He found himself in a sea of darkness. Unlike before, he did not stand upon it but was inside it. But he couldn't breathe, and despite his vision, he could see nothing. Furthermore, a feeling of weakness accompanied him. As if his life force were being actively sucked out. He no longer knew which way was up or down, and his body was tossed by the current in all dimensions.
It was not what he had hoped for. He covered his mouth with both hands and tore his eyes open, searching. Only when he nearly ran out of air did his body decide to surface again.
Back up, he gasped for air on all fours, coughing violently. Like after choking on water. After a few coughs, he looked up. He was underneath something black; in front of him was the cliff he knew...
(Wait a minute. So I am... under the spider?)
His face distorted immediately, and he jumped forward with his heavy, oxygen-starved body. Almost simultaneously, the spider rammed its entire weight into the ground, missing him. Nevertheless, Levin was now in free fall over several hundred meters. Moreover, the spider's impact just now was so great that it, too, fell down amidst the debris.
Levin closed his eyes with a small, resigned smile. He pressed both hands together, as if praying. On the threshold of death, he had apparently discovered religion for himself.
(That's it then... Fought bravely, warrior.)
Unexpectedly, however, he did not hit the ground. Something grabbed him by the collar and pulled him upward.
It was a woman! (I'm saved!)
Levin's eyes opened, sparkling. The woman had caught him in her left hand, holding him slightly below her torso. In mid-air, she stretched her right hand far to the left of her head, sword in hand. The spider seemed to unite all six legs to crush this woman with one blow upon landing. Levin wanted to warn her, but when he saw her calm face as she exhaled, he knew it was unnecessary.
She deflected the six legs to the left and let her sword glide up to one of the spikes on the spider's mouth. With a semicircular strike, it was severed. The spider landed with a thunderous crash that sent stones flying. Levin and the woman landed somewhat later, gracefully.
Two stones flew toward them. The woman simply sliced one; the second, however, aimed straight for Levin's head. Her cold expression remained unchanged. Levin tried to free himself with wide eyes, but she simply let him go, causing him to drop so the stone that would have hit his head flew into the void.
In fact, the stone grazed Levin's chin-length hair slightly. He swallowed hard. Then he thought, (This stupid broad can't even protect me properly...)
And that despite the fact she just saved his life. What an ungrateful guy.
The spider pulled all six legs out of the ground in several heavy attempts, nearly falling onto its back. After it caught itself, it clapped its two front legs together and shrieked. Meanwhile, the woman's gaze narrowed. She brought her thumb to her mouth and bit down on it until blood dripped out. She ran the blood over her long, curved sword on both sides.
Slowly, the blood began to bubble, like water starting to boil. Until it boiled uncontrollably and finally burst into flames. Steam rose from the entire blade while the restless breeze moved the fire slightly to the right. Levin watched every drop and every movement with wide eyes.
Unable to recognize the danger standing before it, the spider jumped at the woman. She waited until the beast was almost upon her. In a quick movement, she leaned her body forward, held the sword with both hands to the left behind her body, and appeared behind the spider in one fluid motion.
A quick movement, but one Levin could partially follow. From her position, she had swung the sword diagonally up to the right, then immediately horizontally down with both hands.
Accordingly, the spider fell apart just behind the woman. It was sliced into four parts, the cut surfaces still sizzling reddishly.
The flame slowly extinguished from the woman's sword. Her red hair swung to the side in the wind; her red, sharp eyes were currently piercing Levin. She put her sword away and walked toward him. He had to blink once or twice, his mouth agape. This sight... was fascinating. And confirming. He could no longer be on Terra, and he suspected he had just seen the first true supernatural powers.
Levin's expression slowly reformed, skillfully hiding his excitement.
"Who are you?" the woman asked directly.
Levin had countless questions, and she looked like she could answer them all. But Levin had to be careful. Any information could be used against him in the future—at least that's what that filthy city had taught him.
"I am called Levin," he said with his hand on his chest. "And you, Master?" he asked immediately with a put-on smile.
She smiled first. Then she laughed loudly, slapping her leg with her hand. Only now did Levin notice how much taller she was than him.
"Master, huh? You certainly have a good eye, boy," she said after her laughter subsided.
Internally, Levin exhaled. She could kill him at any moment, but at the same time, she was the only point of reference in this world. He wanted to stay near her for now. And as it seemed, he wouldn't die just yet.
The woman looked at the spider carcass, then scanned the area.
"This is a good place. I will set up a campfire... You should stay with me," she said, looking at Levin. Her eyes were direct, looking into Levin's soul. But her smile seemed honest. Not that Levin would let himself be deceived by such a thing.
Levin nodded. "Yes, that was my intention. It is impossible to survive here alone." After a short hesitation, he raised his hands and added, "Only if you allow it, of course."
It had its advantages to be polite. Right now, he had to make the best impression he could. This woman had to trust him or see him as useful.
The woman twitched slightly and then went to a wagon that stood not far from her. She took out a garment; it was gray and dirty, but fabric nonetheless. She threw it to Levin, who caught it.
"First, it would be good to put something on," she said.
Levin rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Of course, I nearly froze." Only now did another strand of cold run over his body. He spent the rest of the time collecting some wood while watching the woman. She went to the spider and cut something from it. For a moment, something glowed purple, but Levin couldn't make it out exactly.