Darkness.
Absolute darkness.
For several seconds, Noah couldn’t see anything.
The moment the carriage door shut behind him, the outside world vanished.
No sound.
No light.
No movement.
Nothing.
The sensation made his stomach twist.
Then the carriage lurched forward.
Noah nearly lost his balance.
"What the fuck?"
Instinctively, he grabbed the nearest seat.
The carriage was moving.
Yet there were no horses.
No driver.
Nothing pulling it.
Only the rhythmic sound of wheels rolling across an unseen road.
Clack.
Clack.
Clack.
The noise echoed through the darkness.
Noah reached toward the window.
The glass felt freezing cold.
He wiped away a thin layer of frost.
And immediately wished he hadn’t.
Outside wasn’t a road.
It wasn’t even a forest.
An endless void stretched beyond the glass.
Floating islands drifted through crimson clouds.
Fragments of mountains hung suspended in midair.
Ancient ruins rotated slowly in the distance.
The sight was impossible.
Reality-breaking.
Noah’s breath caught in his throat.
"This isn’t real."
A notification appeared.
[Entering Transitional Domain.]
[Distance to Blackthorn Forest: Unknown.]
[Estimated Survival Rate: 0.04%]
Noah stared.
Then reread the message.
Then reread it again.
"Zero point zero four percent?"
A bitter laugh escaped him.
"Well, that’s encouraging."
The System remained silent.
Apparently it wasn’t in the mood for jokes.
The carriage continued moving.
Minutes passed.
Or perhaps hours.
Noah couldn’t tell.
Time felt strange here.
Unstable.
Like the laws governing reality had simply given up.
Then he noticed something.
There was someone sitting across from him.
Noah froze.
The seat had been empty moments ago.
Now it wasn’t.
A little girl sat quietly in the darkness.
She couldn’t have been older than ten.
Long silver hair.
Pale skin.
Crimson eyes.
She wore an old black dress.
The kind one might expect from another century.
Most disturbing of all—
Noah hadn’t heard her arrive.
His hand immediately moved toward Shadowfang.
The girl’s eyes shifted toward him.
Then she smiled.
The sight sent a chill down his spine.
"Hello, Noah."
His blood froze.
"How do you know my name?"
The girl tilted her head.
As though the question amused her.
"I know many things."
Noah didn’t like that answer.
Not one bit.
Predator’s Instinct remained silent.
Which somehow worried him even more.
Because either:
She wasn’t a threat.
Or...
She was so far beyond him that the skill couldn’t even evaluate her.
Neither possibility was comforting.
The girl studied him carefully.
Then giggled.
A soft, innocent sound.
Yet it felt deeply unsettling.
"You look disappointed."
"What?"
"You expected someone else."
Noah frowned.
The girl pointed toward the broken crown mark hidden beneath his glove.
"You expected Ragnarok."
Silence filled the carriage.
Noah’s grip tightened around Shadowfang.
The girl shouldn’t know that.
Nobody should know that.
Yet she spoke the name so casually.
As though discussing the weather.
"Who are you?"
The smile vanished.
For the first time, the girl’s expression became serious.
Almost sad.
"Someone who died a very long time ago."
Noah’s instincts screamed.
Not because of danger.
Because of the truth hidden within those words.
The girl wasn’t joking.
She meant every word.
Then she suddenly leaned forward.
The temperature inside the carriage plummeted.
Her crimson eyes locked onto his.
"Noah."
Her voice became frighteningly quiet.
"You need to listen carefully."
A cold feeling settled in his chest.
"Why?"
The girl’s expression darkened.
Because for the first time since meeting her...
She looked afraid.
Genuinely afraid.
"The thing waiting in Blackthorn Forest..."
She paused.
Then whispered.
"It has already killed you once."
Silence.
Noah’s heart stopped.
The statement made no sense.
None whatsoever.
Yet before he could ask another question—
The entire carriage violently shook.
BOOM!
A deafening impact echoed outside.
Cracks spread across the windows.
The void beyond twisted.
Something enormous moved through the darkness.
Something colossal.
Something hunting.
The girl’s face immediately turned pale.
"No..."
Another impact.
BOOM!
The carriage tilted violently.
Noah grabbed the seat to avoid being thrown across the cabin.
The girl stood.
For the first time, genuine panic appeared in her eyes.
"It’s found us."
The words barely left her mouth before every window shattered simultaneously.
CRASH!
A monstrous roar erupted from the void.
The sound alone made Noah’s ears bleed.
A notification exploded before his eyes.
[Warning!]
[Warning!]
[Warning!]
An Entity Beyond Current Comprehension Has Detected The Host.]
Noah’s face went white.
Then a second message appeared.
One that made his blood run cold.
[Name Identified.]
[The Devourer of Fate.]
The carriage exploded.
And Noah was thrown into the abyss.