"Tell me, Noah—where are we supposed to land? We're running out of fuel! I can't believe you were stupid enough not to check before taking off! How could you forget something so basic for a cross-country flight? What the hell were you thinking?" Ramses snapped, his voice rising with irritation and frustration.
Ramses and his younger brother Noah had always worked side by side, doing whatever it took to survive and stop depending on their parents at such an early age.
Their parents were poor—so poor that their childhood was spent in one of the most neglected neighborhoods in the United States, a place abandoned by both people and government alike. Hunger and poverty ruled their days. Families lived in rusty trailers, heading out before dawn to scrape together enough money to survive for another two days—if they were lucky.
They lived in near-total poverty.
The government aid that had once been promised—food, clean water—never came. Yet, somehow, many still clung to the hope that one day it would.
Now, Ramses and Noah were rushing to deliver a mysterious package stored in the cargo hold of their old aircraft. President Jason himself had hired them for this mission and promised a generous payment upon completion. Enough, perhaps, to finally buy that small beach house they'd seen months ago—a dream home where they could rest and enjoy the life they had fought so hard to earn.
Their greatest wish was to escape the slums for good. They'd been working tirelessly for years, saving every dollar they could. This presidential delivery was supposed to be their ticket out—a job they refused to let fail just because of low fuel.
No matter what, they had to find a place to land before it was too late—to avoid crashing, or worse, dying trying.
The cargo in their plane was enormous, important, and top-secret. Even though curiosity burned inside them, neither brother dared to ask the president what exactly they were carrying.
What they didn't know… was that inside that sealed metallic bunker, locked with heavy silver chains and enormous padlocks, a legend was waiting to be unleashed—one that would forever change their lives, and the fate of the entire world.
"Noah," Ramses ordered, his tone sharp, "if you want to be useful, go check the cargo hold. Make sure everything's fine with the package. I don't want any last-minute surprises—this job is our way out of the miserable life we've had to endure."
Noah stayed silent. He hadn't spoken a single word since realizing he'd made a mistake with the fuel. When Ramses got angry, it was best to stay quiet and do what he said; otherwise, he'd never stop reminding Noah how useless he was—and how Ramses always had to clean up his messes.
Like a dog obeying its master, Noah did as he was told.
He walked quickly toward the cargo bay, almost as if his sanity and his place beside his brother depended on it. With a click, he turned on the lights. A dim yellow glow filled the compartment—revealing the massive metallic bunker.
Carefully, Noah stepped closer. Each step was slow, hesitant, silent… as if he feared that whatever was inside might burst out and attack him the moment it was free.
But then, something caught his eye.
A faint, radiant glow seeped through the edges of the bunker's metallic walls. It was as if something—something powerful and beyond comprehension—was stirring inside. Noah's eyes widened as he watched the blinding light intensify, until cracks began to form along the steel surface.
The metal groaned. The bunker started to split apart.
And then—
Boom.
A massive explosion filled his vision with a blinding mix of orange, red, and white light. It was the last thing Noah saw before losing consciousness.
Hours later, his lungs burning and breath ragged, Noah stirred. His eyes fluttered open slowly, his vision blurry at first—until he saw her.
A woman.
She stood before him like something out of a dream—or a nightmare. Her chest was full, her waist impossibly slim, her black dress decorated with glowing violet ornaments that shimmered under the dim light. Her long black hair, braided and silky, framed a face that looked both ancient and impossibly beautiful. Furthermore, her violet eyes—like twin gems—watched him without emotion.
Noah blinked hard, trying to focus. The woman remained still, curious, as if she were examining a strange creature she'd never seen before.
For a brief moment, she reminded him of the old anime characters he used to watch as a kid—back when he'd sneak into supermarkets just to catch a few episodes on the display TVs because he never had one at home. Ramses had always mocked him for that. Called him a "freak." A "weeb."
But Noah didn't care.
And now, seeing this woman standing before him—animated, surreal, impossible—he froze.
His eyes widened like plates.
He jumped to his feet suddenly, startling the woman. She backed away, fear flashing in her eyes.
"No, wait! Please—don't be afraid! I'm not going to hurt you!" Noah said quickly, raising his hands to show he meant no harm.
But she still looked terrified, hesitant to trust him.
Then Noah realized—he was the intruder here.
Looking around, his heart skipped a beat. The world around him was no longer human. The colors, the sky, even the air—it all felt different, unreal, drawn.
He wasn't on Earth anymore.
He was inside an anime world.
The woman before him wasn't human at all—she was animated. And that explained everything.
"I'm sorry," he said, lowering his voice. "I didn't mean to intrude. But… you have to understand, I don't belong here. I'm not from this world. I come from somewhere else—somewhere very different. And I just… I just want to go back."
Noah's heart ached. Once, he had dreamed of living in his favorite anime worlds. But now, staring at his own hands—hands that no longer looked entirely human—he felt nothing but confusion and dread.
And then it hit him.
Where was Ramses?
"Ramses! Oh, God!—Ramses! Where are you?!" Noah shouted, panic gripping his chest.
He looked around frantically—left, right, up, down—desperate for a sign of his brother. He refused to believe Ramses was gone. And then, finally, he saw it.
The wreckage.
Their plane had been torn apart—scattered in thousands of burning metal fragments across a vast, silent valley. At least they hadn't crashed into a city… or it would've been catastrophic.
Noah's breath caught in his throat as he ran forward, trembling.
And then he saw him.
Ramses.
Lying motionless on the ground. His face burned beyond recognition, his skin melted like candle wax. The horror frozen on his face was something Noah knew he would never forget.
"How… how the hell did this happen?" he whispered, voice cracking.
"How am I supposed to bring you back…?"
The woman didn't leave. She stayed there, watching Noah with a strange, cautious curiosity—as though he were some strange new creature she didn't yet understand.
Finally, she spoke, her voice soft and angelic—soothing him in an instant.
"Are you… all right?" she asked gently, seeing him kneel beside his brother's body.
Noah turned to her, tears in his eyes, disbelief written across his face.
For the first time since waking up, her voice gave him a flicker of calm amid the chaos.