Silence.
But not the kind that soothes.
This silence swallowed everything — even me.
I am Satoru.
Or... I was?
No, I'm still alive. I think.
I opened my eyes.
Darkness. Not the kind that comes with night, but an infinite void.
There was no ceiling. No ground. No direction.
Only the feeling of floating — weightless, suspended between life and death.
Then, a voice echoed.
"Wake up. It's too early to give in."
It wasn't loud. It wasn't soft.
Not male. Not female. Not kind. Not cruel.
Just… present.
Inside my head, not in the air.
"You've been chosen, Satoru. Not as a hero… but as an anomaly. Someone who shouldn't be here."
Suddenly, the ground formed beneath my feet.
Far ahead, a faint light shimmered.
The voice had shaped a world into this endless dark.
I took a step forward.
My body was sore, my mind spinning.
But curiosity burned stronger than fear.
Where was I? And why me?
The light grew closer.
And then, shadows emerged — trees, mist, and the cry of some unfamiliar bird.
This wasn't Earth.
No modern civilization. No familiar skies.
This was a different world. A fantasy land.
Primal. Arcane.
"You were separated from the others, Satoru."
The voice again.
And with it, a vision.
My classmates — together in a shining city, safe behind castle walls.
But I… I was alone. Dropped into a dark forest on the fringe of everything.
A rustle.
From behind a tree, something crawled out.
A beast. Like a shadowy wolf.
It growled, its red eyes glowing.
And then—
Light.
A sword, forged from pure light, descended from the sky.
My hand moved on its own.
I grasped the hilt.
The warmth of its radiance surged through me.
The beast lunged.
I swung the blade.
It screeched — and dissolved into ash.
"Seek your sister... She's in the Central Guild..."
The voice whispered again.
Quieter. Closer.
How did it know?
No one here knew I had a sister.
This wasn't just a feeling. It was a message.
The forest thinned.
Ahead stood a small inn, flickering with torchlight.
I walked toward it.
Weeks had passed since I met Arn, a classmate I'd found by pure chance after arriving.
We'd survived together since.
Now, I stood before his room.
Raised my hand.
Knocked.
"Arn... I need to talk to you.
It's about my sister.
I think... she's in the Central Guild."
In that moment, between past and future, I stood still.
This... was only the beginning.