Saving Her II

Ayami didn't hesitate. "Hold on!" she growled, pivoting sharply. Her powerful legs kicked off the unstable ground, dodging a volley of golden energy blasts as she bolted in the opposite direction.

Lina fired another shot, taking out a summoned follower who had gotten too close. "You better have a plan, Hikaru!"

"This is the plan!" Hikaru shouted over the roaring wind. He glanced down at Senzai. "Tell me there's a water source nearby!"

Senzai's pages flipped wildly before settling. "A reflecting pool near the ruined shrine just ahead!"

Ayami surged forward, her sharp eyes scanning the distorted landscape. Then she saw it a shimmering body of water nestled between broken columns, its surface perfectly still, reflecting the golden glow of the corrupted sky above.

"There!" she called, making a beeline for it.

Ishtar's eyes narrowed. "Oh, no you don't!" She raised her hand, magic surging as the sky above them darkened.

"Move, move, move!" Hikaru yelled.

Ayami leaped just as a golden shockwave exploded behind them. She hit the ground running, her claws digging deep as she skidded to the water's edge. Without slowing down, she lunged straight for the surface.

The water rippled then shattered like glass.

A flash of white light consumed them as they plunged through the reflection, the Mirror World vanishing behind them.

Darkness wrapped around them like a thick fog as they passed through the reflection, the sensation of weightlessness pulling at their bodies. For a moment, it felt as if they were floating—drifting in a void where time had no meaning.

Then, one by one, they collapsed.

Hikaru barely had time to register the shift before his limbs felt impossibly heavy. His vision blurred, and before he could even call out, his consciousness slipped away.

Lina's sniper clattered to the unseen ground as she fell limp. Ayami, still mid-transformation, barely managed a growl before her form flickered between human and feline—then she too succumbed. Even Sakura, who had been gripping onto Ayami for dear life, was pulled into the unnatural slumber without resistance.

All of them—silent, unmoving.

Except for one.

Senzai floated above Hikaru's chest, pages fluttering erratically. The ancient book's ink shimmered, reacting to the strange energy around them.

"This isn't right," Senzai muttered, though no one was awake to hear. "We didn't return to the real world… but we're not in the Mirror World either."

The book scanned its surroundings—or what little of them there were. The space around them was… shifting. Shadows twisted unnaturally, and the air itself seemed to ripple, constantly changing between familiar shapes and unrecognizable patterns.

"The Dimension of Change," Senzai realized grimly. "A place between places."

The book flipped its pages urgently, searching for answers. "If they don't wake up soon… they might not wake up at all."

Before Senzai could process its next move, a deep, unfamiliar voice echoed through the shifting void.

"Relax, little book. They are safe."

Senzai's pages stiffened. "Who's there?"

"You are in a place neither here nor there," the voice continued. "And since you all stumbled into my domain, I figured I might as well extend some hospitality."

Senzai's ink pulsed uneasily. "Your domain? Who exactly are you?"

Before an answer came, the entire space twisted. The shifting void collapsed around them, folding in on itself like a crumpled sheet of paper then everything went still.

A sudden impact.

The next thing they knew, they were sprawled across scorching sand, the suffocating heat of an endless desert pressing down on them.

Hikaru groaned as he pushed himself up, sand clinging to his clothes. His head felt heavy, like he had just woken from a dream he couldn't quite remember.

Lina stirred next to him, rubbing her temples. "Ugh… where are we?"

Ayami sat up with a frown, shaking grains of sand from her hair. "...Hey, Hikaru, is this where we're supposed to land when leaving the Mirror World?"

Silence.

Hikaru's expression darkened. "No… We were supposed to come out near the mountain. Why are we in the middle of a desert? Where is this place?"

They scanned their surroundings. It wasn't just an open wasteland—it was enclosed, almost like a hidden stronghold built into the dunes.

Lina ran her fingers through the sand, frowning. "This feels... Arabic."

Before anyone could respond, a dry cough echoed from another room, followed by a voice.

"You guys are in Egypt."

They all froze.

The voice came from beyond the nearby doorway. Hikaru, Lina, and Ayami exchanged glances, silently debating whether they should check it out—or stay exactly where they were.

Senzai's voice crackled in Hikaru's mind, firm and urgent. "Go. We need answers."

Hikaru glanced at Lina and Ayami. "I'll go if you guys go."

Ayami scoffed, stretching as she stood. "What are you, a kid? Just get up already."

Sakura hesitated, her eyes darting around the unfamiliar surroundings. "G-Guys… where are we, actually?"

Lina exhaled, dusting off her sleeves. "Sakura-san, let's just go and see where that voice is coming from. Standing around won't help."

The group cautiously stepped into the next room, the air thick with an unfamiliar scent—incense mixed with something metallic. The space was dimly lit by lanterns flickering along the walls, casting long shadows over the sand-covered stone floor.

Seated against the far wall was a man, his presence commanding despite his battered appearance. His long, curly black hair framed a face lined with experience, thick brows furrowing slightly as he looked up at them. His features were unmistakably Arabic, his skin tanned and weathered. But what stood out most wasn't his face—it was the fact that he was missing a hand and a leg, both replaced with intricate, infused prosthetics that pulsed faintly with energy. A breathing mask covered the lower half of his face, tubes running from it to a worn-looking device at his side.

The man exhaled through the mask, the sound mechanical and rhythmic. His sharp eyes studied them, lingering on Hikaru before shifting to the others.

"So," he said, his voice rough yet steady. "You're the ones who fell into my domain."

Hikaru tensed under the weight of the man's gaze. Even with his battered body, there was something undeniably powerful about him.

Ayami crossed her arms, tilting her head. "Your domain? What, this random desert?"

The man let out a low chuckle, the sound slightly distorted through his breathing mask. "You think this is just a desert?" He gestured vaguely at the walls around them. "You're in a place between places. A crossroads of sorts. Not quite the real world, not quite the Mirror World. You should count yourselves lucky you didn't get lost in the in-between forever."

Sakura swallowed hard. "So... you saved us?"

The man shrugged, shifting slightly as his prosthetic arm whirred softly. "Saved, trapped. Depends on how you look at it." His sharp gaze landed on Hikaru. "The real question is, why can you create the Mirror World?"

Everyone turned to Hikaru. He stiffened, his mind racing. He didn't know. He never questioned it before never had to.

Then, suddenly, the pages of Senzai flipped wildly, ink shifting and reforming as if searching for something.

Finally, the book settled on a page.

"The Legend of Enkidu."

Senzai's voice echoed in Hikaru's mind.

"He's... Enkidu himself."

Hikaru felt his stomach drop.

"What?" he muttered, staring at the book.

Ayami leaned in, golden eyes narrowing at the page. "You wanna run that by us again?"

Sakura glanced between them, confusion written all over her face. "Wait... the Enkidu? Like, the one from mythology?"

The man with the breathing mask exhaled slowly, his voice laced with amusement. "Seems like someone remembers me."

Silence fell over the room.

Hikaru felt his pulse hammering in his ears. Ayami's usual smug expression was gone, replaced by something rare genuine shock. Lina's fingers twitched near her weapon, but she didn't draw it. Even Sakura, who barely understood the full extent of what was happening, looked like someone had just flipped her world upside down.

"You're kidding," Ayami finally said, her voice flat. "But if it's really you... it makes sense. So this place isn't the Mirror World or the real world. No wonder the gods never found you."

The man chuckled, the sound slightly distorted through his mask. "Haha... This place is the last bit of magic I have left. It used to be much larger, a vault where Gilgamesh and I kept our treasures, our wealth."

Lina's eyes narrowed. "So what happened? Why does it look like a forgotten ruin instead of some grand treasury?"

Enkidu let out a slow, mechanical-sounding breath through his mask. "Time. Betrayal. War. Take your pick." He leaned back against the worn stone wall, his lone hand resting on his knee. "The gods didn't take kindly to us playing by our own rules. After I rewrote the world's laws so that no creature could use magic… they tried to kill me. So, I stayed here."

"I have a question," Ayami said.

Enkidu looked at her.

"I've heard it so many times—that you took magic away from everyone. And yet, Hikaru, Lina, and I still have it. Why?"

Enkidu exhaled, his gaze unreadable. "…Brute force of the blessing."

To Be Continue.