The forest was silent before dawn. Thin, black streaks, clothed in leaves of vibrant green were obscured by the darkest moment of the day, the hour before dawn. The skies were calm, letting all living things dream a final time before waking up. Through the thin bands of clouds slumbering across, a few bright dots could be seen against the abyssal expense. Everything was still, except maybe the clouds on the east, which were starting to don their clothes of pink and orange.
And except for the two moving stars. The stars had been placed there since a long time ago, two hundred years in fact. Of course, in their low orbit, nobody had noticed them- at least nobody who wasn't looking for them. But, just as the day was starting and as life was waking up, they too, would wake up.
And after two hundred years of a dreamless sleep, the teary eyed heroes from the past woke up from the remains of their awakening. Rising from the crystalline debris, Jhin and Melissa looked around. The sun had not quite risen yet, but the night was still not over.
They got out of the crater, and looked around more. They were in a forest. Rows and rows of black trunks, arranged by the unseen hand of a mysterious creator hid everything else from view. Looking above, the sky was at the weird border of night and dawn. Woken up early, some birds were leaving the site of the crash.
Indeed, it was best for them to leave, as something was coming. Breaking the gradual increase of light, a bright light was moving fast across the southern sea to the forest, quickly followed by a dark spot.
Such desperate and disgruntled opponents could not last long. The angels soon collapsed in front of the pair's blows.
Not waiting any more for more angels to come, they advanced northward, in the direction opposite to the one the angels had come from. Dawn had fully started now, and the sky was fully assuming the hues of orange, rose and blue that came with that time. The trees were still dark streaks, but now the foliage was properly donned with its jewels of dew, sparkling and sending bright flashes everywhere. It had rained the night before, and the ground was still wet, emitting a strong scent of humus and dirt. Spring was the season, on the verge of summer passing.
Eventually, though, they reached the first sign of civilization. Although it seemed a lot older than what they were expecting, it still was one. Carved in a cliff, a large stone door, at least 6 meters tall, was standing. It was adorned with many carvings, although the deep layers of moss and lichen that covered it made it hard to tell what these were depicting.
A second sign came soon after : a voice, coming from high up in the trees. "Ah, so that's what you look like." Jhin tooke a fighting posture.
"No need to get so defensive. I'm an ally." The owner of the voice descended from the trees. A head completely covered in hair, with two great antennae, two bright circular eyes, and a cloak of purples and blues like that of a moth.
"My name is the MOTH. If you know who that is, I'm a coworker of the RAT.
-The RAT ? The one from the sewers battle ?
-Yes, although that was a few centuries ago.
-We have, uh, a few questions.
-I imagine so. But some of these will be answered by yourself. We'll answer the others somewhere else though. Currently, we are on the island of Malutelo. To the north is the continent of Majala, which is where we will explain a lot of things. For now, though, just go north a little while. You'll find a shelter. Then, head north again to the town of Tatelo." And with that, hasty as always, the MOTH flew up and away.
So, with little to no choice, they continued northward. After nearly a full day, they reached the shelter : an old meteorological station. It could be seen from far away, its white metallic tower rising high above the canopy. The sky was now covered in clouds, and the sun was starting to set in the west. Not wasting any more time, Jhin and Melissa rushed inside.
Canned supplies for a few days, a bit of money, sleeping bags, a foldable tent... All the necessary equipment for camping was there. But for now, they simply lay the sleeping bags on the floor of the station, heated a can up, ate, then went to sleep.
To them, it had been the start to something completely new. They had woken up in a new world, and were about to yet again go on a new journey. But, to the forest around them, it was just a normal day. Nothing new had happened, and nothing new would happen in a while.