Afterglow

Chapter 7 - Error

The moment I reach the third floor of the house, I move stealthily to the route leading to the balcony, which will serve as an escape route later. As I make my way to the route that Mr. Hawk has recorded for me, I pass through a number of hallways.

For some reason, the third floor is eerily quiet for me. All I can hear is the sound of crickets chirping outside, which is coming directly from the outside. I don't particularly care for it, but I can't really complain because we, Steorras, are all learning the same thing at the same time. From our manners that we should always have to combat and stealth strategies that was also taught to us.

From our manners that we should always have to combat and stealth strategies that was also taught to us. Moreover, I am well aware that the White Steorras are moving stealthily in order to prevent me from becoming alarmed, which is a strategy used to prevent a prey from becoming aware of a predator's movement.

However, we are both predators at the moment. Despite the fact that I'm the type who needs to get away as soon as possible, the mission I've been assigned is not to engage in combat with them, but rather to recover information I've discovered in this location that we can use to figure out what the White Steorras' ultimate goal is while down here on Earth.

It was a big mistake not to know why the White Steorras wanted to come down in here. However, even though the White Steorras have made it clear to the ESSO's officials that what they really want is Earth, the ESSO has made it clear to us, the Black Steorras, that they couldn't care less if the White Steorras have already entered the planet Earth.

I believe they believed their army was capable of repelling any White Steorra attacks, but they haven't come across anything yet. They are unaware of the extent to which the White Steorras will go to in order to obtain whatever they desire. Particularly given the fact that some Steorra, such as myself, are also on their side. Even though the Ancient Steorras have already warned us to only use our gift in a positive manner, those who sided with the White Steorra couldn't give a damn because no Ancient Steorra could ever punish them for what they had done.

They have grown conceited to the point where they no longer fear anyone. This is in addition to the fact that they are killing their own kind, who were only looking for peace. The people of Steorra planet seem to have lost their ability to live their lives as they should.

And we, the Black Steorras, are still stuck in the middle of it all. Between our own species and the humans who are unaware of our presence on the planet. We don't want violence, but we also can't sit back and watch as the White Steorras slaughter as many humans as they possibly can in the name of a planet. That is not the Steorra way of doing things. Not even a bit as we are actually the ones who share.

I know losing our planet is devastating. But claiming another planet and killing its people is a far cry from the peaceful way of life we have come to know and cherish. And now we're stuck in the middle because we're trying to make up for all of the damage the White Steorras have already done.

However, if the Earth Safety and Security Organization wants to ensure that their planet is well-protected, they should allow us to enter their land.  White Steorras is the one they should be watching, instead of us.

As I continued to move forward, I came across the room that was connected to the balcony. It's a spacious room with a king-sized bed. This type of room is referred to as a master bedroom by humans, I believe. The bed is inviting, but this is not my room on the Black Steorra battleship, despite its appearance. I can't afford to try everything I see here simply out of curiosity.

So, as soon as I walked into the room, I started walking towards the balcony. The abandoned house is perched on the crest of a mountain. The dense oak forest makes visibility difficult, so I press another button on the device attached to my wrist, causing a transparent eyeglass to be released from the earphones I'm currently wearing. As I tweaked the device in front of my eyes with my mind to zoom towards the dense oak forest, I was able to see the dense oak forest more clearly and completely than before.

It's going to be thrilling to fly down to the dense oak forest on this mission. After gliding through the air for a few kilometers, I need to find a location where I'll land after gliding. My landing zone should be free of obstructions to ensure that I do not suffer any injuries when I touch down.

When I saw a ground not surrounded by oak trees inside through the forest, I immediately turned my back from the balcony and step inside the room. And as I was moving, I unintentionally stepped into a piece of loose wood on the floor, which caused a dressing table to move, as well as a flower pot that had fallen to the floor.

A loud crash was made, which I'm sure the White Steorras below will have picked up on.

“s**t!” I immediately press buttons on my wrist device to prepare my suit for any impact that I may receive if I ever crash into a tree. 

As soon as I hear the rumble outside, I speed up my movement. The possibility that they were going to shoot me while I was gliding through the air crossed my mind, so I looked around for something that could help to block the door to this room. The moment I saw an open settee, I moved my ass in the direction of the settee before pushing it towards the door. I placed it in such a way that it would block the door when it was suddenly hit with force from the outside.

“f**k!”

The door was hit again. Looking at how old the door is,  I don't think it will last so I turned away from the door and walked in the direction of the balcony instead. I take a few deep breaths in and out as I continue to hear the loud banging on the door before opening my eyes and positioning myself to run.

Even as the loud banging continues, my thoughts are immersed in the dense oak forest. Here goes everything. I said before I started to run that made a stomping noise coming from the floor I’m running. My heart is racing as I leap off the balcony in unison with my glider spread out next to me, making me fly through the air like a bird.

When I turned around, the White Steorras had already broken through the door and noticed me. After hearing the order from the White Steorra squadron leader, I pressed another button, which caused the decoy flares to fly out of my suit just as I noticed them raising their weapons.

This effort, however, was insufficient.