Rhona ran.
Her breath came in ragged gasps, her chest tight with panic.
?"Regis!" she screamed into the void. "Regis!"
?But the boy was gone. Instead, she found herself surrounded by a circle of children. They stared at her with hollow, alien eyes.
?"Have you seen Regis?" Rhona asked, desperate.
?"Don't you know?" one child replied flatly. "Regis was taken by the Red-Headed People."
?"Yeah," another chimed in, grinning wide. "That weird kid was eaten by them."
?Rhona shook her head, terrified. Her world spun.
She fell to her knees, darkness swallowing her whole. The only thing left was the sound of children laughing-high, shrill, mocking.
?The Red-Headed People.
The nightmare of her childhood. The boiling brains. The savagery.
Don't let them catch you. Or they'll eat you.
?Then, a memory pulled her back.
A scent. Cool moss. Sweet sap. Wildflowers.
It was safe. It was home.
?But the scent faded.
The comfort evaporated, leaving her cold and exposed.
?Rhona's eyes snapped open.
?GASPP!
?She froze.
She sat up abruptly on a wooden dipan. Her body was a map of pain-every muscle ached, and her head throbbed with a rhythmic pulse.
Two men stood over her. Both had hair the color of blood. Her heart hammered against her ribs. It wasn't Regis who was kidnapped. It was me.
?She forced herself to breathe. Think, Rhona. These were just Anex people. She had seen them in the city before-reclusive, sure, but human. Not monsters. Besides, these two didn't look like the demons from the stories. ?They looked... strangely normal.
?The first one had fiery red hair, messy but clearly styled. He wore a fitted Anex vest over a short-sleeved shirt, and a distinct red rope was wrapped around his right forearm. His skin was flawless. His posture, arrogant. A metrosexual, Rhona thought. He cares more about his skincare routine than eating humans.
?The second man had hair spiked up like a rock star. Black vest, dark pants, and suspicious brown eyes. He looked casual, cool, and bored.
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?"She's awake," the Spiky-Haired man said. "Go on. Do it. I want to see."
?The Metrosexual smirked. He leaned in, his red eyes piercing into hers.
"Who are you?"
?"Who are you?" Rhona shot back, her voice shaking but defiant.
?The Metrosexual blinked, surprised by her audacity. His friend chuckled.
?"Okay, okay. Just from those three words, I know exactly what kind of woman she is," the Metrosexual said, straightening up.
?Rhona exhaled. This guy was trying too hard to be scary. It was almost comical.
Her memory returned in a rush. The jeep. The saboteurs. The explosion.
These men must have saved her.
?"Thank you for saving me," Rhona said, trying to be polite. "If I knew who you were, I could repay the favor."
?"Miss," the Metrosexual scoffed. "Are you stupid, or just pretending not to know where you are?"
?Before Rhona could answer, heavy footsteps echoed from the entrance. A giant of a man walked in, followed by a teenager.
?Rhona stiffened.
Unlike the first two, these new arrivals looked like real Anex warriors. The man was massive, dark-skinned, with wild hair tied in a messy bun. The boy, maybe fifteen, wore traditional green robes. His hair was in a topknot-just like the statues of the Nine Cygnus Knights in the theme park. He carried a sword.
?"Cygnus..." Rhona whispered. The realization hit her like a physical blow.
The Forbidden Zone. The Nirwana Core Forest.
?The Metrosexual smiled. "Finally, she gets it."
He turned to the boy. "Farezu, toss me your sword."
?Farezu threw the weapon.
SHING!
The Metrosexual unsheathed it. The silver blade glinted dangerously in the dim light.
?"Beautiful," he praised. "I can't believe you made this yourself."
?"Six months of work, Sev," the Spiky-Haired man noted. "If he focuses, Farezu can really do it, huh?"
?"The hilt isn't finished yet," Farezu mumbled, blushing.
?"It's decent. Even Regawa might not be able to forge something this sharp," Sev said, glancing at the giant.
?"I have no interest in making swords," Regawa grunted, shrugging his massive shoulders. "So? What do we get from this intruder?"
?Rhona swallowed hard.
They were using real names. Sev. Farezu. Regawa.
That was bad. You don't use real names in front of a prisoner you intend to release. The legends crept back into her mind. No one leaves the Golden Forest alive.
?"Right. I'm being too soft," Sev muttered.
He pointed the tip of the blade at Rhona's throat.
"Who sent you?"
?"No one," Rhona answered, trying to stay calm. She couldn't show her fear.
?"Liar!" Sev barked.
?"Sev, listen to me! I was being used!"
?Sev's eyes narrowed. "Hey. You're saying my name like we're buddies. Know your place!"
He flourished the sword theatrically. "I am the Guardian of the Forest. You are the looter caught red-handed. I'm the hero. You're the villain. We are enemies!"
?Regawa shook his head. "That's not how interrogation works, Sev..."
?"I am not a looter," Rhona insisted. "I hid in their jeep to escape! They found me and tied me up. That's the truth!"
?"Boring," Regawa said coldly. "Looters always have excuses. And yours doesn't make sense."
?Two more figures appeared at the door. Rhona's breath hitched. One of them had black hair. A stark contrast in a room full of redheads.
?"Crazy," the black-haired man said as he walked in. "Zinx went overboard again. Killed two looters without questioning them."
?"Haha... his excuse is always 'they were too weak'," Sev laughed.
?"But we secured their accomplice, right?"
?"Yeah. She's right here," Regawa pointed. "Sev is playing with her."
?The black-haired man raised an eyebrow. He turned his gaze toward the prisoner.
"Oh, really?"
?Rhona stopped listening.
Her world narrowed down to one face. Her heart skipped a beat, then hammered with a violent mix of rage and grief.
That face. Those cold, green eyes.
Winn Ardion.
Winn's gaze locked onto hers. In that second, he seemed to only just realize exactly who was sitting before him.
?"YOU!!!" Rhona screamed.
