The old man nodded, accepting his thanks.

  Nile turned to Noa, but she was not there.

  “You were not supposed to disappear like that…” he muttered. “Where are you?”

  The old man slowly pointed toward a tall tree nearby.

  “Is that her?”

  Nile looked up.

  Noa was sitting calmly on a thick branch, looking down at him.

  “Hey! What are you doing there?” he shouted.

  She tilted her head slightly.     “Come down, NOW! You could fall.” Nile shouted.

  Noa gazed at him silently for a moment.

  Then—

  She jumped.

  She landed smoothly in front of him.

  “I didn’t say to jump directly from the branch!” Nile shouted.

  Noa looked slightly irritated by his tone, but she controlled herself.

  “Ugh, I’m going to be mad ,” he said. Then he took a deep breath. “Okay, okay. Calm down. I think our job here is done. We should go.” Nile said.

  Nile also added, “We are too near.”

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  As he finished speaking, they started walking forward.

  Night slowly fell around them.

  Soon, they reached an open field.

  Nile stopped.

  “This area… looks like a battlefield,” he muttered.

  The place was silent. The wind flowed slowly across the empty land. There was an uncomfortable peace in the air — heavy, unnatural. It felt wrong.

  A faint sense of danger lingered nearby.

  Suddenly—

  A loud, violent crash tore through the silence.

  “What the hell is going on…?” Nile said.

  The sound stopped as quickly as it came.

  Both of them placed their hands on their swords, alert.

  Something rushed toward them at full speed.

  The ground trembled.

  They jumped to opposite sides just as a massive blade struck the earth between them.

  Dust exploded into the air.

  Noa rolled and immediately drew her sword.

  Nile slowly unsheathed his blade, gripping it tightly.

  A deep voice echoed across the field.

  “Welcome to our hell…”

  “Who is there?” Nile asked.

  From the darkness, a towering armored humanoid stepped forward, dragging a gigantic sword behind him.

  The metal scraped against the ground.

  “I am your host,” the figure said calmly. “I am going to take great care of you two…”

  “You… you are the Nickman…”

  “Ugh… those weird names. That’s okay. So, what are your last words?”

  “What do you mean—”

  Before he could finish—

  He vanished.

  CLANG!

  Noa barely blocked the sudden strike. The force pushed her backward, her boots digging into the soil.

  The Nickman attacked again.

  Clang! Clang! Clang!

  Each blow was heavier than the last.

  Sparks flew into the dark air.

  Nile rushed forward and swung his sword, but the Nickman deflected it easily.

  “Too slow,” the giant said.

  Noa attacked from the side, her blade striking the armor — but it did nothing.

  The Nickman turned and swung violently.

  “Noa!” Nile shouted.

  She blocked, but the impact threw her across the field. She hit the ground hard.

  The Nickman walked toward her slowly.

  Nile stood frozen.

  His hands trembled.

  What can I do? I can’t even hold my sword properly. Am I afraid? No… I’m not. I have to move. She can’t take him alone.

  But his legs felt heavy.

  Noa stood again and blocked another crushing strike.

  This time, she dropped to one knee.

  The Nickman raised his sword high.

  “Die.”

  Nile’s breathing became uneven.

  "I can’t… I’m not strong. I’m weak. I can’t keep up with that. Am I going to die...like this?"