A gentle breeze drifted through the open field, brushing against her soft, natural beauty. Her shoulder-length wavy black hair swayed slowly in the wind. The late afternoon was calm and breathtaking, the kind of quiet beauty that could make anyone forget the burdens lingering in their mind.
Her eyes gazed far ahead, as if trying to pierce through the vast meadow stretching before her.
"Fatheema! What are you doing?" a little girl shouted from afar.
Fatheema turned around. A warm smile appeared on her face as she waved toward the girl.
"Come here! Sit with me and watch the sunset."
"So this is where you are. I've been looking for you everywhere," the girl said with a pout.
"Yeah… I'm sorry, Luna. I've been confused lately. I just needed a moment to calm myself," she replied.
Luna was a young girl who lived in the world where Fatheema now found herself. At first glance she looked like an ordinary little girl, her face almost identical to that of a human. Yet there was one small difference—on her forehead grew a pair of tiny horns, each no longer than a ring finger. They looked exactly like the horns of a young calf.
Luna had an adorable, charming face. Her skin was pale and smooth, her eyes slightly narrow and framed by long curved eyelashes. Her eyebrows formed a neat line, delicate and elegant. Her lips were small and pink, her nose slender and pointed, and her ears slightly sharp at the tips. At a glance she could almost pass for a human girl from Asia.
Her wavy black hair flowed down to her waist, tied loosely with a braided hairband decorated with small beads made from bright blue stones.
When she reached Fatheema, she immediately sat down beside her.
"The view is beautiful, isn't it?" Luna asked.
"Yes. The vast meadow looks golden under the light of the setting sun. It stretches as far as the eye can see, with mountains standing quietly in the distance. The sky is turning orange, slowly deepening into crimson. Clusters of pale yellow clouds drift across it, and sunlight spills through the gaps between them, making the whole scene feel breathtaking."
Luna turned toward her.
"What are you going to do next? Are you going to search for him? Are you ready?"
Fatheema lowered her gaze slightly.
"I don't know yet. I'm still thinking about it."
Luna sighed softly.
"My advice… you should train more first. Strengthen yourself before facing him again. He's the strongest monster among his kind. Remember what happened the last time you fought him? You almost died."
She paused before continuing.
"If your friend hadn't used the last of her strength to open a teleportation portal and pull you out of there, you wouldn't have survived. But doing that drained all of her power… and now she's fallen into a deep sleep."
Fatheema clenched her fists.
"Yes… I know. And that's exactly what I've been thinking about."
Her voice grew firmer.
"I have to take back the Soul Source of my little sister… and my friends… from that evil demon."
"Alright, Fatheema. I'll do my best to help you," Luna said as she turned her face toward her. A wide, sweet smile spread across her face.
"I hate what that evil demon has done too. In this world, he has caused so much suffering for others."
She paused for a moment before continuing.
"But first, we need to prepare a strategy if you want to achieve your goal in this world."
Fatheema looked at her.
"What do you think we should do?" she asked.
"I think the first thing you need is a weapon," Luna replied. "Of course, one that suits you best. It will be different from the weapons you used in your previous world."
Fatheema lowered her gaze slightly.
"I was thinking that maybe—"
Suddenly she stopped speaking. Her attention snapped away as a vision appeared in an instant.
She found herself standing inside a vast, brightly lit room.
Slowly, the scene shifted… until it became the meadow where she and Luna had been sitting earlier. Everything was calm and silent.
Then, suddenly, black smoke burst out from the ground in front of her, like smoke being forced through a pipe. The smoke twisted and condensed, forming the shape of a towering dark creature.
It was massive.
Its head resembled that of a buffalo, with long curved horns. Its arms and legs were long and thin, ending in sharp claws. Its eyes burned with a crimson glow.
The creature let out a thunderous growl.
Then suddenly—
It split.
Two… four… eight…
In an instant the creatures rushed toward her.
Fatheema raised her hand quickly to block the attack—
And the vision vanished.
"Luna! Let's go!" she shouted, jumping to her feet. She grabbed Luna's hand and began to move quickly, almost running.
"Hey! What's wrong, Fatty?" Luna asked in confusion.
"Something is coming this way. We need to leave—now!"
They ran away from the meadow, following a dirt path lined with thick trees on both sides. Their destination was a temporary shelter in the nearest village.
They had run about fifty meters when suddenly—
Five meters in front of them, black smoke began to billow out from the ground, just like smoke blasting through a pipe.
The smoke swirled and thickened.
Then it transformed into the shape of a massive black creature.
***