Shan and Tamaya stood, staring at the Saint with puzzled eyes, struggling to understand the monk's cryptic words. What was he saying? Was this some kind of game? Shan's mind clicked. It must be a VR game, he thought, a smirk tugging at his lips. He glanced at Tamaya and, in a mocking tone, said, "Ah, when did we enter the game? Anyway, looks like we're going to fight this old guy."
The Saint smiled faintly, his eyes gleaming with an unsettling calmness. He turned to Shan and, in a low voice, commanded, "Attack."
Without warning, a sword materialized out of thin air, falling into Shan's hands. The monk chanted something under his breath, and Shan gripped the weapon, his heart racing. He lunged forward, striking swiftly, but the monk moved with a strange grace, dodging the blow effortlessly. Shan followed with a spinning backflip, but the monk avoided that too.
In a moment of desperation, Shan slid low, aiming to slice through the monk's legs, but the Saint leapt high into the air, evading him again. With every strike, Shan felt like he was fighting a ghost. The monk danced through the air, leaping from rock to rock within the dark cave, mocking his every move.
Frustrated, Shan charged forward again, but the monk's voice rang out, calm and powerful as he uttered a chant. A fireball erupted from the monk's palm, soaring toward them. It slammed into Shan's sword, shattering it into pieces.
Tamaya gasped, but Shan's focus never wavered. He ran as fast as he could, desperation pushing him to the limit. With the jagged remnants of his broken sword, he used all his strength to tear the canine tooth from the dead lion's jaw. He wasn't done yet.
The monk smirked, his voice dripping with disdain. "Is that all you've got?"
Shan's heart raced, his breath coming in ragged gasps. With a primal scream, he charged once more, sweat dripping from his brow. He swung the shard of broken sword, but the monk was already preparing another attack.
Tamaya, frantic, grabbed a nearby torch, hoping to help. In the oppressive darkness of the cave, the torch seemed like a mere flicker in the vast emptiness. But as the monk chanted again, something strange happened. The air around them grew heavy, like an unseen force was pressing in from all sides.
Then the temperature spiked.
The cave, once cold and dark, now felt as if it were basking under the heat of a thousand suns. The light from the torch couldn't compete with the intense warmth. The world spun.
Shan stumbled, blood staining his clothes. Tamaya rushed to his side, tossing the torch aside. But it was no use. Her efforts were futile. They weren't in a game anymore. The pain was real. Every breath, every heartbeat, every cut-it was all too real.
The world around them seemed to shift. The wind howled, but it wasn't a cold breeze. No, it was the kind of wind that made you feel alive... and terrified. Shan looked at Tamaya, her silky black hair whipping around her face. Her skin glowed in the strange light, and for a brief moment, everything felt peaceful, warm. But that peace was fleeting.
It was as if time had stopped. Their final moments, together, were filled with an overwhelming sense of finality. They were crying now, hiding their faces from each other in a futile attempt to escape the inevitable. Shan, trembling, sank to his knees and collapsed into her lap. They were both crying, feeling the weight of their doom close in.
But then, something shifted.
They were no longer standing on solid ground. They looked down in horror and saw that they were floating high above the ground. Panic set in. The ground was far below, and they were weightless, suspended in air, screaming in fear.
The monk's voice broke the silence. "I won't kill you," he said softly, his words sending a chill through them. "But do you still think all of this is just a game?"
Silence enveloped them, heavy and suffocating. Neither of them could speak. They were staring at the void below, disoriented and terrified.
The monk spoke again, his voice carrying an eerie calmness. "I know what you're thinking. How did you get here? But that is one thing I cannot tell."
Both Shan and Tamaya, hearts racing, managed to choke out a question. "Where are we? What year is it?"
The monk's answer sent a shiver down their spines. "708 AD."
Then, with an almost serene finality, he motioned to the large statue that was in the cave. "Bow before the god's statue first," he politely exclaimed..