Under the glow of the half-moon, a pack of wolves swarmed the forest. Aya sprinted through the dark, the predators hot on her heels, until her foot caught on a massive, gnarled root.
"HELP! FICKY!" she shrieked, calling out the only name she knew in this world.
She tumbled toward a ravine that seemed to have no bottom, but suddenly, her descent jerked to a halt. She was dangling over the void, her right wrist gripped tightly by a strong hand.
"Fi-Ficky?"
She could hardly believe she was safe. Looking up, she saw Ficky straining to pull her back up.
His furry ears were perked, and sharp, terrifying fangs jutted from his mouth. The reflection of the half-moon glinted off his sunglasses. Aya felt a momentary relief, but it vanished as the gruesome image of him tearing through the wolves flashed in her mind.
"No!" Aya screamed again, beginning to thrash. Terror took over as she remembered the beast she had just witnessed.
"Wait! Stay still! I'm trying to pull you up!" Ficky grunted, struggling to maintain his grip as Aya fought against him.
Aya kept squirming, desperate to break free from his grasp because she was now more afraid of him than the fall. Her panicked movements sent them both off balance. Her screams echoed as they both plummeted into the abyss.
"ARGHHHH!"
Gravity took them. Ficky kept a death grip on Aya's hand as they fell. His feet tried to find purchase on the steep, jagged slope, but it was no use. They tumbled head over heels into the darkness.
Thud!
By some miracle, the drop wasn't fatal. They hit the floor of the ravine, so far down that the top of the cliffs looked like a tiny, distant slit of light.
Ficky propped Aya up. His arms and legs were covered in deep scratches from the rocks and jagged earth they had hit on the way down.
Drip. Drip.
A few droplets fell onto Aya's face as she lay unconscious. Ficky's breathing was heavy and ragged. After a few moments, his breath steadied, and Aya's eyes fluttered open.
"You awake?"
Aya blinked, seeing Ficky looking like a normal human again—not the monster she had imagined. She was in shock for a second before the memory of the fall came rushing back.
"Ficky, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to... I just thought, uh—" She couldn't find the words.
"Calm down. Stop panicking and just breathe."
Ficky looked genuinely concerned as he held her trembling hands. Seeing her so shaken, he clicked his tongue in regret, feeling guilty for scaring her, even if it hadn't been intentional.
"I'm useless. I'm so sorry, Ficky."
"Yeah, well, it was your fault," Ficky
muttered, letting go of her hand and sitting down beside her. "What were you even doing out here anyway?"
"You're way too blunt, you know that?" Aya sighed. "I came out here because I wanted to find you. That's all. Then a wolf attacked me, I ran, and... well, here we are."
Aya felt a wave of regret for her recklessness. She knew it was a mistake to follow him into the night, but it was too late now.
But... was what I saw real? Or just an illusion? she wondered, stealings a fearful glance at him.
Ficky sat in silence, staring at the ground. When Aya noticed the blood on his arm, she gasped.
"You're hurt!"
"Oh? You planning on healing me?"
"Healing? Well, we don't have much, but... bandages, or at least some clean water. Let's go find some," Aya said, starting to get up.
"I thought you were going to use magic or something. I guess you really can't," Ficky said, sounding disappointed.
"What? Magic?"
"Yeah. But maybe you don't know. A lot of people here have a knack for it. Magic comes in all shapes and sizes. Some look like regular humans, others... not so much." Ficky explained things that made absolutely no sense to Aya, looking away as he spoke.
Ficky stood up and stretched his limbs, hopping in place to test his footing before heading off to the left.
"Hey! Where are you going? Don't leave me! And your injury isn't exactly 'light,' so be careful!" Aya scrambled after him, terrified of losing him again.
She had learned her lesson. She did her best to keep up with his brisk pace, knowing there was no point in getting angry. Ficky was selfish, but he was all she had. They searched for a way out, but the ravine felt like a labyrinth, circling back on itself in the dead of night.
Aya clutched the sleeve of Ficky's suit jacket. "We're stuck here, aren't we?"
"Don't worry, you've got a top-tier bodyguard with you," Ficky snapped. "And don't get too cozy with me."
"Talk about a contradiction. Fine, whatever."
They were completely trapped. The cliffs were towering, and Aya wondered how they had even survived the fall. The answer lay with the man beside her—a man who hid everything, including the truth about magic.
Ficky... earlier, you mentioned magic. Are you like that too?
Without a word, Ficky showed her. He didn't hesitate. His fist suddenly became encased in a thick, powerful layer of iron.
"The Bodyguard Family's magic is related to metal. Iron, mostly."
"So that's how your punch took out those assassins!" Aya's eyes widened in awe.
"Yeah, something like that. But why are they targeting you?"
"Don't ask me! I have no idea! Just... let's find a way out of here!" she whined.
Time seemed to crawl. Maybe it was the nature of this world, or maybe it was just Aya's perception. She knew now that Ficky was far from normal.
"If there's a kingdom, there are soldiers. This world is likely built for adventurers... but what's the deal with the Sacred Altar?" Ficky muttered, kneeling to feel the ground.
He searched for a hidden path or a shortcut, but there was nothing. No stairs, no easy way up. They had been circling this pit for what felt like hours. Ficky looked up, squinting at the tiny speck of light that marked the top of the cliff.
"Don't tell me you're thinking of climbing that," Aya said, her brow furrowing. "The ground could give way and crush us at any second."
A smirk played on Ficky's lips. "Smart girl."