The wolf-faced girl kept trying to convince them.
But their hatred for humans had already clouded their judgment.
Gideon watched them step forward one by one—he had no other choice left.
'If they threaten me... I'll kill them all!'
"Wait!"
A voice came from behind the trees—a frail old man walking with a wooden staf. Two male wolves accompanied him on both sides.
His voice made the group freeze mid-step. Gideon figured the old man must be their tribal chief.
"But he's human!"
"Look at his armor. Have you ever seen anything like that before?" the old man asked.
"He's human, yes—but not our enemy."
"That human saved Lia. That's a fact," the old man said firmly.
Once again, Gideon didn't understand what they were saying.
Damn... what are they talking about?
Even so, he saw the male wolves lower their spears and swords. The hostility in their eyes faded.
They followed the command of their elder.
Gideon mirrored their action. He lowered his weapon, making it clear he wasn't a threat.
The tension in the air began to ease.
The old man stepped closer to Gideon. Their eyes met—and in that moment, Gideon could see the seriousness in the wolf-faced elder's stare.
"Are you from the Kingdom of Luthe? Or Sisyla? Or Moko?" the man asked.
Gideon turned to the wolf-girl, confused. His expression made it obvious—he didn't understand a word of what the elder just said.
"I don't think he understands our language, Grandpa," said Lia, the wolf girl.
"Hmm? Really?"
"If that's true, then he's not from any of the human kingdoms. He's not our enemy," the old man concluded.
Just then, behind Gideon, a sneeze rang out. He turned around and saw Lena, now awake.
The first thing on her face—shock and confusion.
"Where... where are we? What happened?"
Gideon stepped toward her, relieved to see his teammate awake. Lena looked up at him, tears in her eyes, a faint smile breaking through.
She thought they'd all died in that crash. But they hadn't.
She turned to her side. Lyra and Luke were still unconscious, IV tubes in their arms—Gideon's handiwork.
Lena didn't doubt Gideon's capability. He was a former Delta Force operator, after all.
She tried to sit up and stand, but Gideon stopped her, insisting she remain seated. Lena obeyed.
But then—she heard a noise behind a coconut tree. Her face shifted to utter shock.
There stood a group of wolves, dressed and standing like humans. Lena almost screamed.
"What the—"
"Who are they?!" she gasped.
"Stay calm. Don't make them uneasy," ordered Gideon.
"I'll try to get some intel. You focus on resting."
Lena sat still, her eyes filled with fear and curiosity. But she knew—Gideon was there.
He'd protect her no matter what.
Eventually, she managed to calm herself and lay back down. She left everything in Gideon's hands.
"Lia."
"Yes, Grandpa?" the wolf-girl replied.
"Go back and rest," the old man said.
Lia nodded. She and the wolf-men retreated into the forest—no fight had broken out, and that was a good thing.
Only Gideon and the elder remained. Then—surprisingly—the old man bowed his head and smiled.
Since he couldn't speak to Gideon, a friendly gesture would have to do.
Gideon responded with a nod of his own.
They went their separate ways—the old man returning to the wolf village, and Gideon heading back to the beach.
Lena exhaled deeply, relief washing over her.
"Thank God," she muttered.
She looked ahead—two armored bodies were lying on the beach. Their outfits looked... odd.
"Who are those two?" she asked.
"No idea. But they were chasing the wolf-girl earlier."
"This is all so strange. And it defies all logic. We fell from a high altitude at high speed... we should be dead," said Lena—the team's SOF medic.
Gideon nodded. He removed the enemies' armor, then dragged their bodies into the sea to be disposed of.
It was way more efficient than digging graves.
"I was thinking the same."
"Are we the only four survivors?" Lena asked.
"I can't confirm that yet."
"We'll rest here and set up a shelter nearby. Luckily, we still have supplies and gear."
Lena winced—her hand sore.
"My veins are too small, huh?"
"Bit tricky. Sorry," said Gideon, checking the swelling near her IV site.
It wasn't serious.
"I forgive you. You're not exactly a trained medic," she smiled.
Gideon grinned and returned to the supply crate, pulling out the tent equipment.
They'd sleep in the forest tonight—waiting for Luke and Lyra to wake up.
The beach air turned from warm to cold. Darkness swallowed the shore. Chirping night insects called out, filling the silence.
Gideon found a clear patch of ground he considered safe—perfect for pitching the tent.
Lena was doing much better. She removed her IV and walked around. But she was still too weak for heavy lifting.
Inside the tent, Luke and Lyra lay asleep. IV lines hung overhead—keeping them hydrated and stable.
Gideon opened the main supply crate, unloading smaller boxes filled with ammo, food, weapons, and gear.
No way he could carry the whole crate at once.
Lena lit a campfire and began boiling water.
She couldn't stop thinking about where they were—or what kind of people lived here.
She sat on a log, sipping her favorite hot choco.
"Are those wolves the original inhabitants of this place?" she asked.
Gideon nodded.
"From the way they talk, how they act, how they follow a social hierarchy—yeah, they probably are."
"You don't have to worry. The UAV is still in the sky, monitoring the area."
"If there's a threat coming, we'll spot it."
She cleared her throat, but a bigger concern weighed on her—power. Lyra's laptop wouldn't last forever.
Without electricity, the UAV would go dark. Surveillance would stop.
But judging by the wolf tribe's primitive look... Lena doubted they even knew what electricity was.
"Is it possible we're in another world?" she asked.
Gideon paused. He'd finished organizing everything.
He sat next to Lena, pouring hot water into his mug—mixing it with coffee.
"Maybe."
He'd thought about it, too.
That crash... it may have thrown them into another reality.
"But logically, that shouldn't even be possible."
Lena smiled and chuckled lightly, her eyes on the hot chocolate in her hands.
"We survived the crash and already broke logic. So why worry about it now?"
"You're right."
It was getting late. He didn't want Lena staying up too long. Gideon told her to rest in the tent with Luke and Lyra—and to keep an eye on them.
Lena nodded. No argument.
She entered, checked on the others, and finally lay down.
Only Gideon remained by the fire.
He reached under his collar and pulled out his dog tag—attached to it was a photo of his wife and daughter.
Gideon squinted, his hand trembling. His heart... was crying.
As a soldier, he knew the risks of the job.
But vanishing without a trace?
That would tear his little family heart apart.
"I'll come home to you. I promise."
***
The next morning.
"Captain! Wake up, now!"
Gideon stirred as Luke shook him roughly. He opened his eyes and saw Luke standing—awake and alert. He hadn't even noticed.
He jumped up and turned. Lyra was awake too, wrapped in an aluminum emergency blanket—designed to trap body heat and keep her from freezing.
"When did you guys wake up?"
"I woke at 2 AM. Lyra woke around 4."
Luke was already back in shape—thanks to the IV fluids and plenty of food. He'd fully recovered.
But that wasn't what worried Luke.
It was the black smoke rising in the forest.
Lena had told Luke about the wolf tribe incident. His first reaction—excitement. Lyra's? Panic.
The 24-year-old man was a movie buff and novel reader. He had a theory about what happened—based on every film and book he'd watched.
Lyra, however, was distressed. As an IT expert, she needed electricity, internet, and satellites. Without them, she was just a quiet girl with no tools.
Gideon followed Luke's pointing finger. He froze. That smoke wasn't there before. Something was definitely wrong.
"What happened? Did you scout the area?" asked Gideon.
Luke shook his head, arms crossed.
"We can't use the UAV."
"What? Why not?"
Lyra pointed at her laptop. It wasn't dead from battery loss—she'd shut it down herself to saved power.
She figured they'd need the data stored in it more than anything else.
Gideon stayed quiet. He had to find a power source. This new world... wherever it was... didn't have any.
The only way was to make a power generator. Something simple—just enough to charge Lyra's laptop.
"Lena. Lyra. Stay here. Luke and I will go check it out."
"Lyra," he called out.
"Look up simple generator designs. If we find a river, maybe we can build a water wheel."
"Yeah, but we'll need a dynamo."
"I think I saw magnets and copper wire in the crate. But is that enough?" Gideon asked.
Lyra took a sip of her hot choco before replying.
"It's enough."
"All right. You prep the blueprint—we'll handle the rest," said Gideon.
"Copy, Captain."