I leapt down from the grotesque mountain of beast corpses I had created, the stench of blood and scorched flesh clinging to the air. It had been an unexpected—if effective—stress reliever. The beasts had come at me in relentless waves, leaving me little choice but to deal with them swiftly and decisively.
I conjured a stream of water, the cool liquid cascading over me as it washed away the blood and grime, revealing the dark fabric of my coat. "Anyway," I began, shaking my hands dry, "it's good to see the two of you here. Unexpected, but good."
Ian attempted a smile, though the tension in his posture betrayed his unease. "Same here," he replied, gripping his spear tightly. "Do you know anything about this place?"
I nodded, my expression darkening slightly. "Just one thing."
Both Ian and Jin turned toward me, their gazes sharp and questioning.
"This," I said, gesturing broadly to the ominous forest around us, "is a hyperfragment of space-time."
Ian frowned, his brow furrowing. Jin's dark eyes narrowed, always the more skeptical of the two. "And what exactly does that mean?" Jin asked, his voice steady despite the undercurrent of apprehension.
"It means," I began, my tone calm yet weighted with the gravity of the revelation, "this place is a reconstructed echo of a world's past. A fragment of its space-time fabric, plucked and shaped by something—or someone—at the very peak of existence. Beyond even Radiant-rank."
The words hung in the air like a thunderclap.
"Beyond Radiant-rank?" Jin repeated, his voice tinged with disbelief. His hand rested on the hilt of his blade, as though the weight of my explanation demanded the comfort of a weapon.
"Yes," I said, meeting his gaze. "A god."
The word landed like a boulder in still water, sending ripples through their thoughts. Ian exchanged a wary glance with Jin, both of them digesting the enormity of what I had just said. Even for men as powerful as they were, the idea of a god—a being that transcended Radiant-rank—was unsettling.
Ian broke the silence first. "What does a hyperfragment of space-time even mean in practical terms?" His voice was steady, but the tension in his grip on the spear betrayed his inner turmoil.
I turned toward the horizon, where the forest stretched endlessly into the distance. "It means someone has taken a snapshot of a world's past—its people, its history, its very essence—and recreated it. Not just as an illusion, but as a functional, four-dimensional copy."
Jin's eyes narrowed further, the skeptic in him battling with the logic of my words. "So... what you're saying is that we've been sent back in time?"
"Not exactly," I clarified. "We're in a shadow of the past, an isolated echo. Our actions here won't alter the flow of the world we came from. Think of it as stepping into a perfectly preserved diorama. A place caught forever in the moment it was taken from."
Ian's jaw tightened, his fiery aura flickering faintly as if in response to his unease. "And what's the purpose of all this? Why bring us here?"
I shrugged, though the movement felt heavier than it should have. "That's the real question, isn't it? Whoever did this isn't just powerful—they're deliberate. Hyperfragments don't form by accident. This is a crafted place, and we were brought here for a reason."
The silence stretched again, the weight of my words pressing down on all of us.
Jin, ever the pragmatist, broke it first. "If it's deliberate, then whoever—or whatever—brought us here is watching. Testing us, maybe."
Ian glanced at him, then at me. "And what happens if we fail this… test?"
I looked at them both, my gaze steady, though inwardly I felt the gnawing uncertainty of the unknown. "We don't fail," I said simply, the resolve in my voice leaving no room for argument. "We can't."
ChatGPT said:ChatGPT
Jin's voice cut through the stillness, measured and calm. "Then let's move, right?"
I nodded, though my gaze remained fixed on the distant horizon. "We don't have much choice," I admitted, scratching the back of my head. "I'm not entirely sure what time period we're in, but our best bet is to find a city. That way, we can get some context—figure out where and when we are in this… fragment."
Ian frowned, his brow furrowing deeply. "But even if we do that, how are we supposed to get out of here?"
I glanced at him, then shrugged, my tone as matter-of-fact as I could make it. "Pass the test. That's the only way. If this really is a hyperfragment, it's impossible to break it from the inside unless you're demigod-level or higher. And, let's be honest, we're nowhere near that."
Ian's frown deepened. "And from the outside?"
I gave him a grim smile. "Only a god could intervene."
The words hung in the air, heavy with implication. Even Jin, who rarely let anything rattle him, seemed momentarily shaken. His normally stoic expression faltered, revealing a glimmer of unease.
"This is… unsettling," he admitted, his voice quieter than usual.
I couldn't fault him for the reaction. This wasn't just danger—it was true peril, the kind that turned every calculated step into a gamble. Even with all our strength, we were trapped in a god-crafted cage. Survival wasn't the issue; escape was. And escape was entirely at the whim of the creator.
"Regardless," I said, forcing some semblance of energy into my voice, "we should start moving. Sitting here won't get us any closer to answers."
Jin's gaze sharpened. "And where do you propose we go?"
I pointed toward the distant sky, where a faint outline hovered just at the edge of visibility. "There."
Ian squinted, his fiery aura flickering faintly as he tried to make out what I was pointing at. "What's there?"
"You can't see it clearly from here," I said, "but there's a floating castle. And someone strong. Very strong."
Ian tilted his head, his curiosity piqued. "How strong?"
"Mid Immortal-ranker," I replied casually, as though it were an everyday occurrence. "I can handle him. You two can take care of the lackeys."
Ian shot me a dubious look. "And why, exactly, should we pick a fight with someone that strong? We don't even know what we're dealing with yet."
Before I could answer, Jin interjected, his tone cool and pragmatic. "Because someone that strong will have the most information."
I nodded in agreement, giving Jin an appreciative glance. "Exactly. People at that level don't just exist without leaving ripples. Whoever's in that castle probably knows more about this place than anyone else here. And if they don't…" I let the words trail off, the implication clear.
Ian exhaled sharply, gripping his spear tightly. "Fine. But if we're doing this, we do it smart. No rushing in headfirst."
"Agreed," I said. "But we should move quickly. Whoever or whatever is up there, they won't wait for us to figure things out."
The three of us began walking, the faint outline of the castle growing clearer with every step. The forest around us grew denser, the shadows deepening as if the world itself were watching. The tension was palpable, a heavy weight pressing down on all of us.