Ito had been walking for hours.
The forest around him felt foreign—its towering trees twisted and gnarled, like they had grown in pain. Branches clawed at the sky like skeletal hands, and the silence…It wasn't natural.
No wind.No animals.No life.
Only the weight of emptiness pressing down on his chest.
"Where… am I?"
His voice didn't echo. The air swallowed every sound.
Then—movement.
Up ahead, a vague group of figures stood around a massive, tree-like structure. A flicker of hope lit in his chest.
He wasn't alone.
"I'm here!" he shouted.
No one turned.
He called again.Still nothing.
He stepped closer.
The shadows clung tighter to him. The shapes grew clearer.
And his breath caught.
They weren't people.
They were bodies.
Dozens of corpses hung midair, suspended by whip-like branches. Hollow eyes stared through him, unblinking and black.
And the tree—It was smiling.
A wide, grotesque grin carved into its bark, warped like a scar.
No... no, no, no… what is this place?
Terror exploded in his chest.
He turned and ran.
The deeper he went, the darker the forest became. Each step pounded with panic. Something unseen was behind him. Not just watching—Hunting.
A faint glow broke through the trees.
Warm. Human.
He sprinted toward it.
CRACK!
A whip lashed from the darkness and wrapped around his ankle.
He crashed to the ground, dragged through dirt and roots.
"No—NO! I don't want to die!"
RUSTLE!
A shadow burst from the bushes.
A blade shimmered.
SHHINK!
The whip snapped clean through, and Ito was released.
Before he could even breathe, someone lifted him off the ground.
A girl.
She moved with inhuman speed, her steps light, controlled. She dodged the whips that snapped behind them, carrying him as if he weighed nothing.
A distorted scream echoed through the trees.
But they made it out.
When Ito opened his eyes again, he was lying in a room he didn't recognize. His uniform was gone, replaced by rough, unfamiliar clothing.
Everything ached.
From across the room came a snore.
A boy with spiky yellow hair was slouched in a chair, arms crossed, sleeping soundly.
Then she walked in.
The girl who had saved him.
Her expression was unreadable.
But Ito remembered everything—The forest.The monster.Her blade.
"You saved me…" he muttered, voice still hoarse. "I thought I was going to die…"
The boy stirred, blinking at him like he didn't understand a word.
They exchanged glances.
It was clear.
They didn't know his language.
Ito bowed deeply, hoping the gesture would make sense. The girl blinked, surprised. At least that worked.
He tried using his hands, mimicking vines, whips, and screaming trees.
The boy—Rayan, as he would later learn—burst out laughing.
"Shut up, Rayan," the girl said flatly.
"Sorry! But come on—look at him. Like a lost puppy!"
Rayan gave him a thumbs-up.
Ito blinked, unsure of what that meant.
But curiosity filled Rayan's eyes.
Who is this guy?Where did he come from?
One year later.
Ito could speak their language now.
He had adapted. Learned about this world.
But he still couldn't believe any of it.
"A full year in this world," he muttered.
Sara entered the room with her usual sharp gaze.
"Still talking to yourself?"
"Rayan already left for classes," he replied quickly.
"Then get ready."
They were students at Knights Academy, a place that trained youth in both Physical Science and Combat Arts.
But the knight path had fallen out of favor.
Fewer and fewer chose it.
Too dangerous.Too risky.Because of the Hollow Beasts.
Sara, a year ahead of him, was a natural on the battlefield.
Rayan had chosen medical studies.
In Ito's knight class, there were only six students left—two girls and four boys.
They were few. But they were close.
As they entered class, Mary raised an eyebrow with a smirk.
"Oh? Are you two dating now?"
Gasps from the others.
"You betrayed us, Ito! We made a vow—single forever!"
He sighed.
"We just walked in together. That's it."
The teasing died down when the instructor entered.
But a strange feeling lingered.
The kind of feeling that tugged at the corners of long-buried memories.
Sparring class.
Ito faced Zayden—a quiet boy from a family of assassins. His movements were sharp, unreadable.
Ito swung.Zayden dodged.
He kicked.Zayden countered.
In a blur, cold steel touched Ito's throat.
He lost.
Again.
But this time—he was better.
Zayden offered a hand.
"You're improving. Keep going. You might even beat me someday."
Sara didn't need encouragement.
She defeated all five of her opponents—without breaking a sweat.
Even the instructor looked stunned.
Then the announcement came.
"Tomorrow, all of you will join Squad Three to observe a real battle against Hollow Beasts. This will be your first exposure. Watch carefully. Learn from it."
The room buzzed with excitement.
Except Ito.
His fists tightened.
That thing... it could still be out there.
Sara noticed the fear in his eyes.
"Want me to get you out of it?"
He shook his head.
"No. I'll be fine."
The next day, 9 a.m.
Two armored trucks carried the students toward the battlefield.
By 5 p.m., they reached twelve kilometers from the Dark Zone.
There, Vice-Captain Hyman Shalter stood with twenty seasoned soldiers.
Weak Hollow Beasts had wandered outside the zone. They were swiftly taken down.
But the real threat loomed deeper.
A scout stumbled in, out of breath.
"Sir! The Dark Zone—it's expanding! Triple the size!"
Then—
BOOM!
An explosion rocked the ground.
Smoke.
Screams.
Whips lashed from the darkness.Ten soldiers dropped—then rose again.
Unmoving.Soulless.
Puppets.
"Those aren't your comrades anymore!" Hyman shouted."Don't hesitate!"
But they were overwhelmed.
The vice-captain himself charged the Hollow Tree.
He cut four whips—Only five remained.
CRACK!
His sword shattered.
A whip wrapped around his throat, lifting him into the air.
He's going to die!
BANG!
A shot rang out.
Zayden appeared, slicing the whip midair.
"Vice-Captain! Are you alright!?"
Sara sprinted toward the roots—several students were trapped inside.
The tree screamed, loud and otherworldly.
And then—
The Hollow Beasts arrived.
Not dozens.Hundreds.
Surrounding them from all sides.
"RETREAT! FALL BACK!" Hyman roared.
Sara fired. The beast she hit barely reacted.
They were too far in.Too deep.
A soldier collapsed, gasping.
"C-Captain... please... help…"
Hyman stepped forward.
His voice was steady.Unshaken.
"You can rest now.I'm here."