My stomach twisted.
"A canvas?"
She nodded.
"Our world was painted into existence centuries ago. Every mountain, every river… every breath of wind."
I turned slowly, staring at the glowing landscape.
It was beautiful.
Too beautiful.
Like a dream that didn't feel safe.
"But…" I whispered, "how did I come here?"
The boy's expression darkened.
"That's what scares us."
My brows furrowed. "Scares you?"
He took a step closer.
"Because the last time someone from the real world entered Artellia…"
He paused, as if the words hurt.
"…the Creator vanished."
A chill ran down my spine.
"The Creator?"
The lavender girl's eyes shimmered with unshed tears.
"The one who painted us. The one who gave us color."
She lifted her hand, pointing toward the sky.
Only then did I notice it.
At the edge of the golden heavens…
There were cracks.
Thin, jagged fractures spreading like broken glass.
And through those cracks…
Something dark moved.
Like ink bleeding through paper.
My breath stopped.
"What… is that?"
The boy's voice dropped to a whisper.
"The Erasers."
I stared at him. "The what?"
He clenched his fists.
"Creatures born from emptiness. They don't kill…"
His jaw tightened.
"They erase."
As if the word itself summoned something, the wind suddenly changed.
The air grew colder.
The glowing river beside me flickered.
And then—
A scream pierced the distance.
All of them turned at once.
"North village," someone gasped.
The lavender girl's face went pale.
"They've reached North village…"
My heart slammed against my ribs.
"I don't understand—"
The boy grabbed my wrist suddenly.
"Then you will."
His grip was urgent, almost desperate.
"You came here for a reason. Whether you remember it or not…"
He looked straight into my eyes.
"…you are tied to this world."
Before I could speak, the ground beneath us trembled.
The river's silver glow dulled.
And far away, beyond the watercolor trees…
A wave of darkness crawled forward.
Like a giant hand smearing