As I stood on a high branch of a massive tree, I had a clear view from top to bottom. Below, people walked along a winding path, heading somewhere unknown. The thing is—they couldn't see me. Thanks to the advanced suit I wore from head to toe, I was completely hidden. Stealth systems, enhanced sensors, and—what do you know?—cloaking.
I don't really know how to explain my situation. It's… complicated. Not the kind of story you can just drop on some random stranger and expect them to get it. But if I had to sum it up? I was locked in battle with someone who matched me move for move, power for power. Then, out of nowhere, a blinding flash of light—and the next thing I know, I'm in the middle of a forest.
I checked the status readout on my goggles. Then the location tracker. For some reason, all it showed was one word—Failure.
"Failure? What do you mean?!" I muttered, stunned.
I tried again. Same result. I attempted to connect to the nearest comm tower, even reached for a holiness signal—nothing.
Seriously? I thought.
Somehow, I had ended up stranded in a place completely unfamiliar to me, with no communication links anywhere in range.
This can't be real… can it?
The only option that made sense was to scout the area and try to find help. That plan led me straight into an unexpected discovery—a group of people walking in a line, following a narrow path through the woods. I froze the moment I spotted them.
I was about to descend and call out… maybe ask for help. But something didn't feel right.
Instead, I activated my cloak and stayed hidden, watching them silently—like a mantis waiting for the right moment to strike.
Why was I so set on hiding? Maybe it was the air, the way everything felt just a little off, or maybe I just didn't trust people—especially not in a place like this. I don't know. Maybe I was overthinking it, letting my instincts run wild. But still… I couldn't shake the feeling. For all I knew, they could be the enemy. This could be a setup—a trap meant to draw me out and hit me when I'm most exposed.
I stayed hidden for a while, keeping watch as the group moved steadily, jumping from branch to branch. Using my goggles to zoom in, I made some unexpected discoveries. I had assumed they'd be men in armored suits or maybe just regular locals. But no—it was the opposite. Not only were they mixed in age and appearance, but they were all women. What was a group of women doing out here, walking through a place like this? I wondered aloud.
I noticed other things, too. These women didn't look dangerous at all. They wore long robes of white trimmed with gold stripes, their hair perfectly styled and adorned with delicate trinkets, and their pale faces reminded me of the moon. I had no idea what I was walking into… but damn, was this some kind of fairytale? In all my life, I'd never seen a group of women so beautiful, wandering through a forest like this. The closest thing I could compare it to was a wedding I once attended for a friend.
Another thing I noticed was that if these women were Asian, they didn't quite fit the usual image. Their clothing style was similar to traditional Asian garments, but their faces didn't have the typical dark hair or monolids you'd expect. Instead, if you asked me, they looked more European.
Then I zoomed in with my goggles, focusing on something that caught my interest—something partially hidden by their hair at the side of their heads. Their ears.
"Wait—those ears? They look kind of familiar…" I murmured to myself.
Before I could finish my analysis, my goggles' radar suddenly beeped—detecting a high-speed projectile heading straight for me. I reacted fast, dodging just in time and landing on another branch. "What the hell was that?!" I whispered. Looking back, I saw an arrow lodged in the tree where I'd been moments before. Then my sensors kicked in again—this time, picking up a person.
The sensor was picking up a heat signature—someone was nearby.
I shifted my gaze from the left of the arrow to straight ahead—and there it was. The heat signature. To my surprise, a woman stood firmly on a branch, pointing what looked like a spear right at me.