(*FLASHBACK*150 years before Ria’s appearance)

Dozens of villagers gathered in an open field near the village to watch the strange couple. It had just been cleared a couple of months prior to make way for new houses for the expanding community, so they never imagined two strangers would try to occupy their place. The woman, small and petite, had the color of straw and had rolled around itself as it stretched down her back, as if she had used a stick to curl her hair and make it stay that way. The man, who was a bit taller than her but not as tall as the men in the village, had his dirt-colored hair slicked back behind his ears, as if he used a kind of beeswax to maintain that style. With their pale skin and the weird, intricate garments they wore, they stood out like a sore thumb. Some of the villagers even giggled at the sight. They could never have imagined such a duo had ever existed, let alone found their way to their quaint settlement.

The village chief, overhearing the commotion, came to the couple, with guards, to find out their meaning of being there. But upon seeing the chief, with his bold display of colorful feathers and lace on his headgear, the strange man got aggressive.

"Back! Back you savages!" he growled, waving his fist, his wife clutching his hand.

"Leslie, stop. We’re in their territory... " the woman said, exposing her hand to reach her husband's face, for their eyes to meet, to ensure comfort to the both of them that they would be okay. But instead, Leslie pulled away.

"Maryanne, would you be reasonable? How do you suppose we ended up here?" Leslie said, looking at her with rage in his eyes. They were outnumbered. But they were recognizable people. He had a highly positioned job as an overwatcher at the local steel mill. And his wife, Maryanne, was an esteemed socialite. They had property and a beautiful mansion outside of the bustling city and in the lush countryside. These are not just people who disappear off into an undeveloped part of somewhere away from normality.

"They came from the sky, Chief Po!" a man from the gathering group of villagers said. Then, slowly, more and more villagers shouted in agreement. The couple looked on in disbelief. They couldn’t possibly have come from the sky; no human can do such a feat and survive. It was impossible. Or nearly.

"This can’t be… is this Altua’s doing?" Chief Po said, exhaling loudly and shaking his head in disappointment.

"Let us go. Now!" Leslie said, putting on a demanding presence in front of the chief. But his size difference with the chief and the other villagers didn't make him very threatening.

"We didn’t bring you here, nor know where you came from," Chief Po said, starting to walk away, "It was the Great Altua that brought you here."

"The Great Altua?!" He yelled, glaring at Maryanne with worry in his eyes. "Have we found a land of devil-worshipers? Is this Hell?" He looked up at the strange eyes looking back at him in wonder and fear. He didn’t know where they were or why they were there, but he wanted to make sure of one thing: that they survived. Even if it meant killing them all, he was going to find a way for him and his wife to survive and find a way back home.