Alex pushed forward, his steps quickening as he tried to keep up with Iris, who ran ahead of him with effortless grace. Their brief rest had ended, and the scattered mana drifting through the air settled once more into his body, recharging it like a drained battery coming back to life. Iris held the black sphere between her hands—its metallic core gleaming faintly—a dark glow in a forest that breathed caution.
"Where exactly are we going, Iris?" Alex asked, trying to keep his voice steady despite the adrenaline pounding in his veins.
Iris shot him a quick glance without slowing down, her crimson eyes shimmering with sharp focus. "My hideout. It's the only place we can disappear right now."
They desperately needed to hide. After minutes of silent running, the air around them began to tremble violently. This wasn't mere wind—it was the thunderous beat of colossal wings approaching, accompanied by a high-pitched buzzing that tore through the morning stillness.
"Oh God…" Alex muttered, exchanging a knowing look with Iris. They both understood what that sound meant. The giant insects—the armored wasps—had caught their trail. The sound grew louder, more aggressive by the second.
"We need to hide! Now!" Alex shouted, panic slipping into his voice.
Fortune favored them at that moment. A dead oak tree loomed ahead, hollowed out by years of decay. Its massive trunk held a cavernous opening—just wide enough for two people.
Iris darted in first, slipping into the hollow and pulling the black sphere in with her. Alex remained at the entrance, gathering what strength he had left. He activated his camouflage ability to its utmost limit—an ability that demanded tremendous focus and physical energy. His body blended seamlessly with the environment, turning near-invisible—a transparent shield standing guard at the tree's mouth, a ghost impossible to detect.
Minutes passed like an eternity before a swarm of giant wasps descended above them. Each one was nearly three meters long, with yellow bodies and wings that screeched as they combed the area for signs of life.
Alex and Iris held their breaths as the monstrous insects scanned the forest. Every second felt heavier than the last.
Once the buzzing faded and the green wasps retreated, Iris whispered, barely audible, "They're searching in earnest now. Their battle must have ended. We have to be extremely cautious."
"Alright, but where do we go next?" Alex asked quietly. "Are we close to your hideout?"
"Yes," she replied. "A remote place not far from here. But we must avoid the yellow wasp scouts, Karak goblins, and the Feral. They're far smarter than they look."
The two resumed running in tense silence. The sphere trailed behind Iris, drifting slowly within the aura of its dense material essence. They hid and camouflaged themselves multiple times, each moment tightening the coil of fear in their nerves.
"How far is this place, Iris?" Alex finally asked, breath tight with anticipation.
Iris stopped, turning to him. Her expression was taut with worry. She knew that being exposed now would mean near-certain entrapment—and death.
"Not too far," she admitted. "But Alex… I don't have enough mana to get us out of a serious situation. And there's a good chance the creatures have already taken countermeasures against my teleportation ability. They're smarter than we thought."
Alex's mind raced. Since arriving in this world, not even a full day had passed, yet he'd lived through more danger than in all twenty-four years of his previous life combined.
Eventually, Iris led him to a canyon stretching as far as the eye could see—a massive drop, hundreds of meters deep, like a black wound carved into the earth. Sharp rocks lined its edges, offering footholds.
"The tendrils, Alex," Iris said. "They'll help us climb. This is my entrance."
Alex nodded silently. One of his gray tendrils wrapped securely around her waist, stabilizing her as they prepared to descend. Iris didn't protest; she lacked the strength to teleport to her cave's entrance, and her butterfly-spirit ability was busy shielding the sphere.
Holding Iris and the sphere, Alex slowly climbed down the canyon wall. After dozens of meters, he finally spotted the entrance—a narrow cave invisible to anyone who didn't know where to look. Giant wasps still patrolled the skies above, their presence turning every moment into a walk along the edge of a blade.
Inside the cave, they finally allowed themselves a breath of relief. The passage stretched downward into the earth, dark and narrow.
"Follow me," Iris whispered.
"Alright. Lead the way," Alex replied.
They descended deeper—tens, then hundreds of meters—until the cave widened into a chamber with a ceiling nearly ten meters high. The space was furnished with handmade stone pieces and faint lights glowing from carefully placed crystals.
Iris collapsed onto a stone couch, exhaling. "Rest now, Alex. We need to recover our mana—especially before using the core. The patrols outside are dangerous. If they find us here… it won't end well."
Alex looked around. The hideout was simple, with several side tunnels and modest furniture. A wooden table. A crude bed. Clearly a safe haven Iris had built over years.
"Do you live here usually?" he asked, settling onto another couch.
"More or less," she said, leaning against the cool stone. "I come here when things get too difficult outside. I built it slowly over time."
"It's safe," Alex admitted. "But what's our next step? What will we do with the material core?"
Her dark eyes reflected the crystal light. "I will absorb it—merge it into my heart. It'll fuse with my true name and evolve. But the process is complex—and dangerous. It requires focus and abundant mana. That's why we're here. I can't risk doing it outside."
"Into your heart?" Alex echoed. "Will it make you that much stronger?"
"It will," she said. "But more importantly, my teleportation ability will stabilize. I'll be less vulnerable to disruption from the monsters. We'll need that if we want to reach the safe regions."
Alex sighed. A perilous task—but necessary. "Alright then. I'll guard you. Nothing moves in this cave without me knowing."
"Thank you, Alex," Iris said with a faint smile that didn't fully reach her eyes. She seemed touched—perhaps by his trust in letting her be the first to absorb the core… or perhaps he simply saw value in her teleportation to escape this place. Either way, it made him a good companion.
"There's no need," she added. "This place is safe—and I have security measures. Let's both use the core. It'll increase our chances of escaping the monsters' eyes."
Alex thought for a moment… then agreed. His original intent had been to observe the core's effects on the human body, but…