After walking for a long while, Eve, Grisha, and Sasrir came across something like a camp site. There's a lot of people here and they seemed like a normal humans. It's just like looking at the tattered cloth they wearing and eyes that looks like they have lost their soul shows that it doesn't seem so simple.
Just like how the three of them saw the people at the camp, some people from the other side also saw the three of them. But as if numb with life, they all continued to do their own business.
"This... doesn't look like anything I've remembered", Eve looked at this scene with a dark expression.
"Let's find out what's going on", Grisha also looked at them with ugly expression.
Then both of them tried to talk to the people here, but they either ignored them, or looked afraid and ran away.
Seeing this Sasrir seems to about do something but Grisha stopped him.
"Come with me, I saw someone we can talk to".
Then they followed Grisha to a secluded corner of the camp. Here, they saw a little boy, probably 9 years old, hiding between a rock.
Seeing they came to him, the boy ran to a cave but looked back along the way, as if he wanted them to follow him.
After entering the cave, they saw the boy with an elderly man with head full of white hair. They looked at the kid and at them, sighed and said, "@$&%#*$".
??? Eve looked at the elderly man with confusion.
The boy meanwhile was somehow angry and said "#^#%%#&$#^@>".
The elderly man then scolded him, "@%#%#&$%#".
Eve looking at this, felt there was something wrong with her ears, she looked at Grisha and whispered, "Hey, can you understand what they're saying?".
"Yeah, can't you?".
"No, how can you understand all that gibberish? Don't tell me it's one of your powers".
"Uhuh, convenient right? Here hold my hand if you want to understand what they're saying", Grisha stretched his hand in front of her. Eve hesitated for only a second before holding it. Then suddenly she can understand what the both of them were saying.
"I already told you, outsiders can't save us! Don't you understand this before?", the elderly man scolded.
"But I believe they can! I see it, at least that man was as strong as the Giant King!", the boy argued while pointing at Grisha.
"I say no! Even if they have the power, what makes you think they will save us!? Don't you learn by now what is the consequence of trusting a stranger?! Do you forget what happen to your parents?!!".
Hearing the elderly man raised voice, the child became silent, and with tears in his eyes he ran out of the cave.
Seeing this, the elderly man sighed and looked at the three of them.
"Please forgive us, but there's nothing for you here. So leave this place".
"You seem keen on letting us leave, why is that? Don't you want us to help you?", Eve asked with a questioning tone.
"After what happen before, we can't afford another betrayal, please spare us".
"I see, well then old man, can you explain where are we then? We are pretty lost on where we are", Eve was about to ask again when Grisha tightened his grip a little and then asked his own question.
"We... are in the territory of the giants. Here, at least we can be a slave to them. But outside, we're not even better than animals", the elderly man sighed and shook his head.
Then he looked at Grisha, "My grandson was born with a special sight, he can look at things others can't, so if he saw something that he thinks is different, he would became rash and act without care".
"Before, he saw someone with strange powers and thought of him as a god, he rallied the people and raised them to rebel against our oppressor".
"But it turns out, compared to the giants, the man was nothing more than a weakling, he immediately ran away, leaving us to face the giant's wrath. And the one who paid the heaviest price is my grandson".
"... So I apologize once again, but we really can't afford your grace now, if you want to stay for a day or two, you can but after that, please leave. And please don't create any trouble", the elderly man took a sip of water from his side and sighed again.
Hearing the story, Eve and Grisha was silent. As for Sasrir, he's always been silent from the very beginning, only following behind Grisha's shadow.
Grisha took the lead in saying, "We're sorry for the intrusion, but if you don't mind, we will stay here for a day".
"It's fine, as long as you don't make any trouble, I can let you stay in this cave for a day, suit yourself on where to stay, there's only what you can see here".
"Thank you, then please excuse us", after that, Grisha took Eve to the corner with Sasrir following behind them.
...
"This... doesn't look like we're on earth. Giant seems to exist here. And perhaps there's more", Eve was the first to break the silence.
"... maybe, but the most important thing is the human here seems to be suffering", Grisha sat on the ground, not caring about the dirt.
"Yes...", Eve also sat down, not caring about her dress. Also as a modern human, it doesn't cross her mind that there will be slavery here. But then she remember the scene before she was awakened. Perhaps those aren't just random pictures, but what this world truly is.
"... haha, don't be so down. If the fate of humanity in this world was so bad, can't we just change it? Otherwise what use is this power for?", Grisha took the lead to lighten up the mood.
Eve looked at him with envy, "You have powers but I don't, I'll just be a cannon fodder".
"That's not a problem, a hero need a princess to cheer for him to defeat the demon king", Grisha teased.
"Ugh, fk off im not g*y", Eve shuddered and then distanced herself from him.
"Hahaha, I'm just joking, though although you don't seem to have any apparent power, doesn't mean you can't get one. The blasphemy slate dictates a way to gain the power from beyond normal. Let's call it 'extraordinary' power ".
"It said you can consume a potion with the extraordinary trait to gain the corresponding power and as you can see, there's 22 path to choose from here", Grisha pointed.
"But the potion formula doesn't seem to be something easy to get".
"Well, there is another way".
"Yeah? What is it?".
"I can give you some boon and raised you to immediately become a beyonder".
"Of course I don't recommend this, it would be better for you to get into your own chosen pathways", Grisha smiled as he explained the pros and cons for both ways.
"Then, how do I get the potion formula and the beyonder traits?".
"Ehh... I don't know either, I guess we'll just explore it slowly, before that just stand back and let me do the work".
"Hah... very well", Eve can only sigh and accept it.
"Don't worry, I have a feeling it won't be long before you become a beyonder".
"Does this 'feeling' come from your power?".
"Something like that, anyway just trust me".
Eve can only nod and then asked, "So what then Mr. Hero, why don't you tell me your plan?".
"Of course my dear princess, anything for you", both of them start to try to disgust each other.
"..."
"Well, first let's find that boy from before, after all, that grandpa doesn't seem to want to tell us anything more".
"Yeah, I guess that's a start", Eve agreed.
So they got out of the cave amidst the gaze of the onlooker and with Grisha power of prophecy, they found him sitting alone on the river side.
Grisha approached him first, "Hey there".
So she can understand their conversation, Eve took the initiative to hold Grisha's hand.
"You... forget it, Grandpa is right, you should leave", the child seems to brightened a little when they first came but then he turned decadent again.
"Well, why do you think we can help you in the first place?", Grisha asked.
"... I saw the Giant King once, he was surrounded with a feeling of greed, pride, and madness, it suffocated me. Then when I saw you, I feel clarity, serenity, and kindness. Like the warm sun that suddenly appeared on the sky, it was your doing isn't it? I can see the same power from you on it", the boy hugged his legs as he looked up at the sky, more exactly, at the sun.
"When the sun appeared, it should have been a happy thing, but no one smiled. Even... me, because we all know that with the giants above us, we are nothing more than just...".
"Then why give up?", Grisha smiled as he asked.
"Huh?", The boy looked at Grisha in surprise
"If you live like this everyday, without happiness, what's the point in living? If all you feel is suffering then what's the point of continuing?".
"But... I... don't want to die".
"I know, that's why, if you trust me I'll help you and I promise, I won't run away", Grisha raised his hand and showed his pinky finger.
The boy looked his hand, confused "What's this?"
"Pinky promise, come, raised your hand like me".
The boy followed him and raised his pinky finger and Grisha took the initiative to locked the finger and said, "I swear if I ran away, I will be struck by lightning and be a virgin for life".
"...", Eve looked at him like looking at a trash of the society.
"I don't understand what we're doing but I trust you".
"Yeah, also I want you to spread the word to everyone, there's no need to be afraid anymore. Because the Sun has arrived"