Akira woke to birdsong.
The thought pierced through the fog of unconsciousness like a sword. Birdsong. In Tokyo. Impossible.
He opened his eyes to find himself lying on a bed of soft moss in a forest unlike anything he'd ever seen. The trees towered hundreds of feet high, their bark shimmering with an iridescent quality. Flowers in colors that didn't exist in nature bloomed around him. Two suns—one golden, one pale blue—hung in a lavender sky.
"What... where..."
He sat up and immediately noticed his clothing had changed. Gone was his tactical suit, replaced by leather armor of deep midnight blue, trimmed with silver that seemed to glow faintly. On his hip hung a sword—an actual sword—in a scabbard that hummed with energy.
Akira drew the blade and gasped. It was beautiful, the metal seeming to be forged from solidified moonlight, with runes running along its length that pulsed with a soft white glow.
"This is impossible," he muttered. "I'm dreaming. I have to be dreaming."
A scream shattered his thoughts.
Every instinct in Akira's body fired at once. Without thinking, he was running toward the sound, the strange sword gripped in his hand. The forest blurred around him, and he realized with shock that he was moving faster than should be humanly possible.
He burst into a clearing and froze.
Raven was there, surrounded by three massive wolves. But these were no ordinary wolves. They stood seven feet tall at the shoulder, their fur seemingly made of living shadow that writhed and twisted. Their eyes burned like red coals, and darkness dripped from their fangs like toxic saliva.
Raven had changed too. Her bodysuit had transformed into fitted black leather armor with crimson accents that matched her old outfit. Twin daggers that seemed forged from crystallized darkness gleamed in her hands. She moved with deadly grace, but Akira could see she was tiring. These creatures were beyond anything either of them had faced.
"Stay back!" she shouted when she saw him. "I can handle this!"
"Like hell you can!" Akira shouted back.
One of the wolves lunged at her blind spot. Akira didn't think—he simply moved. His sword met the creature mid-leap, and to his amazement, the blade cut through the shadow-flesh like it was paper. The wolf exploded into black mist with an unearthly howl.
Raven's eyes widened in shock, but she quickly recovered. "Fine! But don't get in my way!"
The remaining two wolves circled them. Without discussion, Akira and Raven moved back-to-back, their bodies pressed together, weapons ready.
"On three," Akira said.
"I don't take orders from you," Raven hissed.
"Then consider it a suggestion."
"Three."
They moved as one.
Akira had spent two years studying Raven's movements, learning her patterns, predicting her strikes. He knew how she fought better than anyone alive. And apparently, she knew him just as well. They flowed around each other like water, never colliding, each covering the other's weaknesses. His sword's light magic and her daggers' shadow magic created a deadly combination.
Within minutes, both wolves were destroyed, dissolving into mist that faded into the ground.
Silence fell over the clearing, broken only by their heavy breathing.
Slowly, they turned to face each other, weapons still raised but lowering gradually.
"What the hell is happening?" Raven finally asked, her voice shaking slightly.
"I don't know," Akira admitted. "But I think we're in serious trouble."
She laughed, a slightly hysterical edge to it. "You think?"
Akira took a deep breath, forcing himself into tactical mode. Assess the situation. Gather information. Form a plan.
"We need to figure out where we are and how to get back," he said. "Whatever just happened, whatever this place is, we're stuck here for now."
Raven studied him for a long moment, her violet eyes—when had they been violet?—searching his face. Finally, she lowered her daggers completely.
"Truce?" she asked. "Temporary ceasefire until we figure this out?"
Akira hesitated, then sheathed his sword and extended his hand. "Truce."
She shook it, and the moment their skin touched, both gasped. A jolt of energy ran through them, warm and electric. They pulled apart quickly, both staring at their hands in confusion.
"Did you feel that?" Raven whispered.
"Yeah," Akira said. "I felt it."
Before either could say more, a soft glow appeared in the forest. A butterfly the size of Akira's hand, its wings seeming to be made of pure light, fluttered toward them. It circled their heads once, then flew off deeper into the woods.
"I think," Raven said slowly, "it wants us to follow."
"Following a glowing butterfly in a magical forest," Akira muttered. "Sure. Why not? This day can't get any weirder."
He was wrong.