The creature was pulling the girl towards itself with a web-like rope connected to the bag of silk she was trapped in. She cried out, "No! Please help me, someone!"
Riri formed a small fireball and hurled it at the web rope. "Catch her before she hits the ground!" she shouted.
The white-haired girl screamed, "Aaaaa!"
I looked at her and thought, It's my chance to prove myself, to show I'm capable of protecting others.
I charged, taking position before running.
But suddenly, a hand shoved me. It was Rudransh. "Next time, loser," he said.
I fell to the ground, anger bubbling in my chest. He'll pay for this.
Charging again, I vanished and appeared behind Rudransh, wrapping my arms tightly around his abdomen. He lost balance and we both crashed to the ground.
"She'll get hurt because of your mistake, idiot!" he shouted.
Riri sprinted toward the falling girl. "No, Princess!"
Shon, looking worried, lifted his hand, fingers extended toward her. Suddenly, she stopped falling and began to float in mid-air.
Riri stared in shock. "What's going on?"
Rizu, smiling at Shon, said, "Big bro, you've finally unlocked your powers."
Shon, excited and relieved, replied, "Yeah, I'm glad it happened at the right moment."
He slowly moved his hand downward, and the girl in the silken cocoon slowly descended.
Shon looked at Rizu, a quiet confidence on his face and a faint smile on his lips.
The creature lunged toward Shon, but he pointed his hands at it, stopping it mid-air.
"Move it down, bro!" Rudransh shouted.
Shon followed, and the creature's body floated downward. Rudransh sprinted forward, then leapt high into the air toward the creature.
He drove his fist into its gut, his arm sinking deep into the soft flesh. A gush of thick black blood burst out from the wound, splattering across the floor.
He stumbled as he landed, the creature crashing down with him—Rudransh's arm still lodged deep inside its body.
"Ewww, that's disgusting," he said, withdrawing his arm coated in black slime.
Riri and Rizu rushed to the girl and began tearing away the webbing from the silk-like pod she had been trapped in. As they helped her out, Rizu said, "You called her 'Princess,' right?"
Riri nodded. "Yes, she's the daughter of the current king."
Rizu stared at her, stunned. "Daughter of the king?"
The girl stood before us, wearing a white outfit with black linings, her long silver hair falling to her hips in twin tails, each tied with a red ribbon.
I stepped closer, scanning her from head to toe.
"She's the daughter of the king, huh…" I whispered.
Rudransh glared at me. "I could have saved her if you didn't interfere and make me fall."
I snapped, "I can say the same to you!"
"Calm down," Shon interjected. "It's pointless to argue now. You both need to talk things through and work out your differences."
Fixing things with him? Like I haven't tried? He never listens to anyone. It's useless, I thought.
Riri looked at Shon. "We're thankful to you for saving our princess."
The silver-haired girl approached Shon and held his hands gently. "Thank you for protecting me from that monster." Her cheeks flushed red.
Noticing it, Shon asked softly, "How did you get trapped here?"
Suddenly, Ayush and Jatin appeared with a soldier in tow. He wore grey-colored armor with a matching sword and helmet, and a white cape flowed behind him.
"How did you get free from the web?" I asked.
Ayush grinned. "This guy helped us."
The soldier stepped forward. "Princess, what happened to the others with you?"
She answered, "I was in a carriage with other soldiers and our reinsman. He suddenly drove into the forest. When soldiers questioned him, he said it was a shortcut. Then black smoke appeared, I heard screams, everything went black. When I woke up, I was stuck in this web cocoon."
The soldier looked shocked. "You protected the princess?"
Riri nodded. "Yes, they saved her."
He bowed. "I'm thankful to you all."
Rizu chimed in, "We just forgot to ask your name."
The silver-haired girl smiled. "My name is Liliana, but those close to me call me Lily."
She added, "Please be our guests."
The soldier agreed. "Yes, please come to our king's palace. He'll be delighted to meet the saviors of our princess."
Riri walked over to the spider's corpse, drew a knife, and stabbed its red eye, removing it.
"Ouch," Rizu winced. "That looked painful."
"It's required to get the reward," Riri replied.
—[Scene shifts]—
We arrived at the palace gates. The main gate stood towering, around 40 feet high, colored a rich emerald green with gold patterns etched across its surface. The path inside was a paved road flanked by vibrant gardens. Trees bore multicolored leaves and exotic flowers glowed under the setting sun.
The palace itself was a marvel—its tall domes shimmering in shades of ivory and sapphire, with banners bearing strange sigils hanging from the ramparts. Water fountains lined the walkways, and guards in ornate armor stood at fixed intervals.
Inside the great hall, I observed a tall man seated on a majestic throne. He had black hair tied in a top knot, a thick mustache, and wore a cloak of luxurious fur-lined fabrics dyed crimson and gold. Trousers of black silk adorned his lower body.
To his right sat the queen, her red eyes piercing and her long white hair flowing beneath a black dress embroidered with silver linings. Her expression was sharp, almost irritated.
To the king's left was a man with long white hair and beard, dressed in a black and white himation. He had a sinister look, and I instantly felt uneasy.
Flanking them on both sides were figures even more unusual — humanoid in shape, but with the heads of beasts. Their powerful frames were clothed in flowing robes of earthy tones — ochre, beige, deep crimson, and off-white — each cinched with golden belts. Their animal heads varied: some resembled goats with spiraled horns, others looked like deer, and one had the scaled face of a lizard. Their expressions were unreadable, almost regal, and their posture upright, exuding silent authority.
Riri and the soldier bowed before the king. Shon nudged us to follow suit.
"Really?" Rudransh muttered.
"Show respect," Ayush hissed.
We all bowed.
The soldier spoke. "My lord, the princess was attacked by a Megarachne, but these brave heroes saved her."
The king stood, analyzing us with piercing eyes. "I'm grateful to all of you. Thank you for saving my precious daughter."
"Papa, I was…" Liliana began, telling the whole story.
The king turned to his left. "Gillard, find out who's behind this attack. I'm sure it was planned."
Gillard bowed slightly. "As you command, Your Majesty. I shall begin the investigation at once."
Gillard grinned at us. These bastards… I'll make sure they don't cause problems.
Rizu, standing quietly beside me, suddenly leaned closer and whispered into my ear.
"That minister feels like a bad guy," he murmured. "I just read his thoughts. He's cursing us in his mind."
I narrowed my eyes. He's definitely involved.
"They're from another place," Riri added. "They don't know how they got here."
"You may stay with us for a few days," the king said. "I owe you that much."
Heroes? We're just confused people stuck in a strange world, I thought.
"We're thankful," Shon said. "But we don't want to cause you trouble."
Jatin muttered, "You're kidding? We saved his daughter."
"Shhh," Ayush hushed him.
Liliana looked at Shon. "Please stay. Just for today."
The king added, "Yes. Stay for dinner, at least until tomorrow morning. You too, Riri."
"They want to register for Glutz," Riri said. "But registration is over."
The king signed a slip. "Give this to the office. They can't refuse you now."
"Thank you, my lord," Riri said, bowing.
"I'm going to the reward site with the creature's eye," she told us.
"I'm coming too," Rudransh said.
"You don't want to stay?" Riri asked.
"I just want to make sure you're safe."
She smiled. "Alright, let's go."
—[Scene shifts]—
At the familiar hunting stall, the pig-faced humanoid asked, "You succeeded?"
Riri showed him the eye.
The lizard-faced one gasped. "You hunted a Megarachne? Where are the others?"
"At the palace," she said calmly.
They exchanged stunned looks.
—[Scene shifts]—
We were seated at a massive rectangular table draped in red carpet. Platters overflowed with dishes.
"What's this?" Jatin asked.
Liliana smiled. "Soup made from silver lizard."
"Ewww, seriously?" he grimaced. "Any chicken or veg?"
Shon scolded, "Don't be picky."
"We have mushroom and herb dishes from northern Pangea," Liliana added.
"Enjoy," said the king. "Feel at home."
We all finished eating. Then came dessert—a platter of honey-drizzled cheese fritters. They were light, golden, and crispy, made with a soft cheese that melted on the tongue. A stream of warm amber honey poured over them, blending sweet and savory in a divine harmony.
After eating the dessert, Ayush smiled brightly.
"It's so tasty," he said with genuine delight.
Liliana glanced at Shon with a shy expression.
"Do you like it?" she asked softly.
Shon nodded.
"Yes, it's delicious."
Liliana blushed.
"I'm learning to cook too. Next time, I'll make something special for you people."
Shon flustered, scratching the back of his neck.
"Sure," he replied, a bit awkwardly.
The king leaned forward, his voice calm but curious.
"So, Riri was saying earlier that you don't know how you got here. What place are you from? And do you remember what happened before arriving here?"
Ayush nodded. "We're originally from India, which is a country in Asia. We were on vacation in Munich, Germany. After finishing dinner, we stepped out of a restaurant… and suddenly, Ritvik started coughing up blood."
The king raised a hand. "Pardon me for interrupting, but… who is Ritvik?"
Rizu silently pointed at me. Everyone turned to look, and I felt my shoulders tighten under their stares. I looked down, a bit nervous.
Ayush continued, "We panicked. I started calling an emergency number on my phone. We were so focused on Ritvik, we didn't notice the truck heading toward us. Then… a white flash. And we were here."
Riri, who sat beside the king, listened silently.
The king scratched his eyebrow. "I owe you people and want to help. But there are several terms you mentioned I don't understand. What is a… restaurant? And I've never heard the term pho—"
"It's phone," Rizu said quickly.
Shon glared at him.
"Oh, sorry." Rizu's voice shrank as sweat formed on his brow.
"Yes, phone," the king echoed. "And India... and the second region you said. I've never heard of these places."
Shon spoke up. "Your Majesty, I believe we're from a future world—teleported back in time. But what confuses us is that the history taught in our world doesn't match what we're seeing here."
The king rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Interesting… So, what history were you taught?"
Rizu leaned toward Jatin and whispered, "Big bro's already started trying to impress his father-in-law."
Both Jatin and Rizu smirked.
I looked at them, confused.
Why are they smiling? I thought to myself.
Shon replied, "Back in our world, the continents hadn't yet divided. There were just two—Laurasia and Gondwana. At that time, only dinosaurs existed. They were enormous, lizard-like creatures."
"I know about dinosaurs," the king said calmly.
All of us stared, eyes wide.
"Oh!" Shon exclaimed. "I just remembered—dinosaur is an ancient Greek word!"
He continued, "In our history, several meteorites struck Earth. That led to the breakup of the two continents into seven."
The king and Riri exchanged a shocked glance.
"You know about it?" Riri asked.
"Know about what?" Rudransh said.
King turned to us. "Many astrologers from different kingdoms have predicted something similar. They believe the Anger of Scar will come—flaming rocks from the sky that will destroy our civilization."
A heavy silence fell.
"Will we all die, Papa?" Liliana asked quietly, her voice trembling.
The king hugged her close. "No, my princess. Papa won't let anything happen to you. You don't have to worry."
He kissed her forehead. She smiled faintly.
Jatin muttered, "We need to find a way to go back before that happens."
Ayush added, "What do we have to do?"
Shon answered, "We need to find a way to take all of them with us too. We can't leave anyone behind if meteorites are really going to fall."
"You're kidding, right?" Rudransh scoffed. "There are probably millions of people, demons, and who knows what else in this world. We can't protect them all. We don't even know how to get back ourselves!"
I suddenly stood up. "Then we'll do whatever it takes to find a way back."
Everyone stared at me. Embarrassed, I quickly sat down, eyes low.
Damn. Why am I acting so awkward?
The king chuckled. "Very well. You may go to your rooms to rest now. If you need anything, just ask the servants. They'll do whatever they can."
Jatin and Rudransh exchanged mischievous smirks.
Seeing them, Rizu and I couldn't stop laughing.
"What happened?" the king asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Don't worry," Ayush said quickly. "They're just immature."
—[Scene shifts]—
In our guestroom, six beds lined the walls. Moonlight spilled through the window.
"Where's Riri?" I asked.
Ayush replied, "She's in a separate room for girls."
Rudransh muttered mentally, Damn, that's not fair.
"She didn't insist," Shon said. "It's standard here. Boys and girls sleep separately—unless they're couples."
"Same as our world," Rizu noted.
"It depends," Jatin smirked.
Rizu smiled. "What do you mean?"
Ayush asked, worried, "Do you guys think the prediction by those astrologers will come true?"
Rizu replied, "It's not confirmed yet. This world is too different from the history we studied. It's a complete fantasy-like world, so there's a chance the meteorites won't fall—unlike what happened during the Jurassic period in our world."
"I hope you're right," Ayush said quietly.
"Let's sleep," Shon yawned. "We've got to get up early for Glutz registration. And we still need to figure out how we ended up in this world. That'll probably take a long time."
We're slowly adapting to this world… but the Glutz competition still haunts me, I thought, closing my eyes.