It was a quiet afternoon in a town square. Its name: Instam Belly, a beautiful place, yet still hidden amidst valleys and forests.
A seventeen-year-old young man was sitting on a bench, watching the comings and goings of people, the serene flight of birds, and the sky, clear and blue, sprinkled with clouds soft as cotton.
He was Ji Ao: curious, brave, somewhat shy, but still without a strong or famous name that could be recognized by the people of that place, as if destiny were waiting for the right moment to reveal him.
Suddenly, a loud crash cut through the air, as loud as thunder. But the sky remained clear. The young man looked around, confused.
"Thunder? With this sky? Or is it something bigger?" he thought.
Before he could delve deeper into the idea, he noticed a figure appearing on the other side of the square. A tall young woman, dressed strangely, as if she belonged to another time… or another world. Her face was partially covered by an unusual mask, covering her from the neck, a piece that, at the first moment Ji Ao noticed it, seemed like a hood made of some unknown fabric, but shining like polished metal.
She walked quickly, almost running, as if fleeing from something. And then four men appeared, emerging like shadows, also wearing eccentric clothes, in an old-fashioned, almost theatrical style. They surrounded the young woman without hesitation.
She tried to resist, but under the orders of one of them, she was soon subdued and thrown to the ground. Injured, she struggled to get up.
The young man on the bench remained still for a moment. Everything was too strange, almost unreal.
"Who are they? Why are they after her? And why is she wearing a mask?"
Three other young people crossed the square, laughing and talking. They saw the scene but were not disturbed. They kept walking as if nothing was happening.
But something stirred within the young man. A deep discomfort. A sense of justice that would not allow him to ignore what he saw.
He stood up, his heart racing.
"Hey! Stop that!" he shouted, running toward the four men.
They turned, surprised, but their faces remained cold, distant. The young woman, still on the ground, looked at him. Even with the mask, Ji Ao felt in her eyes a silent plea for help.
"Leave her alone!" he said firmly, trying to appear braver than he felt.
There was hesitation. One of them said something, strange, hissing words, like a language made of wind and whispers. Perhaps they mistook the young man for someone else. Or perhaps they realized he would not give in.
In a swift movement, one of the men threw a small shining object to the ground, like a pulsing crystal, and in an instant, they all disappeared into the shadows of the city. Ji Ao ran to the young woman with the clear intention of helping her.
She was tall, about 1.80 m, with a slim but firm and defined body, showing hidden strength beneath her fragile appearance. Her clothes were extravagant, almost from another world, bright and full of strange details. The mask continued covering her face completely, and Ji Ao could not imagine how she removed it, or if she could.
"Are you okay?" he asked, extending his hand.
She accepted, and he helped her sit on the bench he had previously occupied. She was breathing heavily. The mask, curiously, seemed part of her face. There was no clasp, no visible fit. It seemed glued to her skin.
"Who were they? And you… where are you from?"
She hesitated. Her eyes, invisible but present, seemed to pierce through time, seeking courage to tell the truth.
"I… am not from here," she murmured, in a low, almost ethereal voice. "I came from a very distant place… and they are hunting me."
The young man blinked, surprised.
"Hunted? Another place? What does that mean?"
His gaze fell on the object left behind. A small stone, subtly glowing. It seemed to breathe.
"What is this?"
The young woman shrank slightly. Fear returned in her posture.
"This is a Chi'ia stone… more precisely, a fragment of my world. A world they want to dominate… or perhaps they want to destroy it… and me as well."
Ji Ao furrowed his brow, confused and curious, and asked again,
"Where did you say you came from? Who were those men, and why were they attacking you?"
Annoyed, she paused for a moment, carefully choosing her words:
"I already told you, I come from another place. Now, what matters is that we need to get out of here."
Without hesitation, Ji Ao made a decision: he kept the stone in his pocket and, gathering courage, invited the young woman.
"Then let's go. There's a diner nearby. You need to eat something there, they have amazing snacks."
Immediately, he regretted mentioning the snacks; he didn't have much money, but he wanted to do something for her.
They walked together, crossing the square still lit by the afternoon sun. The young woman's figure drew attention wherever they went: tall, with shining clothes and the mask that did not come off.
Some people whispered, others just stared curiously, but Ji Ao only wanted her to feel safe, even if just for a few moments.