CHAPTER 1: Awakening

"I'll do whatever I can to win this endless war..." she said, her voice matter-of-fact yet tinged with sadness. Her back was to me as she gazed at the magnificent spectacle of the sun rising on the horizon, the wind gently blowing her long gray hair.

I couldn't see her face because of the sunlight flooding my sight, but when she turned towards me and spoke again, her words carried a quiet intensity: "And for that, I'll need you by my side..."

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I felt the cold, unyielding floor beneath me as my eyes fluttered open. The sight that greeted me was unfamiliar. I tried to stand, but my limbs, numb and weak as if they hadn't moved for days, refused to obey.

Resigned, I sat up, hoping to gain a clearer view of my surroundings. The dim light revealed a vast underground cave. Enormous roots sprawled across the ceiling, their gnarled forms glowing faintly with a mysterious red light filtering from somewhere above.

As far as I could see, the cave was empty—except for me and a yellow scarf lying nearby.

"Where in the world am I?" I muttered, my voice echoing faintly. A drop of liquid landed on my hand, startling me. At first, I thought it was water, but when I looked closer, I realized...

"Tears...?"

A dream—I had just woken from one. Yet, I couldn't remember its details. Only the emotions remained, lingering like a fading whisper.

Then, out of nowhere, a vivid image flashed through my mind: a blurry figure, a blinding light, and a searing pain in my chest. The vision vanished before I could grasp its meaning, leaving behind a deep unease. Instinctively, I touched my torso, as if expecting to feel a wound.

"What... was that?" My thoughts swirled with questions, but one stood out among them. A simple, obvious question, yet one I couldn't answer.

"Wh... who the heck am I?"

***

I sat there, lost in thought, bewildered by the fact that I had woken up in an unknown place with no memory of who I was.

The flashes—the dream I couldn't recall—gave me the unsettling feeling that I was forgetting something important. And I hated that.

My body's state did little to ease my worries. I felt sluggish, unable to stand properly. Even staying seated was a struggle, my arms trembling as they supported me.

The ground beneath me was frigid, its coldness seeping through my skin, gnawing at my bones. My muscles ached, stiff and unresponsive, as if I'd been lying there for years. The air itself felt strange—thick, metallic, with a faint bitter taste.

The cave's oppressive atmosphere didn't help. Water droplets echoed in the distance, amplifying the eerie silence that surrounded me. Shadows flickered across the walls, cast by the sinister red glow of the roots above. Every sound felt magnified, making the silence feel even more suffocating.

Then, a faint noise echoed through the cavern—footsteps? My breath hitched. The crimson light overhead flickered for an instant, causing the shadows to shift unnervingly.

My mind conjured terrifying images of a beast lurking in the darkness, watching me, waiting to pounce. If that were the case, what could I do? I barely had the strength to sit upright, let alone fight. Running wasn't an option either—my legs refused to cooperate, and I had no idea where to flee.

My heart pounded in my chest, my breaths coming in shallow gasps. Cold sweat trickled down my face as I imagined razor-sharp fangs sinking into my flesh, tearing me apart—

Plip.

A louder drop of water struck the floor, snapping me back to reality. I exhaled sharply, shaking my head.

"Now isn't the time to lose myself in fear," I muttered. If there really was a threat, panicking wouldn't help. And if there wasn't... then I was wasting my energy for nothing. Either way, worrying was pointless.

"Maybe someone will find me... someone I know?" I murmured, glancing up at the glowing roots. "I just hope they'd be here to help, not harm."

A strange emotion stirred within me as I gazed at the crimson light seeping through the cave. It wasn't fear. It wasn't even curiosity. It was... something softer. Something more like... subjugation?

Until now, I had been too preoccupied with my situation to notice it, but this red light—it felt familiar. A bizarre sensation coursed through me as I stared at it.

The glow, combined with the eerie atmosphere, should have been terrifying. Any sane adventurer would have felt their knees buckle under the sheer weight of the oppressive aura it exuded.

And yet, I wasn't afraid.

If anything, I was... captivated. It was a hypnotic radiance, whispering to me, comforting me with an inexplicable warmth. It told me I had nothing to fear. That everything would be alright.

That I was close to home.

"Home?" I scoffed bitterly. "Do I even have a home?"

Despite my lingering exhaustion, I felt marginally stronger. With some effort, I forced myself to my feet. My legs wobbled but held, and I reached for the yellow scarf, wrapping it snugly around my neck.

Then—

A noise from above caught my attention.

I froze, staring up at the ceiling.

The sound continued, but nothing happened. I remained still, eyes locked onto the source of the noise, heart pounding in anticipation of what was to come.

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Elsewhere

Void's POV

"Haaa, what a magnificent sight..." I sighed, stretching my arms as I gazed at the vast expanse of the night sky. "I wish I could go back to the time when moments like these were an everyday occurrence."

Above me, a canvas of shimmering stars stretched infinitely, seemingly within reach yet impossibly far. A gentle breeze caressed my skin and hair, a rare comfort in an otherwise ceaseless existence.

But such tranquility never lasted.

A crimson light flared behind me, casting long, shifting shadows on the cliffside where I stood. The sudden glow was accompanied by a low, mechanical hum—a sound I knew all too well.

And just as suddenly as it had come, the light vanished, leaving behind a restrained but still suffocating mental pressure.

"I've just finished the job here, Young Master," a voice spoke from behind me.

"Perfect timing, Lysy." I grinned, my voice carrying a playful lilt. "But could you stop calling me 'Young Master'? What about 'Great Master Void'? Sounds cool, right? 'Young Master' is so... awkward."

Her sigh was laced with annoyance. "You know what's even more awkward? Being called 'Lysy' by someone who looks half my age."

"Come on! You liked it, didn't you?"

"I used to—when I was eight!" she huffed. "Anyway, I'll stop calling you 'Young Master' when you stop calling me Lysy."

"How rude..." I pouted before summoning a plain white mask, letting it hover above my palm. As I pressed it to my face, my tone grew serious. "The 'star' has awakened."

Lysy frowned. "'The star'?"

"Yes." My voice carried an air of anticipation. "And this time, I want to meet him first."

After a moment of silence, she finally asked, "What the heck do you mean by 'him'?"

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Back in the cave

I stood frozen, staring upward.

A beast—a flying creature—had entered through the crack in the ceiling.

And it wasn't alone.