Asahi's eyes widened at the monstrous roars around him. His vision cleared, but he was paralyzed—unable to move his legs or arms. Only his head responded. When he heard a grunt beside him, he strained to twist his neck and saw another person beside him hurling stones at creepy silhouettes approaching through the mist.
Asahi realized he was being carried by another boy on his right shoulder. Turning his head, he saw Aletha's body slung over the boy's left arm.
"...What?"
Thick mist blocked Asahi's view as the boy who carried them sprinted away from the creatures. Straining to see, Asahi attempted to catch glimpses of the monsters while trying to steady himself as Belial leapt from cliff to cliff.
His blurred vision adjusted. As horrors appeared, a cold wave of dread crashed over him, paralyzing his thoughts.
Their arms were stick-thin. Bodies, scorched and faceless, bore only a glowing white circle. Charcoal and obsidian described their skin. On each neck, a blazing red eye glared.
The monsters screeched and chased after Belial in overwhelming numbers. Belial's whispered words quivered with anxiety as he clutched Asahi and Aletha tighter, his breath sharp and ragged amid the whispers of fear in the leaves.
"I know these wretched demons. I had many experiences with them back when I was at Zomrack. They're going after their own kind."
He peered through the mist and spotted fifty more distant silhouettes.
Belial muttered under his breath, struggling to keep his composure against the encroaching sense of dread. "Something drives them—starvation. They need blood to survive. Beyond this world is a place mortals shouldn't go. No, stop talking to yourself. I must keep moving."
Belial panted as he jumped upward to an elevated area, the tip of his shoes scraping against the solid rocky hills. In his haste, he accidentally shredded a small piece of his long, dark, messy hair.
Belial, gathering strength, launched all three higher and quickly tossed Asahi and Aletha behind a dead tree for cover.
Sliding to the ground, he leaned against the trunk, breathing hard. Monster roars echoed from afar as he spoke.
"At last, safety. Hopefully, the wanderers didn't hear me."
The monsters tried to jump off the cliff but failed to do so. Giving up, they raised their heads and unleashed an agonizing shriek echoing through the forest.
"They're alerting the others. I forgot Dreamtoe was near the edge."
Looking up, Belial saw a crimson tree above and felt exhausted from the run and carrying them.
"Well, at least these two are safe."
Sliding to the ground, Belial leaned back against the trunk, breathing hard. After catching his breath, monster roars echoed from afar as he spoke.
"We're almost there."
As he ran toward the light, Asahi closed his eyes and drifted to sleep, knowing he, Aletha, and Belial would be safe.
After darkness fell, time blurred for Asahi, and the world shifted around him.
After a while, gentle warmth brushed Asahi's face. Sunlight spilled across his slanting eyes. Leaves grazed his skin. Nearby, the sharp rhythm of an ax biting wood echoed. Birdsong, the whisper of a breeze, and the chorus of insects gradually wove together in his ears.
Asahi's eyelids fluttered open, comforted by the gentle bristles of grass beneath him. For a moment, it felt as if he were lying on a bed.
He rubbed his eyes and gazed up at the brilliant blue sky. The sun dazzled him at first, but soon its glare faded, revealing the world in sharp detail.
Without hesitation, he turned his head to find Aletha. On the small green hill, he saw her lying in a large patch of bright white dandelions. Her face was illuminated by sunlight. Belial sat nearby on a log, watching and waiting for Asahi and Aletha to wake up.
He then heard faint groans nearby and turned his head to see that Aletha was beginning to rise from her slumber.
Belial's emerald eyes widened.
As Asahi approached Aletha, Belial watched her dark, crystal-gray eyes slowly focus and meet his gaze.
A breeze ruffled Belial's dark hair. He took a deep breath and turned away from Aletha abruptly, hiding his fear. Meanwhile, Asahi tilted his head toward Aletha and asked,
"Sis, are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Where are the others?"
"Others?" Asahi retraced the word.
"Yes, the others. The ones who brought us here. Drimi, Phthonus, and Sally!"
"Oh, right! The mist made me forget. I still feel off." Memories surfaced rapidly. "I don't think they brought us here."
Aletha smirked and crossed her arms.
"Yes, wait, what? Nevemrind that. Any clue where we are? Wait... Is that Belial?! How did he get here?"
"Where?" Asahi asked genuinely.
Aletha quickly pointed to the distant figure and shouted.
"Over there!"
Then, Belial took notice of them,
"Oh? Is that you, Asahi and Aletha? I'm sorry for putting you in that situation. I should have placed you two closer now that I think of it."
Aletha sneered, walking up the hill. "Why did you bring us? Where are the others?!"
Asahi stepped forward and yelled, "You have a lot to explain."
Without hesitation, as the wanderers approached closer, Belial hollered back.
"Settle down, okay. If you two just come here, then I will discuss."
Unable to refuse, the wanderers began the slow climb up the hill. Their legs felt heavy with exhaustion as they trudged toward Belial.
The next part of their journey unfolded in quiet suspense.
Later that day, the landscape changed as the sun began to dip.
The sun glittered over the hazy horizon of the sea, the grass bathed in the sun's fluorescent rays, and the birds flew onward to the vast, azure plain of saltwater.
At the horizon's edge, Asahi and Aletha followed Belial toward a cliff, seeking answers. Three logs waited for them nearby. As the trio glanced around, they noticed the sun slowly approaching the rim of the sea.
Though the day was far from over, the sky seemed to be darkening rapidly. Still, they set aside that thought and chose to focus on the moments at hand.
The wanderers smelt and felt the fresh scent of the ocean breeze. They heard the sounds of waves crashing against a shore below them. Distant shrieks of seagulls echoed over the edges of the cliff.
As the wanderers caught up, Belial turned toward them and shouted while raising his hand.
"Don't worry! I'm not going to push you off a cliff! Trust me!"
The wanderers exchanged anxious glances, uncertainty shadowing their faces, before they managed to give faint, nervous nods and awkward thumbs up.
...
The mood grew heavy as the wanderers neared the cliff, the air thick with foreboding. A sharp chill crept in on the wind, and the remote crash of waves below sounded more menacing than before.
When Asahi and Aletha reached the cliff's edge, they found Belial gazing skyward, his long dark hair rippling in the breeze. Far below, the distant roar of waves echoed up from the rocks.
Belial, hearing the sound of footsteps behind him, looked back at the wanderers. He lowered his gaze to meet theirs and extended his arm in a calm, open-handed gesture, signaling for them to join him.
"You can sit on those logs. They are freshly cut and smooth. Don't be afraid."
Aletha, surprised by Belial's friendliness, turned to face him, her brows furrowing in confusion as she tried to make sense of his unexpected hospitality.
"Wait, are you a lumberjack?"
In response, Belial shook his head and chuckled.
"No, but I can cut trees. It's crucial for surviving in the wild."
"Oh…"
Belial took a measured sip from his metal flask. Asahi and Aletha exchanged a glance, hesitating before carefully lowering themselves onto the logs. They lightly pressed the wood with their hands, ensuring its smoothness before sitting down.
Though the logs were no match for real chairs, Asahi and Aletha found them oddly comforting. Belial stood nearby, pausing for another sip as if gathering his thoughts.
"Did either of you wake up while I carried you out?"
Aletha shrugged with a guarded, uneasy smile. Asahi closed his eyes, his reply soft and edged with an unmistakable guilt that trembled in his voice.
"Yes, I have."
Belial gave a faint smile to Asahi, pointing and exclaiming confidently.
"I knew it! I felt your head move on my shoulder. You must've seen those monsters, right?"
Haunted by the memory of the monsters, Asahi's voice trembled with fear as past visions flashed through his mind.
"Yeah. I had no clue where I was."
Hearing Asahi's voice, Aletha raised her eyebrow and questioned.
"Huh?! Monsters were chasing us? Now I knew that I should have woken up. I would have wanted to see them, too."
Belial frowned and shook his head, disagreeing with Aletha.
"No, you'd cry if you saw one. But—why were you both laughing?"
The wanderers were struck silent, the weight of memory pulling their faces into a somber, haunted shadow.
Aletha's odd behavior spread to Asahi. Both siblings began to laugh uncontrollably, tears welling up as their laughter became both wild and desperate.
Their eyes fell. For a moment, grief overwhelmed their voices.
A shiver ran over their skin, raising goosebumps. Aletha hugged her arms tight, fighting off the tremor as she answered.
"Because... some force made us. I didn't want to laugh, but I did. My brother acted strangely, too."
Fear widened Belial's emerald eyes as he considered what could have happened if he hadn't been there. As silence filled the area, Belial took a deep breath and replied.
"Oh... I see. You inhaled the mist. Luckily, I found you and got you to safety. Without me, the monsters would have devoured you...
He took a deep breath, struggling to calm himself.
"Dreamtoe's mist and the monsters are from a distant place unknown to us. Demons used the fog to stun their prey and devour their bodies. If the prey escaped, the mist fogged their mind and drove them insane. If left uncured by a healing spell for two days, the prey would end their own lives from the constant noises in their head."
Terror flickered in the wanderers' eyes as dark imaginings seized them. Dread pressed down, weakening their skepticism; they leaned unconsciously toward Belial, desperate for any comfort or hope.
"Survivors told me they just fell unconscious, not 'strange and childish' like you two said. Maybe you're different, maybe connected to this place. Most victims are children—but monsters abduct, not devour, them."
Aletha mumbled, a faint frown on her lips.
"That's… tragic."
Belial closed his eyes, clearly unwilling to continue the discussion. He lifted his chin and shifted to another topic.
"Drimi, Sally, and the other man are safe. I saw them in the area earlier. They're likely searching for you in Dreamtoe's safe place."
Asahi raised an eyebrow, mumbling.
"Safe place?"
Belial nodded.
"Dreamtoe has two areas: Safe Haven and The Mist. Safe Haven is home to goblins. Drimi said you came for a special Fruit from them."
As the sun started to approach closer to the horizon, Aletha replied with a faint tone.
"Hold on. Belial, you know where the village is?"
"Yeah. Drimi and the others will guide you. I will be… somewhere else."
…
A suffocating silence settled over them. The wanderers exchanged glances. Their faces were tight with worry. Confusion warred in their troubled, wide-eyed expressions—Belial's ominous words weighing on their hearts like a stone.
Curious to learn more about what Belial had to
With Belial's mention of the Underworld still on their minds, Asahi and Aletha leaned forward, eager to hear more as the sun dipped lower.
With the sun melting into orange and the horizon awash in pink, Asahi turned to Belial with a question.
"Is there anything more you need to inform us?"
Belial turns his head away from the sunset— his emerald eyes widen.
"I saved you because I followed you from Milmoor. I hid in the forest during the storm, doing everything I could to keep you safe—without the others knowing."
Aletha jumped in. "Did you know Akwan—"
A look of bemusement appeared on his face as he answered, keeping his expression controlled.
"Yes. He teleported. Look, I'm trying to adjust. I know he's alive; otherwise, we wouldn't be here."
As the sun dipped toward the shimmering horizon, Belial drew a deep breath and straightened, fixing the wanderers with a steady gaze before continuing.
"You don't know this world, and I don't want you killed. I believe you'll save Gincad. You both could be heroes. I want to train you."
The wanderers fell silent, Belial's words sinking in deep. Their awe and gratitude mixed with the raw uncertainty aching in their chests, leaving them humbled, small, and exposed to a future that felt unbearably heavy.
"Thank you."
Belial nodded his head and continued.
"Monsters here differ in size, intelligence, ability, and strength. You'll learn more firsthand."
As the wind howled over the cliff and trees swerved back and forth, Belial continued with a faint smile plastered on his face.
"It is... perfect that you two arrived here in Pladtioa. Compared to other countries, this nation is relatively peaceful and poses little danger. The Queen, Narcissa, however, is a different story."
Belial sighed, then took a deep breath and continued speaking.
"If you want to travel in Gincad, you need to know the dangers. Survival here isn't easy."
Given the warning, the wanderers' eyes met Belial's with a silent urgency, worry, and confusion warring in their troubled gazes.
(But... wasn't this our world?)
As they remained silent, staring out at the beautiful sunset, a deep, feminine voice sounded from a distance.
"Hellooo? Is anyone there? Hold on. Is that Asahi and Aletha?!"
Immediately, Belial's eyes shifted to the front of the forest, where he found a tall, dark-haired woman wearing a mask who had approached him.
He sprang up from his seat quickly and grumbled to the wanderers, gritting his teeth as he clutched their hands.
"That's enough for now. I wanted to talk more, but I guess you have to go. I'll see you later."
"Thank you, Belial. I never knew you cared this much for us."
Belial shrugged, laughter rumbling through his prideful exterior, his presence exuding warmth and unspoken worries despite his bravado.
"You're welcome. Before you go, know that training won't be easy. To reach the light, you must follow the darkness. Wandering takes effort—and the Fruit won't be easy to get."
Without another word, the wanderers nodded, locking Belial's warnings in their minds. Casting one last look back, they dashed down the hill, waving and calling their thanks over their shoulders as they disappeared into the deepening forest shadows.
"Thank you!"
Watching them fade into the shadows, Belial clenched his fist, swallowing the lonely ache twisting his chest as he whispered into the dimming light, his voice rough with all he could not say.
"Wanderers, I know how much pain you felt after losing your family. Because I, too, have felt the same. It feels like I am missing something; that I never had originated here. But until then, I'll just savor this peaceful moment, as long as it can last."