Primitive Man

Garnt halted his horse just a few feet away from Kali, eyeing her with a mixture of suspicion and irritation. Her half-naked figure was shining in the sunlight as she stood on the wall, but Garnt didn't even bother to look at her in that way, instead, he only felt anger looking at her.

"Kali," he spat her name, "What game are you playing now? You know this village has suffered enough. What do you want? Do you want that wretched Moga to abuse women in this village?"

Kali, still holding Telvi over her shoulder, descended from the wall with an eerie grace. Her crimson eyes bore into Garnt's, and she responded with a sinister smile.

"Garnt, my dear, I just want to have a little chat with my beloved person here," she said, patting Telvi's unconscious form. "Nothing more, nothing less."

Garnt's gaze flickered between Kali and Telvi, a frown deepening on his face. He raised his hand, signalling for Kali to release Telvi.

"You can talk, but do it away from this village. We've had our fair share of trouble, and I won't let you add to it," Garnt warned, brandishing his sword. "Be it Moga, Amel or you, I would kill all of them who try to harm this village."

Kali's smile widened as she gently lowered Telvi to the ground. The unconscious woman stirred slightly but remained out cold. Kali then spoke with a melodious tone, "Garnt, all I want is to ensure my beloved's safety. You and I both know she's tangled up in a mess she shouldn't be."

Garnt narrowed his eyes, suspicion deepening. "Why should I believe a word you say? You're not exactly known for your honesty, Kali. And who is this she you're talking about? I thought you were some foolish woman who felt for Moga or Amel."

With a swift movement, Kali drew a wicked dagger from her side, pressing it against Telvi's neck. Garnt tensed, gripping the hilt of his sword tighter.

"Ewww! Don't lump me with those disgusting creatures," Kali hissed, her eyes glinting dangerously. "Garnt, you know what I'm talking about, so let's not pretend we are dumb here,"

Garnt sighed, realizing the gravity of the situation. He lowered his sword but kept a wary eye on Kali.

"What do you want, Kali? Speak your piece, and then leave. We've had enough trouble for one day."

Kali's smile turned cryptic, and she mentioned a name that sent a shiver down Garnt's spine.

"Eva. I want to talk with Eva. You and I both know things are getting more complicated, and I want to know where she stands in all this. Can she hear me? She is inside you right?"

Garnt's confusion deepened, but realization slowly dawned on him. All this time, she was talking about his system rather than Moga or Amel, but it only increased the confusion he felt.

"Who are you? You aren't a stone woman, are you?" Garnt questioned, knowing this might be his first time meeting someone who knew about Eva.

[...]

Even Eva was speechless, but slowly things started to make sense to her. After all, if there were another system in this world that knew about her, she knew it wouldn't be impossible for one or two other people from her timeline to be in it. She knew that the only people capable of doing that were the ones who possessed the stones during the disaster that caused everything to happen.

*Sigh

"Professor Eva, can you hear me? Are you inside this man? I know you had to endure the pain of that, but now I will free you." Kali muttered, but she didn't know how she could possibly do that.

Would killing Garnt help Eva or harm her? That question remained inside her mind, bothering her.

[Garnt, I have a slight idea who this woman is, but we have to confirm. Ask what her real name is.]

Eva muttered and Garnt did just that, as he looked at Kali with a cautious look on his eyes keeping his eyes on Telvi, so she won't be able to harm her.

"Eva is asking who you are. She is curious what is happening." Garnt said those words knowing she won't answer him also because he knew ignoring her might make things worse. But he slightly started to regret his decision, to tell the truth, because the woman in front of him looked like she was rather too happy, as she started to smile like a psychopath.

"Yes! Yes, Professor! I knew you were there. That bitch also entered this world as a system, so it is rather obvious that you, who hold the most amount of power over the asteroid, are here," Kali started to talk quickly as if she had just reunited with a long-lost love. "I know you can remember me. I know it is not possible for you to forget about me. I am Kalina Masuriya, your assistant when we were working in the labs."

[Ughh! This girl,]

Eva grunted as if she saw a repulsive person. From her response, Garnt already knew Kali wasn't really someone she needed to interact with.

Garnt's eyes narrowed, the pieces slowly falling into place. "Kalina Masuriya," he repeated, glancing at Eva's within his system. "Eva, do you know her?"

[Yes, Garnt. Kalina was my assistant back when I was working in the labs. But there's more to this story that I haven't shared with you. She became obsessed with me, and her actions led to catastrophic consequences in our timeline. She is the woman that I told you about.]

Kali, oblivious to the silent exchange between Garnt and Eva, continued to wear a manic grin. "Professor, I've been searching for you since the disaster. I knew you had to be somewhere in this twisted reality. And now, here you are, within this man's system."

Garnt exchanged a worried glance with Telvi, who was still Kali's hostage. "Why were you searching for Eva? What do you want?"

Kali's smile widened. "I want to be with Professor Eva. I want to have her by my side, always. And I know she doesn't like being inside a man like you. I am pretty sure she is inside you because she has no choice, but from now on, I will support her. Ever since I woke up in this body, I knew my purpose was to support her. Unlike others, I am happy to be killed by her."

Eva's virtual form within the system seemed to shudder with anger hearing Kali's words.

[Garnt, we need to be careful. Kali is dangerous, I know she is not a sane woman.]

Garnt took a deep breath, his mind racing to find a solution to this mess. "Kalina, we can't let that happen. Eva is part of this system now, and her freedom can't be taken away. You shouldn't support Moga and Amel. They are Eva's enemies, if you truly love Eva, you should respect her wishes."

Kalina's eyes squinted hearing Garnt. She was on the fence, but she quickly held Telvi and brought the knife close to her neck. "Let me talk with her without you interfering with us. I don't care how you do it, but I can't believe the words coming out of your mouths,"

[I told you. She is not a reasonable woman. I still remember how she reacted when I refused her love confession. She is truly a mad woman.]

Garnt knew his only choice was to rescue Telvi, but he also knew that being careful about it was the way he should go.

"You should wait Kalina. Once we work on a few more blueprints, we will be able to bring Eva back to life, so drop the knife and join me. We will help Eva and make sure she is okay." Garnt tried his luck and for a few seconds it looked like Kalina was thinking, but she didn't take what Garnt promised her as the truth.

Instead, she threatened him again, stating that she would bring Eva out right now; otherwise, she would harm Telvi. Garnt had no choice because the knife was dangerously close to Telvi's neck. He jumped and tried to grab Kalina, but unfortunately, she was one of the users of the DNA essence collector syringe.

"Get away from me!" she shouted and jumped back with Telvi, Garnt was surprised by how far she jumped because her posture looked like that of a wild animal.

He knew that if he stopped right now, things would only get worse. So, taking his sword, Garnt decided to finish off this woman before she could possibly harm Eva or Telvi.

"Eva, I'm sorry but this woman needs to die. She is not sane enough to listen to me," Garnt muttered but Eva just sighed.

[Why are you even asking me about her? I don't care about this woman. Just quickly finish her off. If she escapes, she will become a huge annoyance to us, as well as our goals.]

With those final words from Eva, Garnt quickly ran and tried to keep Kalina occupied, so she wouldn't have any time to consider about harming Telvi.

"You are not a woman who is willing to listen, so you need to die! Even Eva wants you dead. You're not the important person in her life that you think you are. Kalina is just a hindrance to Eva, and that fact won't change," Garnt said as he confronted the woman, and she looked angered by his words.

"You! You dirty man! How dare you say those things to my love? I will kill you," she completely forgot about her hostage, as she threw Telvi to the side and decided it was time for her to battle.