Shenjo's mother walked toward the old prayer shelf near the hearth. After a long pause, she lifted a faded cloth and revealed a small wooden box. Inside rested a thin, rusted key—plain in appearance, yet heavy enough to make Shenjo's fingers tense when he held it.
"So… the time has come," she murmured.
Before Shenjo could ask what she meant, she warned him quietly,"This key will not obey easily. To use it, you must face what lies beyond this village."
That night, the key began to grow warm in his palm.
Drawn by an unseen force, Shenjo left the village and wandered through winding forests, across broken stone paths, and into forgotten ruins buried by time. The wind whispered his name. Shadows moved where none should exist. It felt as though the world itself was testing him—judging whether he was worthy.
When dawn arrived, Shenjo returned home, exhausted but determined.
He knelt before the chest.
The key slid into the padlock.
Click.
The chest slowly opened.
Inside lay a strange gem, glowing softly, its light shifting like liquid starlight. As Shenjo leaned closer, something impossible happened.
Within the gem, a figure appeared.
Blurred. Moving. Watching.
The reflection felt alive.
Shenjo's breath caught.
Before he could think, his fingers brushed against the gem.
The world collapsed.
He was no longer standing.
No longer falling.
He was everywhere.
In a heartbeat, he stood on a storm-torn shore. Then atop a burning desert dune. Then within a massive ship slicing through violent waves. Each place lasted only moments before tearing away like shattered glass.
His mind screamed.
Then—everything stopped.
He stood face-to-face with a stranger.
Their eyes met.
The stranger looked shocked… almost relieved.
"—!"
A voice tried to reach him.
But before a word could form, reality twisted again.
Overwhelmed by fear, Shenjo screamed and hurled the glowing shard away with all his strength.
The light vanished instantly.
Silence followed.
When Shenjo opened his eyes, he was alone.
The sky above him was unfamiliar. The land beneath his feet was strange and ancient. The air felt heavy—as if this place had been waiting for him for a very long time.
The gem was gone.
The chest was gone.
The path home was gone.
And somewhere, in a distant place unknown—
A presence stirred.
To be continued…