I died once, and the world that awaited me afterward was colder than death. It wasn’t the kind of cold that bites the skin, but the kind that seeps quietly into your bones and refuses to leave. When I opened my eyes, the forest around me was completely silent. No insects buzzed in the dark. No wind moved the branches overhead. Even the leaves seemed afraid to rustle.

  Only my footsteps disturbed the stillness as I walked, my breathing uneven and panicked in the quiet night. I had no idea where I was—or how I had come here. One moment there had been pain—the violent scream of metal, the screech of tires, and the copper taste of blood filling my mouth—and the next there had been trees, darkness, and a sky I did not recognize.

  I kept walking because standing still felt too much like dying again. The cold air burned in my lungs as I moved deeper between the trees, trying to make sense of a world that felt both unfamiliar and terrifyingly real. Then I heard it.

  A low growl drifted through the forest behind me.

  My body froze before my mind understood what it meant. Slowly, I looked to the left, scanning the shadows between the trees. There was nothing there. I turned to the right. Still nothing. My heart pounded loudly in my ears, and for a moment I almost allowed myself to relax.

  Then instinct screamed at me.

  Behind you.

  I didn’t turn around. I ran.

  Branches clawed at my clothes as I pushed through the forest, and thorns scratched across my arms. My lungs burned almost immediately, as if this body had never learned how to run while terrified. “I don’t want to die,” I muttered hoarsely under my breath. The words slipped out without thought. “Not again.”

  The growl came closer.

  Something heavy moved through the underbrush with terrifying ease. It wasn’t stalking carefully. It was chasing me, as if the darkness itself belonged to the creature pursuing me.

  My foot caught on a root buried beneath damp leaves and moss, and I fell hard against the ground, the impact knocking the breath from my lungs. Before I could even push myself back up, a massive weight crashed down onto my back. Fangs tore into my flesh, and white-hot pain exploded behind my eyes. I had felt sharp metal pierce my body before, but this pain was different. This pain was alive.

  My scream tore through the silent forest.

  And something answered it.

  A thunderous boom echoed between the trees as light ripped through the darkness. The crushing weight vanished instantly. I rolled onto my side, my vision spinning, and that was when I saw her.

  A girl stood several meters away, holding a staff casually in one hand. Silver hair spilled from beneath a deep blue witch’s hat, catching the faint light like threads of moonlight. Her robes, blue and white and trimmed in gold, moved softly in the night air as if the wind itself obeyed her presence. Her eyes were calm—far too calm for someone standing in front of a monster twice her size.

  Several meters away, the creature that had attacked me struggled to stand. Smoke curled from its charred fur, but its red eyes still burned with life.

  “…Are you alright?” she asked quietly.

  Her voice held no panic, only quiet assessment.

  More growls answered her question.

  Shapes emerged from the darkness between the trees—creatures larger than wolves, with twisted limbs and matted fur. Their eyes glowed red in the night, not like animals but like something that understood hunger.

  The girl’s expression hardened slightly.

  “…Nightbound Beasts,” she said quietly.

  The name sent a chill down my spine.

  She lifted her staff again, the air around us tightening as faint light gathered at the tip.

  “Run,” she said calmly. “If you still want to live.”

  Light erupted from the tip of her staff, tearing through the darkness of the forest. For a brief moment the night itself seemed to split open.

  The first beast was thrown backward by the blast. The second howled in pain as sparks of light burned across its fur.

  The third one kept coming.

  Magic.

  Monsters.

  A world that ran on rules I didn’t understand.

  And me—

  Bleeding.

  Useless.

  I ran.

  I left her there.

  Left the girl who had just saved my life.

  Coward.

  The word followed me between the trees as I stumbled deeper into the forest. But fear ran faster than guilt.

  I didn’t look back.

  Because I was afraid that if I saw her fall, I would remember another body lying there, unmoving, with no life left inside it. Another moment where I was too weak to move, unable to protect the person right in front of me.

  The forest slowly began to thin.

  And then I saw light.

  A small house stood built into the side of a hill, warm yellow light spilling from its windows and onto the dark forest path.

  Salvation.

  I staggered toward it.

  “Stop.”

  The voice was heavy enough to freeze my body mid-step.

  An old man stood in the doorway.

  His bald head was half-covered by a worn straw hat, and deep lines marked his face like old battle scars. His dark eyes studied me carefully, without the slightest hint of kindness.

  In his hand was a short spear.

  Steady.

  Pointed directly at my heart.

  “Don’t come closer,” he said flatly.

  “P-please—” I gasped, struggling to breathe. “Something’s chasing me—wolves—”

  “Not wolves.”

  His reply came immediately, sharp and certain.

  He stepped forward slightly, his nostrils flaring as if testing the air.

  “Nightbound Beasts.”

  My stomach dropped.

  “The smell’s still on you.”

  The spear never lowered.

  “Where did you come from?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Don’t lie.”

  “I’m not.”

  The words came out desperate, because they were the truth.

  He circled slowly, his eyes falling on the wound on my back.

  “Fresh bite.”

  Silence stretched between us.

  “If I close this door,” he said calmly, “you die.”

  “Yes.”

  There was no point pretending otherwise.

  “Then why should I open it?”

  The question cut deeper than the spear.

  Why should anyone save me?

  I swallowed hard.

  “…Because I don’t want to die.”

  My voice cracked.

  “Not again.”

  His gaze sharpened.

  For a moment he said nothing. The wind moved quietly through the trees behind me, carrying with it the distant rustle of something moving somewhere in the forest. The old man’s eyes studied me in silence, weighing something I couldn’t see.

  Then he shifted his grip.

  The spear moved—but not toward my chest.

  Instead, he turned it and pushed the wooden shaft into my hand.

  “Take it.”

  I blinked in confusion as the weapon pressed against my palm. The spear felt heavier than it looked, the rough wood cold against my fingers.

  “If you survive tonight,” the old man said calmly, “I’ll let you inside.”

  My breath caught.

  “W-wait—”

  But he had already stepped backward.

  The door shut.

  THUD.

  I heard the wooden bar fall into place from the inside.

  Locked.

  For a moment I simply stared at the door, unable to process what had just happened. Then panic surged through my chest.

  “Wait!”

  I rushed forward and slammed my fists against the wood.

  “Please! Open the door!”

  My voice cracked as I pounded harder against the thick planks.

  “I’ll die out here!”

  The door didn’t move.

  “Please!”

  I struck the wood again and again, desperation clawing its way up my throat.

  “OPEN THE DOOR!”

  Only silence answered me.

  Cold.

  Unforgiving.

  Slowly, my hands dropped away from the door. My breathing shook as the truth settled in.

  He meant it.

  If I died tonight—

  he wouldn’t care.

  Then I heard it.

  A low rumble rolled through the forest behind me.

  Grrrr—

  My blood froze.

  Another growl followed, closer this time.

  Branches shifted in the darkness as heavy shapes moved between the trees. One by one, red eyes appeared in the shadows.

  One.

  Two.

  Three.

  The Nightbound Beasts had followed my scent.

  My grip tightened around the spear, the wooden shaft trembling slightly in my hand.

  Run.

  The word exploded through my mind.

  Without thinking, I turned and ran.

  The house disappeared behind me as I plunged back into the dark forest, the spear clutched tightly in my hands. Behind me the growls grew louder, the creatures crashing through the underbrush as they chased.

  Then one of them howled.

  The sound echoed through the forest.

  More answers came from deeper in the dark.

  And the hunt began again.

  —

  The forest rushed past me in a blur as I ran.

  Branches whipped against my arms and shoulders while thorns tore at my sleeves, but I barely felt them. My lungs burned with every breath, the cold air scraping against my throat as if it were made of ice.

  Behind me, the growls were getting louder.

  I risked a glance over my shoulder.

  Red eyes glimmered between the trees.

  At first there had only been three.

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  Now there were more.

  Shapes slipped through the forest with terrifying ease, their twisted limbs carrying them over fallen logs and tangled roots as if the obstacles didn’t exist. One leapt over a broken trunk, landing soundlessly before continuing the chase.

  Five.

  Another beast burst from the underbrush to my left.

  Six.

  My stomach dropped.

  “They’re multiplying…” I gasped.

  The Nightbound Beasts moved like shadows that had learned how to hunt. Their bodies were larger than wolves, their limbs too long, their movements unnaturally smooth as they wove between the trees.

  And they were getting closer.

  Too close.

  My grip tightened around the spear the old man had forced into my hands. The wooden shaft felt rough beneath my fingers, trembling slightly as I ran.

  I couldn’t outrun them forever.

  The realization came slowly, like a blade sliding between my ribs.

  Another howl tore through the night.

  This one was answered from deeper within the forest.

  More voices joined it.

  More beasts.

  My blood ran cold.

  “How many are there…?”

  The growls surrounded me now.

  From the left.

  From the right.

  From behind.

  They weren’t just chasing me anymore.

  They were closing in.

  The forest opened suddenly.

  My feet skidded to a stop.

  A cliff.

  The ground ahead simply… ended.

  The ravine stretched across the forest like a wound in the earth, its darkness swallowing the faint moonlight that reached down into it. Loose stones tumbled from the edge where my boots had stopped, disappearing into the black void below.

  Behind me—

  branches snapped.

  The Nightbound Beasts burst through the trees.

  Closer.

  Too close.

  My mind raced.

  Run left?

  Too slow.

  Run right?

  Same problem.

  Then my eyes fell to the spear in my hands.

  A thought flashed through my mind.

  Crazy.

  But possible.

  I gripped the spear tightly and sprinted toward the edge.

  “Please work…” I whispered.

  Three steps.

  Two.

  One.

  I slammed the butt of the spear into the earth and vaulted forward.

  For a moment—

  I flew.

  The ravine opened beneath me, the darkness yawning wide as the forest wind rushed past my ears. My stomach dropped as gravity pulled me down.

  Too short.

  I wasn’t going to make it.

  “No—!”

  My body stretched forward desperately as the far edge rushed toward me.

  My fingers struck stone.

  Slipped.

  Then caught.

  Pain shot through my arms as my full weight slammed against the cliffside. My feet dangled above the abyss, kicking uselessly against the rock.

  “Don’t… fall…”

  My fingers dug into the rough stone as I dragged myself upward, inch by inch, until finally I rolled onto the opposite side of the ravine.

  For several seconds I simply lay there, gasping for air.

  Then I forced myself to look back.

  The Nightbound Beasts had reached the edge.

  Several of them skidded to a halt, claws scraping against the earth.

  One leapt.

  It didn’t make it.

  Its body slammed into the far wall before vanishing into the darkness below.

  Another tried.

  Same result.

  But the rest stopped.

  They stood at the edge of the ravine, staring at me.

  Watching.

  Their eyes burned with something far more hateful than simple hunger.

  Now that I could see them clearly under the pale light filtering through the trees, the creatures looked even worse than they had in the shadows.

  They resembled wolves.

  But something about them was terribly wrong.

  Their bodies were too long, their ribs faintly visible beneath matted black fur that clung in wet, uneven clumps. In several places the fur had fallen away entirely, revealing gray skin stretched too tightly over bone.

  Their legs bent at unnatural angles, the joints twisted just enough to feel deeply unsettling. Yet despite their strange shape, every step they took was completely silent, their claws sinking into the soil without making a sound.

  Their heads were elongated, their jaws splitting wider than any natural animal’s. Strings of dark saliva dripped between needle-like teeth, sizzling faintly when they touched the grass.

  Their ears twitched constantly, rotating toward the smallest sound.

  But their eyes—

  Their eyes never blinked.

  They stared at me with a focus that felt almost intelligent.

  Not like animals.

  Like hunters.

  One of them inhaled sharply.

  Its chest expanded far too wide, the skin stretching unnaturally as if something inside it was pressing outward.

  Then a low growl rumbled from its throat.

  Not loud.

  Not aggressive.

  Just a deep, vibrating sound that did not belong to any creature that should exist in this world.

  And every single pair of red eyes remained locked on me.

  Waiting.

  —

  For several long seconds, the creatures simply stared at me from across the ravine, their red eyes fixed on my position without blinking. The silence between us felt strange, almost unnatural, as if the forest itself was holding its breath.

  Then one of them suddenly turned and ran to the right.

  Another moved in the opposite direction, slipping back between the trees with unsettling speed. A third followed, then another, until the entire pack began scattering through the forest.

  I frowned, tightening my grip around the spear.

  “What are they doing…?”

  They weren’t retreating. They weren’t abandoning the hunt.

  They were searching.

  The realization slowly settled into my mind like cold water being poured down my spine.

  They were looking for another way across.

  If they found a path around the ravine and reached this side—

  I wouldn’t stand a chance.

  My body moved before I could think any further. I turned and ran deeper into the forest, forcing my exhausted legs to keep moving even as every step sent pain through my muscles.

  The trees grew thicker the farther I went, their branches weaving together overhead and blocking out what little moonlight had been lighting the forest floor. The darkness deepened, and the air grew heavier with the damp smell of moss and soil.

  After several minutes of running, something caught my attention ahead.

  A dark opening in the rocky hillside.

  It was a cave.

  The entrance was narrow and shadowed, but the space beyond it seemed deep enough that the darkness swallowed everything inside. A faint, cool draft flowed out from within, carrying the damp scent of stone and moisture.

  For someone being hunted in the middle of a forest, it looked like the only hiding place available.

  Without hesitating, I ran toward it.

  The ground became uneven near the rocky slope, but I pushed forward anyway, slipping slightly on loose gravel before reaching the entrance. As soon as I crossed the threshold, the temperature dropped noticeably.

  The cave air was cold and humid, brushing against my skin like a damp cloth.

  I moved deeper inside until the light from the entrance dimmed behind me. The sound of my own breathing echoed softly off the stone walls, louder than I expected in the quiet darkness.

  Finally, I stopped.

  For the first time since the chase began, I allowed myself to stand still and listen.

  Outside the cave, the forest remained silent.

  —

  I remained completely still, listening.

  At first there was nothing but the faint drip of water somewhere deeper inside the cave and the slow echo of my own breathing. The darkness pressed in from every direction, thick enough that I could barely see my own hands.

  Then the forest outside erupted.

  A long, distorted howl cut through the night.

  The sound echoed across the trees and rolled into the cave like a wave. A second later I heard them—heavy footsteps tearing through the forest floor, branches snapping, claws scraping against rock and soil as the Nightbound Beasts ran past the entrance.

  They were close.

  Too close.

  My heart lurched in my chest.

  Instinctively, I clamped a hand over my mouth and held my breath. Even the smallest sound suddenly felt dangerous. My entire body tensed as I stood there in the darkness, afraid that the rhythm of my heartbeat alone might somehow betray my hiding place.

  The creatures outside continued to move through the forest.

  Their footsteps were loud now, clearer than before, and the guttural rumble of their growls vibrated faintly through the stone walls of the cave. For several terrifying seconds I was certain one of them would turn toward the entrance.

  But none of them did.

  The sounds slowly moved farther away.

  The snapping branches became distant.

  The growls faded.

  Eventually, even the footsteps disappeared into the depths of the forest.

  Silence returned.

  It spread slowly, like a blanket settling over the trees outside and the cave around me.

  Only when several more long seconds passed without a single sound did I finally allow myself to move.

  My hand slipped away from my mouth.

  Air rushed into my lungs.

  I bent forward slightly, breathing hard as the tension drained from my body all at once. Each breath came out rough and uneven, but for the first time since I had opened my eyes in this strange world, the air didn’t feel like something I had to fight for.

  It felt calm.

  Safe.

  After everything that had happened tonight—after the monsters, the chase, and the narrow escape at the ravine—I had finally found a moment where I could breathe without fear.

  For the first time since arriving in this world, I was able to breathe in peace.

  After my breathing finally steadied, I forced myself to look around the cave.

  Until now, the darkness had been too thick to see anything clearly. The only light came faintly from the entrance behind me, and it barely reached a few steps inside before fading into black.

  Carefully, I moved deeper into the cave.

  My hand brushed against something hanging from a rough wooden peg in the stone wall.

  A lantern.

  I lifted it closer to the entrance where a little light remained and examined it. The metal was worn but intact, and there was still oil inside. Whoever had owned it hadn’t taken everything when they left.

  I searched around the nearby ground until I found a small flint lying beside a wooden crate. After a few tries, sparks caught the wick.

  A warm glow filled the lantern.

  The cave slowly came into view.

  And what I saw made me freeze.

  This place wasn’t just a random cave.

  It had been used before.

  Wooden crates were stacked neatly against one wall, some of them half-open. Coiled ropes hung from hooks hammered into the rock. A few travel packs rested on the ground, their leather stiff from age.

  It looked like the remains of an expedition camp.

  I stepped closer, raising the lantern.

  Inside one of the crates were several glass vials filled with liquids of different colors—deep green, cloudy blue, and a strange amber that glowed faintly in the lantern light.

  Potions.

  At least… that was my best guess.

  I had no idea what any of them did.

  Beside the crate rested a sword in a simple leather sheath. The blade looked worn but well maintained, the metal catching the lantern light as I pulled it halfway free.

  Whoever had stayed here had been prepared.

  Ropes.

  Supplies.

  Weapons.

  It was the kind of place someone might use as a temporary base while traveling.

  My eyes drifted to another object lying across a wooden table.

  A map.

  I set the lantern down and carefully unrolled it.

  The parchment was old but still readable. Several small symbols marked rivers, forests, and mountain ranges. Near the lower portion of the map, a name was written in bold ink.

  Velmora.

  My eyes narrowed.

  If this was a location name… then it was probably the town nearest to wherever this cave was.

  But the map in my hands wasn’t the only one.

  Something else caught the edge of the lantern light.

  I slowly turned toward the far wall of the cave.

  And stopped.

  A massive map had been pinned directly onto the stone.

  It stretched nearly the entire width of the wall, its surface filled with countless markings and names written in careful handwriting. Cities and regions were labeled across every direction—north, west, east, and south.

  It was a map of an entire country.

  At the center of it all was a name written larger than the others.

  Aurelion.

  I stared at it quietly.

  So that was the name of this nation.

  My gaze slowly moved across the map, following the roads and borders drawn across the parchment. Eventually my eyes landed on a red circle drawn near the southern edge of the map.

  The same name written beside it appeared on the smaller map I had just examined.

  Velmora.

  If the markings were accurate…

  Then this cave was somewhere near that city.

  Which meant that right now—

  I was standing at the far southern edge of the Kingdom of Aurelion.

  —

  I continued staring at the map for a long moment, trying to process everything I had just discovered.

  Aurelion.

  If the markings were accurate, that was the name of the kingdom I had somehow arrived in. And Velmora—the name written near the southern edge—was likely the nearest town to this cave.

  Which meant that somewhere beyond the forest outside, there were roads, people, and perhaps answers about this strange world I had been thrown into.

  But the moment of quiet thought didn’t last long.

  A sudden wave of pain tore through my back.

  “Ah—!”

  My body flinched as a sharp, burning sensation spread across my shoulder. I reached back instinctively, my fingers brushing against something wet.

  When I pulled my hand forward, the lantern light revealed dark blood smeared across my palm.

  Right.

  The bite.

  The memory of the Nightbound Beast crashing onto my back returned instantly. In the chaos of running and surviving, I had almost forgotten about it.

  But my body clearly hadn’t.

  The pain pulsed again, deeper this time, forcing me to lean against the cave wall.

  I needed to treat it.

  Quickly.

  My eyes moved around the cave until they landed on another wooden box sitting near the expedition supplies. I stepped over and opened it carefully.

  Inside were bandages, cloth wraps, small metal tools, and several bottles filled with clear liquid.

  A first-aid kit.

  Relief washed over me.

  Whoever had stayed here before had been well prepared.

  I cleaned the wound as best as I could, biting down on my sleeve to keep from making noise when the alcohol touched the torn flesh. The burning sensation was intense, but after a few moments the bleeding slowed enough for me to wrap the bandage tightly across my shoulder.

  Once the wound was covered, I tied the cloth securely and leaned back against the cold stone wall.

  Only then did I realize how exhausted I was.

  The chase through the forest, the fight with the monsters, the fear of dying again—it had all drained whatever strength I had left.

  My body felt heavy.

  My eyelids slowly began to fall.

  The lantern light flickered softly beside me, casting warm shadows across the cave walls.

  I told myself I would only close my eyes for a moment.

  Just a moment to rest.

  But before I even realized it—

  sleep claimed me.

  And in the quiet darkness of the cave, surrounded by the remnants of someone else's expedition, I drifted into unconsciousness, the first fragile sleep I had managed since arriving in this strange and dangerous world.