I sighed as I looked up to the evening sky, though there are no stars because it was covered by the towering trees, and I can see my breath.

“What a cold evening” I muttered

“Why were you injured? I asked

I could see her ears twitching, she turned and spoke

“My brother and I ran until our lungs burned, but it wasn’t long before two soldiers caught us. They chained us like animals and beat us whenever we faltered, dragging us through an unfamiliar forest towards the unknown. But fate gave me one chance. Under the cover of night, when their guard was low, I froze the shackles with my power until the metal snapped apart. I moved quickly, quietly, freeing the others as my senses stretched outward, following the faint, familiar scent of my brother.”

“Yet….” She paused, her lips trembling

“Freedom brought only more blood. The adults I had unshackled refused to flee—they took up whatever weapons they could find and struck at the imperials as they slept. In an instant, the forest erupted into chaos. Steel clashed, men shouted, and the dark was filled with the stench of blood and fear. Through the turmoil I found my brother lay pinned beneath a soldier’s boot, his small frame trembling as the man struck him again and again. I froze, paralyzed by horror. Then rage overtook me. With a cry, I hurled myself at the soldiers, claws and frost lashing wildly in desperation. I didn’t see the one behind me until it was too late. His blade sank deep into my stomach, white-hot pain tearing through me. My strength gave out, and I crumpled to the ground. The last thing I saw was my brother’s face twisted in terror before the world dissolved into black. When my eyes opened again, I was lying in the woods. A stranger knelt beside me, her hands glowing faintly as she poured what little Aether she had left into my wound, holding me on the edge of life. By the time I could stand, she was gone. I staggered through the trees until I reached this cave, my body weak, my heart broken. And here… here I felt it for the first time since that night—a presence. A calm Aether, steady and warm, like the promise of someone that could save me, that’s where you came”

“I see…” I murmured, staring into the fire. Its crackle filled the silence between us, but her words lingered in my chest like the embers glowing on the wood.

The young beastwoman lay curled on the ground, her tail twitching faintly as if betraying her restless thoughts despite her closed eyes. I knew she wasn’t truly asleep—her ears were still angled toward me, listening for every sound, every breath.

My fingers instinctively brushed the crest on my hand. A healer… extinct for seven years? Her words gnawed at me. What exactly had I awakened inside myself when I saved her? What did this crest mean in this world?

The air grew colder as the night deepened. My breath misted in front of me, fading into the dark canopy of towering trees. I leaned back against the cave wall, forcing my tired eyes to stay open, though the warmth of the fire and the weight of the day pressed me toward sleep.

Then her voice broke the silence. Soft, hesitant.

“…Do you regret it?”

I blinked, glancing at her. She was still lying down, facing away from me. Only her ears twitched slightly.

“Regret what?” I asked.

“Saving me.” Her words carried both bitterness and shame. “If you hadn’t interfered… maybe the imperials wouldn’t be searching this forest now. Maybe you’d still be safe.”

I chuckled dryly. “Safe? In this world? I don’t even know where the hell I am. Safe is a luxury I’ve never had.”

She shifted, turning to face me. Her diamond-like eyes shimmered faintly in the firelight, reflecting both vulnerability and steel. “Then why? You could’ve left me there to die.”

I opened my mouth to answer, but my throat tightened. The memory of Juliana’s tear-streaked face back at People’s Park flashed in my mind, followed by the image of my younger self crying behind the locked door. Pain. Betrayal. Loneliness.

I exhaled slowly. “Because I know what it feels like… to be left behind.”

Her eyes widened slightly. For the first time, she didn’t argue. Instead, silence fell again, heavy but less hostile than before.

I tore another bite of fish, the taste oddly nostalgic despite the strange world I found myself in. She curled up tighter, her tail wrapping around her waist like a blanket.

Before long, the fire dwindled into glowing embers. My eyelids grew heavy, but I fought against them, gripping the stick I’d picked up earlier just in case.

And then, I went to sleep.

“KYLE! Wake up”

I heard someone screaming my name, and opened my eyes. It was morning, the sun already was out for some time. I rose, and stretched the sleep out from my body; I turned to look for that young woman, and she wasn’t there. I was a bit confused of who called out my name, since we didn’t share self-introductions of ourselves, except that she knew name in my previous world.

“Where the hell is she?” I muttered, standing up. Then I caught movement to my left, accompanied by the faint clatter of metal. Instinctively, I crouched low and scanned the area for cover. To my right, a cluster of tall brush caught my eye, and I slipped inside as quietly as I could.

Moments later, armored foot soldiers marched into view. Their appearance was striking—each wore segmented bronze armor that glinted under the dim light, a curved rectangular shield strapped to one arm, and a short sword hanging at the hip. Crested helmets covered their heads, the red plumes swaying slightly with every step, while leather sandals laced up their calves struck the earth in perfect rhythm. They looked almost identical to the Roman legionaries I had only ever read about in history books. Followed behind was the young woman, my eyes widened in disbelief when I saw her, the feeling I have is similar to what my ex did to me.

“Yawaa ning pisting gwapa” I thought

(Fucking great, beauty with bad intention)

I slowly turned left and right for options on how will I escape this predicament that I am in.

“Two legionary soldiers, who from what I see, are well trained and can spot me any moment”

I glanced up as one of the soldiers spoke

“Where is this healer you’re talking about slave white leopard beastwoman?”

“He… He… was here earlier; I placed a spell on him to sleep a little longer. But… but”

The soldier sighs, and slapped the young woman with his sheathed gladius, and she fell to the ground.

“Healers can nullify any fucking spells that were placed on them regardless if their sleeping or not. Because of that crest on their hands.”

The soldier, pushed her to the ground and placed his foot on her head, unsheathed the blade and thrust it inches away from her face.

“Do you want your brother to die?”

“NO!!! please, don’t lay a hand on to him, I beg you! Do you can take my virginity or you can do whatever you want with me. Just don’t hurt my brother!” The young white leopard beastwoman frantically pleaded the soldiers, gripping on the ground.

“Pisti, pagka yawa ning mga sundalo”

(Shit, these soldiers are worst)

Both the soldiers laughed, and one of them slapped and gripped her left butt. She yelps in pain, I could see her eyes, filled with pain and resentment, but was powerless to resist these trained armed men. Later, our eyes locked, as if she saw through the bush where I was currently hiding.

But her eyes, aren’t the eyes that would tell these soldiers that I am here hiding, rather the eyes of help. As both of the soldiers decided to have their way on her.

I gripped both my fists.

“THIS IS RAPE” I thought to myself

Forgetting her betrayal, I raised my right hand which went out from the bush, then crest glowed and flicked it downward, then time stopped, with rage in my eyes, I activated the sight where I can see the flow of Aether, and the insides of everything around me. But I focused my eyes onto the two soldiers. I don’t know how I did that, but it happens. Then I though if I had a sword, I could split them into to, and a sword conjured from my right hand, like the crest formed a sword of light. I raised it and cut both the soldiers in half leaving a trail of light. I straightened myself and pushed both the soldiers away from the young woman. Then I snapped, time begin to flow and both the soldiers with their bodies cut in half flew yards away leaving a trail of their entrails and blood, as their laughter earlier turned to scream of death.

I turned and the young woman stumbled back, afraid, of the power that I had just unleashed, then my head suddenly hurts, the sword of light in my head disappeared, my vision became blurry and I collapse to the ground. The young white leopard said something, but I only hear her mumbling. Then I passed out.

Darkness.

That was all I knew the moment my body gave in. A void where time held no meaning. My chest felt heavy, as if something was pressing down on me, yet somewhere in that emptiness, I heard a faint voice. One of them was hers.

“…please… don’t die… not after this…”

When my eyes cracked open again, I was no longer on the blood-soaked ground. Instead, I lay on a bed of animal pelts inside what seemed to be a dimly lit cave. The faint glow of blue crystals embedded into the rock walls gave off a soft light, just enough for me to see her figure nearby.

The young white leopard beastwoman sat by a small fire, clutching her knees, her ears drooping low. Her cheek was swollen from where she’d been struck earlier, and her eyes shimmered with unshed tears as she stared blankly into the flames.

I tried to move, but my body heavy as if a ten ton weight was on me, forcing me to groan. She immediately turned, rushing toward me.

“You’re awake!” she exclaimed, her voice trembling. “I—I didn’t know if you’d survive after… after what you did.”

I blinked, trying to process. “What happened after I passed out?”

She lowered her gaze. “…I dragged you here. It wasn’t easy. You’re heavier than you look.” A faint, bitter smile flickered across her lips, then vanished. “But I couldn’t just leave you behind. Not after you saved me.”

Her words carried sincerity, but I could still feel the sting of her earlier betrayal. My eyes narrowed. “Why did you sell me out to them?”

The beastwoman flinched, her tail stiffening. She opened her mouth, then shut it, as though the weight of her answer was crushing her. Finally, she whispered, “Because they have my brother. He’s all I have left. They promised me his safety… if I brought them you.”

The fire crackled between us, filling the silence.

I clenched my fist against the bedding, torn between anger and pity. “And you thought offering me up was the solution?”

Her eyes glistened with guilt. “…I’m sorry. I—I didn’t know what else to do. But seeing what they almost did to me… and what you risked for a stranger like me…” She trailed off, her voice breaking.

I let out a long breath, the image of those soldiers’ twisted grins still fresh in my mind. “If they have your brother, then we’ll get him back.”

Her ears perked, eyes widening with disbelief. “You’d help me? After what I—”

I cut her off, staring into the fire. “I’m not doing it for you. I’m doing it because those bastards don’t deserve to breathe.”

For the first time, her lips curved into a fragile smile. “…Thank you.”

But even as the warmth of the fire touched my skin, I felt a deeper chill in my bones. That power I had unleashed—stopping time, seeing the flow of Aether, conjuring a sword of light—it wasn’t just random. It was something dangerous, something alive within me. And if I couldn’t control it… I would’ve destroyed everything around me. 

I stood and said to her

"Lets move... we can use the cover of night to our advantage."