Chapter 212: The Somnivore Advocate.

Ava immediately went down to the containment center where the new arrivals had been kept. The place had completely transformed since she had taken charge. The dark, damp iron cages were gone, replaced by a simple open space, like a dormitory. There were beds, warm blankets, showers, working toilets and hot food. It was a night-and-day difference from the dingy animal cages Leif and Petra used to run.

As Ava stepped inside, she noticed two of her newly converted maidens, Eliza and Jada, already hard at work. They were sitting beside the trembling newcomers, handing them porcelain cups of steaming tea with gentle smiles. Even though they had switched sides, they still wore wearing white dresses, like Soul maidens preferred, because they believed it was the color of a pure soul.

"Don’t be afraid," Eliza was saying, her voice soft and soothing as she patted another girl’s hand. "You’re safe here now. Trinity’s wickedness can’t reach you in this place."

"That’s right," Jada chimed in, blowing gently on a hot bowl of broth. "The Somnivores aren’t monsters. Trinity is the real monster for sending us here to die."

A loud, annoyed sigh echoed from the doorway.

Leif was leaning against a pillar, his arms crossed over his chest, his braided blonde hair swaying as he shook his head in disgust. He watched Ava approach with a look that suggested he’d rather be swallowing nails.

"You’re just in time, preacher," Leif grunted, jerking his chin toward the captives. "Either you convince these ones with your little talk-therapy, or I do what I know best and bring out the slugs."

Before Ava could offer a snappy retort, a sudden gasp broke through the crowd of captives.

"Ava?!" A girl with dirt-smudged cheeks and torn jumpsuit stumbled forward out of the crowd. It was Yuda Powers! Her eyes were wide with utter shock. Without warning, Yuda threw her arms around Ava, hugging her so tightly Ava almost choked.

"I thought you were dead!" Yuda cried, pulling back to look at her, her voice trembling with emotion. "We all thought that the Somnivores tore you apart!"

Ava laughed softly, gently smoothing down Yuda’s disheveled hair. "Dead? Look at me, Yuda! I’ve never been better." She patted Yuda’s shoulder, taking a step back so the other maidens could hear her clearly. "The truth is, Yuda, we’ve been lied to this whole time. The Somnivores aren’t the monsters we were told they were. It’s the human leaders back home and the divine maiden and her sanctum dogs. They killed my family and ruined us. I am angry Yuda, I am hurt. I have vowed to end Trinity’s reign and the lies the Johnson clan has been feeding us."

Ava waited for the usual outrage or confusion, but Yuda didn’t even blink. Instead, Yuda threw her hands up in the air with a bitter, humorless laugh.

"Ava, you don’t even need to waste your breath trying to convince me about human treachery!" Yuda snapped, her knuckles turning white as she clenched her fists. "Trinity has completely lost her mind. She’s sending young, untrained soul maidens straight to the front lines now! She doesn’t care about any of us. How do you send children to fight when you have adults?

This situation is very suspicious. I don’t think they want us to win; they are profiting too much from the wars. Meanwhile, we are the ones being sacrificed, not their children. We’re sick and tired of being sacrificial lambs! We are ready to fight back!"

"Traitorous snakes!" A sharp, spiteful voice cut through the air. Standing in the entrance, bound in heavy chains was the trail master. His eyes were bloodshot with rage. He spat on the floor, showing a clear look of disgust. "You spineless cowards! Turning your backs on your own kind for a warm meal and a fake smile! These are bloody Somnivores! They are the enemy, and they are lying. Have you abandoned your sacred duty? Now is the time to explode your souls and take them out."

Before the man could yell another insult, several human soldiers who had been captured alongside the maidens immediately shuffled away from him, looking terrified.

"Don’t lump us in with him!" one of the young soldiers shouted nervously, looking between Ava and the towering Leif. "We were forced into this! We didn’t want to come beyond the veil to die!"

"Yeah!" another soldier agreed, his voice cracking with emotion. "The Lottery is a total scam! The rich pay their way out, get richer, and force us poor bastards beyond the veil to be beast food! We hate what is going on just as much as anyone!"

Ava smirked and slowly turned her head toward Leif, raising an eyebrow. "See that, Commander Leif? Simple, wasn’t it? No screaming, no torture, and not a single brain-eating worm required. Humans are as tired of the war as Somnivores."

Leif’s jaw clenched tightly. He exhaled a deep, heavy breath through his nose, his face turning bright red as if he’d just eaten a fistful of raw spicy red peppers.

"Tch!" Leif growled, unable to handle Ava’s smug expression for another second. He stomped over, violently pointed a thick finger at the sneering trail master, and barked at his knights, "Take this one away! He likes to spit? Fine! We have some beasts that love to spit. Put him in with them. I want to see him slimy and smelly tomorrow."

The knights hauled the screaming trail master away into the dark corridors. Leif gave Ava one last furious glare before turning on his heel and stomping out of the room, his heavy steel boots clanking loudly against the ground.

Once the grumpy commander was out of earshot, another maiden named Kirsten stepped forward from behind Yuda. She looked at the cozy room, then at Ava, her brows furrowed tightly.

"Ava_ this all feels too good to be true," Kirsten said softly, hesitation evident in her eyes. "We grew up hearing the legends. From the moment we were old enough, we were taught that the Somnivores are mindless, bloodthirsty beasts whose only goal is to devour humanity. What is going on here? Were you hypnotized? Have you betrayed humans?"

"And that guy does not seem to like us a lot." Yuda said. She also thought that he looked human, but his physique was more impressive than most human men she had ever seen.

"Lies. All of it. I didn’t betray humans, they betrayed me. They betrayed us." Ava said smoothly, putting on her most sincere, comforting smile. "The Somnivores don’t want to destroy us, Kirsten. They actually want to unite our two races so everyone can live under the same sky peacefully.

But every time they extend an olive branch, the humans send armies over the veil to attack them and steal their technology! If we come here for energy stones, why do trail master’s never take any? They are always going in and out of the veil. Instead of stones, they snatch herbs, blueprints, medicines and things like that. Every after a theft, the mystic sanctum introduces a new miraculous gadget or medicine.

The Somnivores could provide those things for free, but the rich and powerful won’t let it happen. The truth is, as long as humans are willing to live peacefully, they have no problem with us. And as for Leif, he does not trust strangers, especially soul maidens...who can blame him though?"

Hearing this, Yuda’s brow furrowed into a deep frown. She looked down at the floor, her mind spinning with confusion. Is there truly another agenda involved in sending us here? A cold sense of unease settling in her stomach. Before Yuda could sink too deep into her suspicious thoughts, Ava patted her back warmly, breaking her trance.

"Come on, girls," Ava said with a bright, welcoming cheer. "Follow me. I want you all to take a tour around Wisteria. You will see humans and Somnivores living peacefully side by side. They have been for years. If there was no veil, we would all be living like that."