The Five Evolution

『"They were us, once. Before we were."』

I hate this so much! Amara thought as the now-familiar sickening sensation of story-walking overtook all of them.

One moment, she was yanked into the endless white of the Before, and the next she was in what looked like a prehistoric village.

She staggered forward half a step before catching herself. At the same time, a familiar sensation washed over her.

Gravity was back, fresh air filled her lungs, and warm sunlight settled against her skin.

Beside her, Hiro pressed a hand against his chest. "I’m definitely filing a complaint when we get back."

"The complaint department is permanently closed," the Book replied.

"Yeah? Well your transportation sucks."

The Book ignored him.

Meanwhile, Amara, who was still getting her bearings, slowly lifted her head.

They stood atop a grassy ridge overlooking a vast valley washed in the warm glow of late afternoon.

Below, a small settlement rested.

Low stone dwellings roofed with reeds and woven leaves dotted the settlement.

Thin columns of smoke drifted upward from open hearths while people carried water in clay vessels, shaped flint, tanned hides, and gathered around communal fires.

Children darted between the huts, chasing one another with carved wooden sticks, their laughter rising into the air.

Beyond the settlement, untouched forests stretched for miles before giving way to towering cliffs and distant mountains.

Amara’s gaze drifted upward, and far above the valley, enormous winged creatures glided effortlessly on warm currents of air.

The creatures wheeled gracefully through the sky, their leathery wings casting fleeting shadows over the valley before disappearing into the clouds.

After a moment, a thunderous roar rolled across the mountains. The sound echoed from one end of the valley to the other, vibrating through the ground beneath their feet.

Entire flocks of birds burst from the treetops in panicked clouds, and the winged reptiles overhead scattered in every direction.

Even some of the villagers below instinctively looked toward the forest.

"Where are we?" she whispered.

Hiro examined their surroundings. "I think the right question is when are we?"

Raj blinked. "This is..." He looked around, genuinely confused. "... Surprisingly normal."

"It almost feels wrong," Sophia admitted.

The Book floated quietly beside them, then tilted itself toward the valley. "There."

Five figures walked into the settlement, all of them dressed in animal hides like the rest of the villagers.

These were strangers with different builds, different coloring, different even in the way they stood. Yet, Amara immediately felt something... familiar.

Not because she recognized their faces. She didn’t. But something about the way they moved together... felt strangely close.

The young man carrying the black, star-patterned sword she recognized all too well, walked slightly ahead without realizing it, and the woman beside him lazily bumped his shoulder.

He looked at her, she smiled at him, and he rolled his eyes.

The young man stopped a few paces ahead of the group and scanned the horizon. He was tall, dark-haired, and quiet.

Half a step behind his left shoulder, the young woman unhooked the enormous shield strapped to her back and let it fall before her with a heavy thud.

While his eyes searched the horizon... hers never left him.

"Hiro," Raj called quietly.

"Yeah?" Hiro answered.

"Is that—"

"I’m not sure..."

The Shield said something to the Sword. He responded without looking at her, then she adjusted something on his bamboo armor, a small correction to a leaf buckle near his shoulder.

He still didn’t look at her. But he shifted his weight slightly so her hands could reach better.

Hiro turned very slowly toward Ethan. Then toward Amara. Then back to the First Five.

"Interesting," he said.

"Don’t," Amara said.

Hiro looked at her. "I haven’t even said anything."

Amara folded her arms as her eyebrow went up. "You’re about to."

Their attention drifted back toward the five below as the remaining three caught up with the pair.

A broad-shouldered young woman wearing the Breastplate over her diagonally slit hide casually slung one arm around the Sword’s neck hard enough to nearly drag him off his feet, laughing.

He immediately shoved her away, which made her only laugh harder.

As this exchange went on, Raj went strangely quiet, and Sophia noticed before anyone else.

She followed his gaze... then sighed. He was staring.

"Hey, Tiny." She gave him a light smack on the shoulder.

"Hm?" Raj answered without looking away.

"Eyes up."

"Man..." Raj stroked his chin thoughtfully. "First me’s got some huge knockers." He paused. "I knew I could pull off being a chick."

Hiro’s head snapped toward him. "Uh..." He pointed at the woman. "That’s not you, dude."

Raj blinked. "She’s the Breastplate, isn’t she?"

"Yeah..." Hiro said. "But this isn’t some alternate version of you." He gestured helplessly toward the five. "She’s just... the first Breastplate user in our reality."

"Oh." Raj nodded slowly. "Yeah, I get it."

"You do?"

"No."

Hiro stared at him for a second. Then his left eye twitched. He opened his mouth, and he slowly lowered his hand. "...You know what? Never mind."

Raj looked back toward the First Five. "Why can’t you be more like your counterpart over there?"

Hiro frowned. "...What counterpart?"

Raj pointed.

A short distance away from the others, a young man wearing the Boots, which looked like winged sandals, sat on a rock quietly carving a wooden branch into a spear with a small stone.

Unlike Hiro... he barely moved.

Beside him sat the Helmet bearer, methodically sharpening her own sharp-stone blade in complete silence, her face pointed to the ground.

The two hadn’t spoken once.

Hiro looked at them. Then looked back at Raj. "...Okay, first off, that was completely uncalled for."

Then he suddenly leaned toward Sophia with the grin. "You think those two have a whole ’will they, won’t they’ thing going on?"

Sophia didn’t even bother looking. She simply planted her palm against his face. "Stop."

Hiro continued speaking through her hand. "Mmf mmf mmf—"

She shoved him backward and he stumbled two steps before regaining his balance.

He quickly righted himself and nodded once. "Figures."

The original Five, meanwhile, continued walking together through the settlement, completely unaware that five strangers from another time stood, watching the story of their legend.

Suddenly, the First Five all stopped and straightened. Whatever it was, all five had sensed it simultaneously.

"Look." Amara pointed toward the settlement.

A young boy sprinted between the huts, raising two smooth river stones above his head and striking them together over and over again.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

The response to the signal was immediate.

Hunters abandoned the game they were skinning. Women dropped woven baskets onto the ground. And children stopped playing as they ran toward the nearest adults.

Nobody screamed or questioned the warning. They simply moved like this was routine.

The Sword looked toward the distant mountains, and the others followed his gaze.

At first, Amara saw nothing. Then...

A black fissure slowly tore open across the sky as three enormous hands reached through from either side, fingers curling around the edges of space itself.

Then... something began pulling itself through.