Neimon's eyelids twitched, fluttering open.
When his vision cleared, his eyes went wide—and refused to close because the sight before him is something he had never seen in his life.
The sky ahead was completely red, as if painted with blood itself. There were no clouds at all, completely empty, so much so that not even a bird could be seen flying anywhere.
A crimson orb pulsed high above, glowing faintly—a thing too large to be the moon, yet far too dim to be the sun.
When he looked beneath him, he realized that he was standing on a small cliff, almost two meters wide on all sides. Its edges were crumbling to mist. When he looked over, the abyss below was swallowed by a dense, swirling fog.
"Where… am I?"
His voice echoed across the emptiness, but the void gave no reply.
Instead, a black screen materialized in front of him, floating just inches from his face.
"Whoa—what the fuck?!"
Startled, Neimon stumbled back—only to feel the cliff's edge crumble beneath his heel. One more step, and he would have fallen.
"Shit…"
Heart pounding, he steadied himself and stared at the screen.
White letters began to scrawl across the screen.
[ Binding Task: Jump off the cliff ]
[ Time Limit: 9 minutes, 59 seconds ]
"What…?"
He almost slipped again, retreating instinctively. He waved his hand through the screen, try to find what this thing is, but his fingers met only empty air.
"Is this some kind of trick?" No response came, only the relentless ticking of the timer as it dropped:
[ Remaining Time: 8 minutes, 42 seconds ]
"Damn it… what is this? Is this going to keep flashing until I actually jump?"
Cursing, he approached the cliff's edge again. A gust of wind slammed into him, and he immediately stumbled back.
"If I fall from this height… my body will hit the ground in pieces… if it even hits the ground at all."
Survival Instinct kept stopping him to fall.
But at that very time, the memory of the masked man's voice echoed in his mind.
The masked man had told them to survive. Different words than the chosen ones had heard: If you want to live, obey.
Which one is true and which one is false?
Is jumping mean survival… or death? He thought all this question in silence but the timer ticked down mercilessly.
[6 minutes, 25 seconds.]
He paced in tight circles on the ledge, every thought clashing in his head.
Jump or not? What happens when the timer reaches zero? If I don't jump… am I stuck here forever?
The questions only fed his panic and the timer dropped again.
[1 minute remaining.]
His heart pounded harder, his breath shallow and rapid. Each time he dared to look over the edge, the wind howled, pushing him back but the clock would not stop.
00:15… 00:11…
He closed his eyes, inhaled sharply, and stepped to the edge.
At 5 seconds, he leapt.
At first, he kept his eyes closed, bracing for death. But curiosity made him open them.
For a fleeting moment, he felt free. The fog wrapped around him, drifting through his clothes. He spread his arms, almost laughing, as though he could truly fly.
Then the pain struck. It was as if his body tore itself apart from the inside.
His eyes squeezed shut, not from the fear of death but from agony.
The brief illusion of flight had now shattered.
Neimon could no longer feel his body. Could no longer open his eyes. Everything faded, swallowed by black.
***
***
"Jinny… Bobby… where are you?"
Neimon's voice cracked as he stumbled forward, blindfolded, his hands swiping through empty air.
From somewhere nearby, a voice taunted: "Neimon boy, get ready to be crushed! There's no way you'll ever find us!"
A chubby boy, shirtless except for a tiny pair of shorts, crouched behind a pillar.
But suddenly, he yelped: "Ahh! Jinny, why'd you hit me?! I didn't even do anything yet!"
Beside him, a pretty girl in a tattered blue dress balled her fist and drove it into his stomach again.
"Fatty! Do you even have a brain? His eyes are covered, not his ears!"
Before she could say more, Neimon lunged forward and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Jinny! Got you."
Jinny spun around, smirking. "ok, okey. My turn to find you two."
She began untying Neimon's blindfold, but not before landing a quick kick to Bobby's leg.
At that moment, a stern voice called out:
"Jinehra, Bob, Neimon—come with me. Someone has come to adopt you."
The three followed the voice into a grand hall filled with strangers speaking to the other orphans.
Then, two couples approached.
One pointed to Jinny. "We'll take the girl." The other gestured to Bobby. "And we'll take the healthy boy."
Just like that, the three were separated.
Neimon felt sad, because now he was left alone. Even so, he forced a smile and waved.
"Bye, Bobby… bye, Jinny." But neither of them turned back to look at him.
Alone, Neimon sank to the ground.
At least Jinny will be fine. She's cute… sweet. She'll be loved. But Bobby… why him before me?
He cried quietly until exhaustion pulled him under.
Suddenly—
a cold splash of water woke him. His entire body was drenched, as if he had bathed in a sea with his clothes on.
Panting, he stood up straight and found himself lying at the edge of a roaring sea. Before he could even think, a huge wave surged toward him, ready to pull him under.
He stumbled backward, but then, a claw struck his face—so hard that he collapsed to the ground.
The waves kept surging closer and the claw was still gripping his face. Through the gaps between those claws, he tried to see.
And froze.
His body trembled violently.
What he saw… was pure, suffocating terror.