The forest burned.
Smoke covered the moon, turning the night sky into a dark red haze. The village that had once been peaceful was now a battlefield.
Broken arrows littered the streets.
Burning houses collapsed one after another.
The cries of the wounded mixed with the roar of explosions and the screams of corrupted orcs.
Yet the battle was far from over.
Above the battlefield, Drek's fighter jet struggled against the dark entity.
Warning symbols covered the cockpit.
The aircraft had taken damage, but it was still flying.
Drek gripped the controls.
"System, damage report."
The response came immediately.
"Minor structural damage. Engine integrity at ninety-four percent. Shield integrity at eighty-eight percent."
Drek blinked.
"Wait... shield?"
"Your aircraft's defensive system has automatically activated."
Drek stared at the display.
He had completely forgotten that the fighter's newest defensive system had been installed before his deployment.
The alien fighter jet was not an ordinary aircraft.
It had been designed using technology recovered from the Unknown.
Its artificial intelligence could calculate threats faster than any human pilot.
Its armor could withstand impacts that would destroy conventional fighters.
And its shield...
The shield was something Drek had never tested in actual combat.
Drek looked toward the dark entity.
"Then let's see what this thing can really do."
The creature suddenly disappeared.
Drek's sensors went wild.
"Target lost."
Drek immediately activated every sensor.
"Thermal."
"Active."
"Night vision."
"Active."
"Radar."
"Active."
"Quantum tracking."
There was a short pause.
"Active."
Drek looked around.
Nothing.
Then the system spoke.
"Target detected."
Drek looked forward.
The creature was directly in front of him.
It raised its hand.
A massive sphere of black energy formed around its palm.
Drek's eyes widened.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me."
The entity released it.
A black beam tore through the sky.
Drek pulled the controls.
The fighter accelerated.
The beam followed.
Drek pushed the throttle forward.
"Maximum thrust!"
"Maximum thrust authorized."
The fighter suddenly accelerated.
The world outside the cockpit blurred.
The aircraft broke through the sound barrier.
Then again.
Then again.
The fighter continued accelerating until the clouds themselves seemed to explode around it.
Drek stared at the speed indicator.
"Mach ten..."
The number continued rising.
"Mach fifteen..."
Drek's eyes widened.
"System, slow down!"
"Negative."
"What do you mean, negative?!"
"The aircraft has detected that the enemy projectile will intercept us within four seconds."
Drek gritted his teeth.
"Then do something!"
The system responded calmly.
"Activating Phase Drive."
The cockpit suddenly went silent.
The fighter disappeared.
Not moved.
Not accelerated.
It simply vanished.
The black beam passed through empty air.
Then, several kilometers away, the fighter reappeared.
Drek stared at the battlefield.
He could hardly believe what had happened.
"...We teleported."
"Correction. The aircraft temporarily phased through local space."
Drek slowly smiled.
"I like this aircraft."
USHU'S LAST STAND
Below, Ushu stood in the middle of the burning village.
Her clothes were covered in dirt and blood.
Her breathing was heavy.
Her mana was nearly exhausted.
Around her, wounded elves were being carried toward the remaining shelters.
Calthain stood nearby, holding his sword.
He looked exhausted.
"Ushu!"
She turned.
"Yes?"
Calthain pointed toward the northern entrance.
"They're breaking through again!"
Ushu looked toward the battlefield.
Hundreds of corrupted orcs were approaching.
She closed her eyes.
She could barely feel the power inside her anymore.
But she remembered the wounded warrior.
Please... save them too.
Ushu opened her eyes.
A faint golden light appeared around her hands.
"I'll stop them."
Calthain looked shocked.
"You can barely stand!"
Ushu smiled.
"Then I'll fight sitting down."
Calthain almost laughed despite the chaos.
But before he could answer, the ground shook.
BOOOOOOM!
A massive explosion erupted at the northern gate.
Corrupted orcs poured through.
Ushu stepped forward.
Her golden aura grew brighter.
"You won't hurt them anymore."
She raised both hands.
The air around her began to tremble.
Golden symbols appeared around her body.
The elves stared in amazement.
Calthain whispered:
"Her power..."
Ushu's eyes began glowing gold.
Then she screamed.
"LIGHT—BURST!"
A gigantic wave of golden energy erupted from her.
The corrupted army was thrown backward.
The darkness surrounding them burned away.
For several seconds, the battlefield became completely silent.
Then the surviving elves began cheering.
But Ushu dropped to one knee.
She was exhausted.
Her vision blurred.
She could barely breathe.
Then a shadow appeared behind her.
One corrupted orc had survived.
It raised its weapon.
Calthain saw it.
"USHU!"
The weapon descended.
But before it could reach her—
BOOM!
A drone slammed into the orc.
The corrupted creature was thrown across the battlefield.
Ushu looked upward.
The drone hovered above her.
Drek's voice came through the CCD.
"I told you not to die."
Ushu smiled weakly.
"I wasn't planning to."
"Good."
Drek's voice became serious.
"Because I'm coming down there."
Ushu looked toward the sky.
"Drek, wait!"
But the transmission had already ended.
THE FALLING STAR
The clouds suddenly parted.
Something descended from the heavens.
At first, the elves thought it was another enemy.
Then they heard the roar.
The sound grew louder.
A massive aircraft emerged from the clouds.
Its wings glowed with blue-white energy.
The fighter descended vertically.
The air around it distorted.
Trees bent away from the pressure.
Dust and debris were thrown into the air.
The elves stared upward.
Calthain's mouth opened in disbelief.
"What is that?"
Ushu smiled.
"That's Drek."
The fighter suddenly stopped.
It hovered above the battlefield.
Then hundreds of tiny drones emerged from its underside.
They spread across the sky.
The corrupted army looked upward.
Drek spoke through the aircraft's communication system.
"System."
"Yes, Major Drek."
"Target every corrupted entity."
"Confirmed."
The drones opened fire.
The night exploded.
Blue-white beams struck the battlefield.
Explosions erupted in rapid succession.
The corrupted army was pushed backward.
Drek wasn't finished.
He activated another system.
"Deploy Guardian Units."
The fighter's underside opened.
Massive armored drones descended.
They landed among the elves.
Each one stood nearly twice the height of a human.
Their armor was black and silver.
Their weapons glowed with energy.
The elves stared at them.
One soldier whispered:
"Are those... machines?"
Ushu smiled.
"They're Drek's."
The Guardian Units charged.
The battlefield became a storm of metal and darkness.
THE MONSTER AWAKENS
The dark entity watched silently.
For the first time, it appeared angry.
Black smoke exploded from its body.
The entire battlefield shook.
The trees bent.
The ground cracked.
Every corrupted orc suddenly stopped moving.
Then they began screaming.
Their bodies twisted.
Black energy poured from them.
The hundreds of corrupted orcs began merging into a single mass.
Drek's system immediately detected the transformation.
"Major Drek."
"I see it."
"Enemy energy level increasing exponentially."
Drek stared.
The black mass grew larger.
Larger.
Larger.
Until it towered over the forest.
A monstrous shape emerged from the darkness.
It had multiple arms.
Its body was covered in black armor.
Its face had no eyes.
Only a giant glowing red mark remained where its mouth should have been.
Drek stared at it.
"...That's new."
The system answered.
"Enemy classification updated."
"Name?"
A pause.
"Unknown."
Drek sighed.
"Of course."
The creature roared.
The sound shook the entire forest.
Ushu covered her ears.
Elves fell to the ground.
Even the Guardian Units staggered.
Drek's aircraft remained in the sky.
He looked at the monster.
"System."
"Yes."
"Can we kill it?"
"Probability of successful neutralization using current weapons: sixty-three percent."
Drek smiled.
"That's good enough."
The system corrected him.
"Correction. I have not activated the aircraft's primary weapon."
Drek froze.
"...Primary weapon?"
"Yes."
A new holographic interface appeared.
Drek stared at it.
The system displayed a massive weapon designation.
ORBITAL STARFIRE CANNON
Drek's eyes widened.
"You were holding THAT back?"
"The weapon was restricted due to the possibility of planetary damage."
Drek looked down at the village.
Then at the monster.
Then at the burning forest.
He took a deep breath.
"Can you control the blast?"
"Yes."
"Can you guarantee that the village will survive?"
"Ninety-nine point seven percent probability."
Drek nodded.
"Then charge it."
The aircraft changed.
Panels opened across its wings.
Energy began gathering around the fighter.
The sky darkened.
Clouds spiraled around the aircraft.
Lightning flashed across the heavens.
Ushu looked upward.
She could feel the enormous power gathering above her.
"Drek... what are you doing?"
His voice came through the CCD.
"Ending this."
THE STARFIRE
The monster charged.
Drek's fighter remained motionless in the sky.
The enemy raised all of its arms, and black energy gathered around its body. A gigantic sphere of darkness formed above the battlefield, growing larger with every passing second.
Calthain looked upward in horror.
"Everyone! TAKE COVER!"
The elves scattered.
Ushu looked toward the sky, her eyes widening as she watched Drek's aircraft surrounded by brilliant energy.
The black sphere descended.
The ground trembled.
Drek remained calm.
"System."
"Weapon charged."
"Target?"
"Enemy entity locked."
Drek glanced at the battlefield below.
His eyes immediately found Ushu.
"Protect Ushu."
"Priority protection assigned."
Drek took a slow breath.
Then he looked directly at the creature.
"Fire."
The heavens opened.
A brilliant white-blue beam descended from the clouds and struck the monster.
For one brief moment, everything became silent.
Then—
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
Light consumed the battlefield.
The black sphere shattered.
The monster's dark energy scattered like smoke caught in a violent wind.
The corrupted orcs collapsed one after another, their bodies falling into the mud.
The trees shook violently.
Dust and smoke swept across the forest.
When the light finally disappeared, the creature was barely standing.
Its body began breaking apart.
Yet before it vanished completely, it turned its head toward Drek.
Its voice did not come through the air.
It entered directly into Drek's mind.
"You cannot stop what has already begun."
Drek's expression hardened.
"Then I'll deal with it when it comes."
The creature disappeared.
The darkness faded.
And once again, silence returned.
Only the sound of rain remained.
AFTER THE BATTLE
The rain fell throughout the night.
It washed the blood from the grass.
It washed the ash from the trees.
It washed the weapons left behind on the battlefield.
But it could not wash away what had happened.
Drek's fighter slowly descended from the clouds.
The aircraft landed near the village with a heavy mechanical hiss.
The cockpit opened.
Drek stepped out.
He immediately looked toward the village.
It was still standing.
Barely.
Several buildings had been destroyed.
The outer walls were broken.
The fields had been trampled.
Smoke still rose from several areas.
But people were alive.
Drek touched his CCD.
"Ushu?"
For several seconds, there was only static.
His expression changed.
"Ushu, respond."
Then her voice finally came through.
"Drek?"
Drek closed his eyes for a moment.
Relief washed over him.
"I'm here."
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Are you safe?"
"Yes."
There was a brief silence.
Then Ushu's voice became quieter.
"Drek..."
"Yes?"
"Everyone isn't okay."
Drek looked toward the village.
He already knew.
He slowly walked forward.
Ushu stood near the village entrance.
Her clothes were covered in mud.
Her hair was soaked by the rain.
She had tears running down her face.
When she saw Drek approaching, she immediately ran toward him.
"Drek!"
She threw her arms around him.
Drek caught her.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Ushu whispered against his chest.
"I thought you weren't coming back."
Drek gently placed his hand on her head.
"I promised you I would."
Ushu held onto him tighter.
"Don't break that promise."
Drek smiled faintly.
"I won't."
But when he looked beyond Ushu, his smile disappeared.
Bodies were being carried through the village.
Some elves were searching through destroyed homes.
Others were sitting beside their dead family members.
The victory had saved the village.
But it had not saved everyone.
Drek lowered his head.
He knew that feeling.
He had seen it before.
On Earth.
In Korea.
At the stadium.
In every battlefield he had survived.
Different world.
Different people.
Same grief.
THE FUNERAL
The following morning, the village gathered beneath the Great Tree.
Hundreds of elves stood together.
No one spoke loudly.
No one celebrated the victory.
The dead were placed beneath white cloth.
Warriors.
Farmers.
Children.
Parents.
Friends.
People who had been alive only one day earlier.
Calthain stood before them.
His ceremonial clothing was soaked from the morning rain.
His sword rested against the ground.
He looked at the people who had been lost.
His voice trembled.
"Yesterday, we fought to protect our home."
He paused.
"Today, we stand here because some of our family will never return to it."
The villagers lowered their heads.
Ushu stood beside Drek.
She held his hand.
Drek looked at the graves.
He remained silent.
Calthain continued.
"Let us remember their names."
One by one, the names of the fallen were spoken.
The ceremony continued for hours.
Flowers were placed upon the graves.
Weapons were buried beside fallen warriors.
Families cried.
Some embraced.
Others simply stared at the ground, unable to accept what had happened.
Ushu eventually began crying quietly.
Drek noticed.
He didn't try to stop her.
Instead, he held her hand tighter.
She leaned against him.
For the first time since arriving in this world, Drek realized something.
He had not simply saved a village.
He had become part of its story.
And Ushu had become part of his.
AFTER THE FUNERAL
By sunset, the funeral had ended.
The villagers slowly returned to their homes.
Drek and Ushu remained beneath the Great Tree.
Calthain approached them.
He stopped a few steps away.
"Drek."
Drek turned.
"Yes, Chief Calthain?"
Calthain looked toward the distant mountains.
"You told me yesterday that you wished to understand what happened to the orcs."
Drek nodded.
"I still do."
Calthain's expression became thoughtful.
"Then perhaps it is time you learned about the land you have entered."
Ushu looked up.
"What do you mean?"
Calthain smiled faintly.
"You have traveled very little since arriving here, Young Hero. You have seen our village, our forest, and the orc lands."
He turned toward the horizon.
"But this world is far larger than you realize."
Drek crossed his arms.
"How large?"
Calthain gave a quiet laugh.
"Large enough that even our oldest maps are incomplete."
Ushu's eyes widened.
"There are more places?"
"Many."
Calthain pointed toward the mountains.
"Beyond those mountains are the northern kingdoms."
Then he pointed toward the eastern horizon.
"Far to the east lies the Great Elven Kingdom."
His hand moved toward the south.
"Beyond the southern forests are the human kingdoms."
He paused.
"And beyond the western desert..."
His expression became serious.
"...lies a continent where few travelers return from."
Ushu swallowed.
"What lives there?"
Calthain shook his head.
"That is a story for another day."
Drek looked at him.
"What about the rest of the world?"
Calthain smiled.
"There are dwarves beneath the mountains. Beastfolk across the eastern plains. Dragon clans beyond the volcanic lands. Mages who live within ancient towers. Merchant cities that float above the clouds."
Ushu stared at him in amazement.
"Floating cities?"
Calthain nodded.
"And ancient ruins older than any kingdom that exists today."
Drek's eyes narrowed.
Ruins.
Ancient civilizations.
Unknown technology.
Magic.
His mind immediately began connecting possibilities.
"And the Unknown?"
Calthain's smile disappeared.
"That name..."
He looked toward the forest.
"...is not one spoken lightly."
Drek remained silent.
Calthain continued.
"Very few people understand what it is. Some believe it is an ancient evil. Others believe it came from beyond the stars."
Drek's expression changed slightly.
Beyond the stars.
That sounded far too familiar.
Calthain looked at him.
"You came from another world, did you not?"
Drek nodded.
"Yes."
"Then perhaps your arrival was not an accident."
Ushu looked between them.
"What do you mean?"
Calthain shook his head.
"I don't know."
He smiled sadly.
"And that is why I cannot give you an answer."
Drek looked toward the horizon.
The sun was disappearing behind the mountains.
This world was enormous.
And he had only seen one small corner of it.
He looked at Ushu.
She was already staring toward the distant mountains with curiosity in her eyes.
Drek smiled.
"Ushu."
"Yes?"
"What do you think?"
She looked at him.
Then she looked toward the road leading away from the village.
Her eyes slowly brightened.
"I want to see it."
Drek laughed softly.
"See what?"
Ushu pointed toward the horizon.
"Everything."
Drek looked at the road.
Then at his fighter.
Then back at Ushu.
For the first time in many years, he felt something he had almost forgotten.
Not duty.
Not fear.
Not war.
Adventure.
He extended his hand toward Ushu.
"Then let's go."
Ushu stared at his hand.
A smile slowly appeared on her face.
She took it.
"Together?"
Drek nodded.
"Together."
Behind them, Calthain smiled.
"Then your journey begins."
The wind passed through the leaves of the Great Tree.
Far beyond the village, mountains stood beneath the evening sky.
Beyond those mountains waited kingdoms they had never seen.
Creatures they had never encountered.
Ancient civilizations.
Lost magic.
Forgotten secrets.
And somewhere within that enormous world was the truth behind the darkness that had begun spreading through the orcs.
Drek looked toward the unknown road ahead.
For once, he wasn't afraid of what waited there.
He simply wondered where it would take them.
And beside him stood Ushu.
Together, they took their first step toward the unknown.
Their adventure had begun.