I Can Hear You: Two Worlds Apart

Chapter Three: The Rift Between Worlds

Lydia opened her eyes to an endless sky above, vast and ethereal. She lay there for a moment, taking in the feeling of warmth from the sun overhead and the coolness of the ground beneath her. Her mind raced, piecing together fragments of what had just happened—falling, a voice, and that creature, the dog-eared boy with big eyes. Her heart pounded, reminding her it wasn't a dream.

She sat up, wincing at the soreness in her body. All around her were unfamiliar sights—towering trees with silver leaves that shimmered in the light, strange animals flying overhead, and the sound of the wind carrying faint whispers, as though the world itself was alive and speaking. Lydia blinked, confused. This place... it wasn't Earth. Was she dead?

"You're not dead, human," a voice broke through her thoughts, startling her.

Lydia jumped and turned to see the same dog-eared boy from before standing a few feet away, smiling at her with that same innocent look.

"You..." she whispered, her throat dry. "Where am I?"

He scratched his head, looking puzzled, and then pointed behind her. "You're in Solaria. You fell from the sky, and Ichimo saved you."

"Solaria? What is—"

Before she could finish, a figure emerged from the trees. Lydia's breath caught in her throat. It was the presence she had felt before—the one that had called her pathetic. But now, seeing him fully, she couldn't decide if she was more terrified or awestruck.

The man—or what looked like a man—stood tall, with silver hair that flowed down his back like molten metal. His eyes were sharp and cold, like shards of ice, and his features were almost too perfect, too flawless, to be human. His clothes were a strange mix of armor and robes, shimmering with an otherworldly glow. But what stood out the most was the aura around him, a chilling energy that seemed to crackle in the air.

"You," Lydia said, backing up instinctively. "You kicked me."

The silver-haired figure raised an eyebrow. "And yet, you're still standing."

The dog-eared boy, sensing the tension, hurriedly stepped between them. "Ichimo, don't scare the human. She just got here!"

Ichimo, the cold-eyed figure, barely spared the boy a glance. "She shouldn't be here, Lumi. This human is a mistake. A very dangerous one." His gaze shifted back to Lydia, and she felt as though he could see through her, right into her soul. "She doesn't belong in Solaria."

Lydia's head spun. None of this made sense. "I... I don't understand. I was... I was falling, and then I—"

"Fell through a rift," Ichimo interrupted. "A rift between worlds. And somehow, you ended up here."

"Rift between worlds?" Lydia echoed, her voice trembling. "But that's not possible. I just wanted to—" She stopped herself before finishing the thought. She had been trying to end it all, trying to escape the pain, but instead, she had landed here, in some bizarre, otherworldly place.

Ichimo stepped closer, his icy presence making her shiver. "Humans don't survive rifts, especially not ordinary ones like you."

Lydia bit her lip, the reality of his words sinking in. "So, why am I still alive?"

Lumi, the dog-eared boy, answered before Ichimo could. "Because I saved you! Well, kind of. You were already almost here when Ichimo pulled you the rest of the way through. You're lucky, you know! Most humans would've turned to dust."

Ichimo's gaze darkened. "Luck has nothing to do with it. There's something more at play here."

Lydia swallowed hard, feeling more out of place by the second. "So... what happens now?"

Ichimo stared at her, his expression unreadable. "You go back."

"Back?" Lydia's eyes widened. "How? I don't even know how I got here!"

Ichimo's lips curled into a humorless smile. "That's not my problem."

Before Lydia could protest, a loud screech echoed through the forest, cutting through the tension like a knife. All three of them turned their heads toward the sound. From the shadows of the trees, creatures began emerging—large, scaly beasts with glowing red eyes and sharp claws. They moved quickly, their mouths open in a snarl.

Lumi's ears perked up. "Oh no... Shadowbeasts!"

Ichimo's expression turned deadly serious. "They shouldn't be this close to the portal."

Lydia backed up, her heart racing as the beasts closed in. "What... what are those things?"

"Stay behind me," Ichimo ordered, his hand moving to the hilt of a sword that appeared out of thin air.

Lumi took a defensive stance beside him, his fluffy tail bristling. "Don't worry, human! We got this!"

But Lydia wasn't reassured. The Shadowbeasts snarled, their eyes locked onto her. They were terrifying, with dark, shimmering scales and long, jagged teeth, like nightmares come to life.

As Ichimo unsheathed his sword, the air around them grew colder, and the silver leaves above began to rustle. Power radiated from him in waves, freezing the ground beneath his feet.

Lydia watched in awe and fear as Ichimo charged forward, his sword slicing through the air with lethal precision. Lumi followed suit, darting between the beasts with surprising agility, his small hands glowing with strange energy as he shot bursts of light toward the creatures.

The Shadowbeasts howled in pain, but more kept coming, their numbers overwhelming.

Lydia's mind screamed for her to run, but her body wouldn't move. She was paralyzed, rooted to the spot as chaos unfolded around her.

And then, just as one of the beasts lunged toward her, Lydia heard a voice in her head, clear and calm amid the storm.

"Focus."

It wasn't her own thought. It was someone—or something—else. And before she could process it, she raised her hand instinctively. A burst of light exploded from her palm, blasting the Shadowbeast away.

Ichimo and Lumi both froze, staring at her in shock.

Lydia looked down at her trembling hand, disbelief washing over her.

"What... what did I just do?" she whispered.

Ichimo narrowed his eyes, his sword still in hand. "You're not as ordinary as you think, human."

Lydia's heart raced. She had no idea what was happening, but one thing was clear—she wasn't the same girl who had stepped off that building back on Earth.

And whatever had brought her to this world wasn't done with her yet.