"Hey, he's waking up," said a short, blonde-haired girl with bright green eyes, nudging her sleeping friend with barely contained excitement.
"Huh? Oh! Hey—hey, how are you?" her voice gentle with obvious excitement.
The white-haired, violet-eyed girl jolted upright, then rushed to the bedside with surprising urgency.
Myles groans—
—and nearly launches himself out of the bed.
"Who are you?!"
The sudden outburst makes her flinch, shrinking in on herself in a way that completely contradicts her height and presence. It is… unexpectedly shy.
Myles blinks.
Then smiles.
Something about it was just… cute.
Lia freezes.
A faint blush creeps across her face, catching her completely off guard.
"I'm glad you're okay, but… can you not look at me like that?" she murmurs, turning her gaze away, her voice softening despite herself.
"Hey, prig, she's way out of your league. Don't even think about it." Blondie is visibly annoyed by her sister's reaction to the person before her.
She slides between them like a blade, planting herself firmly as a barrier.
"Name's Kaelen. And that goddess over there? She's my younger sister. So I'm gonna need you to cool it."
"Wait—wait, who are you? And why am I here?" Myles stammers, his thoughts scrambling to catch up. "I thought I was on a morning jo—hey, where are my clothes?!"
"You mean those rags over there?" Lia says, pointing to a neatly folded tracksuit and boxers resting on a nearby chair. "You were soaked in blood. Honestly… I'm surprised you're still alive."
That's when it hit him.
Bandages.
Everywhere.
Layered across his body like he'd been pieced back together.
Then—
realization.
"Couldn't you have at least left the boxers on?!" he snaps, yanking the blanket over himself in a panic, clutching it like a shield.
Lia turns away instantly, flustered, crouching into herself.
"Eek!" Her eyes secretely staring daggers at her elder sister.
"Where's the fun in that?" Kaelen whispers, suddenly right beside him—far too close.
Before the moment could settle—
Lia moves.
On instinct, she grabs Kaelen and yanks her away.
Too hard.
Way too hard.
Kaelen goes flying.
She hits the wall—
—and falls through it.
Silence.
Lia's hands fly to her mouth. "I—I didn't mean to!"
A beat—
Then—
BOOM.
The wall gave way again as Kaelen stepped back through the debris, dust rolling off her shoulders like it regretted having dared touch her.
"Don't forget I'm your older sister," she says coldly.
Something about her has changed.
A few strands of her silky blonde hair had shifted into ginger at the front. Her expression sharpened, aged—less playful, more deliberate.
Her foot presses against Lia's chest.
A soft, pained sound escapes Lia.
"I'm sorry…" Lia mutters, turning her face away. "I didn't mean it. I lost control."
Kaelen's lips curl into something dangerous.
"Oh, you're sorry, huh?" she says lightly. "Nah… I'm not taking that. If you're really sorry, then you'll accept your punishment."
And just like that—
The air shifts.
A presence.
A girl stood behind them. Or rather a woman.
Jet-black hair. Piercing blue eyes. Two horns curling gently from her head like a crown she didn't ask for but wears effortlessly. Her fair skin seem to catch the light differently, her presence commanding without trying.
"What is all this commotion?" she says sharply. "I thought you were tending to its wounds, Kaelen. Why must you turn every moment into one of your 'experiments'? She's your younger sister."
Kaelen's hair settles. Her expression softens back into something familiar.
"Oh, come on, sis. I wasn't actually going to do anything. Just wanted to shake her up a bit."
The horned woman let out a small, knowing laugh. Hiding her beautiful grin behind her delicate hands.
"I know. But don't bully her when she's vulnerable."
They share a chuckle—
—and just like that, she was gone.
No sound.
No trace.
Myles stares at the empty space, his mind refusing to catch up with his eyes.
Is this some kind of sick joke… or a dream?
Either way… I want out.
He didn't dare say it aloud.
From what he could tell, these girls were beyond human.
Or worse—not human at all.
Especially her. The beautiful lady with horns.
"Hey… weirdos," he said finally, voice cautious but steady, "where are we? And what happened to me?" Myles is surprised by the words that he just uttered, but refuses to show it on his face. Weakness of any kind is the last thing he wants to show.
Lia and Kaelen exchange a glance.
Something unspoken passes between them.
"Oh my," Kaelen says slowly. "You really don't remember, do you?"
"Remember what?" Myles snaps. "The last thing I recall is taking a different route on my morning jog—"
Pain.
Sudden. Violent.
"Aagh!" He clutches his head, vision fracturing.
Before he can fall—
Lia catches him.
No hesitation.
She pulls him into her arms, holding him tightly, protectively—like shielding him from something unseen.
A soft green light blooms around his head.
Warm.
Steady.
The pain… fades.
Myles exhales shakily.
"I… I remember," he says, voice unsteady. "Wait… you guys thought I was a beast this whole time? How couldn't you tell I was human?"
Silence.
Blank stares.
"Human?" they echo.
The word felt… old.
Distant.
Humans had been gone for millennia. Reduced to sayings, to fragments of language.
As dead as a human.
Kaelen steps forward, studying him with renewed interest.
"Oh—you mean the mouth-breathers from Earth?" she says casually. "My friend… you're not on Earth anymore. I honestly thought the creatures you saw would've made that obvious."
Myles' face drained of colour.
"Wait…" he whispers. "Those things were real?"
Not a dream.
Not a nightmare.
Reality.
Flashes tear through his mind—claws, blood, tearing flesh. His own hands ripping creatures apart, breaking them, ending them.
His breathing hitches.
His eyes shifted—
to Lia.
And then—
other memories.
Softer ones.
Too close.
His face flushed instantly. This white-haired goddess might be... be doesn't let himself finish the thought.
Lia notices.
She chuckled, turning away just in time to hide her own reaction as both he and Kaelen looked at her.
Kaelen grins.
"Well… this is long overdue."
She spreads her arms slightly, like presenting a stage.
"Welcome to Phase 2."