Chapter 2: New Start

I'd been walking for hours, through an unfamiliar forest that grew darker with every step. Trees loomed like giants, twisted and wrong, their branches clawing at the sky. The silence was deafening—no animals, no wind. Just... nothing.

"Where the hell am I?" I whispered, though no one was there to hear me.

Finally, a faint shape caught my eye ahead—a group of people standing around a massive, tree-like structure. Relief surged through me. I wasn't alone.

I called out.

Once.

Twice.

No response.

My voice echoed back at me, swallowed by the shadows. A chill crawled down my spine. Something was off.

I stepped closer, cautiously.

And then I saw it.

"No… no, no, no… what the hell is this?!"

That tree—it was smiling.

A grotesque, unnatural grin twisted into the bark like a scar. And those people I thought I saw?

Corpses.

Dozens of them, hanging midair, suspended by long, whip-like branches. Their eyes were hollow. Black. Lifeless.

Fear gripped me like a vice. My legs moved before I could think, sprinting away from the nightmare.

But the deeper I ran, the darker it got. The forest swallowed me whole. And yet—I felt it.

Something was chasing me.

Something wasn't just watching.

It was hunting.

Then—a flicker.

A faint, warm light in the distance.

Hope.

I bolted toward it, heart pounding—

CRACK!

A whip lashed out from the dark, wrapping around my ankle. I hit the ground hard, dirt scraping my palms as I was dragged back.

"No—NO! I don't want to die!"

RUSTLE!

A figure burst out of the bushes like a shadow.

A dagger gleamed in the air.

SHHINK!

The whip snapped in half, and I was free.

Before I could even register what happened, someone grabbed me. A girl.

She moved fast—inhumanly fast—carrying me like I weighed nothing.

The creature let out a distorted scream behind us, but its whips missed us by inches.

We were safe

I slowly opened my eyes. The first thing I noticed—my school uniform was gone. Instead, I was dressed in casual clothes, the fabric unfamiliar and rough. My body ached like I'd been hit by a truck.

A soft snore caught my attention. A boy with spiky yellow hair was slouched in a nearby chair, arms crossed, sleeping soundly.

Then she walked in.

The girl who saved my life.

Her face was calm, unreadable—but my heart skipped a beat as memories rushed back in a flood. That forest. That monster. Her dagger.

"I... I thought I was done for," I murmured. "But you—you saved me. Thank you."

The boy stirred, rubbing his eyes as he blinked at me. He looked just as confused as I was.

They exchanged glances.

They didn't understand a word I said.

I bowed deeply, hoping the gesture made sense. At least that got a reaction.

I tried to ask where I was, what that monster was, but language was a wall I couldn't climb. So I gestured.

Apparently, I looked ridiculous. The boy—Rayan, I would later learn—burst out laughing.

"Shut up, Rayan," the girl muttered.

"I'm sorry! But come on—look at him! He's like a lost puppy."

He gave me a thumbs-up. I had no idea what that meant.

Rayan was curious, though. I could see it in his eyes. Who was I? Where did I come from?

One year later.

I had learned their language.

I had learned about this world.

And I still couldn't believe it.

"An entire year... a whole year has passed since I came to this world."

Sara walked in and raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? Talking to yourself again?"

I shook my head quickly. "Rayan already left for his classes."

"Then let's get ready," she said.

We were students at Knights Academy—a place where students trained in both Physical Science and Knight Combat. But fewer and fewer students chose the knight path these days.

Despite the respect, despite the pay—it was dangerous.

The Hollow Beasts were the reason.

Sara was a year ahead, a natural talent in combat. Rayan had gone into medical science.

In my knight class, there were only six of us. Two girls. Four boys—including me.

Still, we were close. Like a family.

As we walked into class, one of the girls, Mary, smirked.

"Oh? Are you two dating?"

The other boys gasped.

"You betrayed us, Ito! We swore an oath—single forever!"

I sighed. "We just happened to walk in together. That's it."

The teasing died down when the instructor arrived.

But a strange feeling lingered. Something in their words pulled at the part of me I tried to bury.

Old memories.

Memories I wanted to forget.

Sparring class.

"I know this is going to hurt… but I refuse to lose."

My opponent was Zayden—he came from an assassin family. His movements were sharp, precise.

I swung. He dodged.

I kicked. He countered.

In a blink, his blade was at my throat.

I lost.

I was frustrated, but I knew why. I had no combat experience before this world.

But I was learning.

"You did well," Zayden said as he sheathed his blade. "Keep it up. You might even surpass me someday."

Meanwhile, Sara was unstoppable.

Five opponents.

Five wins.

Even the teacher looked shocked.

Then came the announcement.

"Tomorrow, you'll join Squad Three to observe a real battle against Hollow Beasts. Use this to gain experience."

The others were excited.

But me?

My heart pounded.

That thing… it could be out there.

I clenched my fists. I couldn't run forever.

Sara noticed. "Want me to ask for an excuse?"

I shook my head. "No. I'm okay now."

The Next Day – 9:00 AM

Two armored trucks carried us toward the battlefield. Students chatted, laughed, even sang.

By 5:00 PM, we were 12 kilometers from the Dark Zone—the place where Hollow Beasts lurked.

The third squad's Vice-Captain, Hyman Shalter, stood with twenty elite soldiers.

The Beasts had wandered outside the zone. Weaker. Easier to handle.

Soldiers wiped them out with ease.

But that wasn't the real battle.

It was the calm before the storm.

A scout ran in, panicked.

"Sir! The Dark Zone—it's growing! Three times larger!"

We were inside it now.

Then—

BOOM!

An explosion shook the ground. Black smoke erupted. Whips slashed from the dark.

Ten soldiers fell.

No—rose again.

Puppets.

The tree monster was back.

The soldiers fought, but cutting down puppets didn't stop them. They kept rising.

Vice-Captain Hyman gritted his teeth. "Those aren't your comrades anymore! Stand strong!"

But we were overwhelmed.

Hyman charged the Hollow Tree himself. Cut four of its nine whips.

Almost there—

CRACK!

The last whips shattered his sword, grabbing his throat.

He struggled in the air.

BANG!

A bullet hit the whip. Zayden appeared, blade flashing.

"Vice-Captain! Are you okay?"

Sara spotted the missing students—entangled in the tree's roots.

She ran to save them.

The tree let out a scream—unnatural, horrifying.

And then—

The Hollow Beasts came.

Dozens.

No—hundreds.

Surrounding us.

Vice-Captain Hyman's eyes widened.

"Retreat! RUN—NOW!"

Sara fired at a beast. It barely flinched.

We were too deep.

The tree's whips regenerated.

A soldier fell, gasping. "C-Captain... please... help..."

He took a step forward—

And in a calm, unwavering voice, he said:

"You can rest now... I'm here."