowed to meet him! Was he in prison or something? For sharing technology with mortal people? I made some assumptions. But no one wanted to answer my questions.
Meanwhile, only eight of us remained and Adivaris led us around the city, explaining something to Rianka. The syrinxes scattered in different directions, partially devastating the streets of the city.
We stopped at one of the massive towers and walked inside up an endless staircase.
"You will live here, get used to the new life," Adivaris began the instructions when we reached one spacious living room and sat down on armchairs from fatigue. "I strongly recommend: do not go out into the streets... for your safety."
"Where can we get food?" asked captain's assistant Yukhair.
"You won't need it anymore," Adivaris stunned everyone. "You were chosen and given immortality, and also assigned a mutation into syrinxes. We do not feed on food... only pure energy from space... maybe this is not easy for you to understand..."
My head was spinning from this statement: this is the promised immortality, as Yarison predicted. Everything happened to me the way he wanted.
"How did you do this?" the question of one of the chosen ones instantly flashed. "Without injections or radiation!"
"There was radiation," Adivaris explained. "Just at the square. You didn't feel anything, but your mutation had already begun. It will make you feel a little dizzy during the week and make you sleepy, but then you will notice changes in your body. Youth and good health will return to you..."
"Why were only eight of us chosen?" I asked.
"The question is not for me... This is the Lord's decision..."
Adivaris seemed to avoid talking to me, ignoring my direct questions, preferring to change the topic of conversation. He knew something about me and my unknown past, but did not want to share information. I didn't have time to question him about Yarison. Our mentor disappeared after a long briefing with us and never came again.
On top of everything else, that same day I was enraged by Rianka's revelations: it turned out that she spent the last two days, when we lost her, with new lovers on planet, one of them was called Ramies... and what's most disgusting is that she expressed her admiration about their love affairs skills and this was in my presence. This completely broke my heart. I rushed out of despair to the top floor after my violent claims to her.
It was awkward in front of everyone who heard my useless hysterics.
There, in the middle of a larger hall with a crystal dome, sat two winged blonds on sofas.
When I appeared, they perked up and began to speak affectionately in my language, inviting me to sit down next to them for a close acquaintance. I didn't like this idea and sharply refused, outraged by their presence in our tower, where no one is allowed to enter.
"Denris, we are glad to meet you," said the yellow-eyed syrinx. "I am Ramies..."
"What?" an indignant exclamation burst out of me. "Are you two the seducers of Rianka? Let's get out of here! There's no point hanging around here!"
The winged one with crystal blue eyes blinked his eyes frequently at my reaction and frowned.
"What a rude person you are! Are you jealous?"
"Well, it's understandable why you're so nervous," Ramies continued with arrogant irony. "Forty years in a confined space is not an easy journey for a mortal. Me too, spent years traveling through space on duty. But now you find yourself in good conditions, relax with us..."
"What?!" anger rolled over me even more. "I don't get close to people like you!"
"What are we like?" The blue-eyed young man blinked his eyes.
"Lovers of men..."
"Oh yes, what's the problem?" Ramies grinned playfully. "Are you embarrassed by male attention, darling?"
"What kind of hints are these?"
... Does he know anything about my past? Can't be!
"Hypocrite..." I heard the epithet of the blue-eyed syrinx. "Your behavior is very strange, considering your life experience... in all your past lives... you were always like us. Lover of men... a-ha-ha. So funny... that expression on your face. It's sad not to remember anything about yourself..."
...What is he talking about? Past lives? What nonsense? How can he know about this? This bastard is probably just teasing me and playing a prank on me! Why should I believe him? I already hate him!
"There are no secrets in our society if you don't know how to hide them..." Ramies continued.
"And you are an open book for us, Denris, in terms of your culture. It is useless to deny your experience to us... we are clairvoyants."
... Everything blurred before my eyes and an unpleasant feeling of nausea came over me... something seemed to boil in my stomach. I doubled over from the pain and dizziness and sank to the floor with pitiful screams:
"I feel… so bad…"