Her mind snapped back to reality as she recognized the voice. With a mix of surprise and confusion, she said, “Adam?”

“Adam? Who’s that?” he asked, a puzzled look on his face. Not that she could blame him—this was a different version of Adam, the one who had died in T-3422 at Ryuu’s hands.

“Ah, nothing. I was just a bit surprised.”

He tilted his head slightly, studying her. “Surprised? You’ve been staring at me like I’ve got two heads. You sure you’re alright?”

“So, who are you?” she asked, trying to shift the conversation and shrugging his hand off her shoulder before stepping back to face him.

His confused expression turned to concern as he leaned in close, his hands suddenly reaching up to pull at her cheeks as if checking for damage. “Are you alright? Did you hit your head or something? Come on, tell me.”

“What are you doing? Stay away from me, you creep!” She swatted his hands away and backed up, eyes widening at his sudden invasion of her personal space.

“Why are you calling your husband a creep?” he asked, sounding genuinely hurt as his patience started to wear thin.

“Husband?” she repeated, her heart skipping a beat. In this timeline? What are you even planning, Harby? she thought, trying to calm herself down and make sense of the situation.

The man didn’t seem to notice her internal panic, his brow furrowing as he continued to study her. “You sure you didn’t hit your head? Maybe you got amnesia or something.” He stepped closer again, raising a hand to her forehead as if checking for a fever.

“I’m sorry. I’m just not feeling well—sorry for acting weird,” she said in a calm tone, hoping to end the conversation before things got even more awkward. But the man seemed oblivious to her attempt at a graceful exit.

“No, no, no, this won’t do,” he said, suddenly hoisting her up as if she weighed nothing and slinging her over his shoulder. “We need to see Grandma Vaba right now. She’ll fix you up in no time.”

“H-Hey, calm down! Didn’t you hear me? Put me down! Noooooo!!!” Aelira protested, squirming and kicking, but he ignored her, sprinting full throttle toward the village with her hanging upside down like a sack of potatoes.

“Stop bouncing so much! You’re going to make me sick!” she yelled, trying to keep her voice steady as the world spun around her.

“No can do,” he replied, his tone cheerful despite her protests. “We’ve got to get you checked out, and fast. Can’t have my wife running around not knowing who I am. What would the villagers think?”

Aelira groaned, realizing that reasoning with him was pointless. She could only hope that Grandma Vaba would be able to shed some light on what was going on.

VILLAGE 1 - KOMURA

“Listen, Gabba, when I say three, we run. First one to touch the Gravulok’s spine wins,” one of the two boys declared, excitement bubbling in his voice as they prepared for the race.

“You don’t need to tell me twice, Chibba. I can’t wait to see your face when I win and get to hang out with Kirri for a whole day,” Gabba replied, glancing at the little girl among the other kids who were eagerly watching them.

Kirri, with her bright eyes and infectious smile, waved at the boys. “Gabba, Chibba, fight on!!” she shouted, her voice full of encouragement.

Gabba smirked at Chibba, lowering himself into a runner’s stance. “If you win, that is,” he teased, his competitive spirit blazing in his eyes.

The two boys crouched down, muscles tensing in preparation for the sprint. The air around them seemed to hum with the thrill of the race.

“1.”

“2…”

“…3!!!” Gabba took off instantly, his legs pumping as fast as they could, dust kicking up behind him. Chibba followed close behind, but Gabba had gained an early lead.

Gabba glanced back with a wide grin, sticking his tongue out to taunt Chibba. His moment of triumph was cut short as he accidentally bit his tongue, the pain shooting through his mouth like a sharp sting.

“Argh, that hurts…” he thought, tears welling up in his eyes despite his best efforts to hold them back.

Chibba saw Gabba’s slight stumble and grinned, speeding up to close the gap. “I definitely saw him crying,” Chibba chuckled to himself, determined to catch up and win.

“Ha ha ha, how youthful they are,” a tiny old woman laughed, her voice slow and deliberate as she walked among the children who were cheering for the boys.

“Vaba ma!” Kirri exclaimed excitedly, running up to hug the old woman, nearly knocking her over in her enthusiasm.

“My sweet little Kirri, is this your doing again?” Vaba asked with a warm smile, ruffling the girl’s hair affectionately.

“Hehehe,” Kirri giggled mischievously, her eyes twinkling with pride.

Meanwhile, the other kids began murmuring as they noticed something racing toward Gabba and Chibba at high speed. The murmur turned into a chorus of gasps as they recognized who it was.

“Oh! Aren’t they…” Vaba trailed off with a knowing smile as she stepped out of the crowd to get a better view.

“I’m almost at the spine—this is my win!” Gabba thought, pushing himself to run even faster, his eyes locked on the Gravulok’s massive form up ahead.

“Away…!”

“Get out!!” Both boys heard a faint voice, their concentration breaking as they tried to make out what was being shouted at them.

“Get out of the way, you idiots! I’ve lost control!” The voice grew louder, and this time they could clearly make out the panic in the tone. They turned to their right and saw Aelira and a man barreling toward them, the man’s face twisted in sheer terror.

“I can’t stop—” the man yelled, reaching Gabba in the blink of an eye and accidentally kicking him into the air with a force that sent him soaring.

As Gabba flew, his eyes widened in shock, tears streaming down his face. “Why is it always me…?” he thought miserably, arms flailing as he sailed through the air. He landed with a thud in Chibba’s arms, who had dashed to catch his friend just in time.

“You dumbass, why did you blow him away? Just stop running.” Aelira shouted while scared for her life.

“Easy for you to say. I still can’t control my Sol.” He said as they both ran towards a huge tree with full speed.

“Am I going to die again, this stupidly?” Aelira thought, feeling a surge of desperation. Without thinking, she balled her fist and punched the guy squarely in the gut.

With a comical expression, he let out a surprised yelp and reflexively tossed Aelira into the air, his face contorting as he struggled to keep his balance. He crashed face-first into the tree trunk with a loud thud.

Aelira landed on her feet, wobbling slightly before steadying herself. “Phew, that was close,” she muttered, standing up and brushing the dirt off her clothes. She glanced over at the man, who was now sprawled out on the ground, groaning in pain.

The huge tree trunk had a human-shaped dent in it, with leaves and splinters falling like rain. The man who had carried her groaned as he pulled himself away from the bark, stumbling back with a dazed look.

The village children gathered around, their eyes wide with a mix of wonder and worry. Gabba and Chibba, their race forgotten, edged closer to see the damage. The old tree creaked as if displeased by the hit it had taken.

"Well, well," said a voice, weathered but amused. "It seems the newlyweds have returned from their cave with quite a bang."

Aelira turned to see Grandma Vaba approaching, her small size hiding the strong presence she carried. The old woman’s eyes twinkled with mischief as she looked between Aelira and the man.

“Adelin, dear, I hope you didn’t hit your head too hard. We need you sharp for the aftermath of the wedding night.”

Aelira blinked in surprise. Adelin, she thought, so that’s his name. Before she could say anything, Grandma Vaba continued, her grin widening.

“And you, my sweet,” she said, turning to Aelira, “don’t be too hard on him. The first tumble’s always the roughest, but it gets easier. And more fun, if you know what I mean.”

The village children giggled, though most of the meaning went over their heads. Adelin, still a bit unsteady, managed a weak smile, while Aelira felt her face grow warm.

“So I was on a honeymoon with this guy, in that stone cave? Also this place doesn’t look as stone-agey as I thought it would.” Aelira whimpered as if she got scammed of her thoughts.

“This is one of the weirdest timelines I’ve ever been in. I need to find the fragment quickly and get away from here…” Aelira thought to herself, trying to make sense of the odd situation she found herself in.

“Grandma, Alicia has been acting weird ever since the morning. She says she doesn’t remember me and acts all distant while calling me a creep,” Adelin cried out to Vaba, his voice tinged with frustration and confusion.

Grandma Vaba’s eyes sparkled with amusement as she put a hand on her hip. “Oh, Adelin, you poor thing,” she said with a dramatic sigh. “It’s not uncommon for a woman to have second thoughts after a night like yours—especially if you didn’t live up to expectations.”

Aelira, still processing the fact that she was apparently Alicia now, tried to think of a way out of this bizarre situation. Her mission was clear: find the fragment and get out of this timeline.

“Fuck this…”