In the night filled with the sound of burning and the glow of the campfire, Skafael simply stared at the still-unconscious woman.
Curiosity lingered, wondering about the horns and tail.
Skafael also wondered why the woman was here.
But her attire clearly indicated that she was a member of the military.
Skafael sighed in frustration. Suddenly, something fell, startling him. Coconuts fell in the wind.
But Skafael didn't pay much attention to it for now.
He was already drinking river water.
Not long after, the woman began to regain consciousness. She writhed and groaned, her hands immediately reaching down to hold her stomach.
Slowly, her eyes opened, though slightly, and she saw Skafael sitting in front of her.
Reflexively, she immediately reached for her weapon from her shirt pocket, but it was gone; all her equipment was gone.
"Good evening," Skafael greeted.
The woman's expression changed immediately; she couldn't think clearly in her hungry state.
She stood up and slowly backed away, gritting her teeth in anger, and her eyes radiated hatred as curses escaped her lips.
("You bastard Origin! What have you done to me!")
Unfortunately, Skafael couldn't understand the woman's words; in other words, the woman spoke a language different from his own.
Skafael could still sense the hatred in her eyes, but he couldn't pinpoint the reason. This was their first time meeting, and even under strange circumstances.
The woman remained alert, even though she was unarmed, her hands clenched tightly, ready to fight, even if the odds were against her.
Skafael simply stared at her. With his eyesight, he could see that the woman was at her most vulnerable; it wouldn't take much effort to defeat her.
Sighing, Skafael reached for the box he'd made to store food and offered it to her. But of course, the woman's hatred continued to radiate, even though it had only intensified.
Skafael stood up, then approached a little, crouched down, remaining vigilant, and placed the box on the ground. He then walked back under the coconut tree.
The woman remained cautious, not approaching the slightest bit, distrustful and suspicious of the box's contents.
Under the coconut tree, she realized her belongings had been taken by Skafael. But as he approached, he threw the weapons at her, except for one; he didn't return his dagger.
Skafael sat back down, grabbed another box, opened it, and began eating the grilled octopus, an act he had done to show the woman what was inside.
The woman slowly moved forward to retrieve her belongings, initially remaining suspicious and not touching the coconut leaf food box.
But reality proved otherwise. Her stomach let out a loud rumbling sound, audible even to Skafael.
Her hunger was now unbearable. Reluctance and skepticism mixed together, and she opened the box. Sure enough, it contained grilled fish and octopus.
The smell was a little strange, but her mouth was watering. Swallowing, she picked up a piece of octopus tentacle and sniffed it to make sure there was nothing there.
She stepped back a few meters and began eating. What happened next was predictable: the woman ate with great gusto.
"...Looks like that wasn't enough for you, huh?" Skafael said.
The woman quickly glanced at him, her expression surprised by the words, but quickly turned serious. She stopped chewing and replied.
("You... are another Origin?")
What surprised her was that Skafael's words were so foreign. Of course, she knew someone from Origins, just like the man in front of her; there were no distinctive physical characteristics whatsoever.
("You're not of his race?")
Skafael remained silent as he listened to the woman's words. Despite the language barrier, he could still tell from her expression that she was shocked, but why?
"I'm sorry, I don't understand. We speak different languages." He gestured with his hand, pointing at the woman and himself, then made a cross with his fingers.
"Hufftt... Oh my god—"
As Skafael was about to reach for another box, a strong gust of wind hit him. In an instant, the woman was very close to him. The sword held near his face glinted in the moonlight, creating a sharp reflection back at him.
("Where are you from?")
"What the hell!?"
Skafael was shocked, wondering how the woman could be so close to him in an instant.
His eyes darted to her, and now their eyes met.
It was a tense moment, his heart pounding as he watched the sharp sword that could quickly behead him.
The woman soon withdrew her sword, but her eyes remained fixed on Skafael. She slowly returned it, sheathing it.
("I will not kill you now, thank you for helping me.
But! If you turn out to be like him and we meet again, I will slit your throat.")
Skafael didn't understand the words, but her tone was clear, containing a threat.
The woman then returned to her seat, retrieving the food Skafael had given her. She quickly finished it, then retrieved all her weapons and placed them in the buckle of her shirt.
Without a word, she left, her steps almost soundlessly growing farther and farther away, finally disappearing from Skafael's sight.
.....
The next morning, the sun was rising, and Skafael awoke from the pile of coconut leaves and branches he had used as a mat and blanket.
He got up and stretched, yawning lazily, and headed for the river.
Skafael immediately dove into the river. The cold water instantly made his body shiver and chase away his sleep.
Reluctant to take off the clothes he had found upon waking, something crossed his mind.
The ecosystem here felt familiar, but something like that woman was not normal; it had horns and a tail.
But Skafael didn't care and chose not to think about it any further. Besides, he didn't know why he was here; at least he was still alive.
The power he had discovered also felt strangely familiar to him, as if he had used it before, but he couldn't remember when.
Focusing his eyes, Skafael could now see through his ability again; countless particles and atoms were flying around him.
After a moment of using it, Skafael stopped, becoming uncomfortable with the burning sensation in his eyes.
Afterward, Skafael's activities continued as normal. He ate yesterday's octopus, then put on his shirt, tying one side to act like a pouch to store his belongings.
He put all the food he had inside, including a flint to start another fire.
A moment of hesitation crossed his mind, but he was certain he couldn't stay here for long, so he set off anyway.
As he journeyed deeper into the ecosystem, it became strange yet fascinating.
Many things astonished Skafael, things he had never seen before, such as dragonflies the size of a human arm, lizards the size of cows that fortunately didn't attack him, a plant with a snout similar to a crocodile, and many other things.
However, as he walked further, corpses began to appear. Corpses with weapons and military uniforms littered the road. It seemed like a war or conflict between groups was brewing.
This confirmed Skafael's curiosity about the woman from yesterday. She might have been one of these groups. Last night, his hatred and actions were likely a misunderstanding, as he considered her an enemy.
Skafael approached the corpses, a little reluctant, but then took one of the shoes to wear and a bag. Skafael clasped his hands in thanks and continued his struggle.
Now with the bag, he no longer needed to use his shirt as a bag.
The forest was scorched, and the air, which had once been fresh, was now polluted. The smell of burning wood and smoke filled the area.
Not far away, the end of the forest came into view, and light filtered through the gaps in the trees, but...
BOOM.
A loud explosion was heard, followed by a series of gunshots and the clang of metal clashing.
Walking through the forest, a barren wasteland came into view.
The ground was black, as were the mountains; explosions were everywhere, and sparks of fire dotted the arena.
Standing as tall as buildings, colossal creatures fought each other, adding to the chaos of the battlefield.
His eyes widened at the horrific sight; Skafael had never expected such a thing. Even though he didn't remember everything after waking up yesterday, he knew this wasn't the world he once knew.
"What the hell is this!?"
Skafael's body trembled, his pupils dilated, revealing another ability.
Through his eyes, Skafael saw a spectrum of multicolored light emerge from the bodies of the fighting men, moving in streams of energy that seemed to be used to gain power.
Luckily, this time, the ability didn't burn his eyes.
However, the sound of gunfire suddenly grew very close, and a few bullets fortunately missed him quickly, prompting Skafael to regain his senses and turn around.
(Damn, I missed!)
Several men had appeared behind him, rifles ready to fire.
Fighting with just a dagger was impossible. Skafael was cornered; there was no other way to escape. Behind him was now only a high cliff beneath which a battle was taking place.
"Damn."
The men slowly approached, while Skafael could no longer retreat.
In those seconds, despair came over him. He had recently woken up with amnesia, but soon he would be gone.
"Ah, damn, I should have stayed there for a while." He said softly with a wry smile.
Slash.
Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew against his body again. It felt like déjà vu, Skafael thought, and it was true. In an instant, fresh blood gushed out, their bodies quickly dismembered into several pieces.
Falling to the ground, blood began to flow and organs spilled out.
Still as before, his loose hair flew in the wind, blood soaking his clothes. With the same horns and tail, the woman appeared and saved him.
"Yo!"
The woman turned to find the figure she had recently returned to, also a member of the race she hated.
("You again, Origin.")
Her tone was cold, and her sharp gaze was directed directly at him.
Their eyes met, one cold and threatening, the other a look of relief.
The woman was about to point her sword at Skafaelm, but before she could, a laser beam was aimed at Skafaelm's chest.
From the darkness of the forest, a man emerged with a rifle in his hand, aiming it at Skafael.
His clothes matched the woman's, making Skafael think they might be on the same team.
This time, the man's appearance also struck Skafael as odd. He was about 170 cm tall, with messy hair and a scar on his face. Another characteristic was his large, dog-like ears on top of his head and a bushy tail behind him.
Two pairs of eyes were now fixed on him. The prospect of his death hadn't subsided. Skafael slowly raised his hands, signaling his surrender.
("You think I'll let you?")
Bang!
A bullet was fired, but it wasn't aimed at Skafael's body, but at the ground. A crater was clearly created.
The shot startled Skafael, making him shudder.
("Dile, stop, I'll take care of it.")