Dirga kept running, boots crunching over scorched dirt, crimson light from the Eye flickering over the trees.
Behind him, the forest still smoldered — the goblin camp now just a memory swallowed by flames and smoke.
Three women floated above, carried by his telekinesis. Not ideal. They made him slower. Louder. A beacon for predators.
He scanned for a safe place — anything resembling cover.
Then—
"Stop! Stop!" one of the women yelled.
Dirga halted, muscles tensing. He turned his head sharply.
It was the blue-skinned woman — her glowing complexion flushed with panic, her sharp gaze locked onto him.
"Get us down! Right now!"
Dirga narrowed his eyes.
"You know what just happened, right?" he said, voice flat, yet edged with warning. "I'll leave you here if you're going to make noise."
The blue-skinned woman flinched — but held her ground.
"No—it's not like that!" she stammered. "I have a plan. Please. Just believe me."
Dirga stared at her for a second longer… then slowly nodded.
With a wave of his hand, the telekinetic grip released. The three floated down gently and touched the ground.
"Now what?" he asked.
The blue woman stepped forward, hand outstretched. "Give me your backpack."
He frowned.
"What for?"
"I'm not going to steal it," she snapped. "Just trust me for thirty seconds."
Dirga hesitated again — then pulled the pack off his shoulder and tossed it to her.
She caught it, muttered something under her breath, and immediately began chanting — her voice shifting to a strange, fluid rhythm.
A ripple spread from her fingertips across the backpack.
And then — it transformed.
Before Dirga's eyes, the bag expanded and unfolded, stretching like paper folding itself. In seconds, it reshaped into a tent — a low, sloping shelter with sides that shimmered, blending into the shadows around them.
A camouflage enchantment.
Dirga's eyes widened slightly.
"...Okay. That's actually useful."
The tent pulsed once with dull light — and then faded almost entirely into the background. Like a ghost in the trees.
The woman exhaled. "It's keyed to blend with the forest. It won't hold up against a powerful devil, but against wandering beasts or goblins? We're invisible."
Dirga nodded, impressed despite himself.
The other two women stared, clearly just as surprised.
"Come on," the blue-skinned woman urged. "Get inside. Fast. We don't have much time before something worse shows up."
Dirga gave one final glance toward the rising plume of smoke curling above the treetops — then stepped into the tent.
He'd earned a brief rest.
…
The inside was… surprisingly cozy.
The air carried the faint warmth of old magic. A floating lamp hovered in the center, pulsing gently with a soft blue glow. Four sleeping mats had arranged themselves neatly in the corners, and a compact cooker sat to the side, humming softly like it had always belonged there.
"Well, well, well," Dirga muttered, loosening his shoulders. "This is way better than sleeping in a damn cave."
The women each took their places, dropping down wordlessly as if this wasn't their first time surviving hell's madness. Dirga scanned the room — and them — one by one, uncertain what to say.
Before he could open his mouth—
"My name is Saelari Zyne," said the blue-skinned woman, meeting his gaze with confident eyes. "And I'm a Niphari."
Dirga blinked. Niphari? That name meant nothing to him. But her presence… it radiated control.
She stood tall and elegant, her luminescent sky-blue skin glowing softly in the lamp's light. Silver-white hair braided down her back, ending in beads that shimmered with arcane energy. The faint hum they gave off was almost musical — like runes whispering secrets.
"I figured I should say my race out loud," she continued, "since you're a first-timer. Right?"
"…Yeah," Dirga admitted.
"I am Theryn Vaal," the next woman said — her voice calm and neutral, almost flat. "A Duskborn Elf."
Dirga turned.
This one was tall and graceful, her ashen-gray skin glinting faintly like moonlight on forged steel. Her golden eyes, vertically slit like a beast's, studied him in complete silence. Her onyx-black hair was tied high and tight — no unnecessary movement, no wasted emotion. Her pointed ears twitched once… and then stilled.
She hadn't blinked once since he walked in.
"…Right," Dirga muttered.
Then, the smallest of the three shifted nervously.
"M-My name is Kaela Myrrh. A human," she said softly.
But Dirga's instincts stirred. Something's off.
She looked human — pale skin, soft chestnut hair, gentle features — but her molten gold irises shimmered unnaturally in the tent's glow. And for the briefest second… he saw it again: a faint, flickering second ring within her eyes.
Something was watching through her. Something else.
She quickly lowered her gaze.
The air grew still.
All three women looked at him expectantly.
"…Dirgantara," he said at last, rubbing his neck. "A human. Supposedly."
Zyne leaned forward. "So… who are you, really?"
What followed was an hour of tense, cautious explanation.
The women took turns piecing together their story. Each had been abducted — some while traveling near the forest's edge, others during expeditions gone wrong. None remembered how it began… only that they'd been passed between different goblin camps like cargo.
"They kept moving us," Saelari muttered. "Never staying in one camp more than a few days. I don't know why."
"We only met three days ago," Theryn added quietly. "That camp wasn't the first… or the worst."
They glanced at one another, shadows in their eyes.
Dirga listened in silence.
"And you…" Saelari leaned in again, gaze gleaming. "You'll escort us to the nearest town, right? There's bound to be a reward. We're not nobodies."
"Information too," Kaela piped in, glancing sideways. "We'll help you navigate. You're new, right?"
Dirga paused — then nodded. "Fine. But I'm not dragging deadweight. You keep up, or I leave you behind."
All three gave serious nods.
"Thought so," Dirga said, leaning back.
But Saelari wasn't done.
She squinted at him, curiosity burning hotter than before.
"You said you're a first-timer," she said slowly, like savoring the words. "Does that mean… this is your first time crossing realms?"
Dirga hesitated. "…Yeah."
Her expression lit up.
"Whoa," she whispered. "I've never met a first-timer before. Not in person."
Theryn raised an eyebrow, and even Kaela looked intrigued.
"Why's that so special?" Dirga asked, wary.
Saelari sat up straighter, practically bouncing with excitement.
"Because you're rare. Realm-crossers from undeveloped worlds are extremely rare. First-timers are said to carry huge potential. Like, world-changing potential."
"Some even believe you're the ones who open the pathways between your realm and the rest of the multiverse."
Dirga blinked. "…What?"
"And not just that," she added, eyes practically sparkling. "You're strong. That power of yours I've never seen anyone wield something like that. Is it your world's unique system?"
"Uhh…" Dirga scratched the back of his head. "Kinda? I guess."
Saelari inched closer, practically glowing.
"You're like an antique relic that actually works!"
"…Okay."
Dirga exhaled. The girl was too excited for someone who'd just escaped a goblin nightmare.
…
Meanwhile, back at the smoldering remains of the goblin camp—
A new group approached.
These weren't the usual goblin grunts.
Armored boots crushed the ash beneath them. One goblin, taller and bulkier than the rest, wore heavy black armor and carried a massive two-handed greatsword on his back.
He knelt, examining the burned-out ground.
"It's gone, boss," he growled.
From behind him came a low, rumbling voice.
Another figure stepped forward — not a goblin, but something bigger.
An Oni.
Thick, crimson skin. One twisted horn rising from his forehead. A tower shield strapped to one arm, and a greatsword large enough to split trees strapped to the other.
His golden eyes burned like fire.
"Find them," the Oni growled. "The princess is in that group. I don't care about the others. Bring me her."
The wind howled across the ruined camp.
The hunt had begun.