Their car sped across a barren land beneath a sky of dazzling heavenly bodies—fantastical sizes and colors that defied logic. It rushed toward a destination far in the distance.

  Inside, Skylar sat in the front passenger seat, shielded by the shadow of a broad hill in a land of forgotten history. He watched with focus as the landscape blurred past the side window.

  "Sky," Raftelia called. He looked back at her, and their eyes met. "Are we going to continue on this straight path?" she inquired.

  Before Skylar could reply, Lady Cat, who was curled up on his lap, chimed in. She meowed, "My mate, do you intend to take that shortcut?"

  "Yes," he replied, facing forward again. "Someone told me about a ruin ahead in this direction..."

  "Is it that crazy sacrificial site that traps anything that steps into it?" Lady Cat interjected. She revealed ruby eyes that had been hidden by her big, bushy tail, fixing her gaze on Skylar’s face.

  So she knows about it, Skylar thought. Is it a famous site? Perhaps it's famous because of its reputation. Smiling, he lowered his head to look at her. "Yes, that's the one. Or is there another ahead?"

  "It’s the only one," Raftelia replied in a soft, nervous squeak before Lady Cat could answer. Her head was lowered, her expression etched with worry. "But it is known that very few have ever escaped it. Any group that enters never makes it out—or at least, less than half their number do. There has never been an exception."

  She’s worried some of us won't make it, Skylar speculated. He looked briefly at Raftelia’s anxious face before glancing out the other side at the bright blue moon that had been their constant companion.

  "Someone told me I should be able to solve its mystery," Skylar resumed. "I think taking it is worth the risk. It will save us time... and we don't know if that serpent is still behind us."

  He’s right. That serpent will never let him go, even if she has to chase him to the end of the world, Lady Cat agreed internally. She spied on him with one eye.

  "This 'Great Me' supports his decision," she added, yawning and stretching a paw. Though she suspected no one cared about her agreement, she continued, "The shortcut might be dangerous, but this 'Great Me' think the serpent and her army are worse. We have to consider their numbers and their secret weapon."

  "I think so too," Skylar agreed. "Few among us can beat a giant snake, let alone the army she would bring with her."

  As he spoke, he turned to look at a red, earthly star in the distance, unaware of the weird glances his words provoked from the others.

  "You are the only weak one among us who can't take on a giant snake," Lady Cat meowed, unapologetically expressing what everyone else was thinking.

  Skylar’s brows furrowed. He scanned their expressions, then chuckled and softly muttered, "Maybe."

  Meanwhile, as the conversation stopped the 'little guy' vanished, Lady Cat sighed and Raftelia lowered her head in contemplation. The talking ceased, and a heavy silence fell over the car.

  ***

  After a couple of moons;

  The car eventually entered a hilly region where exotic shrubs and herbs—some glowing, others of enormous size—dotted the landscape. Some grew atop hills exposed to the heavens, casting long, eerie shadows across the land.

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  On the sparkling ground, their fairly large car dragged at great speed, approaching a jaw-dropping structure isolated on the plain.

  "It’s strange we haven't been attacked," Skylar remarked, petting Lady Cat’s white fur. "We haven't seen a single creature since we left the lair."

  Sky is funny, Raftelia thought. With Lady Cat with us, no creature would dare approach—unless it’s one of the Elders. But even then, they know her origin. No sane being would want to cross a Primordial Specie. She glanced at Lady Cat on Skylar’s lap at the same moment the cat meowed.

  "What would they gain by attacking us?" Lady Cat conjectured. "They might not even care about us at all."

  "That’s true," Skylar agreed, watching as she repositioned herself under his hand. He then turned to the driver. "Mr Rabbit, are you really not tired?"

  Mr Rabbit turned and gave him a disapproving look followed by a sharp glare—a silent warning for Skylar to keep his mind off hijacking his task.

  "Her biological clock is different from yours," Lady Cat lectured, her ruby eyes turning to the driver. "Her cycle is about thirty-six times yours. What would drain your stamina in one hour would take him thirty-six hours."

  I see, Skylar thought. It’s like that book I read... time is slower for bigger animals because of their larger hearts. Maybe the heart has something to do with the body clock. So, Mr Rabbit’s experience of a day is thirty-six times my own...

  "Meow! Big guy, should this 'Great Me' return the ability I borrowed?" Lady Cat’s voice interrupted his contemplation.

  The driver shook his head in a negative "no." Skylar, struck by a sudden realization, asked, "Lady Cat, can you really copy any ability, including traits?"

  "Absolutely!" she responded, looking at him with unconcealed pride. "And not just any ability; this 'Great me' can copy any techniques—including ancient ones—and any physical actions my body allows."

  "Is there a limit?"

  "This 'Great Me' don't know for now," she meowed.

  She really is overpowered, Skylar thought. She’s the reason our journey has been so smooth. Maybe she really could beat those wolves one-on-one. I wonder what her origin is... but I can't worry about that now. I have to reach a safe zone. I'm falling behind the others, and I just hope that serpent doesn't follow us into the ruin.

  As Skylar drifted back into his thoughts, the car approached a colossal pillar that looked like a tower reaching into the heavens. It soon stopped in front of the structure, which seemed to swallow their entire field of vision.

  How did they build this? Skylar wondered. The base must be as large as a medium-sized island. I wonder how long it took... maybe a computer program generated it? No civilization should be able to replicate this, and there are even three thousand of them encircling this ruin.

  He scanned the enormous pillar. Its height was inestimable; the top was lost in the night sky. He nodded to Mr Rabbit, who understood the signal and drove forward, skirting the edge of the pillar’s enormous girth. As they entered the vast shadow it cast, the bright blue moon vanished completely.

  "Those inscriptions... do they reach the top?" Skylar asked. He examined the symbols on the pillar through the car's side screen.

  "They used to be glyphs that lit up the sky in ancient times," Lady Cat narrated to no one in particular. "Back when they performed sacrifices here. The glyphs definitely reach the top, and even cover the surface facing the heavens."

  After an hour of driving, the car finally crossed past the pillar and into the ruin: a place of notorious reputation and their chosen shortcut.

  "Mr Rabbit, keep going along the pillar. Don't change direction," Skylar instructed.

  The car continued in a circle around the pillar, moving in a direction that would lead them back out of the ruin.

  Lady Cat looked up at Skylar. "Why are we going back?"

  Skylar watched the glyphs on the screen for a few seconds before responding. "I want to verify if we truly can't leave as easily as the rumors say."

  ...

  "Sigh..."

  After many hours of circling the pillar, Skylar sighed and turned away from the inscriptions.

  "We haven't seen the moon again, and it has been a very long time," Lady Cat commented, voicing the group's growing dread.

  Skylar looked ahead and gave his conclusion. "It’s like there’s a mirror reflecting us. Anything that tries to exit the ruin is looped back. It’s as if we never left the entrance in the first place."

  He paused, then turned to the driver. "Mr Rabbit, we can go inside now."

  Receiving the message, Mr Rabbit drifted the car off at a tangent, steering away from the pillar and deeper into the heart of the cursed ruin.