INTERLUDE II
A white sphere of light spun within a frozen space, shifting into countless geometric shapes.
No sound existed, no light could be seen, no temperature could be felt—only fragments of events flashing by at impossible speed. The sphere drifted among millions of others before breaking away from the cluster.
Though everything passed like fleeting illusions, strangely, each scene felt vividly real.
A glimpse of a strange fruit hanging from a branch with white, shimmering leaves.
A crimson field where thousands of creatures—most of them resembling animals—tore into one another. Seven beams of light rising straight into the sky like colossal pillars.
No… those weren't beams. They were actually pillars—seven of them, each standing in distant corners of the world.
Then came the image of bizarre monsters burying themselves into reddish soil, as if hiding from the stinging drops of a violent rainstorm.
And finally, the view of a man's back…
He appeared to be around twenty years old. The man turned slightly, surprised at first, before smiling gently.
The upper half of his face was hidden in shadow, yet it was obvious he was happy about something. He opened his mouth—speaking words that made no sound—and raised an arm in a slow wave.
As though saying goodbye.
The vision shifted again.
A blinding white.
Then pitch black.
White, then black, repeating until the scene cracked open into a sky filled with clouds, harsh winds slicing through, light flooding in.
The rush of air grinding against itself, the cold sensation of clouds passing by, the faint sweetness carried by the sunlight.
At last, the sphere could feel.
Perhaps this was a good sign.
With that thought echoing faintly within the sphere, the world changed once more.
This time—maybe…
Fwsshh~~
A gust of wind swept through, carrying a cold yet strangely comforting touch.
Faintly, the scent of the sea drifted along with it.
Before long, the sphere arrived at a steep cliff at the edge of the world. A sturdy structure stood there, built meticulously from pale, brownish stones. Anyone who saw it might think it was the tomb of someone exceedingly important.
But that was not the focus.
Around the structure, dozens of smoking craters scarred the ground—traces of explosions. Static electricity lingered in the air, crackling faintly in a few spots. Burn marks—evidence of a raging fire—clung stubbornly to what once was emerald grass.
Could all this be natural?
Anyone with a hint of sanity would reject the idea.
And amidst that chaos, something moved.
A child—small, frail, drenched in blood—propped himself up on trembling arms.
Judging from his body and the way the blood clung to him, the child was likely from a humanoid race.
Human? An elf? A beastkin? No—he had no animal ears or tail. Something else, perhaps?
Too many possibilities. It would be foolish to conclude anything too soon.
Despite being smeared with red from head to toe, strangely, there was not a single visible wound on his skin.
The child looked utterly dazed. No light shone in his wide-open eyes.
He lifted his head, inhaled deeply despite the surrounding smoke—and began coughing.
"Gah… Hahkgh… Hah… Hah…"
He struck his chest a few times until his breathing slowed.
Moments later, he spat out a mouthful of blood and coughed again, the sound sharp—like air escaping through a hole in the lungs.
After a pause, he wiped his mouth and raised his head once more.
He scanned his surroundings again.
"This feeling… Did I finally get it?" he muttered—cryptic, impossible to interpret.
What exactly did he mean?
The child looked down at his arms and legs.
"Pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea… I can feel all of it. It's all so… real."
He blinked several times, gently touching both eyes, tilting his head as if examining something wrong.
He repeated it for a while until he found the cause.
"Ah… My vision becomes clear when I close my left eye, and blurry again when I open it. What's going on? It doesn't hurt though… I guess I can ask someone later."
Reaching into his pocket, he found a thin strip of black cloth and tied it over one eye.
The moment he did, the crimson–gold evening sky spread before him.
He stared silently, awe softening his blood-stained face—as though he was seeing it for the very first time.
His uncovered eye reflected the sky's glow, shining brightly.
"So dazzling… Just like what Mom say." Tears welled up in the corner of his eye.
Wide smile bloomed across his face. He inhaled deeply again, then exhaled with determination.
"Fifteen years won't be enough… but I'll make sure to do everything i can."
Not long after, the sun slipped beneath the ocean.
The child refocused and took in the strange scene around him.
The first thing he noticed was the structure standing just a few steps away. As if recognizing something, he murmured—
"This place… It looks like the tombs of the great Persian kings."
Again, he spoke of something difficult to understand.
Persia… Was that the name of a place?
He turned his face away, taking in the scorched field of grass, the charred earth, and the scattered craters crackling with faint static. He pushed himself upright, walking closer to examine the scene.
That was when he found something even more shocking.
Not far from where he stood lay a woman and a man.
Both were adults, their bodies covered in wounds and drenched in blood.
The only thing that set them apart from the child was the fact that their hearts had stopped beating.
They were already dead.
After confirming it, the child began dragging the two of them toward a patch of untouched green grass.
"Are they… this child's parents? Whatever the case, I should at least give them a proper burial later."
He gripped their armor and pulled, using every bit of strength in his small hands.
It took a long time—too long—his tiny body struggling to gather enough strength.
When he finally reached a tree, he leaned against the trunk, catching his breath.
Sweat mixed with the dried blood on his skin, and his breathing grew unsteady.
It seemed dragging two adults with such a small frame took a tremendous toll. He inhaled deeply over and over again before slowly exhaling.
Between those breaths, blood dripped from his mouth, a sharp ache pulsing in his chest.
But he ignored it and forced his breathing to settle.
"Hm?"
Just as his body began to stabilize, he sensed something strange.
A feeling he had never experienced before.
His ears twitched slightly, catching a sound.
"Something's approaching?"
For some reason, his voice trembled with both excitement and fear.
The sound grew clearer—footsteps, light and unhurried, as if telling him he had nothing to fear.
The child didn't seem to realize that. Confusion washed over him instead.
Especially after everything dangerous he had witnessed, his mind could only conjure the worst possibilities.
"What am I supposed to do? No—what can I even do?"
Time moved on even as his thoughts spiraled.
Until finally, the footsteps stopped just a few paces in front of him, hidden only by the tall bushes.
Without warning, something stepped out. The child stared at it without blinking.
From its appearance, it was a grown woman.
But—