"Hey, what are you doing?", Aarav yelled. He was astonished by all that happened. And more flabbergasted as it leads to this mumbo jumbo out of the Blue Moon.

Kiara was also baffled. She only asked for directions and not some parlour tricks. However, as she was engulfed by this golden rays, warmth spread into her bodies, energizing every cell, as if she was being healed. She was being healed. Her broken bones reattached on their own as if some sort of super high speedy recovery.

"Put me down", gaining her sanity, she asked Aarav to put her down. Aarav obliged and was baffled. Kiara was standing on her own. She removed her bandages and turn and twist her leg around.

"Wow, my leg, what did you do?", Kiara was happy she could use her leg again. She was feeling elated and full of energy. The leader then told her the direction of his village and said this way they could arrive a bit earlier. He introduced himself as Ajil Horo, son of the village chief. He also gave her a token that could give them access to their village.

Ajil Horo and Co. went as fast as they came. The survivors crowded Kiara, looking her with awe. She explained to them what had transpired.

Kiara was thinking how the natives of this place were using her native language Santhali here. Santhali is spoken by very few people in India. She doesn't use it even at home.

The group of survivors went ahead towards their destination with hope. Earlier, they were heading blindly, not sure if they would get any help. Now, their situation is still not certain but at least they know there are other people around.

A few hours later, they found a suitable place to take shelter. It was a dry patch of land full with lush green grass, unlike the marshy and damp area they had crossed. Kiara's OCD was showing when she got to use her feet. She had a weird expression as she traversed through the mud. The path of dignity is muddy.

At the resting spot, the survivors relaxed and let down their guard. Meeting natives was the best they could hope. Asahi's head was full of stories he had read about, uncivilized indigenous people, cannibals and all the things that could go wrong for them. He was glad they met civilized people, although hostile and one who could magically fix broken bones. He believed they won't turn out like those horror stories. Because they were fully clad in clothes, although weird clothes. They looked clean and more scholarly, nothing like savages mentioned in those stories.

" You don't think, those natives will have a grand feast when we reach their village", as if reading his mind, Aadil said while nudging Asahi's shoulder.

"They shouldn't. They look civilized", replied Asahi with concern clearly showing on his face.

" They won't. Mind you, if you are not aware, cannibalism is practised where food is scarce. Look around us. We are in a lush and green forest. We have been eating these strange fruits all this time. There are a lot of animals too. Do you think they will lack food?", Brandon shared his knowledge.

"Makes sense", Asahi nodded.

" And what about that mysterious light their leader gave off. Do you have a theory about that", interjected Aadil, still wary of their new encounter.

"I can't say anything about that. Let's hope for the best. I would like to learn about their culture and practices but with my son, I won't risk it. It would be best if we could get their help contacting the authorities and get out of here forever", Brandon replied.

Brandon was eager to meet these new people and wanted to learn about their culture. He was a professor of Archaeology and he had immense interest in anthropology. When he heard their language he enquired Kiara about it, pestered her to teach him only leaving her with an aching head.

The trio kept talking about themselves, their hobbies, almost forgetting their predicament. If they had met each other in any other situation, they wouldn't have got along like this.

A 30 something Pilot, a fifty-something professor and a 20-year-old Stanford student. In no way, they can be in the same social circle. It was only because of Asahi's innate talent of socializing. He is a geek in front of the keyboard, and an extrovert in his friends' circle, age has nothing to do with making friends. He was more than happy to hear about ancient civilizations from Brandon, who cannot be stopped from his chatter.

Brad, Brandon's six-year-old son, was trying to be friends with Ruth, Samuel's eight-year-old daughter. She was not even giving him face. She outrightly ignored him. How can she be friends with a kid? He was too short.

Ian Samuel's son was taking care of his mother who was having trouble recognizing her family. Ian was quite a filial child for a 16-year high schooler.

Kiara was sitting with Fiona, talking about mundane things with her. She was very grateful to her when she took care of her. They hardly know each other and she still assisted her with an everyday chore. Even family members would disdain from such intimate help. She wasn't a nurse or any hospitality worker. She was a great help. It deepened their sisterhood.

Aarav was looking around everyone. Everybody looked relaxed. After 0 hours of walk and their encounter, they deserved it. However, he was the only one who was wary. He wasn't showing it on his face. But he was their leader and he had to take their responsibility.

Soon it will be night, with the night there will be dangerous wild animals around. He set traps around them. It hardly worked last time when they were attacked. He took up the preparation himself, checked every nook and corner. He could go on without sleeping but he was too tired. His back was aching. He carried Kiara for almost 20 hours. She is lightweight but his back had an injury which he had suffered a few years back. Because of his injury, he decided to leave the Army. He was bedridden for 2 years and was only able to move around a few months back. Looking Kiara invoked his empathy, he knew what felt like to be immobile, and not being able to help at all.

After some time night fell, Aarav decided to close his eyes for a bit. He appointed few men to stand guard for the night.

Stars filled up the sky, plants started illuminating light. It was a great relief that it wasn't pitch dark despite no moon. There was a blue light all over the forest making the scene surreal and otherworldly. Not everyone was in a state to admire its beauty.