"KYLE! Wake up"
I heard someone screaming my name, and opened my eyes. It was morning, the sun already was out for some time. I rose, and stretched the sleep out from my body; I turned to look for that young woman, and she wasn't there. I was a bit confused about who called out my name, since we didn't share self-introductions, except that she knew my name in my previous world.
"Where the hell is she?" I muttered, standing up. Then I caught movement to my left, accompanied by the faint clatter of metal. Instinctively, I crouched low and scanned the area for cover. To my right, a cluster of tall brush caught my eye, and I slipped inside as quietly as I could.
Moments later, armored foot soldiers marched into view. Their appearance was striking—each wore segmented bronze armor that glinted under the dim light, a curved rectangular shield strapped to one arm, and a short sword hanging at the hip. Crested helmets covered their heads, the red plumes swaying slightly with every step, while leather sandals laced up their calves struck the earth in perfect rhythm. They looked almost identical to the Roman legionaries I had only ever read about in history books. Followed behind was the young woman, my eyes widened in disbelief when I saw her, the feeling I have is similar to what my ex did to me.
"Yawaa ning pisting gwapa" I thought
(Fucking great, beauty with bad intention)
I slowly turned left and right for options on how I escape this predicament that I am in.
"Two legionary soldiers, who from what I see, are well trained and can spot me any moment"
I glanced up as one of the soldiers spoke
"Where is this healer you're talking about, slave white leopard beastwoman?"
"He… He… was here earlier; I placed a spell on him to sleep a little longer. But… but"
The soldier sighs, and slaps the young woman with his sheathed gladius, and she falls to the ground.
"Healers can nullify any fucking spells that were placed on them regardless if their sleeping or not. Because of that crest on their hands."
The soldier pushed her to the ground and placed his foot on her head, unsheathed the blade and thrust it inches away from her face.
"Do you want your brother to die?"
"NO!!! Please, don't lay a hand on him, I beg you! You can take my virginity or you can do whatever you want with me. Just don't hurt my brother!" The young white leopard beastwoman frantically pleaded with the soldiers, gripping on the ground.
"Pisti, pagka yawa ning mga sundalo"
(Shit, these soldiers are worst)
Both the soldiers laughed, and one of them slapped and gripped her left butt. She yelps in pain, I could see her eyes, filled with pain and resentment, but was powerless to resist these trained armed men. Later, our eyes locked, as if she saw through the bush where I was currently hiding.
But her eyes aren't the eyes that would tell these soldiers that I am here hiding, rather the eyes of help. As both of the soldiers decided to have their way on her.
I gripped both my fists.
"THIS IS RAPE" I thought to myself
Forgetting her betrayal, I raised my right hand which went out from the bush, then crest glowed and flicked it downward, then time stopped, with rage in my eyes, I activated the sight where I can see the flow of Aether, and the insides of everything around me. But I focused my eyes onto the two soldiers. I don't know how I did that, but it happens. Then I thought if I had a sword, I could split them into two, and a sword conjured from my right hand, like the crest formed a sword of light. I raised it and cut both the soldiers in half leaving a trail of light. I straightened myself and pushed both the soldiers away from the young woman. Then I snapped, time begin to flow and both the soldiers with their bodies cut in half flew yards away leaving a trail of their entrails and blood, as their laughter earlier turned to scream of death.
I turned and the young woman stumbled back, afraid of the power that I had just unleashed, then my head suddenly hurt, the sword of light in my head disappeared, my vision became blurry and I collapsed to the ground. The young white leopard said something, but I only heard her mumbling. Then I passed out.
Darkness.
That was all I knew the moment my body gave in. A void where time held no meaning. My chest felt heavy, as if something was pressing down on me, yet somewhere in that emptiness, I heard a faint voice. One of them was hers.
"…please… don't die… not after this…"
When my eyes cracked open again, I was no longer on the blood-soaked ground. Instead, I lay on a bed of animal pelts inside what seemed to be a dimly lit cave. The faint glow of blue crystals embedded into the rock walls gave off a soft light, just enough for me to see her figure nearby.
The young white leopard beastwoman sat by a small fire, clutching her knees, her ears drooping low. Her cheek was swollen from where she'd been struck earlier, and her eyes shimmered with unshed tears as she stared blankly into the flames.
I tried to move, but my body was heavy as if a ten-ton weight was on me, forcing me to groan. She immediately turned, rushing toward me.
"You're awake!" she exclaimed, her voice trembling. "I—I didn't know if you'd survive after… after what you did."
I blinked, trying to process. "What happened after I passed out?"
She lowered her gaze. "…I dragged you here. It wasn't easy. You're heavier than you look." A faint, bitter smile flickered across her lips, then vanished. "But I couldn't just leave you behind. Not after you saved me."
Her words carried sincerity, but I could still feel the sting of her earlier betrayal. My eyes narrowed. "Why did you sell me out to them?"
The beastwoman flinched, her tail stiffening. She opened her mouth, then shut it, as though the weight of her answer was crushing her. Finally, she whispered, "Because they have my brother. He's all I have left. They promised me his safety… if I brought them you."
The fire crackled between us, filling the silence.
I clenched my fist against the bedding, torn between anger and pity. "And you thought offering me up was the solution?"
Her eyes glistened with guilt. "…I'm sorry. I—I didn't know what else to do. But seeing what they almost did to me… and what you risked for a stranger like me…" She trailed off, her voice breaking.
I let out a long breath, the image of those soldiers' twisted grins still fresh in my mind. "If they have your brother, then we'll get him back."
Her ears perked, eyes widening with disbelief. "You'd help me? After what I—"
I cut her off, staring into the fire. "I'm not doing it for you. I'm doing it because those bastards don't deserve to breathe."
For the first time, her lips curved into a fragile smile. "…Thank you."
But even as the warmth of the fire touched my skin, I felt a deeper chill in my bones. That power I had unleashed—stopping time, seeing the flow of Aether, conjuring a sword of light—it wasn't just random. It was something dangerous, something alive within me. And if I couldn't control it… I would've destroyed everything around me.
"Let's move… we can use the cover of night to our advantage, and free your people."
She glanced up, and stood
"Thank you Kyle"
I turned and was shocked to hear her say my real name. As our eyes met, she quickly broke off and looked to the ground. Behind, I could see her tail behind her moving left and right at a fast pace.
"Heather…my name is Heather"
I smiled, and extended my right hand for a handshake. She looked at my hand and was confused about what it meant. Her ears twitching
"What are you doing?"
"In my wor…" I paused
"In my country, whenever we greet or meet someone with introductions, we do a handshake which symbolizes trust between two people."
"Ealier, you don't trust me because of my betrayal. Why the change of heart?" she asked
"Well..."
"Shit, I got carried away... is the result of my loneliness in this world?"
"It is considered rude in my culture for someone who just said her name first without a proper handshake, which symbolizes trust"
"And if I don't?"
"Well... it is okay if you don't want to."
She extended her right hand…
"Use the other hand hahaha"
"Hey… You're making me nervous!"
I took her left hand and gently placed it on my right hand. Then I gripped gently then, she followed likewise
"So now what?"
"We move our hands up and down for how many times each of us wants, but we must do it gently."
We moved our hands gently up and down for five consecutive times. As we let go of our hands she spoke.
"Us Nagual, or beastman in your dialect…" she paused
"Why do I feel calling them beastman feels like racial discrimination"
"whenever we say our introductions to someone, we just bow" she continued
"I see. So I will bow down, in respect of your culture, " I replied.
"They seem to have some Asian-like culture, similar to the Japanese, Koreans, Thais, and the Chinese"
I bowed down, glanced up and saw her smiling
"Like this?"
"Yeah" she chuckled
"Whats so funny?"
"Nothing…I'm just happy to meet a kind and respectful human. Let's head out"
She raised her hand and chanted
"Snow"
Then a magic circle appeared in front of her hand and it snowed from it. Like a fire extinguisher, enough to put out the fire.
I was amazed by her cute voice
"Lamiag tingog aning bayhana oy!" I thought to myself
(Her voice is so seductive!)
She lowered her hand and turned her head with ears twitching.
"What are you staring at? Is there something in my face?"
I shook my head a little
"No! Nothing at all, I was just amazed by your magic. How did you do that?"
She gave me a confused face again
"You're joking, right?"
"Why would I be?"
"Then how did you heal my wounds, summon a sword of light out of thin air and sliced two platinum ranked imperial…?"
"Hold up" I raised my right hand, "Platinum rank? I apologize for cutting you off"
She took a deep breath.
"We don't have time for a full explanation, I'll explain on the way. so listen carefully—I'll keep this brief. There are seven ranks that determine the strength and purity of your Aether Core (Mana Core). They are, from highest to lowest: Titanium > Diamond > Platinum > Silver > Iron > Steel > Copper. All living beings possess Aether Cores—in other words, Aether flows within and around us. It is the very essence of nature itself, without it, life ceases to exist. The elemental branches of Aether are as follows: Ignis (Fire), Aquor (Water), Zephyra (Wind), Terran (Earth), Cryon (Ice), Floram (Nature), Voltis (Lightning), Umbra (Darkness), Lucent (Light), and the rarest of all, Aetherion (Spirit).
Each rank unlocks new possibilities, allowing a person to elevate their power through rigorous training—unless, of course, they hail from a blessed bloodline. Aether Cores are assessed and enhanced in the Temples of the Seven Gods, found across the continent of Aetheria"
"Woah…" as a move a bush to the side as I walked through
"I don't know much of what the imperials called you. All I know is that whenever a healer is on the battlefield, the tide of battle changes drastically to the side who has them. But they are long gone now, until now"
She turned, looked at my crest and continued on the path. Which I followed closely behind,
The forest beyond stretched endlessly, shadows weaving between the trees like restless spirits. Above, the moon hung heavy and pale, spilling silver light that painted the leaves and soil in ghostly hues. Every step crunched faintly beneath our feet, though Heather moved with uncanny grace, her padded steps making no more sound than a whisper of wind.
I tried to mimic her, but the dry twigs beneath my bare feet betrayed me more than once. She glanced back, ears twitching in mild irritation.
"Humans," she muttered under her breath. "You walk like boars."
"Hey, I'm new at this," I whispered back. "Sneaking through enemy territory isn't exactly part of my bachelors degree."
Despite the seriousness of our mission, her lips twitched as though fighting a smile. "Bachelors degree?" she whispered
"Never mind what I said"
She sighs
"There you go again with those confusing words. Just stay close behind me, and step exactly where I step."
I did, watching her every movement—how she shifted her weight, how her tail adjusted with each stride, how even her breathing seemed controlled to blend into the night. It was like following a phantom.
As we moved deeper into the woods, I finally broke the silence. "Heather… your people, the Nagual—what did the Imperials want with them?"
Her shoulders stiffened, but she kept moving. "Slaves and Breeding stock. Anything they can use." Her claws flexed at her sides, glinting faintly under the moonlight. "The Imperials see us as resources not people."
I clenched my fists. "That's… sick."
Heather's voice trembled, but her pace never faltered. "My brother, Kael, is still just a child. Barely five winters"
"Five winters? Sorry for asking" I whispered behind
"In your human age, he is around five years old"
The anger that burned in her words was enough to set my own chest alight. I didn't reply, cause maybe she will cut my throat instead, if I bombard her with more questions.
The forest thinned as we crested a low ridge. From the top, we saw it.
Below, in a clearing, the Imperials had set up camp. Rows of tents formed around a large central fire, where armored soldiers sat laughing, drinking, gnawing on roasted meat. At the edges of the camp, iron cages held dozens of Nagual (beastman)—wolfkin, catfolk, reptilian all huddled together, their eyes hollow with exhaustion. Chains glimmered in the firelight, cruelly binding wrists and ankles. Some imperial forcefully dragged out female catfolk to their tents, causing chaos within the cages.
Heather froze beside me, her nails digging into the bark of a tree as she stared down at the cages. Her tail lashed violently behind her, her breath uneven.
I placed a hand lightly on her shoulder. "We'll get them out. But we need a plan."
She swallowed hard, then nodded, her eyes still fixed on the camp. "The cages are close to the western edge, near the treeline. If we create a distraction near the main fire, I can slip in and break the locks."
"And your brother?"
Her gaze darkened. "He'll be with the others. They keep children close, to prevent the adults from rebelling."
I scanned the camp again, heart pounding. Soldiers patrolled lazily around the perimeter, their bronze armor catching the firelight. Too many to fight head-on, even if I could summon that light-sword again. And I wasn't sure I could—not without collapsing afterward.
Still… I wasn't about to let them continue their cruelty.
"Alright," I said, my voice low but steady. "You free the cages. I'll handle the distraction."
Heather's head snapped toward me, eyes wide. "You? No—If you faint again, you'll—"
"I'll manage." I cut her off with a faint grin, though my gut twisted with doubt. "Besides, someone has to draw their attention. Better me than the one who knows how to actually freeze locks and chains."
She stared at me for a long moment, her expression torn between frustration and something softer. Finally, she nodded, ears flicking back in reluctant acceptance.
"Then may the night hide us both," she whispered.