A bird fluttered through the air, its wings beating softly before it settled onto its nest. It was a mother, guarding three fragile eggs, strands of hay clutched in its beak to further reinforce their home.
The weight of the hay caused it to struggle at first, its footing unsteady, but after a moment it found its balance and carefully arranged the material into place.
Satisfied, the beautiful bird let out a gentle song—one of warmth, fulfillment, and quiet joy.
Then—
An arrow pierced straight through its head, pinning it to the tree behind the nest.
The forest fell silent once more.
A man in his forties lowered his bow and let out a weary sigh."Food's getting harder and harder to find… at this rate, we—"
His ominous words were cut short.
"We won't."
The interruption came from a man in his thirties. Hearing this, the older man snapped, irritation flaring."What do you mean we won't?!" he shouted. "Are you blind?!"
Just as the argument was about to explode, a firm, cold voice echoed from behind them, freezing both men in place.
"Enough."
They stiffened, choking back their breaths.
The voice belonged to the team's leader—a woman who looked to be in her early twenties."We don't need to worry about starving," she said calmly. "We just need to eliminate the source of the problem."
She continued, unfazed, "It rained today. We have clean water. And once that anomaly is dealt with, things will return to normal."
"And how do we kill something like that?" one of the men asked.
She dismissed the question without hesitation."That's for the village chief to decide. Not you."
…
Silence.
"Team leader… what's that?"
The man who had climbed the tree to retrieve his arrow froze. As he pulled it free from the bird's skull, his eyes caught sight of movement in the distance.
A figure.
All three turned their attention toward it.
From between the bushes emerged a young man—his body battered, drenched in blood, barely able to walk. A heavy chain was locked around his right ankle, so massive it was hard to believe he could move at all.
With one hand, he dragged the chain.With it, a corpse.
A massive, grotesque creature trailed behind him, bound to the metal links. Whether the horror of the scene came from the young man's injuries or the state of the corpse—or both—was hard to tell.
"Holy shit!" one of them shouted, recoiling.
"Silence," the woman ordered. "Who are you, young man?"
Above them, the man in the tree raised his bow again, aiming straight at the stranger's head.
"…"
The young man said nothing. He only stared back at them.
****
****
Yanking the corpse free from the spear, Ryu felt hollow—hungry, lost.
The lake…
It was the only source of food he could think of.
"Ugh…" He groaned softly, wrapping the chain around his right forearm to secure a better grip before dragging the body forward.
I'll use this as bait. Maybe catch some fish…Hopefully it doesn't attract something worse.
As he walked, his foot slipped. He struggled to regain balance, but failed—his face slammed into the corpse, his left cheek scraping against the jagged bones embedded in its flesh.
The stench was overwhelming.
"…"
He didn't curse. Didn't panic.
He shoved the corpse away—only for it to tumble over a small cliff.
The mud beneath his feet made footing impossible. He was dragged forward, then fell.
His back slammed into the muddy ground below.
He didn't move.
Staring up at the sky, now slowly brightening with the promise of morning, the smell of wet earth and rain-soaked trees flooded his senses—and with them, memories.
"Hahahaha…"He laughed. Genuinely.
"How ironic…"
The forest was calm. Too calm.Only his laughter remained.
Resist…
With effort, Ryu stood again. He resumed walking, dragging the corpse behind him.
After some time, he heard noises.
"Hm?" He turned toward the sound.Human…?
Humans? In this place?
So my luck finally turned…
Picking up his pace, he pushed through the trees and bushes until he broke into a clearing.
Three people stood before him.
One was perched in a tree, bow aimed straight at him.Another, slightly younger, stared as if he had seen a ghost.The third was a woman—alert, composed, watching his every move.
So I'm not alone… interesting.
Before he could speak, the woman addressed him first."Who are you?"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
Silence lingered between all four of them.