"Hey, Maia," Mjol asked, as he shot her a glance. "Are we supposed to look like ten?"

Maia ignored the question, as she surveyed the surroundings around her. 

The subsequent meaning of the universe dissolved, when they appeared. The minute absence of space was given form, to be touched and informed beyond its meaning. It was a delight in the unknowable, beyond the comprehension of a working human brain. It took all her power to protect her and her brother's mind from shutting down. Still, she felt just a small gratification to have witnessed the unconquerable. It felt as if... trying to hold a condensed star in the palm of your hands. 

Maia knelt to the ground, and extended her senses. The multitude of beings reflected back, like an echo, caught her attention. Some were small, insects or animals the size of dogs. The bigger ones alerted her, however. The largest one being the size of this cavern they were unfortunately trapped in. And they were the biggest threat, should they go through them.

Aside from being lost in another world, the regression of their physical age had left them weakened, which posed another problem. The phenomenon of possibly supernatural means more than likely intended to target them, specifically, but to what purpose? Their mother had a lot of enemies, but few knew of their true civilian identities. The fact that they were capable of tracking them down in an ambush was... telling. A clue, in and of itself. 

Still, their powers were still capable of wreaking havoc, should the need arise. Their capabilities hadn't been diminished, despite their... physical handicap.

Maia frowned. "Who cares. I'm young again."

Her brother snorted in contempt. "Fine. Whatever. I just wanna go back home and play some Smash Bros."

Maia's beautiful features twisted into something ugly. Even then, they were pretty. Like a doll.

"You and your games." Maia directed toward a certain direction northward. A tunnel as large as a skyscraper, and as wide as a castle. "There's some kind of monster there. It's large. Take care of it."

"I want your headphones."

"What?" Maia looked offended. 

Mjol smirked. "You heard me. I want your headphones."

"Okay, I'll take care of it," Maia smiled modestly. "The big badass monster, I mean. And I'll tell all my friends how you chickened out."

Her brother's face blanked. Of course, he would quickly agree. He had to look cool, after all. "Fine!" Mjol looked indignant but calmed. "Are we going through it? Can't we just leave it alone?"

She shrugged. "Maybe, if it's intelligent enough we can parley with it. But we gotta get through it if we have to get out of this place."

"And how do you know we have to go that way?"

Again, Maia shrugged. "Call it luck."

Mjol rolled his eyes. He muttered, "Whatever."

It took them time to navigate through the dark tunnels. For any normal human, the lack of light would have been a problem. Maia, with her ability, generated a small sun above them, scaring off most of the creatures that have never seen the light. The few that were curious enough, followed. Though, they never approached too close. They might have sensed something off about the odd pair, despite their fragile appearance. A sense of danger perhaps, kicking up their instinctual fears in the red. 

They navigated through the tunnels with the help of Maia and managed to make it to the larger cavern where the supposed monster supposedly was. And the closer they came, the monsters quickly fled. 

Mjol whistled in appreciation. "That's one big monster." 

It was, Maia thought with a raised brow. It was skinny, skeletal, but with black smooth flesh. She could see the ribs and the bones beneath it. It must've gone hungry for who knew how long, and survived off the creatures that made their home here. But it wasn't enough. But the humanoid stood, with its long limbs, skeletal features. Its pair of horns spiraled upward another ten feet.

Its golden pair of eyes followed them. It didn't move. 

Maia walked slowly toward it, while Mjol looked bored. Incredibly so. "Can we hurry this up?" 

She hissed at him to be quiet, then faced forward. Her eyes locked onto the monster and raised her arms in parley. "Can you understand me?"

Silence. A moment of absolute, utter silence penetrated through the darkened stone halls. And indeed, when she looked closer, she could make out the murals on the walls. 

"Yes."

Maia sighed, and dropped her arms. "Good. Whew! I had to rewire my brain to understand you," She looked up toward the obviously sapient, and reasonable being. "So, we're kinda lost, and we'd like to get out. Can you point the way?"

The monster's eyes bored into her own. She could feel its immense pressure bouncing around her skulls, Maia quickly produced her shield in her mind. It... had shaken her, for just a moment. It caught her off guard. 

"Hey!" Maia called out, clearly indignant. "Don't try to mess with my head, alright? Sheesh." 

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Mjol, as always, looked bored. And unconcerned.

Meanwhile, the monster's only response was to blink. "Apologies."

Her brother finally got irritated and responded. "Can you point us the way out, or not? Come on, man! We gotta find mom! Besides, I so totally got home cause I wanna play the latest Dark Fools game!"

Again, it blinked, uncomprehending. Slowly, ever so slowly, it raised its arms and pointed west.   

"Thanks, dude! You're awesome!" Mjol turned to her sister, who looked aghast as she stared at her brother. "You coming or not? Mom's gonna kill us if we don't find her quick."

Maia scoffed, muttered "Whatever," and followed after her younger brother's footsteps. The monster watched on, staying absolutely still. Once they were out of sight, its shoulders seemed to sag. "Curious." 

---

"Hey sis?" Mjol blinked. "This isn't where we're supposed to be."

Nothing but trees and the sounds of animals. A forest? Ugh. She rubbed her head in irritation. "No, but it's a way out. We just have to find the closest settlement and call mom on her cell. Easy." 

"Easy, she says," Mjol muttered, sarcastically.

It took hours to navigate through the jungle of deep forests and greenery. Until they were forced to rest in the middle of a small clearing. They slept soundly, and no watch to alert them. A small fire burnt, and no wood was used. What did they know of camping? They were city kids. Still, no monsters or animals disturbed them, steering well clear from them.

It took another two days before they cleared the forest, and found a... settlement. 

"Oh no... no, no, no, no... no!" Mjol moaned in pain, as he watched the city below them above the cliffs a mile away. "No, please gods no. Anything but this. Anything!" 

"Oh shut up, Mjol!" Maia snapped at him, crossing her arms. "It's not that bad."

Her brother shot her a baffled look. "Not bad?! We're stuck in a world where the wheel is probably the most advanced technology they have! We have no internet! We have no plumbing! We have no burgers!" 

As Mjol continued to grumble in despair, Maia narrowed her eyes at the village. City? It seemed decent enough, with stone walls and castles and whathaveyou. It must hold a population of seventy, perhaps eighty thousand people living within.

What caught her attention was the green-like beings that made their home in the city. They were tall, muscular creatures in various shades of green skin-tone. Their most prominent features were the tusks, which protruded from the lower mouth and curved up. Compared to an average human, an average... green was easily more physically powerful, both in terms of size and power. 

Fortunately, they looked intelligent enough to create a complex society around them, and she found a few other sapient beings walking about alongside them. Clearly the minority among them. 

The people with the short horns were interesting. Their appearances were human, though what separated them were the short stubbed horns on their forehead. And their powerful build clearly defined their status among these Greens. Men, and women, both. 

And finally, there were the robots... of bronze making. They looked more like steampunk than you would see in modern technology. Yet, they looked intelligent, as they made a living among themselves selling wares and raw foodstuff in their stalls. Fascinating. 

Mostly, the greens and the horns were a martial people if the swords, spears and a variety of weapons they carried were of any indication. And though even the civilians carried weapons strapped to their waists or backs, there was a strong military presence that dissuaded any form of troublemaking from occurring. Armored in primitive leather and steel, they wore uniforms marked with a symbol of a giant red fang painted on their chests.  

"Ah, so sis, should we head down...?" He asked, uncertainly. 

"Sure, why not?" 

When they made their way down a beaten path, they found little hamlets and farms in the distance that surrounded the city. As they grew closer toward the gated wall, more and more people arrived. Many were merchants, some farmers looking to sell their goods, and others. 

They received odd glances. Two odd human children on the road, with clean and well-made clothes. Well, that was bound to receive odd looks, Maia figured. Still, the guards that stood by the watchtowers let them through, again sending them odd looks. 

The interior of the city looked maintained, and the stench that usually followed a medieval city with primitive technology was missing. Actually, the air smelled fresh and heavy. An odd feeling, that, thought Maia. They were clearly more advanced than she figured. What was it? Magic? Had to be. Advanced technology was way beyond them. 

"So.... what are we gonna do?" Mjol's head swirled about this way and that, watching the sights around him. The odd people were more interesting. He was staring, sometimes, but he was smart enough to turn his head away when they noticed. "We gotta find a place to sleep. And I'm starving."

"We'll find a bar or inn or whatever, win some games, and rent a place?" Maia offered. 

Her brother smirked. "Heh, how about you become a bar wench?"

Her eyes narrowed at him. 

"Ugh, whatever. Chill. Just a joke," Mjol sniggered. Then, he ignored her. Maia could only sigh in exasperation. "The bar idea sounds pretty cool. But, maybe there's some fight club or something? I mean, maybe they don't talk about it. It might be a rule. Oh! Maybe I can host as a challenger on the streets? People are bound to come and see how awesome I am!"

Maia ignored his nonsensical yapping. There were far more interesting things to do than getting into inane situations.

Drums thundered across the entire city, and everyone, as one, looked North. Toward the city gates. Mjol and Maia were no exception. They watched as the guards quickly ushered in people rushing in, and closed as the last one arrived. The rest of the people found weapons closest to them, and even the weapon shops and blacksmiths started emptying out their stores for the people who don't have one. 

The horned men and women found prayers in their giant beads, and though they held no weapons, there was a certain surety in their form. Their bodies, defined in martial combat, and scarred through years of hellish warzones, told stories for every one of them. 

In the end, it was the primitive AIs that she found interesting. Reality seemed to wrap around them, as they brought to life all the basic elements of life itself and more. Darkness and light clung to their aura like a second skin. 

Above them, in the sky, she watched strange Greens float above in strange colorful robes. The air rippled about them in layers of life and light and war. Violence was in the air, this day.

Anticipation simmered, as all waited. 

The first of the undead leaped up over the wall. The military Green nearest to it noticed instantly. And the roar he sent reverberated across the city in a bone-rattling cry. It was... intoxicating. 

"Hey, sis?" Mjol watched the walls as more undead gathered on the lip of the edge. "I think... I might like this place."