The distant scream, sharp and desperate, tore through Do-hyun's composure.
It wasn't just a sound.
It hit him—like something physical, vibrating deep inside his chest.
His heart slammed wildly against his ribs.
This wasn't a dream.
Dreams didn't leave a bitter, metallic taste in his mouth.They didn't make the sky feel so suffocatingly real.
"…What was that?"
His voice came out thin, almost childlike, swallowed by the vast silence.
The air pressed in around him.
Heavy.
Unnatural.
And beneath his feet—
The ground trembled again.
Stronger this time.
Closer.
Far across the endless field, something began to take shape.
A dark smudge.
Slowly sharpening into form.
A shattered structure.
It rose crookedly from the land like a broken tooth, jagged and unnatural. Thick black smoke curled upward from its peak, staining the violet sky.
A mark of destruction.
Do-hyun should have turned away.
Every instinct told him to.
But something else—
Something quieter, deeper—
Pushed him forward.
He walked.
Slow.
Stiff.
Each step heavier than the last.
The ground changed beneath him.
Soft earth gave way to jagged stone.
Debris scattered across the land—twisted fragments of metal, warped beyond recognition, still faintly warm as he passed them.
The air smelled wrong.
Sharp.
Metallic.
Like blood mixed with something burned.
He reached the edge of it.
A massive crater carved into the earth.
Broken remnants of structures lay scattered around it, as if something had torn through them without effort.
The heat lingered here.
Thick.
Oppressive.
Then—
A sound.
A low, pained moan.
Do-hyun froze.
"…Hello?"
His voice cracked slightly as he called out.
For a moment—
Nothing.
Then—
A weak cough.
"W-who's there…? You… you fool… don't just stand there…"
Do-hyun's eyes snapped toward the voice.
Beneath a collapsed stone arch, a figure lay crumpled.
A man.
Clothed in unfamiliar, tattered fabric.
Blood soaked through his side.
Do-hyun moved quickly, carefully stepping over the debris.
"Are you alright?"
The question felt stupid the moment it left his mouth.
The man let out a strained, wet laugh.
"Alright…? Hah… do I look alright…?"
He coughed violently, his body trembling.
"My guts… are trying to spill out onto the ground…"
Do-hyun hesitated.
"…What happened here?"
The man's expression twisted.
"The Scourge…" he rasped. "What else could it be…?"
His breathing was uneven, shallow.
"They come without warning… tear everything apart… and leave nothing behind…"
A faint, humorless chuckle escaped him.
"…Foolish… staying behind…"
Do-hyun looked around again.
At the destruction.
At the impossible scene.
"…This isn't real… right?"
The man's eyes widened slightly.
"You're not from here…"
A pause.
"…A Lost One…"
Do-hyun frowned.
"A what—"
"Shhhk…"
The man stiffened.
"…Do you hear that?"
Do-hyun went silent.
At first—
Nothing.
Then—
A sound.
Low.
Deep.
Thump.
The ground vibrated.
Thump.
Closer.
Do-hyun's stomach tightened.
"…What is that?"
The man's expression turned pale.
"It came back…"
His voice dropped to a whisper.
"…Run…"
A sudden, piercing shriek tore through the air.
The man's body went limp.
Silence.
Do-hyun stood frozen.
The sound of footsteps—
Heavy.
Measured.
Right behind him.
The air turned cold.
Sharp.
Like invisible needles against his skin.
Slowly—
He turned.
And saw it.
A towering figure stood before him.
At least ten feet tall.
A grotesque fusion of organic and mechanical.
Its body resembled a monstrous insect—like a praying mantis—but its limbs gleamed with metallic precision, edged like blades.
Viscous, glowing fluid dripped from its joints.
Its head—
Smooth.
Featureless.
A dome of dark surface pulsing faintly with violet light.
"…No way…"
The creature tilted its head.
A grinding sound echoed from within it.
It hadn't noticed him.
Not yet.
Instead, it reached down.
Its bladed limb pierced through the dead man's body with horrifying ease.
Crunch.
The corpse lifted into the air.
Limp.
Weightless.
Do-hyun stepped back—
Clang.
The sound rang out sharply beneath his foot.
The creature froze.
The violet glow shifted.
Crimson.
It turned.
Slowly.
Directly toward him.
A chittering hiss filled the air.
Do-hyun's breath stopped.
"…Oh… hell…"
The creature shrieked.
A high, distorted sound that made his vision blur.
He ran.
No thought.
No hesitation.
His body moved before his mind could catch up, scrambling over debris, slipping against broken stone.
Behind him—
Metal scraped violently against the ground.
Fast.
Too fast.
A bladed limb slammed down where he had just been.
CRACK.
Stone exploded.
Do-hyun stumbled, barely catching himself.
His lungs burned.
His heart pounded uncontrollably.
"Why—!"
His voice broke.
"Why me?!"
He dove behind a large fragment of broken stone.
Pressing himself against it, shaking, breath uneven.
The sounds didn't stop.
The creature moved slowly now.
Circling.
Hunting.
A low mechanical hum filled the air.
Constant.
Unnerving.
"…Is it gone?"
Silence.
Then—
Tap.
A thin, metallic sound.
Right above him.
Tap.
Do-hyun's body went rigid.
Tap.
His eyes lifted slowly.
A long, blade-like limb rested against the edge of the stone.
"…No…"
His voice barely existed.
"It's not gone…"
A shadow swallowed him whole.
The creature leaned over the barrier.
Its crimson glow pulsing steadily.
Watching.
Waiting.