When I woke up, it was inside the dark van. The numbness from the drugs had mostly faded, earlier than I was used to. Despite the dosage increase, my metabolism was already adjusting.
Nivi’s unconscious figure lay by my side. Long locks of red hair framed her freckled, button nose, and she looked every bit like the sleeping princess from a fairy tale.
’He took her...’
That old geezer actually dared to drag my friend into this mess!
’I swear I will cut his wrinkled balls off and hang him up on a flagpole by his intestines if he hurts so much as a hair on her head!’
The driver was focused on the road, momentarily glancing at my backpack beside him on the passenger seat. His tactical vest was strapped over his shirt, and a belt with a sidearm holster rested on his hips.
I stealthily shifted from the van’s cargo area to the front, avoiding detection in the rearview mirror. As soon as I was behind him, I rose to a crouch. He turned just in time for my hands to swing at his head.
The steering wheel had a mind of its own, sending the van spiraling toward the guardrail. We both crashed into the windshield, cracking it.
"Ugh...Her Highness woke up," the driver snarled, his knuckles cracking against my jaw.
The impact sent lightning through my skull, but I drove my own fist straight into his nose, breaking it. Before he could dart his hand for the holster, I drove my knee upward with all my weight.
There was a crack of a bone, and a scream of pain, followed by the gun clattering onto the floor. I pulled him out of the driver’s seat and kicked his body out of the vehicle. He had already alerted others, so there was no point in trying to be discreet.
I glanced at the road, and my eyes widened at what was coming our way.
I lunged back towards Nivi, who was still slumped over, unconscious but alive. I shielded her with every fiber of my being, ready to deflect any damage.
The world around us erupted in chaos as the van collided with another vehicle, the sound of crunching metal filling the air.
My heart pounded in my chest as the van teetered on the cliff’s edge, the vast, dark ocean stretching below us, threatening to swallow us whole.
The door flung open, and hands reached in, intending to drag me out and back into the world I was currently so desperately trying to escape from ── my father’s world.
’Not again.’
That’s the mantra I’ve always repeated to myself right before spectacularly failing to uphold it.
Gripping Nivi firmly, I turned towards the front of the wrecked van, staring at the cracked glass of the windshield. It was our only escape route.
"Hang on, Nivi," I whispered, "This is going to be a wild ride."
With a determined grunt, I launched us both from the van. The wind roared in my ears as I sailed through the air, the ocean rushing up to meet me.
The impact was brutal, the water was as hard as concrete when I hit it. The saltwater burned like fire on my skin, and the cuts and bruises from the crash stung like hell, but I held on to Nivi, refusing to let go.
’Just a little further.’
I grit my teeth against the fatigue as I swam upwards.
When I finally gasped for breath, my relief was short-lived. The moment I opened my eyes to gauge our surroundings, expecting to see the cliff’s edge from which we had just plunged, I was met with...
’What the...?’
A pink Moon. As if that wasn’t odd enough, the sky was full of stars and part of a planet I couldn’t name, with rings orbiting around it. The rest of the planet was hidden behind the ocean’s horizon, but the sight was breathtaking nonetheless.
A wave of water hit me from behind, pushing us down the surface again. The idea that it might move us back to that place spurred me to kick my legs and swim towards the unknown shore in the distance.
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When we finally reached the beach, I laid Nivi down and started CPR. Soon enough, Nivi started coughing up water, and I let out a relieved breath, collapsing beside her.
There had been an eerie feeling coming over me since my eyes caught the sky. I grabbed the dagger at my waist’s belt and started taking in the surroundings.
A colossal red snake, as long as a small bus, slithered from the sea. As it emerged, it shrank to the lenght of two men. At the front, two arms sprouted from its body. Its upper half shifted into a human torso with a sharp-featured face framed by long red hair.
I pushed myself up and stood protectively in front of Nivi as he seemed to be fixing his gaze on her.
"Stay away," I warned, raising my dagger to threaten him.
The hybrid creature paused at my display, his crimson eyes fixed on the blade in my hand before ignoring me completely. He slithered closer, his expression one of curiosity as he extended his hand toward Nivi as if ready to snatch her away.
I threw the dagger at his hand, slicing a cut between the webbed fingers. He hissed and flicked his red tail to hit me, while pulling out the dagger. I jumped back and dodged it, but he was quick and followed with another strike.
The swipe connected, and I was sent flying back. I landed hard on the sand, my breath knocked out of me. I groaned and lunged back on my feet.
"Oversized worms should stay in their holes," I taunted, hoping it would switch his attention from Nivi to me.
His eyes narrowed as he lifted Nivi into his arms. "Worm?"
His hybrid form was at least 2 m tall (6,5 ft), and 6,5 m long (21,3 ft). A big worm. Yes.
I ran to kick him, using his tail as a stepping stone to launch myself forward. I caught him by surprise, grabbing his head and striking his handsome face with my elbow. He let out a grunt; blood dripped from his nose, yet he still refused to let go of Nivi.
In a last attempt to take her away, he slithered towards the jungle, and I followed right behind, choking him with my arms.
"Let. Go. Of. Her!"
I bit his ear, my teeth sinking into his skin, a chunk of it tearing off as I pulled back. The blood that filled my mouth tasted foul, and I spat the flesh from my mouth.
He let out a pained hiss, losing his hold on Nivi as his tail came to grab me.
I expected him to use it, so I jumped away and ran to grab my dagger.
With a frustrated hiss, he realized he couldn’t escape with Nivi while I still drew breath and carefully set her down on the sand.
"You..." His powerful muscles coiled like springs before he launched forward, going for the kill. "I’m going to end you!"
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