Meeting Luna in that strange world had been a stroke of luck for Fatheema. Luna possessed remarkable technical skills—something rare in a place like this.
From what she had shared about her past, Luna was a descendant of an ancient people who once thrived in this hidden world, known for their advanced knowledge of technology. But after years of war and chaos, her people had been nearly wiped out.
Now, she was alone.
With no place to call home, Luna wandered from one place to another, surviving as best as she could in a world that had long since lost its balance.
The portal device Luna had repaired once again saved them both.
"Luna, thank you! That was amazing—you fixed the portal device so quickly," Fatheema said.
"Ah, no problem," she said cheerfully.
"Oh, right… we need to find a place for you to rest, Fatty. We can't go back to where we were staying," she continued.
"I'm worried it's already been surrounded by the Ifrit King's forces."
"Let's find a place to hide first, while we prepare."
She glanced at Fatheema.
"What do you think?"
"I agree. Do you have any ideas?" Fatheema asked.
"Yeah, I think I do," she said, a spark of excitement in her voice. "Let's find somewhere to hide. Don't worry—I know a place."
They walked leisurely along the dirt road, with open grasslands stretching out on both sides.
The sun had set, and day had given way to night. Yet it wasn't truly dark. In this strange world, the night was beautiful.
The moon shone brightly above, and countless stars filled the sky.
Across the meadow, countless fireflies drifted back and forth, their soft glow dancing in the night. The sight deepened the atmosphere, making it both beautiful and mysterious.
As she walked beside Luna, Fatheema felt a cool breeze brush against her eyelids. Her dark brown eyes began to glow, slowly shifting into a purplish hue streaked with deep red patterns.
Her vision blurred—
Then everything turned white.
A vast, empty landscape unfolded before her, gradually reshaping itself into the world around them.
In her vision, she saw a black dot streaking across the moonlit sky. It grew larger, taking shape—until it became a black bird.
A raven.
Its eyes glowed a deep, ominous red.
In an instant, the vision vanished, replaced by the sight of the dirt road stretching between the grasslands.
"Luna, get ready," Fatheema said, her voice low but firm. "Something's coming… something evil."
"What? What's coming, Fatty?" she asked anxiously.
"A black bird… it's a bad sign."
Sure enough, a moment later, something flew toward them from ahead.
A dark shape cut through the air—
And landed about ten meters in front of them.
"Caw! Caw!" the creature shrieked.
The creature stood nearly two meters tall. Its body was covered in dark fur, shaped like a towering human—but its head was that of a raven. Two black wings stretched from its back, and its hands ended in long, razor-sharp claws. Its round eyes glowed an eerie red, and its beak was dark and deadly.
Without warning, the creature lunged forward to ambush them.
Fatheema reacted instantly, pulling Luna aside just in time to avoid the attack.
Then she spun on her heel and delivered a clean, powerful spinning kick—striking the creature squarely in the back—sending it crashing to the ground.
He braced himself with both hands, cushioning the impact.
The creature rose to its feet, its rage unmistakable. It let out a loud, piercing scream.
"Caw! Caw!"
Meanwhile, Fatheema pulled two rattan sticks from her bag. She spun them lightly at her sides.
Then—
She burst forward.
In an instant, she closed the distance and unleashed a rapid series of strikes, her sticks snapping through the air as she aimed for its head, elbows, and shoulders.
The creature raised its arm to block the blow.
And—
It shrieked in pain.
It hadn't expected the strike to hurt so much. How could something as simple as rattan cause that kind of pain?
Snarling, it began to dodge—leaping left and right to avoid Fatheema's relentless attacks.
Fatheema realized her attacks were working. This creature wasn't as strong as the previous ifrit. With her Solomon's Whip technique, she quickly forced it on the defensive.
She struck without hesitation—fast, fierce, and unyielding—her blows raining down on the raven-like creature.
Suddenly, the creature split into two—then four.
Before she could react, they spun around her, snatching Fatheema in a blur of motion.
"Huh? Trying to play tricks?"
"You won't fool me, crow!"
Fatheema pushed forward, picking up the pace of her attacks—
Bugh! Bugh!
Two of them were struck by her sticks.
The moment they were hit, the birds burst into smoke and vanished.
"Oh… I see how it works," Fatheema said.
Without hesitation, she rushed the other.
Her attacks came in a relentless barrage, leaving the crow no room to move.
Finally—
Bugh!
Another crow was struck.
"Caw! Caw!"
The remaining black crow took to the air, preparing to dart away.
But—
Fatheema had already read its intention.
She sprang upward in one fluid motion, her body twisting midair with effortless, acrobatic grace.
She raised both arnis sticks—
And—
Bugh!
A powerful strike hit the black bird, sending it crashing to the ground.
Luna reacted instantly, throwing something that looked like a small ball—
And—
It burst open midair, unfurling a net of black cords that wrapped tightly around the crow.
"Serves you right. Don't try to ambush people next time," Fatheema said with a wide grin.
The raven demon was completely bound by the black cord net Luna had thrown, unable to move at all.
As if by magic, its size shrank until it was small enough to fit in the palm of a hand.
"Fatty, let's lock this stupid bird up and question it later," Luna said.
"For now, let's just put it in a cage," she added with a satisfied smile.
She then pulled out a small transparent cylinder, about the size of her hand and roughly a foot long.
She pressed a button on the cylindrical device.
At once, a small black portal opened above it—and as if by magic, it pulled the raven inside.
Seeing that, Fatheema let out a small laugh. The whole thing looked oddly amusing—she had never seen anything like it before, except in movies.
"Do we need to put in some bird food too?" she asked, chuckling softly.
"Fatty, we need to find a place to rest," Luna said, tugging gently at Fatheema's hand as they turned off the dirt road.
After walking for a while across the grasslands, they came upon a small pond. Around it grew clusters of small trees, with scattered rocks covered in thick shrubs.
Luna pulled out a small rectangular device. As soon as she pressed it, a translucent structure formed—shaped like a four-sided pyramid.
The center opened.
She grabbed Fatheema's hand and pulled her inside—
And the pyramid sealed shut once again.
Fatheema looked around in awe. She reached out, gently running her hand along the inner surface of the pyramid.
"It feels like touching glass," she murmured.
"This is called a Dimension Shelter. My people are skilled at creating them."
"We can hide inside it—and even live in it. The exterior can camouflage itself to match the surrounding environment, making it invisible to anything outside. It also protects us from external conditions… and from enemy attacks."
She paused for a moment.
"But it has its limits. Against powerful creatures—or strong weapons—it can still be destroyed."
"Its strength depends on the materials used to build it. The better the materials, the stronger its durability."
She gave a satisfied smile.
"Of course… the better it is, the more expensive it gets."
Fatheema stretched, then twisted her body before launching into a high kick. Her leg shot straight upward, forming a perfect vertical line toward the sky.
She brought it down smoothly—then followed with a sharp punch.
"Hiyyah!"
Luna smiled as she watched her, then lay down.
"Fatty, I'm tired. I'm going to get some sleep."
Fatheema nodded with a soft smile.
***