Sagiri and Yoka did not talk much in the first watch, but the watch went by peacefully. Nothing was out of the ordinary. Kiuga did not even stir when the first watch ended, and neither did Tavora. Yoka offered to take the second watch for Tavora. N’varu was among the four who woke up in Squad Sagiri.

"You rest now," N’varu said, coming to relieve Sagiri of his watch duty.

Sagiri retracted his senses and sat at the edge of the clearing. He sat in a meditative position. He was tired, but conscious meditative slumber was the best choice. Now that the archive was back to its bean size inside Sagiri, he could feel even the steady heart beating inside of him. Perhaps he could allow himself to rest for a few minutes so he could think properly about what they missed when he woke up.

A few minutes later, Sagiri’s head fell back onto the tree trunk behind him. He was indeed tired. The sound the trunk made was hollow, as if a small creature had once made its home within it, but now the trunk was empty. sagiri could not care much about it as he drifted off to slumber, not caring to even stay conscious. Sleeping outside, like when they were going north, or when he and squad ten traveled to the war headquarters, was fun. Just listening to the small beast burrowing under the earth.

burrowing under the earth.

At the blink of falling into deep slumber, Sagiri’s eyes sprang open. Now that he was thinking about it, he had not heard any small beast burrowing under the earth. The squads had encountered squirrels here and there and birds after the graves, but now that sagiri was thinking about it, he had completely not felt any sign of the smaller beast burrowing under the earth. Not even crickets’ mating call was heard, not even the earth toads.

How smart.

The markings on sagiri’s skin stirred with his excitement at finding out the details he had missed. Someone like Lotaga could have found out this fact in a few hours, yet it had taken him a full day and night. just like Kaka had said. It seemed like the Tatani tribe had a very lethal strategist in itself. And as N’varu had said, his heightened senses had contributed to his missing an important detail.

sagiri sprang to a crouch, his one knee pressed to the earth. His hand met the earth. not in a force to split it, but right under his right eyes, he watched as the markings on his skin touched the ground. The underground must have been coated with the stone used to make the shadow colonnade. With it, his senses could be barred, but the markings on his skin couldn’t. As they moved under the ground and deeper beneath the stone, he felt it. a single heartbeat. then another. then another.

a small laugh left sagiri’s throat. It’s sharp enough to wake everyone. It was now one hour before dawn, and the birds had woken up. The small beast who loved creating their homes under the earth should have been coming out too to bask in the sun, yet nothing moved. How had he missed such a huge detail? Whatever that stone was, it seemed to be not only used to bar him but even the hunting beast. They could very much have realised where they were. What a stone!

Another sharp, humourless laugh left sagiri’s throat. Even Tavora had finally stirred. He threw an icy glare in Sagiri’s direction. Kiuga finally stirred too and yawned.

"What is happening?" he said in the middle of a yawn.

"It seems the boy from the east has gone mad," Maita said under his breath.

"What is it?" N’varu was beside him in another second. Sagiri laughed for a moment longer before he stopped.

"These little rats were hiding in plain sight after all," Sagiri said, his voice growing calm and colder. He did not know what he was excited for more. to find the illusion weaver who had pushed him into an illusion, or to find the ladies they had lost.

"Where are they?" Kiuga asked, his face growing more alert.

"Tatani is underground," sagiri said, and everyone turned to him in bewilderment.

"What?" Ulekai’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

"Sagiri flexed his hand, ready to split the ground again, but kiuga stopped him.

"Don’t do that! What if you hit the ladies?" Kiuga said. Sagiri paused for a moment. Now that he was thinking about it.

"How do you know they are underground? Why didn’t I see any tunnels when you smashed the ground?" Tavora said in a doubtful voice.

"Tavora, keep quiet," Yoka warned him, and the boy went silent and pouted. "How did you know?" He asked more respectfully.

"No beasts are crawling under the ground, and I found them. " I must have missed that because I was looking for them above the surface," Sagiri said.

"It is only logical. Who could think the vermin were hiding underground?" Kaka said.

"Now, how do we get underground?" N’varu asked.

"We can’t just crash into the ground. Perhaps they knew we could find them at some point, and they took the girls as a shield. They even took only the ladies to make our minds think the worst, only so we could chase ghosts for a while. They must have an excellent strategist, too." Tavora said.

"I have to take a knee of respect. They even almost outsmarted me." Kiuga said, shaking his head.

"They actually did," Kaka shot back.

"I will go first. You find a place to come in through. Find hollow tree trunks. Even if they live underground, they need air." Sagiri said.

"How do you plan to go to them now?" Tavora snickered.

sagiri did not have time to answer the manchild. His senses might have been barred by the freaking stone, but the archive wasn’t. sagiri pushed the archive outwards and underground. He could move wherever he wanted within the archive. The markings on his body glowed in response.

"Let me come with you!" N’varu tried to join Sagiri, but the next instant, he was already gone.