Chapter 33 - A Mysterious Place

"Come to me…"

The whisper echoed faintly once more — no louder than before, but clear enough to guide.

Sid narrowed his eyes, slowly turning toward the west. There was nothing visibly different about that direction… yet he felt it. A pull. Faint, persistent.

He took a breath, summoning his focus, and began to walk.

The voice did not speak again — not with new words. Only that same haunting call, repeated softly, echoing in intervals.

"Come to me…"

Hours passed. The terrain grew denser. Trees thickened and the air felt heavier. His steps, cautious but steady, carried him through thickets and over shallow ridges as he followed the faint call. It felt as though the world itself resisted his approach, stretching time and distance. Yet Sid kept moving.

Eventually, as dawn neared its close, the land shifted again. The forest gave way to jagged cliffs and steep rises. Towering above him loomed a massive mountain, its peaks lost in a veil of mist. And at its base — tucked behind layers of bramble and shaded by massive trees — he saw it.

A cave.

Dark. Small. Silent.

It was concealed so well that, if not for the whisper's guidance, he might have walked past it a hundred times without notice.

Sid's eyes immediately narrowed as he stepped closer.

Bones.

Scattered across the ground near the entrance were remains of several beings — some clearly human, others beast-like. The skeletal forms varied in sizes. But among the remains, a few stood out.

Elongated limbs…

Curved, hollow horns…

Ribs reinforced with inhuman density…

And wing bones.

Demons.

Sid crouched, inspecting one of the remains. The skeletal structure was unfamiliar, but it shared a terrifying similarity to the demons he had read about in records — beings born from a corrupted lineage, feared across multiple realms.

His brows furrowed.

"…How?"

He was told for a fact that no one — almost no one — knew this world existed. Yet, these bones… These numbers… It didn't make sense.

More than confusion, he felt something else.

Dread.

The silence that surrounded the cave was not the peaceful kind. It was a hush born from death. From a lingering warning.

Something inside had killed all these people — and it hadn't just been one kind of creature. Humans, beasts… demons.

Everything.

What the hell is this place?

He stood still for a while, debating whether to go in.

Then the voice returned.

This time, clearer. Closer.

"Come inside."

Sid's jaw clenched.

He raised his voice. "Who are you?"

Yet, no response.

He tried again, louder this time. "Show yourself! What do you want?!"

Total silence.

The voice didn't answer questions. It only beckoned.

Still… something inside him stirred. Curiosity? Instinct? Or something deeper?

He exhaled sharply and began circulating his energy. His body lit up faintly with dark currents as he summoned his strength. A dense protective layer of power enveloped his skin. If a battle waited ahead — he'd be ready.

He extended his spiritual sense toward the cave… but it stopped. Abruptly.

Like a blade hitting an impenetrable wall.

He scowled. Even my spiritual sense can't get through… That only deepened the mystery — and the danger.

Feeling danger but deeply intrigued, Sid vigilantly stepped forward and entered the cave.

Darkness swallowed him.

But only for a moment.

The next second, the world shifted. The cave vanished — and with it, the mountain, the bones, the forest.

He now stood atop a small hill beneath an overcast sky.

A whole new world.

He spun on instinct, preparing to jump back — but the path was gone. The entrance had disappeared without a trace.

"Shit!" he cursed, his hand already glowing with dark energy. His senses screamed caution. His body tightened. Something's off.

He scanned his surroundings quickly.

The hill he stood on was modest, covered with lush green grass swaying in a gentle breeze. Around its base stretched a vast, dense forest with deep shadows and unidentifiable rustling in the leaves.

To the north, near the foot of the hill, a gentle waterfall spilled over rocks, crystal-clear and shimmering. Its waters fed into a narrow stream that disappeared into the trees.

Beside the falls stood a hut.

A small, wooden thing — aged, simple, unguarded.

Yet… majestic.

There was no reason for it to look that way. Its structure was plain. But somehow, it emanated a strange sense of reverence — like an ancient home not built, but born with the land itself.

Sid's breath slowed. He didn't know why, but he felt… drawn to it.

He took a step forward.

And then another.

The voice did not call again — but the pull had not faded.