Hina's eyes narrowed as she gazed out at the unfamiliar landscape. She had traveled to countless worlds, but this one felt different. The sky was a deep shade of blue, and the air was thick with an otherworldly scent.
"Where are we?" she asked, turning to the figure beside her.
The man, tall and broad-shouldered, with piercing blue eyes and jet-black hair, smiled. "This is Earth," he said, his voice low and husky. "My home."
Hina's heart skipped a beat. This was Irfan, her husband, but not as she knew him. This was the Irfan from before, the one who had grown up on this strange and wondrous planet called Earth.
As they stepped out of the portal, Hina felt a strange sensation, like her molecules were rearranging themselves to adapt to this new world. She took a deep breath, and the scent of fresh earth and greenery filled her lungs. It was intoxicating.
Irfan smiled, watching her reaction. "Welcome to Earth," he said, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
Hina's gaze wandered, taking in the rolling hills, the towering trees, and the distant hum of... something. It was so different from the sterile, metallic environments she was used to.
"What is that?" she asked, pointing to a strange contraption in the distance.
Irfan followed her gaze. "That's a car," he said. "We use them to travel."
Hina's eyes widened. "Travel? You mean, like, move from one place to another?"
Irfan chuckled. "Exactly. Although, we don't usually travel through portals like we did just now."
As they walked through the landscape, Hina marveled at the tiny creatures flitting about, the way the sunlight filtered through the leaves, and the sound of running water in the distance. It was like nothing she had ever experienced.
Irfan watched her, a soft smile on his face. "I'm glad you're enjoying it," he said. "I wanted to show you my home, before... everything changed."
Hina's heart skipped a beat. Before everything changed. She knew what he meant. Before the artifact, before the power struggles, before their lives became entangled in a web of secrets and lies.
As they walked, the silence between them grew comfortable, like an old friend. Hina realized that this was the first time she had seen Irfan truly relaxed, truly himself.
Suddenly, Irfan stopped, his head cocked to one side. "Do you hear that?" he asked, his voice low.
Hina listened, and soon, she heard it too - a faint humming noise, growing louder by the second.
Hina's eyes fluttered open, and she found herself back in the chamber, surrounded by the familiar sight of sleek metallic walls and the soft hum of machinery. Aria's voice cut through the haze, urgent and insistent.
"Hina, Hina, wake up!"
Hina's head spun as she struggled to sit up, her mind foggy from the vivid dream she had just had. But as her gaze fell upon the scene before her, her heart sank.
Irfan's body lay motionless on the floor, his eyes closed as if in sleep. And beside him, the Guardian's massive form slumped against the wall, its body beginning to fade away like sand in the wind.
"No... no, no, no," Hina whispered, scrambling to her feet.
Aria rushed to her side, grasping her arm. "Hina, what's happening? The Guardian's fragment is gone, and its body is disappearing!"
Hina's eyes darted wildly between Irfan and the Guardian, her mind racing. She had seen this in her dream, but she had thought it was just a vision.
The Guardian's body continued to fade, its form dissolving into nothingness. Hina felt a scream building in her throat as she realized that their only hope was slipping away.
And then, everything went black.
To be continued...