Kikei tilted her head, curiosity shining in her bright blue eyes. “So… what’s the plan now?”
Jania didn’t hesitate. “We break into the settlement.”
Kikei blinked. “And how exactly do you think that’s going to go?”
Jania cracked her knuckles. “If I have to, I’ll use violence to get some answers.”
Kikei burst out laughing. “Oh, that’s not gonna work.” She took a step closer, a mischievous glint in her eye. “Go on, hit me.”
Jania frowned. “What?”
“Hit me.” Kikei grinned. “I bet you can’t.”
Jania rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to punch a kid.”
Kikei crossed her arms. “You think violence is an option, right? Prove it. Come on, just one punch.”
Jania sighed, drawing her fist back—
Nothing.
Her muscles locked, frozen mid-motion. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t make her body move.
Jania frowned, trying again. Her muscles tensed, her fist ready to move except nothing happened. It was as if an invisible force had locked her body in place, preventing the action before it even began.
Her breath hitched. She had never experienced anything like this before.
Kikei grinned, rocking back on her heels. “Told ya. You can’t use violence here. It’s like, a rule or something. I don’t know how it works, but the moment you try to hurt someone, your body just… doesn’t.”
Jania scowled, stepping back and shaking out her hands. “That’s impossible.”
“Uh, clearly not,” Kikei pointed out. “You literally just tried to punch me and failed. That’s kinda hilarious, by the way.”
Jania ignored her, mind racing. The Will-o-Wisp had said the same thing. No violence. At the time, she had dismissed it as some kind of mystical nonsense. But this was real. Some kind of invisible force was overriding her ability to act aggressively.
That changed everything. Glad Kikei told me beforehand but she didn’t have to be so annoying about it.
She had been planning to fight her way through if necessary, but if this so-called “rule” applied to everyone here… then that meant the elves couldn’t use violence either.
Jania chewed lightly on her lower lip. “Alright, then how do people fight here? There’s gotta be some way to settle disputes.”
Kikei shrugged. “I dunno. Maybe they talk things out like civilized people?”
Jania scoffed. “Yeah, ‘cause that always works.”
Still, this wasn’t something she could ignore. If she couldn’t force answers out of the elves, she would have to find another way.
She exhaled sharply. Great. Diplomacy.
She was starting to hate this planet.
Jania ran a hand down her face, forcing herself to stay calm. She had no backup and no idea how things worked on this cursed planet. Diplomacy wasn’t exactly her strong suit, but it looked like she’d have to play along. Well, at least until she found an opportunity to take control of the situation.
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Before she could dwell on her frustration, Kikei suddenly stiffened beside her, her excitement vanishing in an instant. Her eyes darted around, unfocused, like she was sensing something beyond Jania’s perception.
Jania tensed. “What is it?”
Kikei swallowed hard. “We’re not alone.”
Then, the ground rumbled. A low, groaning sound reverberated through the trees, followed by the deafening crack of splintering wood.
Jania’s instincts kicked in the second Kikei stiffened. She moved to grab the girl and run, but before she could take a step, the ground trembled beneath her feet. A deep, guttural groan echoed through the forest as the towering trees around them began to crash down.
Jania barely managed to pull Kikei back as a massive trunk slammed into the earth where they had been standing moments before, sending a shockwave through the ground. Leaves and splinters rained down, dust rising in thick clouds. The forest itself was collapsing around them.
Jania cursed under her breath. Of course, there were loopholes.
She had just learned that direct violence was forbidden here, but this? This wasn’t a punch. This wasn’t a weapon. The force chasing them wasn’t attacking them. They were simply felling trees and if the tree accidentally landed on them, so be it.
Kikei clutched her arm, her eyes wide with alarm. “They’re coming fast!” she squeaked. “There’s, like, so many auras, oh no, oh no, oh no—”
Jania gritted her teeth, scanning for an escape. The trees were toppling in a deliberate pattern, cutting off paths one by one, and funnelling them into a specific direction.
They were being herded somewhere.
"There are animals over there," Kikei whimpered, about to crack.
Jania looked at where Kikei was pointing. I doubt the rules affect animals, otherwise they wouldn’t be able to eat. This sucks.
Jania adjusted her grip on Kikei. “Hold on tight, we’re not gonna just sit here and let them corner us.”
Kikei whimpered but nodded, clinging to Jania as she braced herself.
Jania had decided it was time to fight back. If they wanted to push her somewhere, she’d push back.
She planted her feet and tried to kick the falling tree toward where she suspected the elves were hiding. Nothing. Her suit-enhanced strength should have sent it flying, but it was as if an unseen force locked her movements. Frustration flared until she noticed a pattern in the restriction. It wasn’t absolute. It triggered only when she intended to harm.
Jania adjusted her strategy, shifting tactics from attack to control. Instead of trying to weaponize the trees, she redirected their fall, using just enough force to send them crashing into random spots. It wasn’t a perfect plan, but it was the only leverage she had.
Eventually, the elves had enough. One by one, figures shimmered into existence, their cloaks of invisibility peeling away like mist under the sun.
Jania exhaled sharply. No escape.
She turned her head slightly and spoke to Kikei telepathically.
“Just go with the flow. Don’t resist.”
Kikei nodded hesitantly.
A tall elf stepped forward, his gaze sharp with barely concealed disdain. He didn’t speak, didn’t explain. He simply raised a hand and pointed in a direction.
Jania clenched her jaw but didn’t argue. She adjusted her grip on Kikei’s shoulder and started walking.
They walked for hours, the relentless pace never slowing. Kikei was clearly exhausted, her steps dragging, but every time Jania attempted to slow their pace, one of the elves would shoot her a menacing glare.
In the end, Jania scoffed under her breath and scooped Kikei up. The girl didn’t complain, just wrapped her arms around Jania’s neck and sighed in relief.
“They’re not taking us to the others,” Kikei murmured in Jania’s mind, her voice laced with unease. “But there’s something ahead… something massive. I can feel its aura—it’s huge. It takes up half the sky.”
Jania frowned but said nothing. Kikei had proven herself useful with her strange ability, but what the hell could be big enough to cover half the sky?
The trees eventually thinned, and ahead, something unexpected appeared. A cluster of metal pedestals stood in the clearing. It was the first sign of technology they had seen on this planet.
The leading elf gestured impatiently for them to step onto the platforms.
Jania exhaled through her nose. Teleporters. Figures. She had been through enough of them lately that the unnatural sensation of displacement barely registered anymore.
Kikei, however, let out an excited squeal as the world blurred around them, the sensation of motionless movement washing over them.
The thrill lasted all of five seconds.
As soon as they reappeared, Kikei gasped and clung to Jania.
A massive underground cavern stretched before them, its stone walls smoothed by time and something far older than tools. But none of that mattered.
Because the cavern had one occupant.
A dragon.
A massive, silver-scaled beast that stretched over a hundred meters in length, its gleaming hide catching the soft, glowing light from veins of luminescent crystal embedded in the cavern walls.
Jania’s breath hitched.
Kikei trembled in her arms.
The dragon’s enormous golden eyes locked onto them, filled with intelligence—and something else.
Amusement.