1st Shot: 3,700 Years Later

It's only been a few days after his de-petrification.

Saionji Ukyo found himself awake in a world he never imagined before. The world of advanced civilization he knew and lived ever since he was born were reduced to a beautiful memory only. No matter how he looks, no matter how he spread his gaze to the horizon, all he saw was flourishing wilderness as if he was in another planet.

Well, it couldn't be helped–it was a good 3,700 years after.

"Ah, you're here, Ukyo-kun!"

The said young man averted his gaze onto to the blue sky towards a woman, standing on the ground just beneath the thick branch he currently sitting on.

"Is there something you need?" he asked.

"Tsuka-san just about to revive another person. He needs you there."

Ukyo didn't wait for another explanation–instead, he hopped of the branch to another as a quick way to reach the place Tsukasa wanted him in. He didn't need directions–his ears were all he needed. The man which was their leader at the moment were already waiting him in the same cliff he was revived.

He arrived just at the same time Yuzuriha finished stitching the last bit of clothes on the statue figure laying on the ground. To have Yuzuriha on the spot with clothes means one thing–another addition for their group is a woman.

The young man studied the frozen figure–an arm stretching out as if she wants to reach something, one of her feet tucked slightly, a bit of fright marred her ungazing eyes.

Running away, that's the first thought Ukyo had. Unlike any other people who seemed to be stuck in place standing similar to garden statues–she had quite a grip on herself before her petrification. The logical explanation would be she wanted to look for a safe place to shield herself, but of course it was a futile.

"She can't stand up straight. Someone needs to hold onto her." Yuzuriha said, particularly to Tsukasa. "Or she'll fall."

"I'll do it." Ukyo volunteered, immediately approaching the brunette. Both of them lifted the figure up to a stand–and just like Yuzuriha mentioned before, if Ukyo didn't hold on to her by her shoulders, she would fall from unsteady footing.

He studied her closer than before now that they're both face to face.

She was slightly shorter than him by height but still considered quite tall for a young woman. Learning that Yuzuriha was around 160 cm, she stood taller than her. Roughly around 164 to 166 cm, Ukyo estimated.

Her clothes were similar to him in color, only in lighter color–the quite long sleeves and sewing pattern, kind of reminded him of kyudogi. Unlike other women in skirts or dresses, Yuzuriha made her shorts with animal fur on the edge.

Tsukasa stepped just right beside him and poured the revival fluid onto her head. At first it didn't do anything, however a few seconds later cracks started to form starting on her face then crawling to every inch of her figure. Soon, fragments began to withered away and fell of, revealing unblemished skin starting from her stretched hand.

Only with a bit of movement, she was free at last from her stone prison. She stumbled and definitely would fall flat on her face if Ukyo wasn't there to keep her still. Her hands flew to rest on his chest to search for her footing. She lifted her head up–teal and purple clashed without a doubt.

She stared straight into his eyes before blinking–as if trying to get a hold of her situation before tensing up and removing herself away from him. Ukyo released his hold from her shoulders and pulled his cap down–concealing the fire that began crawling on his cheeks from the extremely close interaction.

"…I'm sorry. That was inappropriate of me." she said, shifting on her feet uncomfortably.

"It's alright." he dismissed.

"Nice to meet you, Ogasawara Shinko." Tsukasa greeted her, which stole her attention as she moved his gaze towards him. "I heard a lot of great things about you from her."

Tsukasa referring to Minami who stood right behind him. She moved forward and gave her a smile. "Ogasawara Shinko-chan, an ex-athlete in Japanese archery. Your exceptionally great sight and accuracy makes you never miss your target. Your reflexes are top notch too!"

"And I'm Tsukasa. We discard our last names because in this stone world it's not needed anymore. Feel free to call everyone by their given name." Tsukasa explained. "Shinko, walk with me for a bit."

He gestured everyone with a wave, dismissing them. Everyone complied to him–leaving only the three of them in the place. Tsukasa walked towards the edge of the cliff, which Shinko decided to follow. Ukyo stood quite far away from them, but that didn't hinder his ability to hear and comprehend every word being exchanged between the two of them.

Tsukasa was the one who started. "My goal is to build a new, more peaceful world without greed in this stone world. Our old era was tainted with too much selfishness and negativity which made many people suffer. A world without the older generation."

Tsukasa's statement only received silence–maybe breeze howling through and rustling of trees. Shinko gave no respond, only a brief glance before focusing her gaze onto the horizon before her–a sign for the taller man to continue his words.

"Which is why I try to gather the most capable people to help me and one of them is you." He looked at the shorter woman. "Will you lend me a hand to build this new world?"

"I don't know if I can be of any help seeing you already have many great people in your aid." Shinko said. "But I will do the best I could."

Tsukasa hummed–pleased with her decision and choice of words. "Thank you. If you need any help, just visit me. For now on, it's the best for you to know our environment and all of our comrades. Ukyo will be your guide and show you around. I'll tell Taiju to accompany you in search for materials for your bow and arrows tomorrow."

"…That would be a great help."

.

.

She could feel something pulling her to consciousness.

How long was she fast asleep? It felt like she arose from a really long slumber. Shinko tried to budge, maybe one of her limbs could function now. She could feel her fingers and then her hand–moving them, it was followed by something rough sliding off her skin.

And then she stumbled. She could've hit the ground if not for someone anchoring her–hands on her shoulder. By reflex, she put her hands on their chest as she steadied herself. Shinko lifted her head, only to stare at a pair of kind teal eyes.

A young man with white hair hidden under a yellow cap. Then she blinked, before immediately taking a step back–creating a gap between her and him.

"…I'm sorry. That was inappropriate of me." Shinko said, shifting on her. She could feel the burning feeling on the back of her neck. The two of them were too close with each other.

"It's alright." he dismissed, pulling his cap down until she couldn't see his face.

Soon, it all went along like a background movie–a young man, stood towering her. His hair was long in brown color, cracks marring his face, he wore a long cape that almost reached his ankle. Shinko noticed the alien texture of the animal hide–it's definitely not made from a deer skin, fur too short for a bear skin. She saw it somewhere, the answer was on the tip of her tongue.

Wait, is that lion skin!? She furrowed her eyebrows.

He introduced himself as Tsukasa–along with a blonde-haired woman wearing tight magenta dress. She knew her and all about her, and Shinko recognized her–precisely when she forgot however she interviewed her once after she won a tournament. A reporter.

Tsukasa dismissed his men to leave them and the white-haired man alone. Looking at how they dutifully obeyed him even showed a deep respect in form of bowing low could only mean two things–either Tsukasa was their leader or someone extremely important.

Tsukasa's statement about a 'new world' he longed for was nothing more than a confirmation about him stood on the highest place in the pyramid of status, also a man of ideals that would stop at nothing to reach his goals.

"-If you need any help, just visit me. For now on, it's the best for you to know our environment and all of our comrades. Ukyo will be your guide and show you around. I'll tell Taiju to accompany you in search for materials for your bow and arrows tomorrow."

"…That would be a great help." Shinko said and bowed slightly. Tsukasa nodded and gestured for the white-haired man to come closer.

"I'm sorry that I can't be your company because I have things to do. And this is Ukyo, the one who I mentioned before." he then averted his gaze at the young man named Ukyo. "Show her around."

Then, Tsukasa left–back facing the two people who stay rooted on their spot, watching him as he was further away until disappeared from their sight. An awkward silence enveloped the two of them in an instant.

"…So, you're an archer too, Ukyo-san…?" Shinko started, trying to ease of the tension.

She heard the young man cleared his throat. "Just Ukyo is fine. And yes, for a little while now, but still nowhere near your level."

"And just Shinko is fine, I guess we don't need anymore formalities in this stone world, huh?"

"Well, civilization is gone after all. The time is 3,700 years after the phenomenon while I don't know the precise date, month, or day."

Shinko almost choked on the air. That many years? She's been asleep for more than three hundred decades? That sums up the pure and natural wilderness she's seen from the cliff–they were modern people who revived and had to survive exactly the same way as their prehistoric ancestors.

It almost like a fantasy but reality came to slap a check on her face.

Civilization started from zero at the moment.

"No matter how ridiculous it is, this is reality," she muttered in disbelief. Everything happened was pure madness, Shinko could feel her brain short-circuited for a moment. She sighed dejectedly–standing and staring of into space wasn't going to give her answers.

"…Shall we go?" Ukyo's question broke her out of her trance.

"Y-yes, lead the way please."