KiAera stirred, her eyelids heavy as the disorienting sway beneath her body brought her to consciousness. Her fur felt the cool, smooth surface she lay upon, and a faint smell of saltwater drifted into her nostrils. Slowly blinking her eyes open, she found herself atop an island-like expanse, surrounded by what appeared to be the endless blue of an ocean.

  The rough texture of the island-like surface beneath her was something she hadn't expected. Wait. She hadn't fallen asleep on land. No, she'd been chased, hunted—and snatched. Why was she here?

  She sat up quickly, her pulse quickening as flashes of her narrow escape came flooding back.

  Rina. Holy shit! Rina hadn't just been angry; she'd wanted to consume her. There was no mistaking that hunger. If she hadn't been snatched, she'd been a snack!

  Dizzy, she felt dizzy, the KiAera internally fought against the queasiness but the Merekit? Oh, no, that prey mentally wanted her to succumb. EEK!

  KiAera's ears twitched and she rubbed her arms. Her legs ached and exhaustion started to settle into her bones. It wasn't just Rina—there was Dariel too. For a moment, she'd thought they could work together. But he was passive, hesitant. He'd done nothing when Rina’s bloodlust flared. Had he been afraid of her too, or was he simply indifferent? KiAera had no idea, and the uncertainty gnawed at her.

  Then there was this world itself—Zeldritzon. She had to survive, but how could she, in a place where even the so-called allies turned on each other?

  She clenched her fists. Surviving the apocalypse on Earth had been hard enough. At least there, she understood the rules. Here, the rules kept shifting.

  Suddenly her body rolled as her awareness sharpened. Immediately she realized this was no ordinary island—something about it moved with a deliberate, steady rhythm. She pushed herself up against the swaying platform. Then, she gasped.

  The "island" she stood on was the back of a massive sea-turtle. Its colossal, weathered shell, resembling a small landmass, stretched out beneath her, covered in strange vegetation and pools of water. Waves lapped gently against its edges, while the turtle's long, strong limbs propelled them through the sea in slow but powerful strokes.

  Before she could fully comprehend where she was or how she had ended up here, a familiar sight caught her attention—a floating book. GamaGen hovered before her, its raven symbol glowing faintly. It seemed agitated, or perhaps relieved, as it muttered something under its breath.

  ?"Good grief! Finally, that primordial prod is gone! In fact, I'm glad it is. She was causing me severe conscious pangs."?

  KiAera blinked at the book, unsure how to respond at first. She wagered the creature it referred to was likely Rina. But hey, on the back of a moving island turtle, everything felt... surreal.

  "GamaGen?" she whispered cautiously.

  The book's symbol gleamed dully, and the telepathic connection sparked to life once again.

  ?"Ah, greetings. Indeed, I am recognized as GamaGen,"? the book replied with a tilt. ?"KiAera, if I am not mistaken? You are an anomaly to this world. Nay, to this dimension. Human, hm? You may indeed prove to be quite worthwhile."?

  KiAera narrowed her eyes, a bitter smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "An anomaly, huh?" She sat cross-legged on the turtle's shell, staring at the waves beyond them. "I guess that's not the weirdest thing I've heard today."

  GamaGen hovered closer, its pages fluttering slightly in the wind. ?"Zeldritzon operates on rules alien to your understanding. You, as a human from a realm devoid of magic, have been thrust into a realm that defies reason and logic. Your survival... is remarkable."?

  "Is that a compliment?" she muttered.

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  ?"It is an observation! DeNultra chose you for a reason, though its reasons are often unfathomable."?

  "[Redacted]..." KiAera"s voice trailed off as she felt a flicker of memory—a flashback to the moment she had first encountered DeNultra.

  She had been dragged into this world, her human body discarded, and in its place, this Merekit form had emerged. And the book—GamaGen—had been there, a strange gift from DeNultra.

  She clenched her fists. "Why did she do this?"

  ?"That, I do not know, only time will reveal."?

  KiAera looked out across the ocean again, the vastness making her feel both free and small at the same time. "I don't want to be anyone's pawn. I've had enough of that."

  ?"Understandable. But here in Zeldritzon, power speaks. And the crystals you encountered—they are the fuel that sustains this world. You must decide how to wield that power, or it will be wielded against you."?

  KiAera's thoughts returned to the strange light-blue crystals Dariel had introduced her to. The food of the dimension, they had called them. Dariel had explained their value, each crystal providing a unit of energy. But Rina had stopped her from consuming one.

  "I was just trying to survive," KiAera muttered under her breath. "And she... she nearly killed me for it."

  ?"Ah yes, the Yitxune."? GamaGen hovered closer, its voice lowering. ?"It would seem you've already had a taste of what it means to survive in this world. Beware, KiAera. Zeldritzon's monsters hunger for more than just crystals."?

  A shiver ran down KiAera's spine as she remembered Rina's piercing gaze and the intensity of her rage. "I won't make that mistake again."

  But before she could reflect further, the giant sea-turtle beneath them shifted slightly, causing the island on its back to sway. KiAera instinctively steadied herself, her mind spinning with more questions than answers.

  "What now?" she asked.

  The book, however, seemed to sense her uncertainty. ?"Now, we plan. You cannot run forever, KiAera. Not from this world, nor from what it demands of you."?

  "Plan? Toward what?" KiAera stared out at the horizon.

  She stood on the swaying back of the massive sea turtle, her thoughts spun with GamaGen's words. Demand this. Demand that. She did not ask for this! Her eyes traced the endless purple horizon, the waves hypnotic in their alien hue. But something on the distant edge of that purple sea broke the monotony, drawing her gaze.

  Crimson.

  Far in the distance, a patch of land stood out—a vast grassland, glowing like blood against the backdrop of the surreal ocean. The crimson expanse seemed to beckon her, a strange allure tugging at her curiosity, though it also filled her with unease.

  Suddenly, the tranquil surface of the water nearby erupted with a violent surge. KiAera's heart leaped into her throat as a monstrous serpent burst from the sea, its scaled body towering into the sky. The creature was massive, coiling and twisting through the air, its gleaming black and silver scales reflecting the purple sea like jagged shards of glass. Its head was crowned with crescent-shaped horns, and its eyes, glowing red with malice, locked onto the turtle—onto her. Why?

  ??. .????. .????. .??

  Creature: CresSerpentede

  APeX: [??? ??? ??? ??? Units]

  Attributes: [Aqua] [???] [???]

  Variant Grade: [Crescent] (C)

  ??. .????. .????. .??

  A shudder of raw power rippled through the air. KiAera could feel the weight of the serpent's presence, a pressure that seemed to squeeze the air from her lungs. Its size, its power—this was a [Crescent]-staged monster, far beyond anything she had encountered before. Its power level felt absurd, overwhelming, as if just being in its presence could crush her.

  The sea turtle, however, remained calm, its movements slow and deliberate even in the face of such a threat. KiAera's panic began to rise—there was no way they could escape such a creature. Not like this.

  But then, to her shock, the turtle began to glow. A shimmering forcefield materialized around them, a protective dome of energy that pulsed with soft, radiant light. The serpent screeched, lunging toward them with terrifying speed, but the moment it collided with the forcefield, it was repelled with a sharp crackle of energy, sending it reeling backward into the water with a thunderous splash.

  The turtle, undeterred by the monster’s assault, began to move faster, its massive limbs propelling it toward the crimson grasslands. The water around them parted as if responding to the turtle's will, and the island-shell surged forward with surprising speed.

  Then, in a deep, resonant voice that seemed to vibrate through her very bones, the turtle spoke.

  ?"Passenger."?

  KiAera froze, stunned by the sound, her eyes widening. It was GamaGen's mental translation that made it clear to her mind.

  ?"You are my passenger."?

  KiAera swallowed, her mind spinning. She'd expected monsters, fights, survival—but this? Being recognized by a creature this ancient and powerful? That was new.

  Before she could respond, the turtle continued.

  ?"You seek the Crimson Fields. I will deliver you."?

  KiAera stared out at the blood-red expanse in the distance, her heart pounding. Whatever was waiting for her there, she wasn’t ready. But ready or not, she was heading straight for it.

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