3. A Baan?

The air inside the temple was cool, still heavy with the whispers of time and forgotten stories. Aron had managed to doze off after a long, exhausting night of questions with no answers. Sleep wasn't exactly peaceful, but at least it gave him some respite from the overwhelming confusion of this place.

Then, without warning, a sharp pain twisted in his chest.

His golden eyes shot open. His breath hitched as his heart pounded erratically in his chest, an unnatural rhythm that he had known since childhood.

Something was wrong.

His father had always warned him—if his heart ever clenched like this, it meant danger was near. Something, someone, was about to harm him.

His entire body tensed as he turned his head, the feeling in his chest intensifying. His vision adjusted to the dim moonlight, and when he finally saw what was standing before him, his heart nearly stopped entirely.

A bear. A massive, hulking bear.

It loomed just a few feet away, its shaggy fur matted with leaves, its sharp black eyes locked onto him like he was some kind of midnight snack. The sheer size of it made Aron feel incredibly small, like a single misplaced step could mean the end of his very existence.

Its mouth parted slightly, revealing teeth large enough to bite through bone. Its breath was warm, heavy, and way too close for comfort.

Aron remained perfectly still, his brain short-circuiting as he processed the absolute absurdity of waking up to a giant bear in an ancient, supposedly abandoned temple.

Why was it here?! Why was it staring at him like that?!

His survival instincts kicked in all at once. His head jerked to the side, searching frantically for his companions.

Zander.

The man lay a few feet away, his brow furrowed, his body slightly shifting as if his subconscious could sense the disturbance. He was about to wake up.

Aron didn't think.

"WAKE UP! THERE'S A BEAR OR SOMETHING!"

His voice cracked slightly from panic, but it did the job.

Zander's eyes snapped open, and before he even had time to react, Aron's shout had successfully startled the rest of the group.

Zane jerked awake, letting out a very undignified yelp. Livia, still half-asleep, blinked at the massive predator looming over them and promptly screamed.

The bear, now fully aware of their distress, let out a low, guttural growl.

The sheer menace in that sound was enough to drain the blood from everyone's face.

Then, in a split second, the beast moved.

The bear lunged forward, massive paws stomping against the temple's stone floor, and in that moment, Aron thought, Well, this is how I die.

But before he could even attempt to dodge, Zander suddenly appeared beside him like a lightning strike.

Then, with no hesitation—Zander scooped him up.

In a princess carry.

Aron blinked, utterly and completely stunned as he found himself lifted into Zander's arms like some delicate, helpless maiden.

"RUN!" Zander barked at the others as he bolted towards the temple's inner halls.

For a solid second, Aron's brain could not keep up with reality.

Did... did Zander Arthur just PRINCESS CARRY HIM?!

In front of everyone?!

This wasn't exactly the time to protest, but Aron was far from dying, thank you very much! His heart was hammering in his chest, sure, but that was just his body's natural reaction to an enormous bear trying to make a meal out of them!

He cast a glance at Zander's face, his sharp scarlet eyes focused solely on escaping. His grip on Aron was firm but careful, as if he truly thought Aron might faint from sheer terror.

...Was that what this was?!

Did Zander think he had passed out from fear?!

Oh. Oh, that was embarrassing.

To be fair, now was NOT the time to correct him. Priorities were staying alive first, avoiding public humiliation second.

Behind them, Livia and Zane had successfully launched into a full-speed sprint of sheer desperation.

"Why the hell is there a bear in a temple?!" Zane wheezed as he ran, his voice shrill with panic.

"Because it WANTS TO EAT YOU, OBVIOUSLY!" Livia shot back. "WHAT KIND OF DUMB QUESTION IS THAT?!"

"I WAS JUST PROCESSING—"

"PROCESS FASTER!"

Aron, despite his predicament, couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Zane, of all the intelligent observations you could have made right now, that was probably the worst."

"SORRY! I WASN'T EXPECTING A BEAR!"

"You think WE were?! None of us woke up today expecting a bear attack, Zane!"

"Okay, I get it!"

Meanwhile, the bear was not giving up.

Its massive form barreled forward, its growls reverberating through the temple walls. It was fast—too fast for something so massive.

Zander made a sharp turn down a hallway, leading them deeper into the temple's ruins. The corridors were tight, the stone passageways narrowing as they went further inside. The bear wouldn't be able to fit through the narrower gaps.

At least, that's what they hoped.

Aron, still cradled in Zander's arms, sulked internally.

He didn't want to be ungrateful—Zander's actions had probably saved his life—but at the same time, this was absolutely humiliating.

The only thing worse than being chased by a bear?

Being chased by a bear while being carried like some kind of distressed noblewoman.

After what felt like an eternity of sprinting, they finally reached a chamber that seemed safe enough. Zander set Aron down carefully, stepping back without a word.

Livia collapsed against a pillar, her breath ragged. Zane bent over, hands on his knees, looking like he was reconsidering every decision that led him to this moment.

Aron straightened his clothes with as much dignity as he could muster.

Zane was still panting when he finally spoke.

"Okay," he gasped, still catching his breath. "So. Um. That just happened."

Livia turned to him, eyes wild. "'That just happened'?! WE ALMOST DIED!"

"Yeah, I—I'm fully aware of that!" Zane huffed. "Just—what kind of logic-breaking nonsense was that?! Why is there a bear living in an ancient abandoned temple?! What is it eating?! WHO PUT IT THERE?!"

Aron, still mildly irritated, muttered, "Probably other lost idiots like us."

Livia, despite her exhaustion, snorted. "Now that's an answer I can get behind."

Zander, now calm, sighed and crossed his arms. "For now, we're safe. But we need to be more cautious moving forward. We don't know what else could be lurking in this temple."

Zane threw his hands in the air. "Great. Just great. First, we wake up in a weird magical realm. Then, we get chased by a BEAR. And now, you're telling me there could be MORE NIGHTMARE CREATURES IN HERE?!"

Livia gave him a flat look. "Do you want an answer to that, or do you just want to keep screaming?"

Zane pointed at her dramatically. "Both!"

Aron let out a long, slow breath, his earlier panic finally settling into a dull ache in his chest.

Zander was studying him carefully, probably trying to see if he had recovered from his 'fear-induced weakness.'

Aron considered correcting the misunderstanding.

Then he thought about how Zander would react if he realized he had been carrying Aron for no reason.

...Nope. Not today.

"Well," Aron finally said, rubbing his temples. "That was the worst wake-up call of my life."

Livia smirked. "Good news is, I don't think anything can top this disaster. Bad news is, I might've just jinxed us."

Aron groaned.

Zane whimpered.

Zander sighed.

Somewhere, deep in the temple, something rumbled.

Aron closed his eyes. Why is it always me?

"RUN!"

The word still echoed in Aron's ears as his mind raced. The bear—no, the hulking monstrosity of fur and murder—was still after them, its massive paws thundering against the stone temple floor.

And somehow, in the middle of this absolute disaster, Aron found himself once again in Zander's arms, cradled like some fragile damsel in distress.

This was not how he envisioned his day going.

Before they even started running again, Aron paused, gripping Zander's shoulder. "Wait, wait, wait. Hold on a second."

Zander actually stopped, looking down at him, brows furrowing slightly. "What?"

Aron exhaled sharply, waving toward Livia, who was standing perfectly fine next to Zane. "Livia is a girl. Shouldn't you— I don't know, help her instead of me?!"

Zander blinked. Then, with the straightest face known to mankind, he pointed at Livia.

Livia, for the record, was vibrant with energy, standing tall, looking fully alive with her pink hair slightly tousled from running. She even looked annoyingly ready for another sprint.

Then, Zander pointed at Aron.

Aron, in contrast, felt and probably looked like a dying fairy about to collapse at any given second. His long white hair was a mess, his breathing was already uneven, and frankly, he might have actually passed out if the bear got too close.

A painful silence followed.

Then, Zane, the ever-helpful comedian, added salt to the wound.

"Bro, just accept your fate and let him carry you. Now is NOT the time for gender equality arguments."

Aron gritted his teeth so hard he thought they might break.

"Zane," he hissed under his breath. "I swear on every star in the sky, I will send you to an early grave."

"Yeah, yeah, get in the war hero's arms and let's not get mauled to death, yeah?" Zane quipped, waving his arms as if encouraging Aron to hurry up and accept his fate.

Aron wanted to fight back. Wanted to argue.

But then the earth shook behind them as the monstrous Bear—or whatever this world called it—let out an ear-splitting roar.

"...Fine," Aron muttered through clenched teeth, feeling his dignity shatter into a million pieces.

Zander didn't even hesitate before tightening his hold and sprinting forward like carrying a full-grown man was nothing.

Livia snorted beside them, grinning. "Guess I'm too 'healthy' for a princess carry, huh?"

Aron mentally screamed.

As they ran for their lives, dodging between broken stone structures and crumbling ruins, a small figure emerged from behind a nearby tree.

A child.

Aron almost dismissed it as a trick of the light, but no—there was definitely a kid standing there, waving at them with a casual little hand, as if they weren't being chased by a giant death machine.

Zander, ever the soldier, pivoted sharply, changing course toward the child without hesitation.

"Kid," Zander said firmly, his voice urgent. "What are you doing here?! There's a bear—"

The child shook their head aggressively. "Not a bear! It's a Baan!"

Zane, somehow still finding the time to be himself during this nightmare, let out a wheezy laugh as they ran. "Yeah, that's a bear, kid."

The child scowled at him like he'd just said the dumbest thing ever. "What's a bear? That's a BAAN."

Livia, panting slightly, cut in. "Maybe that's just what they call them in this world?"

The kid nodded sagely, as if this was the most obvious thing ever.

Aron, still in Zander's arms, deadpanned. "I don't care what we call it, it's still trying to eat us."

"Right," Zander said, his voice tight. "Where's the safest place?"

The child grinned, as if this wasn't a life-or-death situation, and grabbed Zander's sleeve.

"Follow me!"

The child led them toward a cave hidden between large rocks, so well-concealed that they wouldn't have noticed it if they weren't looking for it.

Zander rushed in first, setting Aron down before drawing his blade. Livia and Zane darted in after, their breath ragged from all the running.

The BAAN growled outside, its heavy footsteps stomping around as if it knew they were in there but couldn't quite find a way in.

The cave echoed with tense breathing. Nobody moved.

The child, completely unbothered, plopped down onto a rock and grinned at them. "Safe now!"

Aron finally found enough air in his lungs to glare at Zane.

"...You better hope I never find a grave big enough for you," Aron muttered.

Zane, despite being seconds away from death, simply grinned. "Yeah, yeah. If we make it out of here alive, I'll give you the shovel myself."

After a few moments of listening to the BAAN wander outside, the kid finally stood up. "Follow me again!"

The child led them through the back of the cave, where a small wooden door was nestled between the stone walls. Pushing it open, they stepped into a small but cozy hut.

It had wooden floors, a stone fireplace, and even a table with food on it. It looked oddly normal for a place that was in a ruined temple zone filled with killer creatures.

Zane clutched his knees. "We're alive. I cannot believe we are alive."

Livia plopped down onto a chair, rubbing her face. "This might be the weirdest night of my life."

Aron, still regaining his breath, finally turned to the kid. "Okay, uh—mind telling us who you are?"

The child puffed their chest out proudly. "I'm Tayo! And I live here!"

Zane blinked. "...You live in a cave-hut? With that thing outside?"

Tayo shrugged. "I know where not to go."

Aron sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Okay. Great. Fantastic. I'm just gonna sit here and pretend this is normal for a second."

Zane dropped onto the floor dramatically. "Oh, please, take your time. Meanwhile, I'll be over here, having a full existential crisis."

Zander remained standing, arms crossed, his scarlet eyes watching the door as if expecting the BAAN to suddenly gain intelligence and knock.

Livia stretched her arms over her head. "I don't know about you guys, but I am officially done for the day."

Zane groaned. "I second that. Let's never do that again."

Aron sighed, leaning against the wall. "Considering we need to find the 'Blessed Item' to leave this region, I doubt we'll be able to avoid more encounters like that."

Zane sat up sharply. "What if the 'Blessed Item' is... A BAAN TOOTH?"

Livia rolled her eyes. "Then you can go collect it yourself, genius."

Aron exhaled, rubbing his temples. "Whatever it is, we'll deal with it in the morning. For now, we should rest."

Zander nodded. "I'll take first watch."