They continued walking as she organized her thoughts. "In my previous timeline, the world ended three years from now—specifically, Year 300 of the Cataclysm Era."
Vaelor's attention sharpened, though his expression remained casual. Three years until apocalypse. That's... problematic.
"An S-Rank Abyssal Rift in Southeast Asia tore open completely," Kaelith continued, her voice taking on a distant quality as she relived terrible memories. "What emerged wasn't just a King-Tier entity. It was genuine God-Tier—something that transcended mortal combat capabilities entirely."
"Every supreme warrior on the planet mobilized. Demigods, Apex Masters, King-Tier legends—everyone who could fight converged on that location. The battle lasted three days."
Her hands clenched into fists. "We lost. Catastrophically. Earth was destroyed. Civilization obliterated. Billions dead."
"In the final moments before total annihilation, my third talent—SSS-Rank Chrono-Spatial Dominion—resonated with an ancient artifact I'd found during adventures. The combination triggered a temporal anomaly that sent my consciousness back to just before the Martial Aptitude Examination."
She looked at Vaelor directly. "I've been given a second chance to prevent the apocalypse. That's my only goal—become strong enough to make a difference when that God-Tier entity emerges."
Vaelor processed this information with Absolute Insight operating at full capacity. A God-Tier threat in three years. Confirmed apocalypse timeline. Her regression explains the urgency and why she pushed herself to near-death in our battle.
Though if she's already revealed this much...
"What's your current cultivation goal?" he asked. "What tier do you think you need to reach to face this threat?"
"Mythical-Tier minimum," Kaelith said bluntly. "Preferably touching the edge of God-Tier myself. In my previous life, even our Mythical-Tier warriors couldn't survive against that entity. It operated on a completely different level."
"Three years to reach Mythical-Tier from current Foundation Establishment." Vaelor's tone remained neutral. "Ambitious timeline."
"Impossible timeline," Kaelith corrected bitterly. "Which is why I need every advantage possible. Advanced techniques, rare resources, critical opportunities I remember from my previous life—I'm leveraging everything."
She glanced at him sideways. "And now I've encountered an anomaly like you who shouldn't exist in this timeline. Someone who could potentially help... or become another variable I need to account for."
"Helping seems more productive," Vaelor observed mildly.
"Agreed." Kaelith's expression softened fractionally. "Which is why I'm telling you this despite my better judgment. If you're willing to take the apocalypse threat seriously, perhaps we can cooperate."
"I'll consider it," Vaelor said, which wasn't commitment but wasn't refusal either.
They had reached the exit portal. The blue-white energy crackled invitingly, promising return to normal space.
"Before we exit," Kaelith said, gesturing to her blood-stained clothes and disheveled appearance, "I look like I crawled through hell. Which... technically I did. But I'd prefer not advertising my weakness to the garrison."
Vaelor nodded understanding and created a minor shadow construct that enveloped her briefly. When it dissolved, Kaelith's appearance had been restored to perfect academy-beauty standards—clothes cleaned, hair pristine, blood removed. Still exhausted, but presentable.
"Handy ability," she muttered.
"One of many," Vaelor agreed with a slight smile.
They approached the garrison checkpoint together. Soldiers stationed a kilometer away watched nervously through magnification equipment, clearly uncertain whether the approaching figures were human or spawn.
As they crossed through the portal, reality inverted briefly—that distinctive sensation of dimensional transition—before snapping back to normal space.
The Hunter's Haven town square materialized around them. Normal gravity, breathable atmosphere, familiar volcanic architecture. The contrast to the chaos-scarred Forbidden Zone they'd left was jarring.
Multiple garrison soldiers immediately converged on the checkpoint, their weapons ready but not actively threatening.
"Halt! Identify yourselves!" the checkpoint commander barked. His eyes took in their young appearances with visible confusion.
"Vaelor Draeth and Kaelith Frostborn," Vaelor said calmly, producing his Warrior Badge. "Exiting after first dive. Both Tier 1 Warriors."
Technically Tier 2 now, but close enough for bureaucracy, he thought.
Kaelith produced her own badge with regal composure, as if she hadn't been unconscious and near-death thirty minutes ago.
The commander's expression cycled through disbelief, suspicion, and professional resignation. "Proceed through decontamination. Standard protocol."
They walked toward the scanning array—a complex magical formation embedded in the ground, designed to detect abyssal contamination, possession, or spawn attempting infiltration disguised as humans.
Vaelor stepped onto the formation first. Blue light swept across his body from multiple angles, the ancient magic probing his existence for corruption.
[Scanning... Scanning... Analysis Complete]
[No contamination detected. No possession detected. Subject is human. Clear for entry.]
The artificial intelligence voice delivered its verdict with mechanical certainty.
But the soldier monitoring the formation's output had gone pale. His eyes locked onto a specific readout—the merit card scanner that had activated automatically during the contamination check.
The card Vaelor had used to enter the Rift days ago now displayed a number that made the soldier's hands tremble.
[Merit Points: 3,443]
Three thousand four hundred forty-three.
The soldier knew what that meant. One point per Tier 1 spawn killed. This teenager—who'd entered the Rift for the first time as a brand new Tier 1 Warrior—had somehow eliminated over three thousand Abyssal Spawn in a single dive.
That's... that's impossible. That would require...
His mind couldn't complete the thought. The combat power necessary to achieve such numbers was far beyond anything a new warrior should possess.
And then another realization struck with the force of a physical blow.
The Forbidden Zone. The apocalyptic destruction. The Tier 7-8 level combat that evacuated the entire Rift...
It was him.
This teenager standing calmly before me caused all of that.
The soldier's throat went dry. His finger hovered over the alarm button that would notify superiors of an anomaly—but terror paralyzed him.
If I report this... if I upset someone capable of creating a hundred-kilometer Forbidden Zone...
He could kill every soldier in this garrison without breaking stride.
The finger moved away from the button. The soldier's mouth opened, then closed. Professional protocol warred with survival instinct.
Survival won.
"C-clear for entry," he managed, his voice barely steady. "Welcome back to Hunter's Haven."
Vaelor nodded politely and walked through, completely aware of the soldier's terror through his enhanced perception but unconcerned. Smart man. Discretion is wisdom.
Kaelith followed, her own scan completing without incident—though her merit points of 847 also drew shocked stares from soldiers who'd expected newcomers to have perhaps 5-10 points maximum.
As they walked away from the checkpoint into the town proper, Kaelith glanced at Vaelor sideways. "You terrified that soldier. He knows you caused the Forbidden Zone."
"Probably," Vaelor agreed mildly.
"Aren't you concerned he'll report it?"
"No." Vaelor's tone carried absolute certainty. "Because he's smart enough to realize that reporting me would be the last mistake he ever made."
The casual delivery made the threat somehow more chilling than if he'd emphasized it.
Kaelith shivered slightly, reminded viscerally that the pleasant-mannered teenager beside her possessed the power to reshape landscapes and unmake Domains.
I allied with a monster, she thought, not for the first time. A monster who smiles while discussing his ability to kill garrison commanders.
But if that monster can help prevent the apocalypse...
Then I'll work with the monster.
They continued into Hunter's Haven proper, two exceptional prodigies who'd just reshaped a Tier 1 Abyssal Rift into permanent Forbidden Zone—and nobody in the town had any idea what had walked among them.
Well. Nobody except one terrified garrison soldier who'd chosen silence over suicide.
TO BE CONTINUED...