I was slowly trying to understand this strange new world… but what happened next was way beyond anything I could've imagined.
"Why does this place feel so… empty?" I muttered to myself, standing beneath the shadow of a crumbling old building.
Tomo, my tiny companion, hovered beside me — his eyes glowing with a soft blue light.
"Danger level increasing. Unidentified energy detected nearby," Tomo warned, his voice calm but precise.
"Again?" I sighed. "Every place I go has something wrong with it…"
Suddenly, a sharp sound echoed through the air — something had fallen. I immediately grabbed the metal rod I carried. It was the one thing I trusted more than anything else right now.
But what I saw wasn't an enemy.
It was Aika.
Her clothes were covered in dust, and she was sitting against the wall, clutching her shoulder. There was a small cut on her face, and her breathing was shallow and heavy.
"What are you doing here alone?" I asked.
"What does it matter to you?" she snapped, her tone sharp as ever.
I stayed quiet for a second. Then, without a word, I walked up and draped my jacket over her shoulders.
"Because someone should care."
For a brief moment, she didn't say anything. The fire in her eyes softened, just a little. We sat in silence for a while.
Then—
Boom!
The ground shook. A blast roared in the distance.
Aika stood up fast, wincing slightly. "He's back…"
"Who?" I asked.
"Kuze."
Out of the shadows, a tall figure emerged — red eyes glowing like embers, an old energy blade in his hand.
He grinned. "So you're the one… the clueless guest from the future. Aren, right?"
I gripped my rod tightly. "And you… why are you after Aika?"
"Because she was mine. And all of you… you forgot me."
A fight broke out — fast, chaotic. I couldn't match him. He was too fast, too focused. But Tomo intervened — launching a blast that sent Kuze's blade flying.
Kuze stepped back, looking slightly surprised.
"You're interesting," he said with a crooked smile. "But this… this is only the beginning."
And just like that, he faded — vanishing into smoke and shadow.
Aika and I stood there, still shaken. Then I noticed it — an old wall beneath us, glowing with strange symbols. Slowly, they formed a spiral.
"What… is that?" I whispered.
Tomo's voice was cold. "Spiral energy detected. Confirmed."
Aika turned toward me, her voice low. "Whatever you just triggered… it's not a good sign."
The world fell into silence again, and a chill passed through the air— like something ancient had just awakened.
To be continued…