Chapter 23 – The Warning
> "You have to leave here now."
Joshua blinked, confusion crossing his face.
> "Leave? What do you mean by leave?"
The angel's expression darkened. His wings flickered like dying embers.
> "You have to leave this city. It's not safe here anymore."
Joshua's brows furrowed.
> "Why? What's happening?"
The angel looked down, his golden eyes reflecting sorrow and urgency.
> "Because of this."
Before Joshua could ask, his entire body stiffened. His pupils dilated.
His head tilted backward like a puppet's string had been cut.
Then — light.
Blinding light burst from all seven orifices of his face — his eyes, ears, nostrils, and mouth — flooding the white world with brilliance.
The air trembled. Time itself seemed to bend.
He fell into a daze.
---
A vision unfolded before him.
A vast forest under a blood-red sky.
And there — a monstrous bull-like creature, towering and wild, its eyes burning with primal fury.
The ground trembled with every breath it took.
Then, from the shadows, a figure stepped forward.
A dark cloak flowed behind him like liquid smoke.
The two forces clashed — light and shadow colliding in waves of destruction.
The cloaked figure didn't kill the beast.
Instead, he raised one gloved hand and pressed it against the creature's forehead.
Dark smoke seeped from his palm, swirling and wrapping around the bull in twisting tendrils.
The monster roared — its cries echoing through the forest — as the smoke consumed it entirely.
When the darkness faded, black runes burned across its back like brands from another world.
The creature collapsed, its body pulsing once before being swallowed by a dark cocoon.
And then — silence.
The vision ended.
---
Joshua gasped and opened his eyes, still trembling.
> "What… what was that?" he whispered subconsciously.
The angel's voice was calm, though a hint of worry hid beneath it.
> "That was a glimpse of the future — a skill granted by one of the Elders of Rebirth. When the Lord and Creator blessed you, that was the gift you received from her."
Joshua's eyes narrowed.
> "Her?"
> "The Goddess of Divination," the angel said softly. "She watches the threads of fate — deciding which worlds need aid and which will perish on their own. The vision you saw is her power: Clairvoyance. It allows you to peer into the future."
Joshua swallowed hard.
> "That… was the future?"
> "Yes. Two days from now."
Joshua's heart sank.
> "That bull-like thing — what is it?"
> "A magical beast," the angel replied. "A creature born of nature and mana. You'll learn more about them in time."
> "And the cloaked figure?"
The angel's tone turned grave.
> "A dark entity. They are your true enemies — the shadows that seek to corrupt creation itself. To save this world, you must destroy them."
Joshua fell silent, the weight of the revelation pressing on his chest.
> "So… what I saw will happen?"
> "Yes," the angel answered. "That vision is two days away. The dark entity you saw did not merely defeat the beast — it possessed it, turning it into a Dark Beast. That is the name given to monsters tainted by darkness."
The angel's voice dropped to a whisper.
> "And that beast you saw… is the current Lord of the Sapin Forest."
Joshua's eyes widened.
> "The forest near here? The one outside the city walls?"
> "Exactly."
> "Can't someone kill it? What's the emergency?"
The angel shook his head slowly.
> "You'll learn about power hierarchies and city defenses soon, but understand this — a Dark Beast is far stronger than a normal one. The darkness amplifies its strength — sometimes two, even threefold."
> "That beast was once the ruler of the forest, and now, corrupted by darkness, it will awaken stronger than ever. When it does, it will spread the taint to others — infecting the beasts of the forest and causing a Beast Tide."
Joshua's breath caught.
> "A… Beast Tide?"
> "Yes," the angel said, his voice heavy. "A wave of maddened beasts that will descend upon the city. It will destroy everything in its path."
He placed a hand on Joshua's shoulder, eyes glowing brighter.
> "You must leave here. Now."
The world trembled.
The angel's voice grew distant — echoing like thunder inside Joshua's skull.
> "Go, Joshua. Before the darkness wakes."
And then once again, everything turned to light .