"It was but a lovely day that day had been. I thought life gave me all the luck in the world but it never did. I was disillusioned and found life throwing me upside down and changed the world that I knew.
"My life of science and technology was changed into science and the impossible... well, the used-to-be impossible but you get the point. Life threw me into a world I had no idea existed— a world I didn't think was possible.
"As much of a scientist I am, and the idea of another world should have been in my head; that moment made me question all the things I should have asked in my old world. I should have been more curious— I shouldn't have been satisfied with what I knew because there was always more.
"Can you believe that? Dropping into another world for no reason... my luck must have ran out. I didn't have any idea at first— about the world-traveling thing— and I was just aware that I was on some island. Plants I didn't know surrounded me and I thought that it hadn't been just discovered yet.
"And yet, I just had a bad feeling about that plant. The atmosphere was different and I've been to a lot of places due to my job. And guess what? The island that I mentioned? It was fucking isolated in the middle of the ocean so I had nowhere to go... unfortunately.
"In that moment, I knew I was fucked.
"With whatever nonexistent survival skills I had, I was lucky enough to be alive until today. Well, if you disregaed the fact that a pride of lions chased me when I managed a successful hunt on some poor deer— and yes, I know what you're thinking, how the fuck is there a pride of lions in such an isolated island with mostly plants as its residence?
"I have no idea either. To be honest, I have no idea much about living things so I shouldn't be saying that but back to the point. After being chased after, I fell off a preety steep hill and almost fell into the ocean. I was no great swimmer; in fact, I was horrible at it.
"If it weren't for the branch sticking out of the dirt, I might jave drowned to death or jad been eaten by sharks or shocked by jellyfish or— you get the gist. Anyways, things weren't looking too bad and for that, I'm pretty grateful.
"Then again, I did mention that I ran out of luck a long time ago, right? Some kind of... animal came out of the woods behind me where I set up my camp. Its head resembled a lion's, its front claws mirrored the ones of an eagle, its tail was long, thick and scaly, and what's more was the wings of a bat protruding its back.
"The most disgusting feature of all was the top half of a human on its back, as if riding the strange creature. At once, I thanked the skills I earned on this fucking island and managed to decapitate the lion's head when it got caught in the traps I set up.
"But you already know that, don't you?"
The young scientist asked the human who, for some reason, had been merged on the creature's back. To the scientist's surprise, the human man was still alive despite the strange creature being dead. The man's half-hearted chuckle caught her attention.
"Miss? Can you do me a favour?"
"Hm?"
"I... I have a daughter and wife... in Central. Can you tell them that I love them? We got into a fight before I kind of disappeared." A rather rueful smile graced his lips, making the scientist glance at him with a curious gaze. "I know I can't go any further. Despite still being alive, I can't go back to normal."
"I'll look for a way," she suddenly blurted out. "Maybe I can still—"
"No, you don't have to do that, miss. I accepted my fate a long time ago... and I lost the right to live when I took advantage of human lives."
The scientist drank in the silence that followed. She pondered on the fact that this man before her had lost his ethics in the field she loves so much. To play with human lives... that was unacceptable. "But maybe you can do something for me, miss." At this, she straightened and gave him her full attention.
"Please save my country in my stead, miss..." As he trailed off, she realized that he was waiting for her to say her name. "Julliana Hong."
"Weird name." He muttered. "Miss Julliana Hong, please save my country from them."
Julliana Hong— otherwise known as Ana— was about to inquire what he meant by them when his entire body convulsed. It shocked her and more so when he simply didn't stop convulsing. In that second, she knew what she had to do. Ana picked up the makeshift knife she made and instantly plunged it deep inside the man's chest.
Without a word, he died in a blink of an eye.
The scientist felt nothing but shame and guilt. Something could have been done to save him if she had more time— if she knew more of what happened to him. But there wasn't and she lived on thinking of the things that she could have done for him if she had more knowledge.
Julliana Hong felt useless for the first time in a while. To respect the only companion she had in months, she dug a grave for him and even made a wooden tombstone. It remained blank as she never got his name. Despite being a scientist, she prayed to God and hoped that the man's soul be sent to heaven.
The sins he committed... she wanted those to be forgiven. He suffered enough, after all. To be bonded to such a creature and his freedom stolen from him, Ana thought that he already paid the toll for his sins and that maybe God could let him inside the heavens.
Ana stared at the open ocean once before turning back to the woods. The scientist made her choice. The country of that man will be saved but first, she had to get off this island.
Pronto.