Prehistoric Arc
The world spun in colors of green and gold as Mira tried to make sense of what just happened. One second, she was on the sidewalk; the next, she was here — in a wild, untouched forest.
Her school uniform clung to her, damp with morning dew. The air smelled raw and alive — like earth, leaves, and rain. Her heart pounded as she slowly rose to her feet.
"Hello?" she called, her voice trembling. "Anybody—"
A spear was at her throat.
She froze.
The man holding it was tall, his skin bronzed by the sun, his dark hair tied back with a strip of animal hide. His body was sculpted like the warriors in her textbooks — though she'd never admit that to his face. His piercing eyes studied her like she was a wild animal.
He barked words she couldn't understand, sharp and guttural.
"I--uh--I don't know what you're saying," Mira stammered, raising her hands. "Peace! I'm not dangerous, I swear--ah!"
The man didn't lower the spear. Instead, others emerged from the trees: men and women wearing furs, shells hanging from their necks, some carrying baskets of herbs, others holding crude stone weapons. Their hair was wild but braided neatly. Faces painted with ash and ochre. They looked… fierce.
A woman, older and with wise, steady eyes, stepped forward. She pointed at Mira, said something in their language, and gestured toward the village beyond the trees.
Days bled into weeks. Mira learned quickly that survival in this world was brutal. There were no supermarkets, no Wi-Fi, no electricity — only the rising sun, the hunt, and the fight to live another day.
At first, she couldn't communicate. She pointed at objects, mimicking sounds, repeating their words until they clicked.
"Da-ro," the children said, handing her water.
"Da-ro," she repeated, smiling, earning a chorus of giggles.
Over time, she pieced together the basics.
Food. Shelter. Danger.
And one word she heard often, muttered whenever the tall warrior appeared nearby:
"Kaeins."
—————
Kaeins didn't like her. That much was obvious.
He scowled whenever she tripped over her own feet while gathering fruits. He muttered under his breath when she flinched at the sight of fire.
"You're like a… a caveman snob," Mira grumbled one night, sitting by the fire. Of course, he didn't understand. Or maybe he did, because he rolled his eyes and walked away.
But slowly — painfully slowly — things began to shift.
He taught her how to weave traps, how to sharpen stones, how to read the signs of rain and danger in the sky. In return, she taught him silly things: how to whistle a tune, how to carve little hearts into wood.
One evening, when a sudden storm hit, Mira tripped and gashed her knee on a sharp rock. Blood ran down her leg, hot and sticky.
Before panic could set in, Kaeins was there. He scooped her up without a word, carrying her through the rain like she weighed nothing, his jaw tight and his eyes dark with worry.
She looked up at him, breathless. "Thanks," she whispered.
For the first time, his expression softened.
Nights in the prehistoric world were quiet — save for the distant howls of predators. Mira often sat near the fire, knees hugged to her chest, watching Kaeins.
He wasn't just a warrior. He was patient with children, gentle when tending to the sick, and fiercely protective of his people.
And somehow, despite her smart mouth and clumsy ways, protective of her too.
"Mira," he said one night, her name strange on his tongue but warm.
She smiled shyly. "That's me."
—————
It happened during the hunt.
The tribe had ventured farther than usual, chasing a wild beast that had been terrorizing their hunting grounds. Mira had begged to stay behind, but Kaeins — always stubborn refused to leave her unprotected.
The beast came from nowhere, massive and roaring. Chaos erupted, screams, the clash of spears, the sharp scent of blood in the air.
Kaeins shoved Mira out of the way, saving her life but not his own.
"No--NO!" Mira screamed as the world blurred, the sound of her heartbeat deafening. She reached for him, but before her fingers could touch his bloodied hand—
Darkness swallowed her.
When she opened her eyes, the world had changed again.