š Inside the Jungle
"I was trying to get back. Got stuck," AD said, trying to keep his tone level.
The boy raised an eyebrow. "Food run?"
AD hesitated, remembering the conductor's rule.
Never reveal your true name.
"Something like that," he nodded, trying to stay vague.
The boy stepped closer, lowering his crossbow. "You don't look like you're from any tribal area I've seen. You got a name?"
AD opened his mouth instinctively. "Ayāā¦"
He stopped.
His eyes dropped to the cane in his hand, then to the ticking watch in his pocket.
"ā¦AD Mystwalker."
The boy blinked. "What?"
"That's my name."
A long pause. Then the boy laughed. "Man, what kinda name is that?"
AD forced a smile, trying to mask the nerves coiled under his skin.
"I'm Cardin," the boy said, slinging his crossbow over his back. "Cardin Nother. From the Savax Tribe."
Cardin pulled something with his left hand ā a thick vine twisted into rope. Three creatures were tied to it by their legs, dragged across the mossy floor. They looked like deer, but with elongated hind legs, thick muscle layers on their necks, and blunt, split horns shaped like petals.
"What are those?"
"Rornyx. Good meat. Don't kick much if you hit 'em clean."
Cardin looked back and smirked. "I'm surprised you don't know that if you're really from around here."
"I'veā¦ traveled far. Through desert. Ice lands. Far from this forest," AD said carefully.
Cardin paused mid-step.
"ā¦What's a desert?"
AD froze. His brain spun.
But Cardin's expression gave him a clue ā curiosity, not suspicion.
So AD replied calmly, "A place with no trees. Just endless dry land. That's why you've never seen it. It's too far from your tribal zone."
Cardin nodded slowly. "You're a real traveler, huh."
AD gave a nervous smile. "Sure. I guess."
The forest darkened. Twilight fell faster here. As they moved, AD noticed the way the vines above softly glowed, like they absorbed sunlight during the day and exhaled it gently at night.
Finally, they arrived at a large elevated structure built into a massive, hollow tree.
Inside the Tribal Area
The tribal area wasn't what AD expected.
Not primitive. Not chaotic.
The buildings were constructed with care, crafted from bio-adaptive materials ā a hybrid of hardened leather, smoothed bark, vine reinforcements, and bone structures sculpted by precise handwork.
The homes weren't huts ā they were living architecture, shaped with natural air circulation, rain capture systems, and even hardened sap doors that opened with sound-triggered mechanisms. Everything blended into the jungle ā stealth and survival were clearly priorities.
As they entered the central zone, several people turned and looked at AD.
He noticed their features instantly:
Skin pale, but strong.
Eyes luminous, like crystal, with vertical slit pupils ā a sign of enhanced night vision.
Movements fast and flexible ā every step felt coiled and ready.
They weren't mutants.
They were an evolved humanity, shaped by centuries of surviving among beasts.
And then he saw her.
A tall woman ā taller than him ā standing near a suspended canopy woven with glowing threads. She wore a structured jungle-leather coat, high boots made of scale hide, and a belt that held darts and vials. Her coat had a hood, folded back to reveal white-streaked black hair braided tight across one side.
Her gaze ā sharp as blades.
Cardin waved. "Mathina!"
The woman turned, eyes narrowing.
"This is my sister," Cardin said. "Mathina Nother."
AD offered a polite smile. "Pleasure to meetā"
"Who is he?" she asked bluntly, not taking her eyes off AD.
Cardin jumped in. "Found him near the dark roots. Was being chased by a bone-bug. He helped kill it. Sort of. He says he's a traveler."
"Traveler?" Mathina's tone was flat.
Cardin whispered, "Don't mind her. She's sharp-tongued but good-hearted."
Mathina circled AD once, analyzing everything ā especially his clothing.
The black Victorian coat. The polished boots. The fitted gloves. The ticking pocket watch.
"You dress like a burial priest," she muttered.
"Justā¦ what I wear."
A few other tribe members approached ā young men, two elders, a woman carrying herbal flasks. All of them studied AD with cautious fascination.
"Where'd you get the cane?" one of them asked.
"It's mine."
"What's it made of?"
"Not sure."
"Strange material. Doesn't reflect light properly."
AD deflected with a shrug. The attention made him tense. His mouth wanted to speak more, but his mind warned him to stay silent.
Eventually, Cardin led him to a tree room
AD stepped insideĀ
š Alone AgainĀ
Outside, the jungle whispered beneath a thick blanket of night.
But the fog that once swallowed everything had begun to lift, thinned by the gentle radiance of bioluminescent threads woven into the trees. They glowed in silence ā blue and green veins of light pulsing through the village canopy like a living constellation.
The shadows faded. The jungle breathed.
Inside his small, bark-walled room, AD closed the door behind him.
He leaned against the wall. For the first time ā no one stared. No one questioned. No one demanded.
The cane rested against the frame. The pocket watch ticked on.
Tickā¦ tickā¦ tickā¦
His shoulders trembled. His fists clenched. His throat tightened until the whisper came out like a confession.
"Why the hell am I stuck hereā¦?"
No answers. Just the weight of the jungle pressing back.
He sank into the net-bed.
Hands in his hair. Eyes staring upward.
"ā¦Please. If this is a dream, let me wake up. If this is a joke, I'm done laughingā¦"
He turned his head and stared into the dark corner of the room, where the cane leaned silently.
And then ā one line from the note returned to his mind.
"This missionis your fare to the next station."
He closed his eyes slowly.
Will the next station be home?
Or just the beginning of something worse?
The answer didn't come.
His breath softened.
His eyes numbed and fluttered shut from exhaustion ā not peace.
Somewhere inside, a hope lingered.That maybe when he woke upā¦ he'd be back.
Back in Noida.
Back in his life.
Back in reality.
But deep downā¦ a colder truth settled like dust in his bones.
This wasn't sleep.
This wasn't a dream.
This was the beginning.
.