A full cycle of the sun had passed while Alpha lay in the depths of an unconscious stupor. As the next dawn broke, the morning light pierced through the cave's entrance, striking the glittering, crystalline rocks embedded in the walls. The reflections danced across Alpha's face in a chaotic prism of light, finally pulling him back to the world of the living.
His eyes fluttered open, heavy and encrusted with the salt of dried tears. Instinctively, he tried to push himself off the ground, but a sudden lurch of his body reminded him of his grim reality. His left arm was gone. The lack of balance made even the simplest movement a grueling task. Gritting his teeth, Alpha struggled, stumbling and falling several times before finally finding his footing. His body felt broken, but the desperate need for answers pushed him forward.
He decided to follow the gentle murmur of the river, heading deeper into the cavernous depths where the light of the sun could no longer reach. As he ventured further, the flora changed. Strange, alien-looking trees began to appear, their barks shimmering with a faint bioluminescence. Even more peculiar were the fruits hanging from their branches—vibrant, pulsating with a soft glow, and shaped like nothing he had seen in the modern world.
Hours passed as he navigated the winding tunnels. Eventually, he reached a sanctuary so deep within the earth that even the sound of the wind or the cry of a bird was absent. Only the rhythmic dripping of water echoed in the oppressive silence. Hunger, sharp and unforgiving, began to gnaw at his stomach again. Near a cluster of stalactites, he found a tree bearing small, seed-like fruits. Driven by primal necessity, he devoured them, finding them surprisingly filling. After sating his hunger, he knelt by the riverbank and drank deeply, the cold water soothing his scorched throat.
Feeling the filth of his journey clinging to his skin, Alpha decided it was time to cleanse himself. He meticulously stripped away his tattered, blood-stained clothes and plunged into the river. The water was icy, sending a jolt through his nerves. Because he had only one arm, he couldn't swim against the current; instead, he let himself drift, using the river's edge as a guide as the water pulled him further into the unknown.
A short distance downstream, the cavern opened up into a wider chamber. There stood a girl of unparalleled beauty. She looked exhausted, her shoulders slumped as she sighed to herself. "This journey has taken its toll," she murmured softly. "A bath is overdue." She shed her robes with practiced grace and stepped into the crystalline waters, unaware of the intruder drifting toward her.
As Alpha floated around a rocky bend, his eyes first fell upon a pile of exquisite silk garments and a shimmering sword resting atop a boulder. His heart skipped a beat. Someone is here, he thought, panic instantly replacing his calm. And they are armed. His first instinct was to retreat, but then, his gaze shifted to the water.
He saw her. She moved like a delicate lotus in a pond, her skin as pale and flawless as the finest porcelain. Alpha stood frozen, mesmerized. He had never seen such beauty—not in his world, and certainly not in this nightmare. He watched, captivated, as she ran her hands over her skin with a gentleness that seemed to defy the harshness of this world. But his luck ran out. The girl's senses were sharp, honed by years of cultivation. She felt a gaze upon her.
Panic surged through Alpha. In his desperate attempt to duck behind a rock and swim away, his footing slipped. SPLASH!
The sound echoed like a thunderclap in the silent cave. The girl turned instantly, her eyes flashing with cold fury. Without a moment's hesitation, she struck out. A wave of concentrated energy erupted from her hand, slamming into the water where Alpha had been. The force sent him tumbling through the rapids, washing him violently downstream until he crashed near the bank where his clothes lay.
Gasping for air, Alpha scrambled to pull on his tunic with his one hand, his fingers shaking uncontrollably. He had barely managed to cover himself when he felt the biting cold of steel pressed against the nape of his neck.
The girl stood over him, her sword glowing with a faint, lethal light. "Tell me who you are and what business you have in this Forbidden Area," she demanded, her voice cutting through the air like a blade. "And answer me this—where is your arm?"
Alpha tried to find his voice, but the sword pressed deeper. "If you utter a single lie, I will end your life before you can take another breath," she threatened.
Trembling, Alpha poured out his story. He spoke of the other world, the mysterious gate, the horrific Werewolf attack, and how he had been left for dead in these mountains. As he spoke, the girl's icy demeanor flickered. She wasn't moved by pity for him, but rather by a deep-seated shame for her own kind. That Werewolf... his savagery brings nothing but dishonor to our clan, she thought. Her initial instinct was to execute him—after all, he had seen her in her most private moment. But then, she felt it.
A faint, hauntingly familiar aura radiated from the boy's body. It was an aura she hadn't felt in centuries.
"Fine," she said, sheathing her blade with a sharp click. "I will assist you in reaching the nearest city. Consider it a mercy."
Alpha bowed his head, his voice cracking with relief. "Thank you... thank you for sparing me."
She stared at him, her gaze searching. "Is your name... Alpha Khan?" When he whispered a confirmation, she fell into a profound, brooding silence, her thoughts seemingly miles away.
They emerged from the cave together. The sight of the jagged, blood-stained peaks made Alpha flinch, his body shaking with the memory of his trauma. He refused to move, paralyzed by the fear of the open wasteland. The girl watched him, remembering the sheer terror he had described. She drew her sword once more. Alpha recoiled, thinking his end had come, but she simply held the hilt toward the sky.
"This is a Flying Sword," she stated matter-of-factly. "We will travel by air."
Alpha's mind raced—he had read of such things in fantasy novels, but seeing it was different. He approached tentatively. She hopped onto the hovering blade and reached out her hand. Alpha took it, but as the sword lurched into the air, his balance failed him. Desperate not to fall, he reached out with his one arm and grabbed her waist. The sudden, uneven weight sent them both spiraling off the sword.
They tumbled to the ground, the girl landing squarely on top of Alpha. Shock and embarrassment paralyzed them for a second before Alpha began to stammer apologies. The girl, her face flushed with irritation, simply kicked him away to create distance.
Eventually, they were back in the sky, soaring high above the clouds. To prevent another disaster, she had bound Alpha to her using a sturdy rope, treating him more like cargo than a passenger. He hung there, watching the world blur beneath him, until the sprawling lights of a massive city appeared on the horizon. Without a word of farewell, she untied the rope, letting Alpha drop toward the outskirts of the city.