Jason Wu had no idea where he was running.
Branches blurred. Glowing vines whipped past his face. The luminous trees towered like silver giants watching him sprint in absolute panic.
Behind him, the entire forest roared.
Dozens—no—hundreds of Realm Sentinels awakened by the earlier howl charged after him, their crystalline claws ripping through the shimmering ground.
And above them, gliding effortlessly through the chaos—
The Seeker.
Mask cracked.Robe torn.Eyes glowing like cold stars ready to erase a mistake.
"Jason Wu. Termination protocol continues."
Jason didn't dare look back.
Longwu screamed in his mind:
["WHY DID YOU ANGER EVERYTHING IN THIS REALM WITHIN TEN MINUTES OF ARRIVING?!"]
"I didn't anger them! The Sentinel started it!"
["NO—YOU sneezed at it!"]
"That is NOT provocation—"
["In this Realm THAT IS WAR!"]
Jason vaulted over a glowing root, rolled, and pushed off the ground again.
"I need—somewhere—safe—!"
["Boy, NOTHING in here is safe! This is the evolution playground of entities that predate civilizations!"]
"Well THAT'S VERY COMFORTING—"
He slid under a massive vine, then leapt across a crackling stream of blue light.
The howls grew louder.
Jason wheezed:
"Why are there SO MANY of them—?!"
Longwu answered darkly:
["Jason… you impressed the Sentinel.And in the Uncharted Realm, impressing a guardian means you become their favorite toy."]
"…TOY?!"
["Yes. They want to chase you. Bite you. Maybe tear you apart a little."]
Jason's soul cracked.
"You know, hearing this DOESN'T HELP AT ALL!"
Another thunderous howl ripped across the realm, making Jason nearly stumble.
Longwu tensed.
["Jason… that howl wasn't from the same Sentinel."]
Jason swallowed. "…then what was it?"
["…A general."]
"A WHAT?!"
Longwu's voice sharpened:
["Jason—there are three rulers in this part of the Silverwood Realm. Three apex beast lords. If any of them appear—"]
A new roar cut through the forest like a tidal wave of thunder.
Longwu finished quietly:
["…we're dead."]
Jason screamed internally.
"WHY ARE WE STILL HERE THEN? FIND A WAY OUT!"
["I AM TRYING!"]
Longwu scanned their surroundings.
["Jason! Up ahead—there's a clearing!"]
Jason squinted. "A clearing? Is that good?"
["NO IDEA!"]
"…fantastic."
Still, he ran toward it.
The forest opened into a wide circular field glowing under a dome of shimmering light. Strange symbols floated above the grass—ancient runes Jason had never seen.
He stumbled to a stop.
"What… is this place?"
The wind changed.
Longwu whispered slowly:
["…Jason.This isn't a clearing.This is an arena."]
Jason's stomach dropped.
"No. No no no—"
Something heavy landed behind him.
BOOM.
Jason spun, raising Longwu instinctively.
And froze.
A colossal beast—easily thirty meters tall—stood at the edge of the clearing.
Its body was built like an ancient guardian statue, carved from silver stone and wrapped in luminescent moss. Four legs thicker than tree trunks stabilized its enormous frame. Its head resembled a lion sculpted from crystal, with a long silver mane that floated weightlessly like strands of cosmic light.
Its eyes…two rotating star clusters.
Longwu whispered:
["…General-class Sentinel One: Luminar Rex."]
Jason trembled. "General?! I didn't want to fight a general—I CAN'T FIGHT A GENERAL!"
["You don't have to fight it."]
Jason exhaled in relief—
["You just need to survive it."]
Jason screamed.
"Oh GREAT! TOTALLY DIFFERENT THING—"
Another presence appeared on the opposite edge of the clearing.
A massive hawk—feathers forged of reflective shards, wings spanning the width of a city gate. Its talons crackled with lightning. Each flap of its wings sent ripples through space itself.
Its claws carved lines in the ground simply by landing.
Longwu whispered:
["…General-class Sentinel Two: Astra Talon."]
Jason stared in horror.
"A HAWK THAT CAN SHRED DIMENSIONS?! What kind of realm IS THIS?!"
["One you were not supposed to ever enter."]
"Thanks Longwu. That TOTALLY HELPS."
The hawk shrieked.
Jason's ears rang.
He staggered—
Only for the ground to rumble again.
A third presence emerged from beneath the earth—a massive serpent made of braided silver vines, glowing runes embedded throughout its body. Its fangs dripped essence that dissolved reality like melting snow.
The serpent rose, looming over Jason like a mountain of death.
Longwu's voice cracked:
["General-class Sentinel Three: Verdant Abyss Serpent.""]
Jason dropped his jaw.
"They're all here?! WHY?! WHAT DID I DO?!"
Longwu didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
Jason already knew.
He was the anomaly.The mistake.The Severance bearer.The one whose existence the Realm itself was now evaluating.
A deep echo rolled across the clearing.
The three generals took formation—surrounding Jason.
A circle.An inevitability.A death sentence.
Jason raised Longwu weakly.
"This is ridiculous… how do I even survive this?"
Longwu answered softly:
["Jason… you're not meant to win.You're meant to prove yourself."]
"Prove myself HOW—by not dying?!"
["Yes."]
Jason wanted to throw his sword at someone.
Then—another ripple cut across the clearing.
Jason's eyes widened.
The Seeker entered the arena.
Walking.
Unscathed by the other Sentinels.
Jason whispered, horrified:
"…they're not attacking him."
Longwu trembled.
["Seekers… are given passage.They are not prey.They are hunters."]
The Seeker's cracked mask glowed faintly.
"Jason Wu.Running time expired."
Jason stepped back instinctively.
The Seeker raised his hand. A coil of void sigils formed, swirling ominously.
"Termination resumes."
Jason's pulse exploded.
"No—no—no—!!"
The Luminar Rex roared.
Astra Talon shrieked.
Verdant Abyss coiled.
Longwu whispered sharply:
["Jason—The generals are not here to kill you."]
Jason exhaled shakily. "…are you sure?"
["Yes.Because they all turned their heads."]
"Huh—?"
Jason blinked.
He looked—
And saw it.
All three generals…
Were glaring at the Seeker.
Jason whispered:
"…they're not hunting me.They're protecting their realm."
["Yes."]
"And the Seeker entering is… an intruder."
["Yes."]
Jason's breath returned.
A little.
Only a little.
Then the Seeker spoke:
"Interference detected."
He snapped his fingers.
Void sigils expanded.
"Full purge authorized."
The generals roared.
Jason felt the world tear.
Longwu shouted:
["JASON—MOVE NOW!"]
Jason dove aside just as a beam of pure void split the ground where he stood.
The three generals lunged at the Seeker simultaneously.
A clash that bent reality itself erupted in the clearing—
BOOOOOOOOOOM!
Shockwaves shattered the trees, sent vines spiraling into the sky, cracked space like broken glass.
Jason was flung backward, tumbling across the grass.
He coughed violently.
"THIS IS INSANE—!!"
Longwu screamed:
["THIS IS A DIVINE-CLASS BATTLE, JASON!IF YOU STAY HERE YOU'RE DEAD!"]
Jason scrambled to his feet.
"Where do I go?!"
["Anywhere but here!"]
Jason looked around wildly—
But then…
Something called him.
A hum.
A pulse.
A vibration only he could feel.
Jason turned.
At the far end of the arena—beyond the spiraling chaos—a faint golden doorway shimmered.
A portal.A gate.Old.Ancient.Waiting.
Jason whispered:
"…that thing is calling to me."
Longwu gasped.
["Jason—that's not just any gate.That is a Severance Gate."]
Jason blinked. "Severance… like the Thing I'm not supposed to have?"
["Yes.Which means it is reacting to YOU."]
Jason felt his heartbeat shift.
Something in his chest pulsed.The same second pulse awakened by the First Error.
Jason stepped toward the gate—
But the serpent's tail crashed into the ground in front of him, blocking the path.
Jason jumped back.
"HEY—I thought they were HELPING ME—!"
["They are.But that Gate…Is forbidden even here."]
Jason stared at Longwu.
"…can I use it?"
Longwu hesitated.
Then:
["Jason… if you enter that gate… you will not be the same person who exits."]
Jason clenched his jaw.
"I'm ALREADY not the same person I was yesterday."
Behind him, the three generals and the Seeker unleashed attacks that shattered the sky.
Reality screamed.
Time warped.
Jason whispered:
"I won't survive out here."
Longwu answered quietly:
["You won't survive inside either."]
Jason grinned weakly.
"…so nothing changes."
["Boy, this is NOT the time for jokes—"]
Jason tightened his grip on Longwu.
"Longwu.I don't know what's coming.I don't know why I'm being hunted.But I know one thing."
["…what?"]
"I'd rather step into a forbidden unknown…than die to someone else's destiny."
Longwu went silent.
Then whispered:
["…then RUN."]
Jason ran.
The serpent lunged—
Jason slid beneath its fangs, rolling and springing forward.
Astra Talon dove—
Jason jumped aside as lightning shredded the ground.
Luminar Rex stomped—
Jason jumped onto its paw, vaulted up its leg, leapt as high as he could—
FWOOOOOSH—
He soared.
The Seeker turned—mask cracking further—
"STOP."
Jason flipped midair, landing directly before the Severance Gate.
He touched the frame.
It flared awake.
Light engulfed him.
The Seeker roared:
"JASON WU—DO NOT—"
The generals all howled at once.
The realm quaked.
Jason whispered:
"…too late."
And stepped inside.
Flash.
Jason vanished.
The Gate sealed behind him.
Leaving the Seeker—and the three generals—locked in a cataclysmic battle that tore through the Silverwood Realm.