Chapter 57: Do you know what beasts are inside?

Chapter 57: Do you know what beasts are inside? Eva was in a trance-like state till they reached the mansion. Ethan gently placed their marriage certificate into his space ring for safekeeping. Julian hummed and honked the horn to alert Blaine as they neared the gate. When he drove in, his eyes zeroed in on the packed bus. "The scientist guild is here." At Julian’s words, they looked out the window in time to see Stone dashing toward them. As soon as Julian stopped the car, Stone opened the car door. "Where have you all been? For two hours, we waited." Stone bombarded them with words the moment he arrived. Ethan and Julian weren’t annoyed; only Eva let out a sigh reminded that she was married. "Let’s go; an administrator is here." Stone’s tone was urgent, already nudging them towards the mansion. He wasn’t Interested in their answer or in thinking deeper about the happiness radiating from their expressions. Ethan and Julian turned serious as well and followed him inside, not forgetting to pull Eva along. Eva glanced at their faces, wondering what an administrator was. Memories flashed through her mind—’Ha! I remember it’s the same as government in this world.’ She felt happy at finally seeing what she read and wouldn’t have to ask them. When they got into the house, they saw a stern old man sitting in the living room, a cup of water placed in front of him. He was angry to be kept waiting for hours. Stone followed along, introducing his nephews to him and he hummed coldly in response. They were too happy to be bothered by his cold expression. They arrived at their home unannounced and had no right to be angry if the host was delayed or absent. "We want to see the eggs," Stone informed them of their purpose of being here. "Follow me," Ethan called out, leading the way to the eggs, while Eva crept away already knowing what their discussion would be about. For once, Eva didn’t look for what to fill her stomach; she needed sleep to process her thoughts. While Ethan pointed to the three eggs on the fur ground. The man’s anger deflated like a punctured balloon. His body trembled with excitement as he circled the eggs, his hands hovering but resisting the urge to touch them. ’’When would they hatch? Do you know what beasts are inside? Have you bonded with them?’’ questions left Stone’s mouth in succession. Clutching his notebook, he couldn’t tear his eyes from the enormous eggs. Seeing the eggs for the first time, his hands itched to crack them open. He barely restrained himself, his notes crumpling under his tight grip. Julian noticed and placed a hand on his shoulder, the weight of his hand snapped Stone back to reality. He looked up to meet Julian’s grey-smiling eyes which held veiled threats. ’’When the eggs hatch, we’ll know,’’ Julian responded to his second question before focusing on Ethan and the man’s discussion. Blaine brought in refreshments, and they all sat and continued their discussion. The man’s attention was fully focused on Ethan’s explanation of the trial and the unknown climate change they witnessed in the trial. ’’In old records of the surface. That would be a volcano.’’ The man inputted, a longing expression across his face, wanting to express the places their forefathers experienced before humans lived underground. Julian and Ethan had a thoughtful expression to his words—since their school years, they had been taught the history of the surface world. It was a unique feeling to witness something read on paper. They could still feel the hotness at the sole of their feet, and the cold turning the lips blue. ’’When the egg hatches, inform the scientist guild.’’ The man stood up as he said those words. Stone also stood, knowing the man urgently wanted to inform others of their finding. They escorted Stone and the man to the door, stone turned back, ’’Make sure you tell me, the first sign of it hatching.’’ His tone was tinged with begging. Ethan sighed helplessly and nodded to his request, knowing his uncle was barely holding himself from packing into their house. Stone was about to climb into the car when he stumbled at Ethan’s unbelievable words. ’’Uncle, I’m married. Come tomorrow for dinner.’’ Ethan’s lips curled to the side, though his tone remained cold; you could feel the happiness radiating from him. Stone grabbed the door for balance, whipping his head so fast Julian felt his neck would break. ’’What!’’ his eyes bulged out in shock, that he didn’t know when he raised his voice. ’’We’re married to Eva...our green-haired lady.’’ Julian’s words were loud and clear. Stone stood dumbfounded, his mouth slightly agape as he tried to process their words. ’’Congratulations. Dr. Stone, we need to leave.’’ The man urged Stone to enter the car. Stone entered with an unwilling stare in their direction. His heart etched with questions but he had to painfully suppress it and leave. He felt they were pulling a joke, but knew Ethan wasn’t one to joke—it was so unbelievable that Stone felt a hallucinating gas was let loose. The car drove out with Stone still staring at them from the window with a blank expression. Once the car disappeared, they searched for Eva. Surprised not to find her in the kitchen, they went to the next place they could find her. Opening her room door, they found her sleeping form lying carelessly on the bed. Her bedcover lay on the ground, her top riding up to expose her stomach. Her hair was scattered on the pillow as she slept without caring for her image. Julian wanted so badly to take a picture of her but unfortunately, the phones were dead. Ethan smiled helplessly as he approached the bed. Leaning closer, he picked her up gently and left the room, moving toward his room. Julian said nothing, closing her room door, and followed Ethan. Inside his room, Eva was placed on the bed, she muttered softly before settling comfortably on the bed. Julian began undressing but paused, noticing dried blood from the earlier fight still clinging to his skin. Ethan was in the same state—they had forgotten to clean up. After freshening up, they lay at her sides, placing her in the middle as their hands wrapped around her body. In the dimly lit room, three shallow breaths echoed as their bodies tangled on the massive bed. The bed’s dark fabric contrasted sharply with their pale skin.