The decision came to Nana at 2 AM, staring at her ceiling while the rest of Linkon City slept.
She was going back.
It was insane. Reckless. Possibly suicidal.
But what choice did she have? Zayne was trapped in Avalon—she knew it in her bones. Reborn without memories, dying and resurrecting in an endless cycle, waiting for someone to save him.
And she was the only person who knew the truth. The only person who could see the portal. The only person who'd escaped.
If she didn't go back, he'd be trapped there forever.
I'm coming for you, she thought, closing her eyes. I promise, Zayne. I'm coming.
But this time, she wouldn't make the same mistakes. This time, she'd be prepared. And this time, she'd bring proof.
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The spent the next day shopping.
Not at hunter supply stores—that would raise too many questions. Instead, she hit camping stores, survival gear shops, electronic stores. Places where a young woman buying supplies wouldn't seem suspicious.
"Planning a hiking trip?" the clerk at the outdoor supply store asked cheerfully as Nana loaded her basket with waterproof matches, water purification tablets, and emergency rations.
"Something like that," Nana replied with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
She bought:
A compact but powerful hunting knife.
A lightweight handgun and ammunition (using her hunter license to bypass questions)
Medical supplies: bandages, antiseptic, pain medication.
Menstrual pads (she wasn't making that mistake again—months in Avalon the first time had been brutal)
Canned food and protein bars.
Water bottles and purification tablets.
A portable solar charger.
Extra batteries for everything.
At the electronics store, she bought the most important items:
A rugged, waterproof action camera with chest mount.
A second camera for her helmet.
Portable WiFi hotspot (she had no idea if it would work in Avalon, but she had to try).
Extra SD cards and storage.
A power bank with maximum capacity.
"Making documentary?" the tech store employee asked, helping her check the camera specifications.
"You could say that," Nana murmured.
A documentary about hell.
Back home, she tested everything.
The cameras had excellent night vision and could record for hours. The portable WiFi... well, she'd have to see. The likelihood of it working in another dimension was slim, but livestreaming her experience—if possible—would be undeniable proof.
She packed her backpack with military precision, organizing everything by priority. The cameras went in protective cases.
The gun and ammunition were secured separately. Food and water distributed to balance the weight. Medical supplies easily accessible.
She weighed the pack. Twenty kilograms. Heavy, but manageable. She'd carried worse during hunter missions.I'm stronger now, she reminded herself. I survived Avalon once. I can do it again.
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Evening came too quickly.
Nana sat at the dinner table with her parents, pushing food around her plate. Her mother kept glancing at her with that worried expression she'd worn for days. Her father was quieter, but his concern was equally obvious.
"Nana," her mother said gently. "Dr. Chen called again. He really thinks it would help if you—"
"I'll think about it," Nana lied. "I just need some time."
"We love you, sweetheart." Her father reached across the table to squeeze her hand. "Whatever you're going through, we're here for you."
I know, Nana thought, fighting back tears. But you can't help me with this. No one can.
"I love you too," she said, and meant it.
"Both of you. So much."
After dinner, she retreated to her room. Her backpack sat by the door, packed and ready. Her motorcycle keys were in her pocket.
Everything was prepared.
She just had to wait for her parents to fall asleep.
At 11 pm the house finally went quiet.
Her parents' bedroom door had been closed for over an hour. Nana waited another thirty minutes to be safe, then moved silently through the house.
She paused at the coffee table in the living room and carefully placed a folded note there. Her hand trembled as she set it down.
The note read:
Mom, Dad,
By the time you read this, I'll be gone. I know you think I'm having a breakdown, but I'm not. Everything I told you about Avalon was true. Dr. Zayne Li is trapped there, and I'm the only person who can help him.going back to find him and bring him home. I've prepared everything I need. I have supplies, weapons, and cameras to document everything. When I come back, you'll have proof that I wasn't lying.
If I don't come back... please know that I love you. Please know that I'm not running away or giving up. I'm fighting for someone I love, and I'm fighting to prove the truth.
I'm sorry for making you worry. I'm sorry I can't explain this better. But I have to do this.
Please don't blame yourselves. This isn't your fault. And please don't give up on me.
I love you both so much.
- Nana
She stared at the note for a long moment, memorizing her parents' sleeping house—the family photos on the walls, her mother's reading glasses on the end table, her father's work bag by the door.
I'm coming back, she promised silently. With Zayne. With proof. With everything.
Then she shouldered her backpack, grabbed her helmet, and slipped out the front door as quietly as a ghost.
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The motorcycle ride to the forest felt both endless and too short.
Nana's heart pounded the entire way. Part of her couldn't believe she was actually doing this. Voluntarily jumping back into the nightmare that had nearly destroyed her.
But the larger part—the part that had killed demons and giants, that had mercy-killed Mina, that had survived months of hell—was grimly determined.
Zayne needs me. That's all that matters.
She parked her motorcycle deep in the forest, camouflaging it with branches. If she didn't come back, at least someone might find it and know where to look.
The ice cave loomed before her, the portal swirling with that eerie, beautiful light that only she could see.adjusted her backpack, double-checked that both cameras were recording, and made sure her smart watch was synced to her phone. The portable WiFi device was activated, though she had no idea if it would maintain signal where she was going.
She pulled out her phone and opened a new video recording, propping it against a rock so it captured her face.
"My name is Angelina Wang," she said clearly, looking directly at the camera. "Hunter Association ID: A-2847. Today is—" she checked her watch, "—October 15th, 2034, 11:47 PM. I'm about to enter a portal to a realm called Avalon. If anyone finds this footage, please share it. Please investigate. And please..." Her voice caught. "Please tell my parents I love them."
She ended the recording, saved it to the cloud with an automatic upload, and tucked her phone into a protective case in her backpack.
Then she stood at the edge of the portal, feeling that familiar pull. The cold. The wrongness of it.
"I'm coming, Zayne," she whispered. "Hold on. Just hold on a little longer."
Nana took a deep breath.
And jumped.
The sensation was exactly as she remembered—and somehow worse.
Falling. Endless falling through ice and void and screaming wind. Her body felt like it was being torn apart at the molecular level, every cell protesting the impossibility of what was happening.
She forced her eyes to stay open this time.
I need to see. Need to document.
Through the chaos of the fall, she caught glimpses:
The gray sky of Avalon, perpetually overcast.
The broken city below, spreading out in all directions.
Buildings—some intact, most crumbling.
Fires burning in several districts.And the creatures. So many creatures. More than she remembered. They swarmed the streets like ants, fighting each other, hunting, killing.
Oh god, Nana thought. It's gotten so much worse.
There were humans too. More than before. She could see groups of them, armed and organized, claiming territory, fighting each other as viciously as they fought the monsters.
The gangster clubs. Just like she'd feared.
Avalon had deteriorated since her escape.
Nana tried to stay conscious, tried to observe everything, but the fall was too much.
Her vision began to blur. Her head spun.
The last thing she saw before darkness claimed her was the ground rushing up to meet her—hard, unforgiving concrete somewhere in the heart of the broken city.
Her body hit with devastating force.
Pain exploded through every nerve.
And then—
Nothing.
Unconscious fled.
Nana lay broken on the Avalon streets, her backpack cushioning some of the impact but not enough. Around her, the sounds of the city continued: screams, roars, gunshots, the crackle of fire.
Her cameras were still recording.
Her smart watch still tracked her vitals.
But Nana herself was lost to darkness, unaware of the shadows moving closer, drawn by the scent of fresh blood and vulnerable prey.
Unaware that her second arrival in Avalon had not gone unnoticed.
Unaware that somewhere in this nightmare city, a man with hazel eyes and no memories had just felt an inexplicable pull toward the eastern district.
Toward her.
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To be continued.