Chapter 1 : After a long dream
Episode 3 : Ecosystem
"Drip... Drip... Drip..."
The sound of dripping water echoed resonantly throughout the cavern. The rhythm was strangely calming, despite the fact that less than ten minutes ago, Arm had been run over by a truck and died. He was instantly snapped out of the deceptive tranquility as his consciousness returned fully.
He pushed himself up—and in the blink of an eye—
"Agh!"
Pain assaulted him, his body collapsing violently. His head slammed against the hard stone floor, and warm blood seeped through his hairline. The internal pain, as if his entire set of organs was being twisted and crushed, choked his breath. He quickly tore a piece of his shirt to staunch the bleeding on his head, pressing down even though his hands were shaking.
'Wait... shouldn't I be dead? Or is this hell?'
Despite the thought, he forced himself to stand again—no matter the agony. Every movement felt like multiple bones grinding inside his young body.
"AAGH!!"
The scream escaped him. Tears flowed not out of weakness, but because his body shouldn't have been able to withstand this level of torment in the first place. But as he finally struggled to his feet, the sight before him captivated his mind, making him momentarily forget the pain.
Above his head—
The cavern ceiling was vast, like a massive sky filled with a million glowing blue stars. They sparkled as if he were floating in the cosmos. Light from countless colossal crystals reflected across the great hall, illuminating a world that shouldn't exist.
But one light was more prominent than the rest. It was gentle, strangely warm, and so captivating that he felt his feet moving on their own, without waiting for a command from his brain. He followed it as if he were hypnotized.
Every step was filled with pain, like stepping on poisoned thorns.
Yet... he couldn't stop.
Along the way, crystals of varying sizes emitted a purple-blue luminescence across the cave walls. Every chunk looked more "alive" than ordinary stone. However, there was no other living creature, not even a shadow. The silence blanketing the cave made his own labored breathing too loud.
Finally, he reached the source of the soft light—a blue pool that shone as if a moon were hidden beneath its surface. The water was unnaturally still, and it felt warm, almost as if... welcoming him home.
He stared blankly at it.
His mind and consciousness were sucked away, adrift like a stone carried aimlessly by a river's current.
"HOARGH!"
A roaring sound echoed, causing Arm's heart to plummet. He quickly looked down—and the sight made the blood in his veins run cold.
A monstrous creature—a bizarre hybrid of a fish, a rat, and a tiger—was confronting something far larger and more terrifying:
A Giant Two-Headed Bird. Covered in black plumage as dark as the abyss of hell, its wings were the size of temple doors. Two pairs of crimson eyes fixed on its prey, like two pairs of Death staring down.
In a split second, Arm understood the nature of this world:
[The Strong are the ones who dictate destiny.]
The two-headed bird swooped down rapidly, its powerful talons splashing the water into mist. The strange fish dodged narrowly before firing a powerful burst of water from its mouth. The projectile missed the target but struck the cave wall, leaving a massive crack.
The two-headed bird wasted no time. It flew dozens of meters high. The eyes of the second head glowed crimson red. A vivid red magic circle appeared around the fish—and suddenly, the surrounding water vanished, as if it had never existed.
The strange fish lost its cover.
And was instantly snatched.
It struggled desperately. Water coalesced in its mouth, forming a sphere, hoping to drag the enemy down with it. But before it could fire, the giant bird used its supernatural speed to slam the fish violently into the wall. A sickening "Thud!" echoed through the cavern.
The fish's body twisted; its head was grotesquely deformed.
Yet, its eyes still rolled, watching its own flesh being torn and eaten while it was still alive. Blood splattered everywhere, and a metallic stench filled the air. The giant bird devoured its prey ravenously before disdainfully tossing the remains to the ground.
Then—
"Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!"
The second head began to retch, making a strange sound as if it was about to vomit something.
Arm's instincts screamed a warning.
Run—
Even though his legs were practically crippled by pain, he dragged his body and ran behind a massive rock with the utmost speed of his life.
As he collapsed behind the rock,
gasping, he prayed to every deity he had ever heard of.
A low growling sound started.
Then...
It found him.
The two heads slowly leaned in, their yellow eyes staring at him like a fresh meal. Their blood-stained white beaks slowly moved, as if they were smiling.
Fear overwhelmed him, bringing forth fresh tears.
This was the true face of death.
But instead of tearing him apart right there, the creature grabbed him with its talons—swung him high, and released him from a cliff hundreds of meters up.
The wind hit his ears; his vision blurred.
The world spun violently.
He squeezed his eyes shut,
accepting his fate for the second time.
But the closer he got to the strange pool, the more the relentless pain in his body faded inexplicably, as if the water itself was embracing him in his final moments.
SPLASH!
The atmosphere beneath the water was completely dark, unlike the surface. He looked down and couldn't see the bottom; it was as if the world below was swallowed by the void. Suddenly, hundreds of blue lights flared up, resembling eyes passing judgment on his every breath.
A blinding white magic circle appeared around Arm. All the water within that boundary rapidly dissolved, as if ripped from one dimension to another. The surrounding water could not flow in, leaving a lone man 'standing on air' amidst the void above the dark, bottomless pool.
Before he could regain his senses, a multitude of voices boomed—not from his surroundings, but resonating within his own mind.
"Welcome back."
"Lost soul."
"Must be helped."
"Pathetic."
Each word was like a nail hammered into his consciousness. Arm stumbled, collapsing onto the non-existent ground. He clutched his head tightly, his nails digging into his scalp, tears streaming down without realizing it.
"Who are you people!?"
He didn't know when he had shouted, but the only response was a moment of silence. Then, the voices returned, deeper, clearer, and colder than before.
"Your family."
"The remnants of a great power."
"Become one."
The words, as if reading his mind, made his breath catch. But he forced himself to ask again, keeping the tremor out of his voice.
"Then what do you want from me?"
"Unite."
"The past."
"The future."
"The present."
"To achieve."
"Our goal."
Before Arm could ask further questions, the blue, eye-like lights surged into his body in a fraction of a second. The force slammed him onto the intangible ground. His head grew heavy, too difficult to lift. His eyelids began to close slowly; he could not fight it any longer.
In the final second before his consciousness faded, one voice—the clearest, most distinct one—rang out.
"Finally... we are one."
And Arm was completely swallowed by slumber.