Laughter echoed through the darkness.
Warm laughter.
The kind that belonged to a Home rather than a battlefield.
A little girl ran through a field covered in golden grass while a women chased after her with a helpless smile.
"Don't go there."
The woman called out, trying to sound strict.
The child only laughed louder.
"C—catch me!"
Her small feet kicked up dust as she ran further ahead
"Get back here!"
The woman sighed before turning toward a man resting beneath a tree.
"Catch her. Will you!... Finally get up?"
The man stretched lazily and let out an exaggerated groan.
"Fine, fine...."
Then He looked towards the little girl.
"Mora, listen to mommy."
The little girl giggled.
The woman rolled her eyes, as if she caught some scheme.
For a brief moment— everything felt peaceful.
Warm.
Safe.
Like a memory that never should have existed within a world consumed by corruption.
Then—
The entire scene shattered.
Darkness swallowed everything.
"Someone forgotten... something..."
Far away, beyond the safe zone, a group moved through the corrupted forest.
The dead trees stood up ike silent corpses while black mist crawled across the ground.
Twisted roots emerged from the earth and corruption dripped from every surface.
Several figure walked through the darkness.
Their movement were uneven.
Their bodies distorted.
Corrupted soldiers.
One of them glanced around before speaking.
"Where did he wander off?"
Another shrugged.
Last time I remembered, "he was scouting."
The first soldier clicked his tongue.
"Scouting... seriously, Is there any need for that?"
Before anyone else could answer, a third figure spoke.
"We are the ones who break, and no one stand against... Territory."
His voice sounded rough and unnatural.
"We are the one who spread, we're the one who romes...with the task of...."
A grin appeared on his his twisted face.
"We are the calll of corruption."
The others laughed.
A disturbing sound echoed through the dead forest.
Not human.
Nor the beast.
Something in between.
Then they continued moving forward.
Towards their destination.
Morning slowly arrived inside the safe zone.
Golden sunlight filtered through the trees, but it failed to carry comfort with it.
The sanctuary felt different now.
The air around house was heavier, suffocating.
As if something unseen had already entered, inside the house, Mora slowly opened her eyes. A sharp pain immediately spread through her head.
"Ah..."
She pressed both hands against her side head.
Her body felt exhausted.
Every muscle ached.
It felt as though someone had drained her energy throughout the night.
Nearby, adri sat quietly beside her.
The old women's face carried an expression limbo had never seen before.
She looked frozen.
Distracted.
Concerned.
Limbo noticed immediately.
"What's wrong?"
Adri's didn't answer.
Her gaze remained fixed on Mora.
The silence lasted several seconds before she finnally spoke.
"Mora..."
The child blinked.
"What happened, Granny?"
Adri hesitated.
Then she said quietly.
"Your eyes."
"My eyes? What about them."
They were black."
The room became silent.
Limbo frowned.
"Black...?"
He looked directly at Mora.
"They look completely normal to me."
Adri shook her head firmly.
"No."
Her voice carried certainty.
"For a moment they were completely black, just like that --------- "
She paused.
"And there was a smile."
A strange expression crossed her face.
"The kind of smile that didn't belong to a child."
The atmosphere immediately became tense.
Though Limbo hadn't seen it himself.
But Adri wasn't someone who imagined things.
She wasn't someone who panicked.
If she said she saw something —
Then she had.
That alone was enough to make limbo take it seriously.
To be safe, he activated Area Scan.
Mana spread outward.
His senses expanded across the house and surrounding area.
The walls.
The trees.
The barrier.
The well.
Nothing appeared abnormal.
No hidden enemy.
No traces of corruption within the barrier.
Nothing.
Yet something still felt wrong.
The feeling surrounding Mora was different.
Not dangerous.
Not corrupted.
Just...
Different.
As though something dormant was slowly waking up.
Or perhaps —
Trying to wake up through her.
The thought lingered briefly before disappearing.
"Granny..."
Mora rubbed her forehead.
"My head hurts."
Adri immediately leaned forward.
"What did you see?"
The question came too quickly.
Almost as if Adri expected an answer.
Or perhaps feared one.
Mora lowered her head and tried to gather her thoughts.
"It was a nightmare."
Her voice sounded uncertain.
"A really bad one."
Broken fragments of Memories of the night resurfaced in her mind.
The voices.
The pressure.
The suffocating darkness.
Fear appeared on her face.
But then she shook her head.
"There was something else, in the darkness."
Limbo and adri exchanged a glance.
"Something else?" Adri asked.
Mora nodded.
"There was a light. No! A tiny sparkle...maybe."
The room became silent.
"A light?"
"It wasn't very bright."
Her voice softened.
"But whenever evrything became darker, it appeared again."
She closed her eyes.
Trying to remember.
"It felt like it was guiding me."
" Guiding you where?" Limbo asked.
Mora frowned.
"I don't know."
She hesitated.
"Maybe it was guiding me."
Another pause.
"Or maybe it was trying to guide something through me..."
The moment those words left her mouth, an uneasy feeling settled inside Limbo's chest.
"What did it say?" He asked.
Mora's expression tightened.
Fragments or peices surfaced.
Broken , unclear as if words without meaning.
Yet they felt important, to pay attention.
"The sun..."
She struggled.
"The sun will shine in the night."
Adri's eyes widened slightly.
Mora continued.
"When the path of moonlight...dreams."
Her voice became softer.
"The forest of death...cr..."
She winced.
"... Will revive by the knight..."
Silence followed.
"The knight of..."
The words stopped.
A sharp pain shot through her head.
"Ah!"
She grabbed her forehead.
"I don't remember...any..."
Adri quickly supported her.
"It's okay."
"That's enough, don't force yourself."
Mora shook her head.
"There was more."
"I know there was."
Her frustration was obvious.
Then suddenly another phrase slipped from her lips.
"Keep Grinding...."
The room fell silent again.
"What?" Limbo asked.
Mora looked confused.
"I don't know."
"It's just appeared, out of nowhere."
She lowered her head.
"Sorry."
"It's fine."
Limbo answered.
But his mind was already elsewhere.
The moment Mora began speaking those words—
Something happened.
A notification appeared before his eyes.
[Unknown Resonance Detected]
Limbo froze.
The message flickered.
Then changed.
[ Link- Unknown ]
Static consumed The text.
The notification distorted.
And disappeared completely.
For the first time since arriving in this world, the system had failed to finish it's message, but why???
His expression daekned.
"What..."
The system had always been clear.
Always precise.
Yet this time it behaved differently.
Almost as if something had interfered with it.
Or perhaps...
Something within Mora's words had triggered it.
Before he could think further a violent vibration spread through the ground.
The barrier flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then again.
Everyone immediately stood.
The peaceful atmosphere vanished.
Then came the sound.
Footsteps.
Many of them..
Marching together.
The noise echoed from beyond the forest.
And with IT came voices.
Distorted.
Corrupted.
Chanting...in sync.
"Break the wall..."
Another voice joined.
"Heed the calll..."
More followed.
"May the darkness fall..."
"Burn them all..."
The chant repeated.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Louder each time, as it closes the distance.
The fire itself seemed to tremble.
Limbo's expression hardened.
Adri immediately moved.
"Come."
Without wasting another second, they rushed towards the border.
The closer they got, the stronger the corruption became.
The air felt heavier.
The ground darker.
Then they reached the edge of the safe zone.
And froze.
An enormous horde stood beyond the barrier.
Hundreds of figures, mix.
Humanoid, beast.
Corrupted.
Motionless.
Watching.
Dark aura leaked from their bodies like smoke.
Limbo stared at them.
"...Dark soldiers."
Adri immediately shook her head.
"No."
Her voice turned grim.
"They are not soldiers."
Limbo looked at her.
Adri's gaze remained fixed on the army.
"They are just... servants."
"Minions of corruption."
"They live within corruption."
"They walk wherever corruption spreads."
"They obey corruption."
"And they spread it further."
The chanting continued.
The barrier trembled.
Black veins spread across the ground.
Something was trying to force it's ways inside.
Limbo swallowed.
"What does this mean?"
Adri's expression darkened.
"It means..."
She looked towards the endless horde.
"...we don't have much time."
A powerful impact suddenly struck the barrier.
BOOM!
The entire safe zone trembled.
Then another impact followed.
And another.
The assault had begun.
And somewhere within that endless army, unseen eyes remained fixed upon Mora.
Watching.
Waiting...
As if they had finally found what they were searching for.