— Ugh… my head hurts so much… I just want to go home…
It was the first day of school.
In Aethra, time does not move the way it should.
A single year stretches across one thousand days…
and each day lasts thirty-eight hours.
Long days. Exhausting days.
Months span ten to twelve weeks, and each week is divided into seven days—each one named after seven of the twenty gods who once ruled this world.
Twelve months. Twelve gods. Seven days. Seven gods.
Day of Mel — God of War
Day of Fred — God of Peace
Day of Aurora — Goddess of Daylight
Day of Balerin — Goddess of Night and the Moons
Day of Liv — Goddess of Life
Day of Morrigan — Goddess of Death
Day of Sof — Goddess of Wisdom
The first four days are for work and study.
The last three… for rest.
The Day of Liv is for gratitude—for life and everything good within it.
The Day of Morrigan is for honoring the dead.
The Day of Sof is for wisdom—and for thanking Deris Aethra, the Goddess of Creation.
The planet itself is divided into thirty-two continents.
Two dominate above all others: Alida and Que'r Athar, the twin centers of power and progress.
I live in Alida.
More specifically… in Zenith.
The most important nation on the continent.
Here, we speak Zha'Elyria, an ancient language born from civilizations that once lived alongside gods during the war between deities and primordials. The second most common language is Xiliat, a relic of that same forgotten age.
…And despite living in a world like this—
I hate the supernatural.
Yeah.
I know.
It sounds stupid.
I love reading about cosmic horrors, ancient beings, forbidden knowledge…
but believing in them?
That's absurd.
At least… that's what I tell myself.
— "Dark! There you are, my dear friend!"
That voice.
Soft. Bright. Impossible to ignore.
I turned.
Kimberly walked toward me, her long orange hair swaying gently, fading into golden tips like burning autumn leaves. Her amber eyes shone with a warmth that almost felt unreal.
She was… beautiful.
Not as much as her older sister—but still, undeniably charming.
— "Hey, Kim. How were your vacations?"
I've known her since I was ten.
My first friend.
— "Pretty good," she said with a smile. "I went to the beach, visited some ancient forests…"
She narrowed her eyes at me.
— "And you? Let me guess… you spent all your time reading again."
…Of course she knew.
— "What else am I supposed to do with my depressing life, you idiot?"
She froze.
Then—
THUD.
Pain exploded in the back of my head.
— "Hey! I told you to stop hitting me!"
— "Who are you calling idiot, idiot?!"
She lunged at me again, punching repeatedly.
— "You two never change… you're like children."
That calm voice cut through the chaos.
We turned.
Xia Jing.
Her long black hair was tied in a ponytail that reached her waist. Her brown eyes radiated a quiet harmony… and something deeper.
Something harder to read.
She was… breathtaking.
Not just beautiful.
Perfect.
The kind of beauty that could belong to a celebrity.
— "The only idiot here is Dark," Kim said.
— "Of course," Xia replied calmly. "Both of you act like children. Study more, or you'll fail again."
I rolled my eyes.
— "Maybe I wouldn't have failed if someone didn't spend all class gossiping and distracting me."
Kim crossed her arms proudly.
— "You're the one who paid attention. You should've ignored me. Like Xia."
Xia laughed softly.
— "Even when I ignore you, you cause problems. I just hope you won't be the same here… problem child."
Kim suddenly turned toward me with a sharp glare.
…I didn't even say anything.
Before I could react—
— "You shouldn't be blocking the hallway."
I turned.
Her.
The woman from yesterday.
— "Miss Natasha… I didn't expect to see you here."
She smiled gently… and stepped closer.
Then she placed her hand on my head.
A chill ran down my spine.
Kim leaned toward my ear.
— "Why does she look like she's into minors?"
I shot her a look.
— "Stop saying that."
— "No need to be so formal," Natasha said softly. "Just call me Natasha."
Her eyes locked onto mine.
— "By the way… how was your book?"
My body froze.
That warning.
She will ask about the book… to see fear in your eyes.
…No.
That's ridiculous.
— "It was fine," I said.
Kim whispered again:
— "You know her? She's weird."
— "Yeah, I met her yesterday under the tree where I read… she's just a book fanatic."
— "Great," Kim sighed. "Now there are two book freaks in my class."
Natasha smiled.
— "I can hear you."
Kim and I both flinched.
Xia laughed.
— "Please forgive my rude friend, Miss Natasha."
— "Please forgive this idiot for not telling her to shut up," Kim added.
Natasha only smiled… and walked away.
— "See what you cause, idiot," I muttered.
— "Shut up, Dark."
Xia shook her head, laughing.
— "You two will never change."
We smiled—
—and suddenly fell to the ground.
— "What the hell?!"
— "Seems Xia is right."
I looked up.
Minho.
Short brown hair. Calm brown eyes.
Behind him stood Airi—shy, with messy salmon-pink hair and emerald eyes—and Wonho, athletic, confident, almost like a protagonist from some story.
— "Dark seems pretty close to the new teacher," Minho said with a grin.
He looked at Kim.
— "You jealous?"
— "W-What?! No!"
Xia suddenly turned away.
— "We should go. Class is starting."
She left quickly.
…That was weird.
The day dragged on.
Class after class.
And then—
Lunch.
— "Any plans for today?" Minho asked.
— "Nope," Kim replied.
— "Let's explore the abandoned hospital," he said.
Of course.
— "They say it's haunted."
Xia nodded.
Airi hesitated.
Wonho shrugged.
— "Sounds fun."
Kim jumped in immediately.
— "I'm going too."
They all looked at me.
— "Dark?"
I sighed.
— "No thanks."
— "Why? Too busy reading?" Wonho teased.
— "Or meeting Natasha?" Minho added.
Kim and Xia immediately spat out their drinks.
— "Your jokes are stupid," Xia snapped.
Kim threw a can at him.
— "Careful, idiot!"
Then Wonho looked at me seriously.
— "You're always distant."
— "We invite you everywhere. Parties, trips… and you always refuse."
I took a bite of my sandwich.
— "I just don't believe in that stuff."
— "Even when weird things happen all the time?"
I sighed.
— "Believe what you want. I'll do the same."
— "Stubborn bastard."
— "Call it what you want."
Then—
— "I had a dream yesterday," Wonho said.
My body stiffened.
— "A creature… tentacles… lots of eyes… speaking some weird language."
My hands trembled.
Why…?
Why does that feel familiar?
— "I… I need to go."
I stood up abruptly.
Left.
Cold water hit my face.
I gripped the sink.
Breathing hard.
Visions.
Fragments.
A ritual.
A woman.
A creature.
A child born from darkness.
The world drowning.
— "What the hell is this…?"
I hit my head lightly.
Again.
Again.
Until it stopped.
— "Just… stress…"
Just stress.
After classes ended, rain began to fall.
I put on my headphones.
Walked aimlessly.
Until I found an empty alley.
Sat down.
Let the rain soak me.
— "I'm so tired…"
My voice barely came out.
— "I just want to sleep…"
I closed my eyes.
Let the music carry me.
Let everything fade.
Not knowing—
That this day…
was not just the beginning of school.
It was the beginning…
of everything falling apart.