CHAPTER 1: WARP
A petite man was walking through the crowded street. He could no longer bear the noise, being pushed and bumped from every side.
He felt like a pebble lost in a river of people, unnoticed as they surged past him.
A rough push sent him reeling. Just as he was about to complain, he noticed the people and the noise fading away, like shadows slowly vanishing as the sun began to set.
Confused, the petite man tried to grasp the fading figures, but they had already vanished.
Walking across the empty street, the only sound he could hear was his own footsteps echoing against the silent pavement.
Feeling uneasy, even though he had been complaining about the noise just five minutes ago, he suddenly heard a bang!
It was a thunderous noise. Curious, he turned around and peered through the suddenly destroyed street. He couldn't believe his eyes—was he dreaming?
"No, no… what is happening?" As he finished his sentence, dust patterns swirled into his eyes. Panicked, he rubbed them as fast as he could.
Relieved, he then opened his eyes, only to see a monstrous figure approaching him.
He was stunned, as if time itself had stopped around him.
Hopelessly, the only option he had was to watch the figure approaching him at light speed.
Suddenly, he saw a blurry figure appear. It leapt onto the monster and, with a savage swing, sliced it from head to toe, tearing apart bone and flesh.
"Hey, kid! What are you doing here?" the figure shouted. The young man didn't reply—he only screamed nonstop.
As more monsters approached, forming a triangle around them, the figure flash-stepped to the young man, lifted him onto his back, and fled the scene.
The boy kept screaming, terrified of death. Looking down from above the dusty street, he saw the monsters chasing them.
"Kid! I don't have enough time left!"
Confused, the boy couldn't even speak. It was as if he were paralyzed.
Finding a place to hide in the underground train station, the figure said, "Stay here. I'm going to kill the approaching monsters and come back. Don't leave this place at any cost!"
Before leaving, he spoke in a strange language the young man couldn't understand.
"I've made a barrier for you. As long as you don't leave it, you should be safe."
The boy's stress eased slightly, but before he could gather his thoughts, the figure had already disappeared.