Aelira's eyes widened as she spotted the group of attackers closing in on her and the man she was carrying.

“Get away!” She quickly pushed him behind her, gripping her spear tightly as she summoned a burst of air to deflect their incoming attack.

The impact shattered the ground beneath them, sending chunks of dirt and rock flying in all directions. Aelira leapt off the unstable surface, using her mastery over air to carry herself and the man to safety.

As they landed on solid ground, Adam's panic turned to confusion. He couldn't make sense of what was happening before his eyes.

"They found me sooner than I expected," Aelira thought with frustration. "This is going to be troublesome.”

But as she braced herself for another round of attacks, a deep voice called out from amongst the group of attackers. It belonged to a tall, muscular man wearing weird clothing that seemed out of place in this fantasy world.

"How long are you planning on running, you misfit?" he taunted Aelira, taking slow and deliberate steps towards her.

He walked confidently in a sleek black trench coat adorned with silver dragon embroidery. Underneath, he wore a fitted crimson shirt, revealing a glimpse of tattooed chest and well-defined muscles. His trousers, tucked into polished black boots, complete the dark, tailored look. His violet eyes gleamed with intelligence and menace.

With a sharp intake of breath, Aelira's eyes widened in fear as she saw Ryuu fading away before her very eyes. She realized it was a trap and whipped around to see him standing behind her.

A menacing smile spread across his face as he plunged his fingers into Adam's stomach, lifting him off the ground with ease. The scent of metal and machinery wafted off of Ryuu, a stark contrast to the fresh earthy smells of the forest surrounding them.

Aelira lunged at Ryuu, only to be met with a powerful slap that sent her tumbling to the ground. Before she could regain her balance, he delivered a swift kick to her jaw, causing blood to pool in her mouth from the force.

"How primitive," Ryuu taunted as he twisted his fingers, causing Adam to writhe in agony on the ground. Aelira seethed with anger but found herself unable to move her body. "You're still so inexperienced, just as I expected."

Her voice trembling with both fury and pain, Aelira managed to weakly ask, "I still don't understand...why?”

Ryuu shrugged nonchalantly as he stepped towards her, grabbing her by the back of her shirt and forcing her to meet his piercing gaze. "How are you still alive?" He asked, confusion lacing his words.

Struggling against his grip, Aelira avoided eye contact and tried to break free from his grasp.

“I don’t know what you are talking about…” She responded in a hushed tone, as if caught off guard. Ryuu's face remained blank as he let out a sigh of disappointment.

“Well, whatever, if you do, I will find you again.” He said as he began to shove his hand inside her mouth. Aelira muffled as she was unable to breathe, but that didn’t stop Ryuu. “It won’t hurt much, to be honest.” He said as he blasted his hand inside her body, splattering her body all over the place.

“So disgusting.” He said as he spit out the ear from his mouth. He stood up and walked back to the other attackers. One of them brought out a suitcase to him.

The person looked at him with a nervous face, as if trying to ask something.

We couldn’t see their face since everyone else except Ryuu had a mask on them.

"What is it?" Ryuu asked impatiently as he began to set up the device from the suitcase.

"N-Nothing, sir," the person stuttered before quickly backing away. Ryuu then approached the unconscious Adam and planted the device on the ground.

"Such a bore," he muttered before pressing a button on his wrist and teleporting away with the others. The ground trembled and cracked, everything being drawn towards the device like a black hole.

“ALERT!”

“ALERT! T-3422 HAS BEEN TERMINATED.”

“ALL THE CONNECTED THREADS HAVE RECEIVED SUSTAINABLE DAMAGE.”

“T-3427, T-3421 HAVE LOST THEIR LIFESPAN!”

“TURNING THE RESIDUE UNITS BACK TO DEFAULT SETTINGS.”

A crowd of individuals stood around a holographic screen, each one fixated on a different display. Some appear to be taken aback, while others seem disappointed. One individual in particular is visibly seething with anger.

*

“Holyyyy shiitt!!!” Aelira gasped as she opened her eyes and looked at her hands. “Why does he have to be so repulsive when he could just kill me with a sword or something?!” She checked her stomach, feeling nauseating from their violent encounter.

“I failed again…how many times has it been now, 13? Out of all the people I could have crossed paths with, why did Ryuu have to be the one?” She said as she grabbed her own hair in frustration. Her mind raced as she tried to process everything that had happened.

As she looked around, Aelira realized that she was inside a cave. The walls were rough and uneven, illuminated by the faint light filtering in from outside. On closer inspection, she noticed a makeshift bed made of stone slabs stacked together.

“That explains why it felt so uncomfortable to lie down,” she thought wryly. Pushing herself up from the bed, Aelira stepped towards the entrance of the cave. Outside, the sun was already high in the sky, casting rays of light into the dark corners of the cave.

“Wh-”

Aelira stumbled out of the cave, her eyes widening in disbelief at the primordial landscape before her. Towering megaliths jutted from the earth like the teeth of some ancient beast, their rough surfaces etched with primitive carvings. A herd of woolly mammoths lumbered across a grassy plain in the distance, their massive tusks gleaming in the early morning light.

The air carried the scent of wood smoke and raw hides, mingling with the earthy aroma of damp soil and wild herbs.

“It's stone age, the age of dinosaurs!” She shouted in excitement as she found her mind coursing through the violent winds of the wild as she pushed herself forward.

“And where the fuck are you running off to?” Someone grabbed her from behind, startling her out of her trance. She turned to see a man staring at her with annoyance.

Her brain felt like it had been transported back to reality in an instant as she recognized the voice. With a mix of surprise and confusion, she said, 

“Adam?”