Kwanita and I approached one of the mountains that radiated a flickering light. At the summit, we spotted a figure—a man with dark skin, holding what appeared to be a mirror, directing it towards a distant mountain. This, it seemed, was the source of the twinkling light. Moments later, the mountain across responded with a series of flashes.
We descended slowly toward the man. Kwanita asked, "Excuse me, what are you doing?"
"Oh my god! Get away from me!" he shouted, jumping back in shock. He launched a powerful punch at my chest, but instead of feeling anything, I watched as he was thrown back, landing far from me. Confused, I noticed his fear as he looked between Kwanita and me.
I approached him cautiously to avoid escalating his panic. "Kind sir, we mean you no harm. We are merely curious about what you were doing."
"Who are you? Where do you come from?" he asked, pointing at me with evident trepidation.
With a gentle smile, I replied, "I am Rhinggamana Astolfo, and this dear woman is Kwanita Imara. We hail from the city of Hengard."
Upon hearing our introduction, the dark-skinned man began to calm down. He stood up and asked, "Hengard? The city of heroes?"
We nodded, and he suddenly shouted with joy, "Saviors! Saviors! Finally, the saviors have arrived!"
Kwanita and I exchanged puzzled glances.
From behind us, a stone blocking the cave entrance rolled away. We peeked inside, curious about the creatures dwelling within. Soon, a throng of dark-skinned individuals poured out, far more numerous than we expected, rushing toward us. They knelt before us, paying homage. The man with the mirror, seeing my feet hovering above the ground and Kwanita sitting gracefully on a lotus flower, signaled to the mountain across. An immediate reply flickered back, though I remained unaware of the meaning behind the mirror's reflection.
From within the cave emerged a final figure—a man with dark skin, exuding authority and joy. It was clear he was the leader here.
"This place is not safe. We should speak inside," he said.
We nodded in agreement. I stepped forward, merging with this group of cave dwellers as we entered a deep corridor. Once assured no one remained outside, the stone door sealed itself, camouflaging the cave entrance, making it appear as an ordinary rock from the outside.
The corridor was shrouded in darkness, devoid of any light. I sensed a deliberate reason for the obscurity, so I switched off the illumination feature of my Vimana. Instead, I adjusted my vision to the dark, and after a few moments, everything became clear. Gasps erupted as the gathered crowd beheld my eyes glowing like a cat's under the moonlight. Kwanita looked equally surprised.
We followed the leader until we reached a vast hall made of stone. The group quickly formed a circle around us, inviting us to sit near the leader.
"Apologies for the lack of comfort. Could you please state your name and origin once more?" he asked.
"I am Rhinggamana Astolfo, and this is Kwanita Imara. We come from the city of Hengard," I replied.
The leader's expression shifted to one of realization. He scrutinized my features closely before saying, "Hengard is known as the city of heroes—a tribute to a knight who dared to disrupt the gods five hundred years ago. If I remember correctly, there is a grand statue commemorating that hero in the city. I must say, Rhinggamana Astolfo, your visage bears a striking resemblance to that statue."
Kwanita opened her mouth to speak, but I silenced her with a gesture, addressing the leader. "I never expected to find humans in this cursed place. Who are you really? What is this place?"
The leader drew a deep breath and replied, "You may call me Dumba. This place was once known as Dimbessa, part of the nation of Negrida. Truth be told, we all originated from the neighboring city. We came here to rescue our kin who vanished upon entering this land of demons."
"Are you not the original inhabitants of this place?" I inquired.
Dumba shook his head. "This land used to resemble our home—lush, capable of yielding various crops for sustenance. You must have seen the six-armed monsters upon your arrival, yes? They were once our relatives."
Kwanita and I were taken aback. "What happened to them?" I asked.
"Twenty years ago, a brilliant scientist entered Dimbessa. He claimed to hail from the Bropa, descendants of the gods. His name was Ruthfus. This scientist created a serum from a virus and animals he engineered."
Dumba took a deep breath, continuing, "The serum was meant to enhance the abilities of the Dimbessa citizens significantly. Our previous leader had grand ambitions—to transform our nation into a formidable, wise, and resilient people capable of facing the world."
I interrupted, "Did the serum fail, causing the people here to transform into monsters?"
Dumba shook his head. "No, the serum succeeded. After testing it on animals, it proved effective. Ruthfus then sought volunteers for human trials, and one of the volunteers was my brother. After receiving the serum, his strength multiplied a hundredfold. He could lift ten elephants and leap between mountains in the blink of an eye."
Dumba's gaze lingered on me, a hint of envy evident in his eyes at my robust form and ability to float like a deity. "Seeing the serum's success, many from neighboring cities sought it. But Ruthfus imposed a condition: anyone who took the serum could never leave Dimbessa under any circumstances. It was supposedly for research and to ensure no side effects arose. Given what they stood to gain, I suspect you would agree it didn't seem an unreasonable stipulation."
"Many of our relatives chose to remain in Dimbessa for the serum, including my brother. Even the president participated. But as years passed, the city became increasingly bizarre. New, nonsensical regulations arose. For instance, visitors from other cities had to pay exorbitant fees. And anyone entering could never leave. I went a decade without seeing my brother."
"Slowly, Dimbessa became isolated from the outside world. Great iron walls surrounded the city. Many of us began to question what was happening. Eight years ago, we staged a coup to break into Dimbessa. We were astounded to discover the truth behind those walls. We were met with horrifying monsters—six-armed beasts with sharp teeth. All the inhabitants of Dimbessa had vanished, replaced by monsters. When we attempted to flee, those very monsters blocked every exit. We were forced to escape into the wilderness to avoid capture. They despised sand and heat, so we fled to this desert, making it our refuge."
"Years passed, and we found no way out. Many rescue teams from the outside attempted to save us, but they ended up trapped here just like us. Then one day, while we mourned our fate atop these mountains, Ruthfus approached us. He floated in the air as you did, Rhinggamana. We were shocked to find he was still alive, believing he had become one of the six-armed monsters or met a worse fate."
"Ruthfus warned us, 'You will never escape this place. Even if someone attempts to save you, I will not allow it. As long as none of you can defeat me, you will remain my captives forever.' Can you imagine our shock upon hearing this? It had never crossed our minds that Ruthfus was truthful about his lineage as a descendant of the gods. Eventually, we all resigned ourselves to our grim fate, spending the rest of our lives in terror of those monsters."
"Seeing you and your girlfriend arrive from the heavens, we believed hope had come to rescue us. We plead with you, Rhinggamana Astolfo; I believe you are no ordinary individual. Please help us return from this place—to our true home."
Suddenly, everyone bowed before us. I stood there, unsure of what to do. I could easily carry them one by one out of this place; that would be the simplest solution. But would that truly resolve everything? Trained by Gabriel and Michael in heaven, blessed with knowledge from all beings across the universe, I was confident I could revert these monsters back to humans. I just needed to create an antidote.
Thus, I chose the harder path: to restore all these unfortunate souls from the evil wrought by Ruthfus, one of the descendants of Trendava.
Standing in the center of the room, I proclaimed, "Everyone, listen to me! With the little ability I possess, I will strive to solve your problems. But I will not take you out of here. I believe there is still hope to restore your kin who have turned into monsters back to humanity. Together, we can put an end to the suffering that has bound you and the inhabitants of this city."