They resumed walking so that Andi and Rika wouldn't suspect anything. After descending, they saw a long building in front of them, where many residents were queuing to pick up food. Andi and Rika immediately stood at the very back of the line, with Irwan and Nadia behind them. Both saw many couples carrying large sacks of rice, red plastic bags filled with basic necessities and other cooking supplies, as well as a bag containing clothes and medicine.
"This... it's like officials handing out aid to get votes," Irwan whispered to Nadia.
"Yeah... try to notice, why are there Caucasians and people from Asia here?" Nadia whispered.
Irwan then realized that Nadia was right. There were many couples with blonde hair and white skin like Europeans, mixed foreign and local couples, and also those who looked Asian, like from Japan, Korea, or China, and some who looked Middle Eastern. They all waited patiently in line, and their faces looked cheerful despite their pale and mottled skin. But among all of them, the strangest thing was that almost all the women and girls there were heavily pregnant.
"This is... strange. Let's just go home, Wan," Nadia urged.
"Y-yes, we don't need to get anything," Irwan replied.
But as they tried to leave the line, those behind them pressed in. They both turned to see the couple behind them, and immediately both were shocked because behind them were Felix and Lusi. Felix looked dashing and muscular, while Lusi had become thin but was heavily pregnant.
"Hey, you're here?" Irwan asked.
"Oh, it's you, Wan. When did you arrive?" Felix asked.
"Oh, you're not stammering anymore?" Irwan asked.
"No, my stutter is cured, and the doctor said I can live forever here. Oh yeah, Lusi and I are married. We're now waiting for our first child to be born," Felix replied, putting his arm around Lusi.
"Oh... I see. (Turning to Lusi) Congratulations," Nadia said, hugging Lusi.
"Yeah, you should get pregnant soon too, Nad. Tell Irwan to work hard, hehe," Lusi teased.
"Y-yeah, relax. You two seem happy, right?" Nadia said.
"Yeah, Lusi and I have been here for a year. When I first got here, I was surprised and confused, but it turns out this place is heaven. I feel at home, and I see Lusi feels at home too," Felix said.
"Felix is right, I feel very much at home too. We don't do anything here. The only time we leave is for health inspections. Otherwise, Felix and I are always at home. Eventually, well... I got pregnant," Lusi said, wrapping her arm around Felix's.
"Huh... a year?" Irwan asked.
"Yeah, where have you been?" Felix asked.
"Nadia and I feel like we just got here," Irwan replied.
"Hmm, looking at your bodies, it seems like you've been here for about a year but haven't realized it yet. That's how it is here, the doctor said. If someone from outside comes in, it usually takes at most a month, or a year at most, to adjust to the conditions here, depending on the person," Lusi replied.
"Where exactly are we?" Nadia asked.
"This village is called Mist Village, a village built in another dimension by one of Prabu Siliwangi's spiritual wives from ancient times," Lusi replied.
Irwan and Nadia swallowed their saliva after hearing Lusi's words. They looked at Felix's and Lusi's skin, which had become pale and mottled. Their eyes looked listless, even though their faces showed happiness.
"Hey, don't just stare, keep moving," Felix said.
"Oh... yeah, yeah, sorry," Irwan replied, turning around and putting his arm around Nadia.
Both continued walking in line, but they felt very uncomfortable even though they saw many couples their age, and the oldest perhaps around 20, looking happy. They also noticed that, although many women and girls were pregnant, there wasn't a single child visible among the residents or in the village. Irwan held Nadia tightly, who also held Irwan's waist tightly.
The line began to move forward. Suddenly, "sreet," a man wearing a face covering pulled Irwan and Nadia out of line, then grabbed their hands and ran into the bushes.
Once in the bushes, the large man who had pulled Irwan and Nadia opened his covering.
"Hey, Brian?" Irwan asked.
"What are you doing in the food line?" Brian whispered back.
"Someone invited me earlier, so I just went along because I didn't know anything. What's actually happening in this village? Why did you pull us both away?" Irwan asked.
"It's a long story. Come with me, let's go to a safe place first. We'll talk there," Brian replied.
The three immediately walked quickly through the bushes. Irwan continued to hold Nadia's hand so she wouldn't get left behind or separated. When they emerged from the bushes, Brian immediately jumped down the hill. Irwan, holding Nadia, followed Brian down the hill by sliding. Once at the bottom, they ran to a house located right at the foot of the hill. Brian opened the door and went inside. After closing the door, Brian turned around and immediately hugged Irwan and Nadia at the same time.
"Hey... hey... what's wrong with you?" Irwan asked.
"Y-yeah, I can't breathe," Nadia added.
"Oh, sorry, sorry, I'm just happy," Brian said, releasing them both.
"Bri?" someone inside asked.
Irwan and Nadia glanced behind Brian. They saw Riana standing there and immediately ran to her.
"You're safe, thank goodness," Riana said, hugging Nadia.
"Yeah, how about you?" Nadia asked.
"It's a mess. I hate this place," Riana replied.
"Hey Brian, tell us what's going on," Irwan said.
"Okay, before that, I want to ask you and Nadia something. Have you two had sex yet?" Brian asked.
"Are you crazy? Of course not! Nadia and I just woke up," Irwan replied.
"Good, if not, then you two are still sane," Brian replied.
"What do you mean? I don't understand at all," Nadia said.
"So, Nad, this is up to you whether you believe it or not. The four of us are now in my house. There's no mist here that can cause sexual arousal, so we're safe. This village is a farm, and we are the livestock," Riana said.
"Huh?" Irwan and Nadia asked simultaneously.
"It's true, Wan, Nad. That's why I asked, because once you do that, you won't think anymore. You'll become one of them whose only job is to eat, sleep, and do that," Brian replied.
"What about you?" Irwan asked.
"Riana and I will tell you," Brian replied.
The four of them sat in the living room chairs. Brian held Riana's hand, who looked sad and disappointed, then they began to tell their story.