When the boy reached home and opened the book, a blade of cold, blinding light devoured everything around him.
When he opened his eyes again, he stood in an endless white space. But the whiteness wasn't still—it breathed, like living skin stretched across infinity. Each step he took made the ground tremble, and faint screams rose from beneath his feet.
A beautiful girl appeared, her black hair flowing, her eyes empty of pupils. She smiled coldly.
"At last… you've come, my great master."
But her smile was not joy—it was the cruel grin of someone who had already watched his death.