[This world has no sound.]
That was the first thought that surfaced as my consciousness began to crawl back to me. It wasn't darkness I saw, but a noisy void inside my head. It felt as if my soul had been dropped from a height of thousands of meters, slamming into reality at the speed of sound.
I tried to open my eyes. My eyelids felt heavy as lead, sticky with a fluid I didn't recognize.
One... two... three...
I counted my own heartbeat, if only to confirm that I was still a part of the living.
When my eyes finally fluttered open, the first thing I saw was a strange canopy of trees. The leaves weren't green; they were a dull, matte silver that reflected the orange glow of the sky. They didn't sway. There was no rustle of wind. The trees stood rigid, as if carved from frozen liquid metal.
Where am I?
I searched for an answer within my mind, but all I found was a vast, empty room. No name. No faces of parents. No memory of my last meal.
I... had no past.
That realization hit me harder than the ache in my body. I felt like a side character who had just manifested in the first chapter without a backstory. I tried to sit up, and every inch of muscle screamed in protest.
Crack.
My hand brushed against something coarse on the ground.
I looked down. I was clutching a scrap of weathered paper. I had been gripping it so tightly that my knuckles were white. With trembling fingers, I unfurled my fist.
4|_!|=4#0√√|÷π
I stared at the symbols. My empty mind suddenly throbbed.
This symbol... why does it feel like a mistake?
My logic tried to deconstruct the code. 4 could be A, |_ could be L. But the more I tried to read it, the more my brain recoiled. It wasn't just writing; it felt like a visual anomaly. As if someone had mistyped a line of code in the middle of the world's script.
Was it my name? Or a warning?
I folded the paper with mechanical precision. I didn't know why, but this paper felt far more important than my own life at this moment. I tucked it into the pocket of my grey tunic, which felt foreign against my skin.
I forced myself to stand. My head spun violently, sending waves of nausea to my stomach. I leaned against the trunk of a silver tree. It was cold. Too perfect. No knots, no insect holes. The world felt like a stage play that hadn't finished being decorated.
I started to walk. My steps were unsteady, dragging my feet across the stiff earth. I needed water. I needed answers. But all I found was a stifling silence.
Until a sound tore through the void.
"GRAAAA—!"
It was followed by a shrill scream.
A human voice. Female. Distance: approximately 50 meters. Two o'clock direction.
The analysis appeared in my mind—sharp, cold, and instantaneous. I didn't know where this instinct came from, but my legs were already running before I had finished thinking.
I crashed through jagged thickets. Silver branches scratched my cheeks, but I felt no pain. I only felt... driven. Like a script was forcing me to arrive exactly on time.
I skidded to a halt behind a large boulder. Below, in a shallow depression, I saw a scene that belonged in a bad fantasy novel.
A girl with shoulder-length orange-yellow hair was cornered. She wore tattered medieval clothes stained with mud. In front of her stood a massive Orc, drool dripping from its yellowed tusks.
Height: 2.1 meters. Estimated Weight: 180 kg. Weapon: Spiked wooden club.
Weakness: Right eye appears cloudy—likely cataracts or an old injury. Left leg drags slightly during movement.
My mind dissected the creature while my heart hammered against my ribs in terror. It was a bizarre contradiction. My body was shaking, but my brain was calculating the odds of survival.
Chance of victory in direct combat: 0.01%.
Chance of victory with a surprise attack using the environment: 12%.
The Orc raised its club. The girl closed her eyes, clutching a small satchel as if it were the most precious thing in the world.
Damn it.
I snatched up a jagged rock the size of my palm. The weight was perfect.
"Hey! Look over here, you ugly freak!" I yelled. My voice sounded braver than I felt.
The Orc turned. Its red eyes burned with pure malice. It didn't speak; it let out a low growl that vibrated in my chest.
"Run!" I barked at the girl.
The amber-haired girl opened her eyes. For a split second, our gazes locked. Her eyes were a warm brown, filled with terror but also shock. She didn't run. Instead, she grabbed a broken tree limb nearby.
This girl... she doesn't intend to let me fight alone? Foolish. But I like her grit.
The Orc shifted its target to me. It charged, each step making the ground tremble.
Now.
I hurled the rock with everything I had at its cloudy right eye.
Squelch!
The Orc howled. Its swing went wide, the club smashing into the dirt exactly where I had stood a second before. I rolled to the side, dust filling my lungs.
Pain. My shoulder felt like it had popped out of its socket. But I couldn't stop.
I scrambled up its back while it was flailing in agony. The stench of its skin made my eyes water. I locked my arms around its neck, using my entire body weight to wrench its head back.
"Hit its leg!" I screamed at the girl.
The girl moved. She swung the branch into the Orc's left knee joint with all her might.
Crack.
That sound was the most beautiful melody I had ever heard. The Orc lost its balance. We both tumbled to the ground. I was pinned under its heavy arm, the breath knocked out of me.
I saw the Orc trying to rise again, its hand fumbling for the club.
Not happening.
I grabbed a sharp shard of wood from the ground and, with a final surge of adrenaline, drove it into the base of its throat.
The Orc convulsed, then went still. Thick, black blood coated my hands.
I gasped for air. My vision began to spin. Every inch of my body started to go numb. I saw the girl approaching slowly. She seemed so far away, even though she was only a meter from me.
"Are you... are you crazy?" she whispered. But her tone wasn't angry. There was a genuine warmth there.
I tried to smile, but it probably came out as a twisted grimace.
"Just... passing through..." I muttered.
Then, the darkness pulled me back under. This time, the dark felt a little warmer, knowing there was a pair of brown eyes watching over me with gratitude.
*-*-*-*
[Warmth.]
That was the first sensation to creep back into my consciousness. Not the biting chill of the silver forest, but a warmth spreading from my palms to the rest of my body. I took a slow breath, and the scent of cinnamon and brewing roots greeted my senses.
I opened my eyes. This time, the ceiling wasn't a static orange cloud; it was made of aged, neatly arranged timber. The dim, amber glow of a hearth danced across the walls.
"Ah, you're awake."
The voice was light, but laced with an undertone of anxiety. I turned my head slowly. The girl from the forest was sitting on a wooden chair beside my bed. Her shoulder-length orange-yellow hair shimmered in the firelight, and her brown eyes watched me intently.
I tried to sit up, but a sharp pain in my ribs immediately reminded me of the Orc's heavy blow.
"Don't force it," she said, placing a hand on my shoulder to gently hold me back. "You're lucky I found those medicinal herbs in the satchel I saved. Otherwise, those bruises of yours might have stayed purple forever."
I stared at her hand, then at her face. "Is this... your home?"
"My little place on the outskirts," she replied. She picked up a wooden bowl filled with warm liquid. "Drink this. It isn't just soup; there's a bit of life energy infused in it."
I accepted the bowl, my hands still trembling slightly. As I sipped, the warmth bloomed in my stomach. I remained silent for a long time, simply staring at the steam rising from the broth.
"Hey," the girl called out softly. She tilted her head, observing me as I sat there like a statue. "Are you... okay? Ever since you woke up, you've had this look on your face. Like someone seeing a wooden spoon for the first time."
I lowered the bowl. I looked around the room—the weathered bookshelves, the glass vials, the fireplace. Everything felt like a puzzle I couldn't solve.
"I don't know where to start," I admitted honestly. My voice was hoarse.
The girl frowned. "Start with your name. I'd like to thank you properly, but it feels strange not knowing what to call you."
I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to dig into the darkness of my mind. Nothing. Only a vast, echoing void.
"That's the problem," I whispered. "I... don't know who I am."
The girl went still. Her small smile faded, replaced by a look of genuine shock. "What? You're joking, right? Maybe you hit your head during the fight with the Orc?"
"It wasn't a hit," I countered, staring at my palms. "I woke up under that silver tree before I met you, and even then, I remembered nothing. No name, no history. Everything is blank."
Her eyes widened. She scanned me from head to toe, as if searching for proof that I was lying. But when she saw the raw confusion in my eyes, her shoulders slowly slumped.
"Goodness... you really have amnesia, don't you?" she murmured, her tone softening significantly. "Many strangers end up in this realm with scrambled memories because of the atmospheric pressure, but a total loss of identity... that's rare."
She let out a long sigh, and her expression shifted into something friendlier—almost like an older sister looking at a lost sibling.
"Alright, then we have a big problem," she said, tapping her chin. "I can't keep calling you 'Savior' or 'Hey' forever. How about I give you a name? At least until your memory returns."
I looked at her, stunned. "Give me... a name?"
"Yes! My name is Yula. And you..." She looked at me closely, as if reading an unwritten destiny on my face. "Alenrix. Alenrix Ivan. It feels right for you. It sounds like someone who comes from far away, but still has a place to come home to."
Alenrix Ivan.
I repeated the name internally. It felt heavy on my tongue, yet at the same time, a part of me felt 'full.'
"Alenrix Ivan," I said quietly. "I like it."
Yula beamed. "Good! From now on, that's your name. And since I'm the one who gave it to you, you owe me another life, okay?"
"Yula," I said, trying to ignore her teasing. "What did you mean by 'life energy' earlier? And this place... a realm?"
Yula adjusted her seat, her face turning serious. "Wow, you really have forgotten everything, haven't you? Fine, listen closely because I'm only explaining this once..." she said, raising a finger. "In this realm, everything—trees, animals, even us humans—is bound by energy. It's not just about being full or hungry. Energy is what keeps our bodies from being 'erased' by the harsh atmosphere of the realm. If your energy runs out, your body will slowly become transparent until you eventually vanish into the fog."
I listened intently. My mind began to link this explanation to the paper in my pocket.
Could that code have something to do with how this energy works?
"Because you passed out from extreme exhaustion, your energy was at a critical point," Yula continued. She suddenly held out her hand in front of my face. "Here, let me share a bit of mine. This is an emergency method."
I hesitated. "Is it dangerous for you?"
"Only a little. I'm a kind-hearted soul, you know," she joked, sticking her tongue out slightly. "Come on, don't be shy."
I slowly touched her palm. Her skin was incredibly soft and warm. The moment our hands met, I felt a surge of warmth—like a gentle but soothing electric current—flowing into my veins. The nausea and the throbbing in my head vanished instantly.
This was... extraordinary.
"Hehe, look at your face. Just realized this world is magical, huh?" Yula laughed softly. "But remember, you need to find a way to replenish your own energy at the Guild later. I can't be your battery forever, Alenrix."
I was just about to thank her again when a hoarse shout erupted from outside the house.
"LOOK! THE SKY!"
"HEAVENS, WHAT IS HAPPENING?!"
The sound of mass panic in the small village made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Yula stood up immediately, her face pale. She ran to the wooden window and threw it open. I forced myself up and looked out beside her.
Yula's breath hitched. Her hands gripped the windowsill so hard her knuckles turned white.
The world that had been peaceful with its deep orange hues had transformed into a visual nightmare.
The sky above the village had turned a deep, pulsating crimson, as if the horizon itself were an open wound bleeding out. A violent wind howled, carrying a chilling aura, and black clouds began to swirl into a massive vortex in the center of the sky.
"Lady Arina..." Yula whispered, her voice tiny and trembling with fear. "The Celestial Fate... she is enraged."
I reached into the pocket of my tunic. The paper with the code 4|_!|=4#0√√|÷π suddenly felt hot, emitting a pulse that beat in perfect rhythm with the red sky above.
Celestial Fate? Arina?
I stared at the bleeding sky, and for the first time since I woke up, I felt a powerful pull. It was as if the fury in the heavens was something I already knew all too well.