Town of Niena

Elian watched as the sun set on the horizon, and thanks to that, he could tell which direction was west, east, north, and south in this world. Of course, this did not mean this planet abided by the same rules as Earth, but he wouldn't worry about it then and there. It was a problem for future Elian. Looking north, he could still see the vast mountain range, visible from every direction, no matter where they stood. It only disappeared from view when something much closer blocked its view from him. Still, thanks to their journey, it was becoming even more prominent than before as they were clearly heading toward the north.

"We should arrive at the town of Niena before sunset; we can rest there until next morning. It is best if we don't travel at night." Sakku said, shouting back over her shoulders from the front, hopping forward without pause while Elian kept jogging and followed her closely.

"Good. Then you will finally be able to tell me what is happening, yes?"

"Of course, yes, yes!"

"That wasn't convincing..."

"I will! Promise! A ryuin never breaks its promise!"

"Ryuin? Is that... your species?" Elian asked, watching her, and Sakku took a few jumps before she answered his question.

"Yes. The last one."

"What happened?"

"..."

Well, judging by her tone and how she responded, he didn't think he should push it right now. He may have been rude when he started asking out of the blue... If he was the last human, then he wouldn't want to talk about it either... And it was then that the thought hit him.

"Am I also the only human here?"

"Huh? No, no! You are fine!"

"But you mentioned me being the last... Hero?"

"Yes, because no more ryuins remain to summon anyone else. I... I will explain it, okay? After we have rested!"

"Okay... Haahh... Sorry, it's just... It is too much! I was being washed away by water, trying to help a kid, and then BAM, I woke up here."

"..." For a moment, Sakku stopped, looking at him, forming a smile, or at least Elian thought it was a smile before she continued hopping forward. "I see. You must believe me when I tell you: You are not dead. The transfer works in a way that saves a life that is about to be lost, and, in turn, your spirit becomes obligated to save our world! When we summon a Hero, the person who is transferred from one reality to the other is a soul who would have perished. But because of this, they can live again! It is... a kind of pact: we save you, so you save us!"

"Save you...?" He asked, feeling confused, as once again, the little one was speaking so fast, telling him so much, it became confusing, "Wait... so, you are saying that I would have died?"

"Y-yes, most likely... I am not the one who created this spell; it is ancient and thousands of years old, if not older. But it is always how it worked."

"Haaah... Thanks? I guess?"

"..."

"So, um... What is this thing that I am supposed to save you all from? A demon lord or something?"

"No, not... anymore. Um... Well... It is well... um... How to put this... It is another Hero."

"Huh?"

"I will tell you the story when we are safe; we are almost there! Come!"

With that, Sakku sped up, forcing Elian to break out into a sprint to be able to keep up with her. Clearly, she was avoiding the topic and did not want to talk about it, not yet. But that didn't mean she could do it forever.

"Damn pink bunny... why are you so fast?!"

Elian's first thought was that if he needed to keep sprinting like this, he would collapse in the next two to three hundred meters... but then, he felt something different. He felt fine, still just as refreshed and full of energy. It was as if he was still only jogging, and he understood by instinct that he could go faster if he wanted. This speed was nowhere near his limits, which surprised and alarmed him. He was never an athlete, and his stamina was barely average, mainly due to his poor eating habits and occasional skimping on proper meals to save as much money as possible. Nobody at home would have cooked for him, whether it was a family member or a sweetheart; he had none of that. Not then and especially not now, not here. Those were things he never got to experience.

"What is happening?" He whispered to himself, quickly catching up to Sakku, who answered in a happy but somewhat out-of-breath voice.

"Your body has been blessed!"

"What do you mean? Am I Superman or something?"

"Super... what?"

"Superman. A dude who can fly, shoot laser from its eyes, bulletproof and the like."

"Oh, no, I don't think you can do that. I've never seen an Aspect like that either, at least not all of those who are gifted with an Aspect. Hm..."

"Huh? What? Aspect?"

"I meant that your body, passing through the filaments from your world to ours, has been blessed, purified, and brought to its maximum potential. You should be at the top of what a human can push out from its physique, so you only need to awaken your Aspect. A bit of shortcut for Heros coming through."

"You mean I am a top athlete now? Without working for it? Damn... that's cheating!" Elian answered with a grin that he couldn't hide. This felt... incredible. "Ah! Is that Niena?" He asked, pointing towards the farmhouses that were appearing in the distance.

"Yes! We are almost there!"

At that moment, a bit of excitement began bubbling up within him. Dead or not, he couldn't refute the fact that he had been transported to a different world. If Sakku was telling the truth, and there was no reason not to believe her, he had been saved from certain death and even improved as a bonus. Now, he was a bit more eager to see more of this world and meet its people. It was an adventure... A real adventure!

"What... is this...?" Elian asked the question he already asked multiple times, but this time, his tone was much more severe.

Arriving in Niena, all his previous excitement was snuffed out because this was not a lively fantasy village... It was a ghost town. The stone and wooden buildings stood empty, with windows and doors either broken off or missing altogether. Some houses were half-collapsed, while others had been burnt to the ground, and no living being remained there, not even birds.

"It is the town of Niena... Or it was."

"What do you mean, was?"

"It was raided and destroyed about a month ago. Those who lived here either died, got dragged away, or escaped towards Karnia."

"Karnia?"

"The capital city of the kingdom and also the place we are heading for. But it is still a few days' trek from here!" Sakku sighed, finally showing exhaustion, "For now, we will stay here and rest for the night! Follow me. It should be safe..."

"Are there ghosts in this world?"

"No," Sakku answered in a sad, quiet voice as she led him to an old inn.

The inside was ransacked, the tables and chairs were broken, and fragments of glass littered the ground, along with dark splotches that were probably dried blood. Or wine... Or both. It was everywhere. On the floor, on the walls, and even on the ceiling. She continued leading him silently, sweeping a nasty rug away, revealing a trapdoor under it that led down to the cellar.

It was evident that someone had been living there, as old clothes and sheets covered one corner, creating a makeshift bed, along with a collection of books stacked high in another part of it. To his left, he saw a table with multiple bottles and wrapped-up sandwiches, some of which were clearly half-eaten, with children-sized bite marks on them.

"You live here?" Elian asked, unsure what to make of the dark place.

"Temporarily." She nodded, shaking her body, and suddenly, she transformed into a tiny little girl with pink hair, barely reaching Elian's knees. She was not entirely human as she had small, raccoon-like round ears on the top of her head, and her limbs remained covered in fur up to her elbows.

"..."

"What is it?" she asked, fiddling with her one-piece dress that appeared out of nowhere. Sakku immediately noticed his astonishment and began to check herself, trying to see if she missed something. "I should be fine, no? Although I can't keep this form for long... It should look human enough." With that, she quickly clapped, summoning small, pixie-like lightballs that spread out, illuminating the cellar in a warm glow.

"No, it's fine, I'm just still... surprised, that's all."

"Hungry?" With a smile, she hopped towards the table where the sandwiches were. Looking at them thoughtfully, she took a deep breath before picking up one that was still untouched, unwrapping it from the paper, and presenting it to him.

"Y-yeah, now that you mention it, I am." He nodded, taking it from her.

True enough, his stomach quickly agreed with a growl as he sat down next to her at the table, biting into the somewhat dry bread with a bit of ham and cheese in it and continuing to munch on it. He finally understood why the other was marked with little bites when Sakku copied him and began eating, but only after four tiny chomps, as she had already put it back down.

"Not hungry?" He asked, seeing the change in her face and the sudden slumping of her shoulders.

"It's... it just... nothing..." She whispered, and it was then that Elian noticed the tiny girl began silently sobbing, letting such bright pearls of tears fall to the ground that he thought they were diamonds.