The sun at noon was like a giant, angry eye, burning down on the battlefield. All around me, the ground was a mess of red and dirt, covered with dead bodies. The smell of blood was so strong it made it hard to breathe, like it was choking me. There was nothing else around, just silence and the cold bodies of my friends who had died.
Behind me, I heard some quiet talking. A group of people had gathered—maybe regular folks or what was left of our army. Their whispers stopped when I turned to look at them.
Far away, I heard it—the sound of horses, like thunder getting closer.
A huge army of soldiers, all in armor and carrying weapons, rode horses like a giant black wave, coming right at us. There were so many, it was impossible to count. A million… or even more.
All I had were eight soldiers. Just eight guys standing behind me,
I gripped my sword tight. My fingers shook, but it wasn't because I was scared. It was because I was ready.
This was it. Our last stand.
With every bit of strength left in me, I yelled as loud as I could.
"CHAAAAARGEEE!!"
My eyes flew open. My alarm clock was screaming next to my bed.
6:00 AM.
It was just a dream again. That war… it felt so real, like I'd actually lived it before.
For the past three nights, that same dream had been bugging me. I figured it was because of the book I was reading. It must be messing with my head while I sleep. I grabbed my phone, and the screen showed me the date, reminding me it was a holiday today.
Unlike most students, I didn't spend holidays glued to games or endlessly scrolling through videos. That stuff just felt like a waste of time. When I had free time, I loved to read nonfiction books, especially about history. Gaining knowledge was way.
I also had a part-time job at a family restaurant. Today, being a holiday, meant I could work extra hours—a full shift, even.
After waking up, I always did one hour of yoga. It was really good for my health, and I never skipped it. I was super strict with my time, always doing yoga on schedule, then breakfast, and everything else.
"Hurry up, Kian! Time for breakfast!" Mom's voice called from the kitchen.
I walked to the table and sat down, slowly munching on a piece of toast and taking a sip of my tea. Mom looked at me, narrowing her eyes a little.
"Why don't you try a cool hairstyle? You're looking like an ugly boy," she said.
"I don't really like fancy clothes or fashion," I replied.
"Okay, then just go and make some friends. You waste your whole holiday just reading books…"
Mom started her usual lecture, but I wasn't really listening. My mind was still stuck on the exciting part of that book. I just couldn't stop thinking about it.
I finished my breakfast, but Mom was still going on and on with her lecture. She was busy washing plates, so I saw my chance to slowly sneak away. mission accomplished! I escaped.
Mom always said I wasn't "cool," and honestly, she wasn't wrong. I wore glasses, my hair was super flat, and I pretty much always wore plain full t-shirts and pants. I didn't have many friends—just two back when I was in school. But even they weren't in touch anymore.
The restaurant where I worked was in the city. Like always, I walked to the bus stop. The bus was usually about ten minutes late, and I'd always use that time to read a book.
But today, the bus pulled up right on time! It was packed with people. I squeezed inside, looking around, but there wasn't a single empty seat. Guess I'd be standing. I had four books stuffed in my bag, ready to go.
I opened my bag, digging around for the book I was reading… but it wasn't there.
Then I remembered—I'd left it on my desk! "Nooo!" I thought. That book was super rare, and there wasn't even a PDF version online. Luckily, I had another one I could start. Small victory, I guess.
When I finally reached the restaurant and pushed open the door, the owner looked up from behind the counter.
"Hey, Kean. What are you doing here?" he asked, a bit surprised.
I blinked. "It's Kian, sir," I corrected him gently. "And it's a holiday today, so I decided to work a full shift."
"Alright then, Kian! My mistake," he chuckled. "Go help Sam with the potatoes."
I put on my apron and headed straight to the kitchen to start cutting potatoes. Soon enough, customers began pouring in. A lot of them. Too many, actually. It was really hard to keep up.
At 9 PM, my shift finally ended.
"Today's a rough one, huh?" Sam muttered, wiping his brow.
I didn't reply. I just ignored him and walked straight past the door, eager to leave.
"Tch, what's with that attitude?" He grumbled, sounding irritated.
I made my way to the bus stop. Oddly enough, no one else was around. I sat down on the cold bench and waited for the bus. While waiting, I managed to finish reading a chapter on my phone. I checked the time—only 15 minutes left until the bus was supposed to arrive.
But the bus still hadn't come. Not even a single taxi was in sight.
Suddenly, a stranger walked up to me.
"You don't know? There's a festival today. That's why buses are delayed and taxis are stuck in traffic," he said casually, then just walked away.
I blinked. A festival?
Now that I thought about it, the streets were unusually empty, and earlier, the restaurants and buses had been overflowing with people. I knew today was a holiday—but I hadn't bothered to ask what it was for. Mom had tried to tell me, but I had just brushed her off.
With nothing left to do, and since my house wasn't too far, I decided to walk back. It'd give me some time to continue working on my eBook too.
The streets were quiet. Everyone must've gone to the festival. Probably even my family.
How meaningless, I thought. People should focus more on their lives—there's so much to do, yet they waste it like this.
Only two months remained. I was close—so close—to completing my personal research on the forgotten King Korel. It was a massive historical discovery. I had spent five years on this secret.
My book was nearly finished… And soon, I reached my home.
"Oho… the lights are on?"
So they hadn't gone out?
I heard the faint sound of the TV from the living room. Weird. They never miss festivals.
I opened the door. The TV was on, but no one was there.
I tossed my bag on the sofa and headed to the kitchen to grab some water—then I froze.
Standing there was an eight-foot-tall man, bulky and muscular. My heart skipped a beat.
A robber!?
His towering presence alone was terrifying. And then… he turned to face me.
"Yo, Kian. Finally, you came," he said with a smile.
"We've been waiting for you."
"We?"
From the bathroom, I heard the sound of running water. Another man walked out. He had white hair
"O! we were waiting from 1 hours. My name is Kai," he said flatly. "And that's Kol. We've come a long way. There's no time. Come with us."
Before I could respond, he walked up and placed a hand on my shoulder.
"If you refuse… I'll have to cut off your arms and legs."
He said it while staring at the wall, not even looking at me.
What the hell is happening…?
I couldn't move. My mind was spinning.
Then I noticed something else—there was a white rabbit in the kitchen. it was staring straight at me.
Kol started approaching.
"W-Where are we going?" I asked, stepping back.
"You'll find out," Kol replied bluntly.
On my left was my parents' room. If I could just dash in, shut the door, and escape through the window… I might make it.
Suddenly, the rabbit sprinted—right between Kol's legs!
He looked down and immediately stomped, but the rabbit dodged easily and rushed toward me.
I locked eyes with it.
"…!"
In the next second, the rabbit jumped—its mouth opened wide, far too wide—and it swallowed me whole.
"kian!!!" Kol shouted, shocked.
The rabbit returned to its original size—and bolted.
Kai and Kol lunged to chase it, but the creature was too fast. It created a hole in the wall with incredible speed, escaping like it had the entire plan laid out.
"Dammit!" Kol growled, punching the floor in frustration. The impact shattered a chunk of the floor.
But it was too late. The rabbit had vanished.
"Don't worry," Kol said, panting. "We'll find him."
Kai, however, was laughing.
"What's so funny?" Kol barked, annoyed.
"You let a rabbit outsmart you. A rabbit," Kai chuckled mockingly.
Kol's face turned angry. "If it's that easy, then why didn't you do something!?"
"I was just observing your power," Kai said coolly. "Seems like you can't even handle a rabbit. Joe can do that."
Meanwhile, the rabbit raced endlessly through the forest, not stopping even for a breath. I couldn't see anything—not a single tree or patch of light.
After all, … I was inside the rabbit.
I had no idea where we were going. My body was squished, twisted in some weird position, and everything around me smelled awful.
Then suddenly—he stopped.
The rabbit stood still for a moment.
And then… bleeeghh!
He opened his massive mouth—and vomited me out.
"WAAAH!!"
I fell hard onto the ground, covered in some kind of slimy goo. I groaned in pain and confusion, coughing, trying to wipe the gunk off my face.
"Take a bath. You smell horrible," said a calm, annoyed voice.
I froze.
A girl was standing there, just a few steps away, near a lake.
Wha…?
I turned to look at her.
And I was stunned.
She was beautiful. Her long dark hair swayed gently in the wind. and her eyes were a sharp brown, looking at me with a strange mix of amusement.
"Are you going to just sit there in filth?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
I blinked. My mind was still catching up.
"W-Who are you?" I managed to ask.
"Just get in the lake already," she said, turning her back to me. "I'm not going to talk to a boy who smells like monster guts."