"Where... is this place?"
Enzo stirred awake, the earthy aroma of soil and leaves clinging to his senses, mixed with something sweet and unfamiliar that sharpened his focus.
As his vision adjusted, he became aware of another presence beside him.
A young woman watched him intently, her gaze feline and alert. Her short brown hair framed her bronzed skin, and her amber eyes seemed to shimmer in the dim light.
She sat closely—too closely—her limbs wrapped firmly around his body. The heat of her skin pressed against his.
She spoke in a tongue that sounded foreign, yet he could understand her: "You're mine. Do not fight it."
Before he could fully comprehend her meaning, she moved with wild, animalistic intent, fumbling with the cord of his clothing, even attempting to bite it free when her hands failed.
"Wait—stop!" Enzo cried, reaching to push her away. But her strength caught him off guard—he couldn't move her.
Unbelievable.This woman, though slight in build, possessed unnatural power.
After a short scuffle, she relented, placing her hands on her hips, commanding, "Remove your garments."
Enzo blinked in disbelief. "Shouldn't we get to know each other first?"
She tilted her head, considering his words, then replied with self-assured authority, "I claimed you. According to our tribe's law, you are mine. We must create life together."
Only then did Enzo take in his surroundings: a cave lined with rough animal hides, bones scattered in a heap, and the woman's garments fashioned from animal skins.
It hit him—this wasn't home.
He remembered falling—chasing a deer during a survival exercise, slipping over a cliff's edge. Everything else was a blank until now.
Had he been thrown into another era—or another world entirely?
Just as the woman figured out the secret to his trousers and stripped the cord away, she straddled him without hesitation, taking him as if it were her birthright.
Enzo's body betrayed him. His mind screamed to resist, but his strength was no match for hers, and his voice fell silent.
Despite her boldness, it quickly became apparent she lacked experience. Enzo, overwhelmed but not passive, soon took control, shifting the rhythm, drawing soft sounds of pleasure from her lips.
A voice called from outside the cave: "Tia! The gods summon us!"
Still breathless, the girl—Tia—gasped her reply, "Alice… I'm… almost… done!"
She turned to Enzo, demanding urgently, "Now! Finish it!"
With no real choice, Enzo complied. Her power—and what she had just done—left little room for disobedience.
As they reached their peak, Tia shivered atop him, breath catching.
Moments later, she dressed swiftly, grabbing Enzo by the arm. His clothes were shredded, leaving only his pants. She didn't seem to care.
Outside the cave, others gathered—men and women in furs, armed with crude spears. No one seemed shocked to see him half-dressed. In fact, a few young women looked at him with thinly veiled interest.
"Where are we going?" he asked.
"You will call me Mistress, prey," Tia snapped, then smirked. "But since you performed well, I forgive your insolence. We're attending the Ceremony of Selection."
Enzo frowned. "What is that?"
"A ritual to choose the next spiritual guide—our tribe's protector."
Curious, he followed the crowd toward a clearing marked by five massive stones. In the center sat an aged woman in ceremonial furs, a necklace of fangs at her chest, holding a bone-crafted staff.
She called forth warriors, one by one, to touch the edge of a carved stone basin. A flickering flame at its center served as a divine test.
Nothing happened—until Tia stepped up. For a brief moment, the fire roared, then vanished just as fast.
The old priestess scowled. "Try again."
Tia obeyed. This time, the flame didn't react at all.
A heavy silence fell. The priestess's voice trembled: "None have been chosen. The gods have abandoned us."
Gasps rippled through the tribe. Without a spiritual leader, they were doomed—to be scattered, enslaved, or devoured by the beasts that prowled the wild.
Cries of despair rose into the air.
"No! Great one, hear us!"
"Why have you forsaken us?"
"Take this offering! Just grant us your blessing!"
Then, a sudden motion—Tia grabbed Enzo's hand, dragging him to the brazier. She pressed his palm to the stone's edge.
A surge of heat burst forth. The flame rose, towering several meters high.
The tribe froze.