Beyond the city's outer walls, the air felt wrong.
It wasn't cold.It wasn't warm.
It was simply… empty.
Thirty hunters stood before the gate, wrapped in a heavy, unspoken tension. No one raised their voice. Even the wind seemed reluctant to pass through, as if the world itself hesitated before what lay beyond.
"Move."
The command cut cleanly through the silence.
A young man stood near the front, his armor polished to an unnatural shine beneath the dim light. His gaze shifted toward someone behind him—a thinner figure, head lowered, clothes worn from hardship.
"You. Don't touch that."
"I was only—"
"Silence."
His hand shot out, gripping the man's shoulder with crushing force.
"You move when I tell you to."
No one intervened.
No one spoke.
"…Enough."
The voice came from the front.
The young man paused, glanced toward the leader—then looked away, irritation clear in his expression.
"Don't waste our time."
He released his grip.
The other man didn't lift his head.
At the front, the leader stood unmoving, his presence steady and unshaken, as if none of this mattered.
"That's him… right?"
"Yeah. The one who cleared a high-level gate alone."
"If he's here… we're safe."
Their voices were low. Careful.
As if something might hear them.
Kael's gaze shifted to the gate.
It pulsed.
Once.
Then again—
Slower.
Like a heartbeat that didn't belong.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Something's off."
No one else seemed to notice.
The gate opened.
And they stepped inside.
The world changed.
Black trees stretched into a dim, suffocating sky. Twisted roots spread across the ground like veins, crawling over cracked earth that barely held together.
The light faded instantly—
Not gradually,
But as if something above had turned away.
Movement flickered between the trees.
The first creature lunged.
A flash—
The leader moved.
One strike.
Clean.
Effortless.
The creature split apart before it even touched the ground.
Silence lingered—
Then shattered.
Flames erupted from the side as a mage raised his hand, incinerating another creature before it could approach. Steel followed as the hunters surged forward, cutting down the rest with practiced precision.
Behind them, the healer remained still.
Watching.
Waiting.
"That's it?"
"We worried for nothing."
A few quiet chuckles followed.
Too early.
Kael said nothing.
The creatures had been weak.
Too weak.
They moved deeper.
The forest closed in around them, the trees growing denser, their twisted forms leaning inward as if pressing against the path.
The air grew heavier.
"Why are you here?"
"…My daughter."
Their steps didn't slow.
"She's sick."
A brief silence followed.
"The treatment is expensive."
A hand tightened slightly.
"I can't afford it."
Another pause.
"So I came here."
"…Make it back."
"…I will."
Kael's gaze shifted briefly.
Then forward again.
The ground beneath them changed.
Cracked.
Hollow.
A tremor ran through it.
Once.
Then again.
Stronger.
The leader stopped.
Only for a moment.
His head tilted slightly—
As if listening.
"Back—"
The world broke.
The ground split open with a violent crack, swallowing everything beneath it. The earth collapsed in jagged fractures, dragging hunters into the darkness below.
"S—Sir!"
A hand reached out—
Grasping at nothing.
Bodies fell in different directions.
Shouts echoed—
Then vanished.
Darkness swallowed everything.
As Kael fell—
He heard it.
"Stay together—!"
The leader's voice.
Then—
Nothing.
Silence.
A faint sound followed.
"…Where… am I…?"
Kael's eyes opened.
Pain came first.
Then breath.
The ground beneath him was uneven, broken. He pushed himself up slightly, his vision adjusting to the darkness.
Footsteps.
Unsteady.
"…You—where did you go?!"
That voice.
Familiar.
The same arrogance—
Now fractured.
"I… I'm here… sir…"
Weaker.
Closer.
Silence.
"…Come here."
Something moved in the dark.
"Faster!"
"Yes…"
Footsteps approached.
Then stopped.
"…Sir… there's something—"
His voice cut off.
A pause.
"What are you doing?! Move!"
Silence.
Then—
A wet tearing sound.
A short scream.
Cut off instantly.
Stillness.
"…What…?"
A step back.
The arrogance shattered.
"…No…"
Silence swallowed him.
Gone.
Kael didn't move.
His breathing slowed.
The air changed.
Heavy.
Watching.
The shadows gathered.
Twisting.
Forcing themselves together.
Forming something—
Wrong.
Incomplete.
Then—
Whole.
It stood before him.
Still.
A dark crimson glow pulsed within its form.
Kael's chest tightened.
This was worse.
Far worse.
The creature vanished.
No sound.
No warning.
Kael turned—
Too late.
The impact struck him hard, lifting him off the ground before slamming him down.
Pain exploded through his body.
He forced himself up.
Barely.
The creature walked toward him.
Slow.
Certain.
Kael moved first.
His blade cut through the air—
—and shattered.
The crack rang sharp as fragments fell.
No damage.
No reaction.
The creature didn't stop.
Kael's grip tightened around the broken hilt.
Empty.
He stepped back.
Once.
Then again.
The ground trembled beneath the creature's weight.
It vanished again.
Kael turned—
Too late.
The strike tore into his side.
The world spun as he crashed into the ground.
For a moment—
Nothing.
Then pain dragged him back.
His fingers dug into the earth as he tried to stand.
Failed.
The creature approached.
Closer.
Closer.
No rush.
No doubt.
Kael's vision blurred.
His heartbeat thundered.
If he stayed like this—
He would die.
The screen appeared.
Faint.
Unwanted.
He stared at it.
Didn't move.
The creature stepped closer.
The ground cracked beneath it.
His breath hitched.
"…Damn it."
His fingers tightened.
"…Fine."
A slow breath.
"…Speed."
Something shifted.
The world bent—
But not enough.
Still slow.
Still heavy.
He forced himself up.
Barely.
The creature moved.
Faster.
Kael stepped aside—
Too late.
The attack tore into him again.
Blood followed.
Warm.
He staggered—
But did not fall.
Not yet.
The distance closed again.
No weapon.
No strength.
Only time.
And not enough of it.
Kael steadied his breathing.
One step back.
Then—
He stopped.
His eyes locked onto the creature.
The fear didn't disappear.
But it changed.
"…Not running."
The creature moved.
And this time—
Kael stepped forward.
Not to escape—
But to meet it