Inside a stone cave, a woman lay atop a rugged stone bed, her eyes sealed shut and her garments tattered.
Slowly, her lids fluttered open to reveal a soft, ethereal blue glow. She sat up, brushing against the cold surface beneath her as she scanned her surroundings. "Where am I?" she murmured to the empty air.
Just as she moved to stand, her gaze shifted toward the mouth of the cave. There stood a man, his chest bare, carrying a wooden tray laden with vibrant red apples.
"Goddess! You're awake!" the man's voice echoed with pure exhilaration. He rushed to her side, frantically setting the tray down on the cavern floor.
The woman stared at the impossibly handsome man now kneeling before her, her brows knitting together in confusion.
"Goddess, you have been asleep for three months. I am so happy to see you finally awake," the man beamed. His smile was warm, and his face radiated a sense of harmless sincerity.
Her expression froze. "Three... three months?"
Her face turned deathly pale as the dam of her memory finally broke, and the events of that night replayed in her mind.
Three Months Ago
Late at night, under a torrential downpour at the edge of a jagged cliff, a drenched woman clutched a bag to her chest. Her eyes held no trace of fear; instead, they were fixed with a grim, unwavering determination.
A few meters away, three figures stood with their faces obscured by grotesque, tattered masks.
"I don't understand why you're still struggling, Viona," a young man remarked, breaking into a harsh, mocking laugh. "Just leave the bag behind and everything will be peaceful."
"Good girl, just give me the bag. I promise you'll be safe after this," a woman added, her tone patronizing.
"What is all this talk for? Just snatch the bag already!" a middle-aged woman's voice barked.
Viona took a deep breath, her lungs burning with the cold air. "There's no need to hide your faces—Mother, Linda, and my so-called boyfriend, Simon," she stated, her voice chillingly devoid of emotion.
A heavy silence followed before a sudden, boisterous laughter erupted.
"Viona... oh, Viona. I knew it. You were always too smart to be fooled easily," Simon admitted, pulling off his mask. The two women followed suit, revealing their familiar faces.
A cold, sharp smile spread across Viona's lips. "So that's all," she whispered.
"You are indeed difficult to trick, sister, but what of it?" Linda sneered. "Didn't you eventually fall into our hands anyway?"
Viona looked from the middle-aged woman back to Linda. "Fell into your trap? It's more like I've walked you three into a circle. Did you honestly think I wouldn't notice your plot?"
"What do you mean?" Simon's gaze hardened, his eyes narrowing into slits.
"When did you start suspecting us?" Linda demanded.
"The very moment Simon proposed to me," Viona countered.
"That long ago!" Linda spat.
"No wonder you kept giving me excuses each time I brought up the marriage. You knew the whole time," Simon hissed, biting his lower lip in fury.
Viona chuckled darkly. "You were truly stupid to think you were playing me. I know you're after the ring. After all, its existence is a secret of monumental proportions," she taunted.
"So what if you know? You aren't surviving the night!" Simon threatened.
Viona took another step back toward the abyss, her laughter echoing against the rain. "I created this ring with my own sweat and blood through countless sleepless nights. Though its perfection was a mistake that led to this disaster, it remains a treasure that could make the world collapse."
She looked at them with pity. "To think you could ever possess it... it's purely wishful thinking. I am its creator; I can also be its destroyer."
"Viona!" the middle-aged woman finally interjected, her gaze like ice. "You spent years on it! You can't just destroy it!"
"Oh, very well! Before it became the greatest treasure, didn't you look down on it?" Viona laughed. "Now you want it so badly you're willing to end your daughter's life for your own greed."
She paused, her eyes flashing. "Ah... I almost forgot. I'm not your real daughter. Why would you care if I live or die? If it costs me my life tonight, I'll make sure you never touch this ring."
"You're insane! Linda, grab her! Don't let her fall!" Simon screamed.
"Idiot," Viona mouthed, and she stepped back into the void.
"No!" the three shrieked, rushing toward the edge, but Viona had already vanished into the darkness below.
"We have to find the body immediately!" Linda urged. "It will be a disaster if someone discovers the ring before we do!"
"Right, let's move!"
As the trio turned to flee, they were instantly surrounded by a group of armed men.
"Where is the ring?" one man stepped forward, leveling a gun at Simon's head.
"Damn, could she have leaked the news of the ring already? No wonder she was so relax to die," Simon thought, his heart hammering against his ribs.
"What... what ring?" he stammered.
"One more lie and you're dead. Where is it?" the man growled.
"We... we don't have it! She jumped off the cliff with it! She didn't give it to us!" Simon confessed, his entire body trembling with terror.
The man frowned, unimpressed. "Take them away," he commanded.
"We really don't have it! Please, spare us!" Linda pleaded, but the trio was dragged away into the night.
"The rest of you, follow me," the leader ordered. "We must find that ring first!"
"Yes, sir!" the men roared in unison.
The Present
"Goddess, are you hungry? I brought you—"
"Where is my bag?" Viona interrupted, panic flaring in her chest. "My bag!" she cried, looking around the cave in a frantic search.
The man scratched the back of his head, looking confused by her sudden distress. Seeing her worry, he knelt and began digging into the soft earth of the cave floor with his bare hands, eventually pulling out a small black bag.
"Goddess, this belongs to you. See? I kept it safe," he assured her.
Viona snatched it from him, her breathing hitching as she quickly unzipped it. Inside, nestled in the fabric, was a beautiful, glowing ring.
"I didn't lose it! That's great," she thought, a genuine smile illuminating her face as she clutched the jewelry tight.
The young man watched her, mesmerized. "Goddess, you look so beautiful when you smile," he remarked softly.
Viona finally truly looked at him, and her breath caught. "Damn, he's handsome," she thought, her eyes lingering on his well-built frame.
"Goddess! Goddess, you're bleeding!" the young man cried out in alarm.
Viona snapped back to reality and touched her nose, feeling the warmth of a nosebleed. "Oh... it's okay. It's nothing serious," she replied, though a realization was beginning to dawn on her.
"Wait... where exactly is this place?" she asked, rising to her feet.
"Goddess, this is my home. Do you like it here?" he inquired gently.
Viona—whose true identity remained a mystery to her rescuer—blinked and walked toward the cave entrance. The scene outside was beyond anything she could have imagined. There were no roads, and no villages—only a vast, untamed wilderness.
"Don't tell me..." she whispered.
At that moment, the ring in her hand began to pulse with light. It levitated from her palm, floating in the air before her eyes.
"I transmigrated!" she breathed. The ring then slid onto her finger, fitting perfectly as it continued to glow with an eerie, rhythmic light.
A slow, knowing smile spread across her face. "Very well... you have this ability too," she chuckled. "But where exactly am I?"
"Come out here, Rogan!"
A powerful voice—one that transcended gender and commanded the very air—thundered from the distance.