A field of blossoms stretched endlessly beneath a sky flooded with warm sunlight. Birds of every color glided gently above the petals, and peaceful herbivores grazed lazily in the distance. The air smelled sweet. Pure. Untouched.
At the center of this serene paradise stood a massive ancient tree.
Beneath its shade sat a man — naked, pale-skinned, with long white hair that shimmered like snow under the sun.
Soft footsteps approached.
A woman entered the flower-filled chamber and immediately knelt, bowing her head.
"Your Majesty… we have visitors. You are needed outside."
The white-haired man slowly rose to his feet. Sunlight caught his face — sharp features, ocean-blue eyes, white lashes, white brows. He walked toward her with calm, steady steps.
"I told you," he said, voice gentle yet firm, "never kneel to me. I am not a god. I am just a person, the same as you."
He walked past her.
The woman, Vyentia, hesitated.
"Your Majesty, wait—"
The man stopped and looked back at her. His expression softened slightly.
"What is it, Vyentia?"
She stood quickly. "You're… not even going to ask why you are needed?"
"I don't need to ask," he replied. "You already told me I am required there. That alone means I must go."
He tilted his head. "Do you have something else to say?"
Vyentia shook her head. "No, Your Majesty."
The white-haired man continued walking, leaving the Room of Eden, and Vyentia followed close behind.
The Volunteers' Holding Grounds
The scene shifted.
Hundreds of volunteers stood in a vast area surrounded by towering walls of black metal. Harsh lights reflected off the smooth, unfamiliar surface. Each volunteer had a numbered tag stuck to their back — the remaining 178 survivors.
Captain Rion Cade stepped forward, face stern, as he confronted Hazelsun.
"When will you start answering our questions?" Rion demanded. "We followed every order you gave. It's time you show us something in return."
Hazelsun let out a long breath, irritation flickering across his face.
"I can't answer your questions," he said flatly. "I have duties. I follow what is assigned to me. Only our leader has the authority to give you the answers you want."
Rion scoffed. "So that's all you are? A dog following orders? Then what's the point of bringing us here if we can't even meet your leader?"
Hazelsun's jaw tightened. He forced his tone to stay even.
"I told you already — your questions will be answered. So calm down. Our leader is already on his way."
Cafeteria
At a metal table inside a cafeteria made entirely of black steel — from walls to floors, tables to chairs — Kadia and Kassandra sat together eating.
"Is this food even safe?" Kassandra whispered, poking at her plate.
Kadia calmly chewed. "Probably," she replied, unbothered.
"You're really eating it? Seriously?" Kassandra blinked, then took a small bite.
Her eyes widened.
…It's good.
She glanced at Kadia again. How can this girl eat with zero emotion?
Kitchen
Inside the kitchen — the only place that looked normal, without black metal everywhere — Mendoza worked over a stove, cooking rapidly. Martha assisted him, handing over ingredients with practiced speed.
At the service counter, Blue and Clint were distributing food.
Klamb approached with a tray. He eyed Clint, noting his youthful appearance.
He looks like he's only sixteen…
"Hey," Klamb whispered. "How did you all end up here? Do you still have parents?"
Clint didn't even look at him.
"I have no reason to answer that. Just take your food and leave."
Klamb felt his face heat with embarrassment.
Blue suddenly spoke. "We were chosen as troops of the Aether Riders. That's why—"
WHACK.
Clint smacked Blue on the head and yanked him down by the collar.
"Didn't they tell us? No communication unless necessary.
Did you forget, Blue?"
Blue trembled. "Y-yes, Captain…"
Clint stood up straight, glaring at Klamb.
"What are you waiting for? Leave. You already have your food."
Klamb muttered under his breath, "Aether Riders, huh…"
His right hand throbbed painfully, instinctively clenching.
"My arm still hurts every time I hear that name…"
He walked away.
Clint watched him, eyes narrowing.
There's something… off about that guy.
Nightfall
Klamb lay in his dorm room, trapped in a violent nightmare.
He was fighting Aether Raiders — blood, shouting, clashing steel.
A figure approached him: shirtless, with an Aether Raiders tattoo burned into his left chest. A katana gleamed in his hand.
The blade raised —
it slashed —
Klamb jolted awake, drenched in sweat.
His roommate snored loudly above him on the top bunk.
Klamb stumbled to the bathroom, rubbing his face.
"No mirror? Just more black metal," he muttered. "What is this thing even made of…"
He splashed his face with water.
When he lifted his head, a mirror suddenly appeared on the wall.
Klamb froze.
Reflected back at him was his naked upper body—
and revealed in full was the truth he kept hidden:
His right arm and right chest were entirely robotic, metal fused to flesh.
Two long surgical scars ran diagonally like a double arrow ( > ) from his right shoulder down to his right waist.
His breathing hitched.
His reflection stared back.
Broken. Altered. Weaponized.
The scene shifted to Mindoro, speaking through his radio while watching the restless creatures pacing around him.
"Vyentia, when will the Commander arrive?" he asked. "These beings look like they're getting impatient."
A strained voice crackled through the device.
> "Three more days… maybe."
"Three days?" Mindoro snapped. "Can't you move any faster?"
The story cut to Vyentia, surrounded by darkness so deep that only the stars above kept him company. He sat beside a small campfire, its light flickering weakly against the vast night.
Not far away, hidden in the shadowed forest, a white-haired man moved silently between the trees.
A sudden blur of movement—
A massive black creature lunged out of the darkness, shaped like a wolf but impossibly huge. Its fangs were as long as a grown man's height. Despite its size, it made no sound—not even the rustle of leaves. In the night, it was almost invisible.
In the instant before the beast's claws could tear into him—
the white-haired man vanished like smoke.
An eerie stillness followed.
Then—
He appeared above the giant beast, poised to crush its spine. But just as his foot touched down, a shimmering force repelled him, cracking the air like splintered glass.
The wolf monster's body split open—
A violent burst of flesh and bone.
Blood sprayed across the nearby trees, and the beast's black core crumbled into drifting dust.
Yet not a single stain marked the white-haired man. He stood clean, untouched, stepping off the collapsing corpse as though it were nothing.
As he continued walking, more corpses came into sight—countless dead monsters scattered through the forest.
Back at the camp, Vyentia resumed speaking into his earpiece.
"We can't speed up," he said tiredly. "Ever since the majesty left with us, every forest we pass—and every monster near us—he wipes them all out. Forcing our travel to go faster is… impossible."
And he suddenly ended the call with a tap.
On the other end, Mindoro smiled faintly.
"What a Rude Girl" But still it's make sense.
"The stronger are the only ones who get to decide anything in this world," he murmured. "In a world where the weak will never survive."
The scene shifted again.
Klamb, inside the bathroom, struggled desperately with himself. His breathing was ragged. His reflection wavered. Images and voices poured into his mind—things he couldn't understand, things he couldn't escape.
And at the side of his head…
Something thin.
Something long.
Something alive.
A parasite writhed beneath his skin, crawling silently inside his skull.