Noor smiled, feeling his anxiety and fear completely vanish.

"Jane, I can't believe you're alive," he said, his tone astonished. "I was so worried. How did you get here? Were you harmed? Your features have changed so much! You look taller, and you have the features of a woman in her twenties!"

Jane's eyes showed her exhaustion. She smiled, shook her head, and sighed.

"I've been through a lot. But it seems you've also been through a lot. The patient clothes you're wearing look like they've been through a hurricane."

Noor felt embarrassed by his clothes. He tried to hide his shyness, saying,

"Well, a lot has happened."

"And what's with your beard and mustache? You look older, too! It seems I'm not the only one who has changed. I was surprised at first by the changes that happened to me, but it seems we were unconscious for a very long time, only God knows how long."

Noor knitted his brows.

"It seems that mystery still surrounds everything, and that irritates me. Anyway, I'll tell you what happened to me, and you tell me what happened to you."

Jane nodded in agreement.

Noor went to a chair, sat down, and asked her to sit.

"I woke up in that strange tower," Noor said, recalling what had happened to him. "And it seems that's what happened to you as well. I found the strange voice talking to me, and it put me through several tests to use my power, which is imagination."

"Yes, I know about that ability of yours. I was amazed by your use of it. You were fantastic."

Noor felt flattered and added,

"Ah... you're embarrassing me. You were amazing too. Anyway."

Jane interrupted him.

"So, you can't create everything you want?"

Noor sighed with frustration.

"Yes, unfortunately. I can only create simple things. But I think with some training and learning, I might be able to create many wonderful things."

Jane was lost in her imagination for a few seconds, imagining what could happen using such a power. Then she said,

"Yes, of course. This power could be very useful for us to get out of here, and also to get out of many difficult situations."

Noor smiled.

"After I master it, of course. Anyway, when I got out of the tower after we lost consciousness in the competition, I met a strange person in the forest, and his friend. He was carrying a sniper rifle and hiding on one of the rooftops, but I didn't see him. I sensed his presence from the sound of his weapon, which was echoing and protecting us from our pursuers. If it weren't for him and the strange cloaked figure, I would have been killed. He saved me from a huge robot with two robotic hounds, and then I got separated from him because of the fierce chase. After that, I came across a robot that looked like a spider, and its size was so huge it could have crushed me underneath it. I barely escaped with my life. And so I got here. Now you know what happened to my clothes."

Jane laughed.

"Yes, I know what happened to your clothes. It seems you've been through a lot, but it's good that you were able to get here. I would have gone crazy if I hadn't found anyone in the middle of this hell."

"I would have gone crazy too. It's a good thing I found you, because I don't understand anything. Now, tell me what happened to you. Maybe I'll find something we can use."

Jane was lost in thought for a moment, trying to recall everything she had been through. Then the memories flooded in. She bit her lower lip nervously and said,

"Okay, I woke up in that strange tower too. And like you, there was the voice of someone guiding me from somewhere and also training me in a strange ability. Of course, you know it; it's controlling time for a few seconds."

Noor nodded. Jane resumed her story.

"After I finished my training in time control, I entered the competition with you. Then what happened, happened. I woke up afterward and came out in a strange area that looked like a vast plain. And you won't believe what I saw on my way! I passed through forests stranger than fiction and saw very strange animals. Oh my God, I was terrified. I felt like I was in another world. The plants were strange, and the whole world was strange and unfamiliar. I saw water rising into the air against gravity, and trees of different colors and shapes, and of course, animals with four eyes and strange arms. It was a hell for me."

"I also saw very strange trees of different colors and shapes, but I didn't see any living creature at all. What do you mean by four eyes?"

"The birds had four eyes, and some of the animals that looked like monkeys had four arms. It was very strange! I don't understand what is happening on our planet. Everything seems unfamiliar. But I met him!"

"You met him? Who is this?"

"I don't know, I didn't see his face, but he was also cloaked like the one who saved you, but his body was very intimidating. He was over two meters tall, at least. One of those strange creatures attacked me and was about to kill me, but he saved me. His appearance frightened me at first, but I knew he meant no harm. He asked me to follow him, and we walked for days without him saying a word. He never answered my questions. I didn't see his features, which he hid well under a strange mask, and I was curious about what he looked like. But he brought me to the ruined city and motioned for me to continue on my own, then went back the way he came."

Noor looked astonished by what he heard and didn't know what the story of these cloaked figures was. Their strange behavior only increased his confusion, but he let Jane continue her story without interrupting her.

"I entered the empty city and walked around it for a long time. I was worried when I didn't find anyone around; no friend, no enemy. Everyone I knew had disappeared. I felt like I was alone now in this hell. I didn't understand what was happening around me. Everything was vague and incomprehensible, shrouded in mystery. But after walking for a while, I saw a big explosion from one of the distant buildings. I didn't identify its source, but it frightened me. At the same time, it gave me some hope that maybe there was someone there."

"A few minutes later, this explosion was followed by the sound of successive gunshots from a nearby place. I went toward the source, but I was cautious because I didn't understand what was happening here. On the way, I saw a large part of the city that had been completely destroyed and burned. The bodies were scattered everywhere. I saw a group of strange robots that had landed from a strange-looking aircraft, and it seemed they were heading toward the source of the sound as well. I hid in fear and amazement, and my body was paralyzed for several minutes from the shock. I realized that the robots had rebelled against us, taken control of everything, and destroyed the world. After that, I realized that maybe there was someone fighting these machines, so I decided to get ahead of them and take another route to reach him before them and warn him of their arrival. And so I ran a lot without stopping until I reached the source, and I regretted going there. All I saw were two people facing each other in a strange battle that was amazing to behold. There was a cloaked person like the one who helped me, but he was much shorter, carrying a strange energy sword, and another person who was broad-shouldered and huge, his body a mass of muscle. The battle between them was intense, and I didn't understand what was happening because of the darkness. However, I realized that they had strange abilities like us. And when I looked closely, I saw that the big one was Ivanov!"

Noor looked intensely focused and astonished as he listened to this story. He interrupted her, asking for clarification.

"Did you say a cloaked person carrying an energy sword? That's the same person who saved me! And you saw Ivanov? This means that all the finalists for the eight spots have already come out, as the voice promised them. Tell me what happened between them in meticulous detail. We may benefit from knowing these details and discover something that connects this cloaked person, Ivanov, and what is happening here."

Jane was silent as she recalled the strange events again. She broke the silence, saying,

"I'm very sorry, but I didn't understand what was happening. Everything was chaotic. I saw cars flying in the air, rocks, things being cut, and great destruction befalling the area where they were standing. But I think the cloaked one had a power similar to Sairi's! But I didn't see anything very well. And then, suddenly, the course of the battle changed. I was watching from a distance, and everything changed. They came.

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