Chapter 5

Fallon's sobs had faded, but the aftermath still shuddered through her chest in uneven waves. She sat with her back against the cold stone wall, her knees drawn up, her face half-hidden. The fire crackled softly between them.

Justice stood up abruptly. He began to pace back and forth by the fire pit, his heavy footsteps making the ground vibrate. A low, frustrated growl rumbled in his chest, but beneath it, there was a frantic panic. He looked at her tear-streaked face like it was a puzzle he couldn't solve. His hands twitched at his sides.

"Don't... don't cry," he stammered, his voice tight and incredibly awkward. "Crying is... not good. You are... you are a female. Females should not..." He trailed off, grimacing as if he knew he was making it worse.

The word hit Fallon like a slap. Female. Not woman. Not lady. Female. Like she was a specimen. He had said it right to her face.

She snapped her head up, her eyes red and puffy. "My name is Fallon! Not 'female'! Fallon!"

Beep.

A flat, mechanical voice suddenly exploded inside her skull. Fallon's blood ran cold. The sound hadn't echoed off the stone walls; it had reverberated directly behind her eyes. It was inside her head.

[Critical emotional threshold detected in host.]

Fallon yelped, jumping back. She looked around the cave wildly, her heart hammering against her ribs in a frantic rhythm. "Who said that? Who's there?"

Justice stopped pacing instantly. His body went rigid, his ears swiveling like a predator tracking prey. He scanned the cave, his nostrils flaring. "There is no one else."

[I am the Cross-Dimensional Conduit System. Broadcast is limited to your consciousness only.]

Fallon's brain stuttered. She stared at Justice, who was looking at her like she had lost her mind. She clamped her mouth shut, thinking hard. You? You did this to me? You brought me to this nightmare?

[This was an accidental spatial anomaly. As compensation, the system will provide survival assistance.]

I don't want assistance! Fallon screamed in her head. I want to go back to LA! I want my bed! I want air conditioning!

[Temporal coordinates lost. Return to Earth is impossible.]

The words hit her like a physical blow. Impossible. She was never going back. The despair was a heavy blanket, smothering her.

Justice took a step toward her, his hand outstretched. He looked worried. "You are sick?"

[Compensation protocol initiated. Downloading basic knowledge of the Beast World into host's memory.]

A rush of information slammed into Fallon's brain. It felt like someone had turned on a fire hose inside her skull. She cried out, clutching her head between her hands, doubling over in pain.

Images and facts flashed before her eyes. Shifters. Mates. Beast marks. The brutal law of the jungle. Females were rare, precious, and treated like property to be fought over. Cold-blooded shifters were outcasts, feared and despised.

[Host's original physique is too weak. Upgrading to 'Beast World Adaptive Constitution'.]

A wave of warmth washed over her. The aches and pains from the hike, the scrapes from the fall, the soreness in her muscles-they all vanished, replaced by a strange energy.

[Final compensation granted: A portable 'Pocket Dimension' has been bound to your subconscious.]

Fallon blinked away the tears. In her mind's eye, she saw a gray, depressing grid. It was tiny, maybe the size of a small closet. Empty.

That's it? she thought, incredulous. This is your ultimate compensation? A closet?

[Compensation complete. System entering permanent hibernation.]

Wait! Fallon panicked. Don't leave me! Give me some supplies! Food! Water! A gun! How am I supposed to survive?

[Host must survive independently. Explore space upgrade conditions on your own. Hint: Items of deep personal significance already bonded to your physical body may alter dimensional properties when their emotional resonance is fully accessed.]

Fzzzt. The connection died. The voice was gone.

Fallon sat there, staring blankly at the fire. A closet in her head. A body that felt weirdly energized. A cryptic hint about items she already had. And she was still stuck in a cave with a snake-man who thought raw meat was a delicacy and had just called her "female" to her face.

Justice crouched down in front of her. He didn't touch her, but he was close. His mismatched eyes searched her face. "You are sick," he repeated, his voice gruff but laced with concern.

Fallon looked at him. He was the only thing standing between her and the monsters outside. He was rude, clueless, and definitely hiding a giant snake somewhere in this situation, but he had saved her life.

She took a deep, shuddering breath. She wiped her face with the back of her hand, smearing the dirt even more.

"No," she said, her voice hoarse but steady. "I just... accepted reality."

A long silence stretched between them. Justice remained crouched before her, studying her with those unsettling eyes. Then, slowly, deliberately, he inclined his head.

"Fallon," he said, trying the name carefully, as if tasting an unfamiliar food.

It was the first time he'd said it. The sound of her name in his deep, rough voice sent an unexpected shiver down her spine-not entirely unpleasant.

"Yes," she said quietly. "Fallon."