Noctis stood on the right side of a wide dirt road.
Massive buildings loomed on both sides, so tall that he felt like an insect crawling between giants. Each time he lifted his head to look up, a strange fear stirred in his chest.
He studied every structure carefully, his face tightening—yet curiosity burned brighter inside him.
"These buildings... they look just like the ones in the ordinary region."
As he examined them one by one, he realized they resembled the ruins of the ordinary district — aged and crumbling versions of what he once knew. Modern windows, metallic doors with smooth designs, concrete walls, and familiar layouts...
'But how? How could there be modern structures in a realm ruled by kingdoms?'
He searched his memory, trying to recall everything he knew about the realms, but found no answer. For several minutes, he just walked, staring at the towering buildings with quiet disbelief.
'What happened to the people who lived here? Who were they?'
When he looked closer at the metal doors, most were shut tight, while a few were slightly ajar. But one door, far down the road, made his pulse quicken—it was wide open.
Darkness filled the space beyond it, untouched by sunlight. The shadow within the doorway made his skin crawl, and he hurriedly changed his path, keeping as far as he could from the buildings' shade.
He tugged at the Disgusting Shroud and wrapped it tighter around his body. Within minutes, he'd left several buildings behind and focused on one with a half-open entrance.
The structure looked just as ruined as his old home — only much wider and taller. He chose it for a reason: its door was lower to the ground, easier to reach.
Noctis jumped a few times, barely missing the ledge. His legs trembled from exhaustion, but he gathered what strength remained, grabbed the metal edge with one hand, and pulled himself up. Using both arms, he steadied his balance on the cold surface.
When Noctis looked inside, he couldn't see much through the darkness. Only a sliver of light slipping through a cracked window let him make out faint outlines. The furniture inside resembled the ones from his own world — only larger, older, and worn down.
He scanned the room quickly. Finding nothing of interest, he let himself drop back down. With a deep sigh, he decided to rest for a few minutes. Leaning against the wall, he settled into the most comfortable position the situation allowed.
His legs burned from exhaustion; the ache from hours of walking spread through his whole body. The thin, unsettling voice of the mind creature still echoed in his head. As he tried to focus on the towering buildings, pain began to throb behind his temples.
His eyes fluttered open and shut several times. When they finally closed, he tried to resist, but the sweet pull of sleep overcame him.
Low, trembling sounds stirred him awake. The sharp scrape of footsteps and a faint, high-pitched growl made his eyes snap open. Instinctively, he turned to his right — and froze.
His vision was blurry from sleep, but something stood several dozen meters away. He stayed perfectly still, ignoring the cramp stabbing through his left leg though the pain twisted his face. Squinting, he tried to focus.
When he finally made out the source of the growl, a shiver ran down his spine. It was a creature — though describing its shape was nearly impossible. Looking at it didn't inspire fear as much as disgust. His face twisted, and his skin crawled.
From what he could see, it walked on four legs. Its height matched that of an average man, but its width could rival several people standing shoulder to shoulder. It had no neck — its head seemed fused directly to its body. Where eyes should have been, there were none; instead, three emerald-green stones, each the size of a palm, glowed faintly in their place.
Its skin was brown — dry and wrinkled like that of an old man. But what truly revolted Noctis was its mouth. It stretched unnaturally wide, and at each corner, two sharp, fang-like points jutted out — each as long as the distance between a wrist and an elbow. The creature had no visible arms or any other limbs besides its four legs.
Noctis didn't trust the Disgusting Shroud.
He could only hope the creature wouldn't notice him — though that hope felt fragile.
The longer he stayed still, the more his hunger gnawed at him.
'Does it have to be the only living thing around?'
He had no idea what the creature was capable of.
But if there was one thing he knew, it was that this thing was less dangerous than the mind creature.
He could probably endure his hunger for another day — but the thought of the days beyond made him shiver.
He glanced at the chain-wrapped sword with hesitation. A low growl escaped his throat as he gripped the hilt and rose to his feet.
The monster was moving at a steady pace, closing the distance a little more with every second.
Noctis looked up at the sky.
The sun was nowhere to be seen.
He could tell dusk was approaching — the hour when shadows became more active.
'I really hope this shroud works.'
He stood still, breathing shallowly, his body tense.
He tried to calculate how to kill it.
His eyes darted across the rubble, searching for anything useful, but found nothing.
The creature was almost upon him now — no more than a dozen meters away.
Noctis tightened his grip on the sword.
His breath grew heavy as his eyes tracked the creature's movements.
This would be the first monster he'd ever tried to kill, and his nerves betrayed him.
Within seconds, it would be close enough to strike.
He crouched behind the broken pieces of the wall scattered across the ground.
Less than a minute later, the creature was only a few meters away. Noctis waited, motionless.
Sweat from his forehead dripped onto the dry earth as he clenched the chain-bound sword tighter.
The vile thing came into view, lumbering just ahead. Noctis drew a deep breath.
When it passed right in front of him, he tensed, ready to leap — but at the last second, he stopped and quietly lowered his foot.
The creature kept walking at a steady pace, moving as if nothing existed around it.
Noctis's expression twisted in confusion.
'Huh?'
He realized the monster might not be able to see him — perhaps the Disgusting Shroud was actually working. When the creature was several meters ahead, Noctis noticed the opportunity.
He stayed still for a few more seconds, watching its slow, lumbering movements.
Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward quietly.
Along the wide, empty road, he began to follow it from behind. A dozen or so meters separated them.
Step by step, he closed the distance — and his tension grew sharper.
The creature kept walking, completely indifferent.
A few meters now stood between them, yet it didn't react.
Cold sweat ran down Noctis's face.
Its indifference unnerved him.
'Could this be a trap? No... It's a First-Tier creature. It shouldn't be capable of thought.'
He forced his doubts aside and focused.
The unknown nature of the monster frightened him — but his hunger frightened him more.
If it came down to a choice, his hunger would always win.
The gap between them shrank even further.
Noctis waited for the perfect moment.
His steps were nearly soundless, yet a creature's senses far surpassed a human's.
He couldn't understand how it hadn't noticed him — but he didn't care.
Closer. Closer still.
Noctis slowly raised his sword, his breath trembling—then something caught his eye.
A faint glow between the buildings ahead.
His heart skipped. That light—pale, cold blue.
Noctis froze. It was that light. The memory struck him like a blade.
The creature was heading toward it.
And now Noctis understood why its behavior had been so strange.
Noctis knew he had to kill the creature before it could get any closer. Without caring how, he moved—swift and reckless—and took his stance.
He swung the chain-wrapped blade toward its legs.
Even through the wrapped chains, the sword's edge was razor sharp—something Noctis had just learned. The strike cut deep, slicing halfway through the monster's leg and spilling dark, viscous blood onto the dirt.
The pain must have jolted it to awareness; the creature froze, twisting violently as a shrill, piercing screech tore from its throat.
Noctis winced, his ears ringing, but he didn't waste the opening. He attacked again.
Its legs were thicker than a man's, but the second blow nearly severed one completely.
Bone cracked—only a few thin strands of muscle kept it attached. The beast staggered, trembling, before forcing itself upright once more.
It turned with unnatural speed and lunged, snapping its clawed jaws at him.
Noctis dodged with hurried steps.
One of the fanged pincers grazed his arm, tearing skin. He clenched his teeth, biting back a scream that escaped only as a strained grunt.
He swung again, slashing through one of the jaws, and leapt backward.
The monster shrieked, the sound like knives scraping glass. It hurled itself at him, massive and enraged. Noctis sprinted to the side at the last instant, and the beast crashed into the ground.
He didn't hesitate.
While it tried to recover, Noctis charged forward, blade raised, aiming for the remaining pincer—
but the creature surged faster than he expected.
His eyes widened. There was no time to dodge. He braced his wounded arm against the hilt, holding the blade upright. The monster fell upon him. He thrust upward, driving the sword straight as the full weight of the creature slammed into him.
The impact crushed him into the earth.
The sword slipped from his grasp, and the beast's body pinned his injured arm. Pain burned through him, tearing a silent scream from his throat.
He forced his head up, vision spinning—
one of the monster's legs had been severed.
It writhed above him, convulsing.
Each violent movement drew another cry from Noctis. His face flushed red, veins throbbing beneath his skin. A moment later, the remaining claw arced down toward his head.
He twisted desperately, dodging each strike by a breath. Then—for just a heartbeat—the creature hesitated.
Noctis seized it.
He met its three emerald-like eyes and saw his reflection staring back.
Even if he avoided the next blow, he knew he'd die crushed beneath its weight. His vision blurred red; his stomach cramped with pain. Through sheer will, he freed his good arm from under the weight— and grabbed hold of the monster's remaining pincer.
He knew he was far weaker than the creature—
but all he needed was one second.
Just one chance to turn the fight in his favor.
His eyes darted toward one of the monster's remaining legs—
it was pressing down on the Disgusting Shroud.
Noctis gritted his teeth.
He shoved the pincer away, stretched his good arm toward the shroud,
and yanked it with every ounce of strength left in him.
The monster's already-broken balance collapsed.
It staggered sideways, crashing off to the left.
At that exact moment, Noctis twisted his body and rolled away.
The crushing weight lifted.
His body screamed, but the relief hit like cold air after drowning.
He gasped for breath, stumbling to his feet.
His wounded arm clutched at his abdomen.
He bent down, snatched the chain-wrapped sword,
and turned toward the flailing beast.
It could no longer move.
Noctis exhaled deeply.
In a single motion, he lunged for its emerald-like eyes.
They were large—easy targets.
He drove the blade straight into the center one.
A sharp vibration ran through his skull; his face twisted in pain.
Then he stabbed the others—again and again.
Dark, thick blood splattered across his face.
He staggered back a few meters and collapsed to the ground,
hands clamped over his ringing ears as the creature convulsed.
It all ended in less than a minute—
but the shock and exhaustion crushed him.
His injured arm had gone completely numb.
[ You have slain the Green-Eyed Warden. ]
[ Shadow is being devoured. ]
[ Your soul has grown stronger. ]
When the creature finally stopped twitching,
Noctis began cutting its flesh—slow, deliberate motions.
Even as he worked, his eyes flicked constantly toward the distant blue glow.
It was far away, but its presence made his mind dull and heavy.
He cut off thick, meaty chunks from the carcass
and threw them toward the broken doorway behind him.
The sun was nearly gone—he had to hurry.
The stench was unbearable,
but he forced himself to keep going, carving a few more pieces
before backing away quickly.
Blood covered his hands, his arms, his chest.
He was used to the smell of rot,
but this creature's odor made his stomach twist.
Swallowing bile, he leapt again and again
until he made it through the cracked doorway.
Inside, the air was thick with dust.
He dragged the rancid meat into a corner,
peeled off his filthy, torn shirt, and threw it aside.
Then he sank against the wall,
breathing deeply in the silence that followed.