A boy wearing baggy beige jeans, a brownish-beige layered shirt over a white T-shirt, and brown shoes walked along the narrow road beside a small pond.
The evening air was quiet.
Only the faint sound of water rippling and insects chirping filled the surroundings.
As he glanced toward the pond, something caught his attention.
A strange white light glowed beneath the surface.
He slowed his steps.
"...What is that?"
Curiosity got the better of him.
He stepped closer to the edge.
The light flickered softly in the dark water, almost as if it were alive.
For a moment, he hesitated.
Then—
Without thinking much about it, he stepped into the pond.
The water was colder than expected.
It sent a slight shiver through his body.
Still, he continued forward.
Slowly.
Carefully.
The deeper he went, the brighter the light became.
His heartbeat quickened.
Something about this felt wrong.
But he didn't stop.
He swam forward.
And then—
His fingers touched the light.
Everything went black.
---
After an unknown amount of time, he opened his eyes.
Darkness.
Complete darkness.
There was no sky.
No ground.
No sound.
For a moment, panic surged through him.
"Where… am I…?"
His voice felt strange—like it was swallowed by the void.
Then, slowly—
A faint glow appeared.
At his feet.
A thin stream of white light flowed across the ground, like a quiet river.
It shimmered gently.
Calm.
Silent.
He stared at it for a moment.
Then began to follow it.
---
Time lost meaning as he walked.
Minutes—or maybe hours—passed in silence.
Eventually, something appeared in the distance.
A shape.
Faint at first.
Then clearer.
A tree.
A single cherry blossom tree stood alone in the darkness.
Its petals glowed faintly, drifting slowly through the air.
Beneath it—
A small pond.
Filled with the same white light.
And beside the pond…
Someone sat.
The boy slowed down.
The figure didn't move.
He stepped closer.
Carefully.
The man wore a white robe, decorated with faint golden sparkles that resembled distant stars.
His back was broad.
His presence… calm.
Too calm.
The boy felt something strange.
Not fear.
But pressure.
As if something invisible was weighing on him.
Then—
The man slowly turned his head.
Their eyes met.
For a brief moment—
Everything froze.
The man smiled.
A quiet, knowing smile.
And then—
Darkness swallowed everything again.
---
"Hey! Hey! Can anyone hear me? Someone collapsed here!"
A woman's voice rang out.
Sharp.
Urgent.
The boy's eyes slowly opened.
His vision was blurry.
Shapes moved.
Colors returned.
A young woman with long pink hair knelt beside him, worry visible on her face.
He pushed himself up weakly.
"Oh! You're awake," she said, relief flooding her voice.
"For a moment, I thought you weren't breathing."
The boy blinked.
Trying to focus.
"Uh… where am I…?"
The woman studied him.
"You're in Crusia," she said calmly.
"A small region in the Kingdom of Aurevia."
The boy froze.
A kingdom?
His mind raced.
Kingdoms didn't exist anymore.
Not in the modern world.
Wait…
Don't tell me…
Did I seriously just transmigrate like in those novels?
His heart began to pound.
Excitement.
Fear.
Confusion.
All at once.
"You look confused," the woman said.
"What's your name?"
"Ah… right…"
He swallowed.
"I'm Vale."
"I'm Reine," she replied with a faint smile.
Her eyes moved over his clothes.
"...Those are some very strange clothes," she added.
Vale forced himself to stay calm.
"I… don't remember much," he said, rubbing the back of his head.
"The last thing I remember is being kidnapped."
Reine frowned slightly.
"Kidnapped…?"
She didn't push further.
Instead, she stood up.
"You can't stay here," she said.
"The forest gets dangerous after sunset."
She extended her hand.
"Come with me to Shoauna—the capital."
Vale hesitated.
But he had no choice.
"...Alright."
---
A few hours passed.
The sky darkened.
The forest grew quiet.
Too quiet.
Then—
Footsteps.
A man emerged from between the trees.
Tall.
Muscular.
A long scar ran from the corner of his left eye down to his lips.
His gaze was sharp.
Alert.
"Big brother!" Reine called.
The man looked at Vale.
Then at Reine.
"What happened?"
Reine explained briefly.
The man crossed his arms.
Examining Vale.
Then—
"Xen," he said.
"Imperial Knight."
Vale's eyes lit up slightly.
A real knight…
Xen suddenly glanced at the sky.
The last light of day was fading.
His expression changed instantly.
"We're leaving."
Reine blinked.
"Already?"
"It's getting dark," Xen said firmly.
"Anoxes will start roaming."
Vale frowned.
"...Anoxes?"
The siblings looked at him.
"You don't know?" Reine asked.
Vale quickly replied,
"Memory loss… remember?"
Reine sighed.
"Anoxes are creatures from the Abyss."
"They hunt humans."
She paused.
"And when they catch someone…"
"...that person becomes one of them."
Silence fell.
Then—
A distant roar echoed through the forest.
Low.
Deep.
Unnatural.
Vale felt his body freeze.
Xen's hand moved instantly to his sword.
"They're here."
Reine raised her hand.
A faint light formed around them.
A barrier.
Vale couldn't move.
Fear gripped him completely.
Xen grabbed him.
"Run."
They moved.
Fast.
Branches snapped.
Leaves rustled violently.
Something moved in the darkness.
Watching.
Hunting.
They reached the road.
A cart waited.
They climbed in.
The driver lashed the reins.
The cart surged forward.
Behind them—
More roars echoed.
But they didn't look back.