The soft rustling of the grass was the only sound that filled the air.
Tatsuya lay sprawled across the top of a hill, the gentle sway of the wind-blown blades brushing against his skin like silent whispers of rebuke. Night had fallen completely. The stars blinked overhead, scattered like broken glass on velvet, and the crescent moon hung low, casting its pale light upon the mountain's gentle slope.
His chest heaved with ragged breaths. The pain in his ribs pulsed like a steady drumbeat—remnants of the blows from that red-haired boy.
His body ached all over, and yet, the bruises felt like the least of his worries.
Stefan stood nearby, chewing calmly on a patch of grass, unbothered by the events that had just transpired. The contrast made Tatsuya's heart sink deeper into the pit of guilt swelling inside him.
He let out a slow, shuddering breath.
"…What the hell did I do?" he murmured, voice barely audible beneath the hum of the breeze.
The mountain was quiet. There were no villagers shouting in the distance, no crackling torches lining a path, no birds or insects singing through the trees.
Just silence.
A perfect, suffocating silence that mirrored the guilt pounding in his chest.
He stared upward, watching the night sky ripple like a memory.
Everything had spiraled so fast.
The red-haired boy's words echoed relentlessly in his mind.
"The Scent of the Devil lingers on your skin."
Tatsuya clenched his jaw. "I'm not part of a cult… I'm not… I'm not…"
But saying it aloud only made it feel less convincing.
What if it didn't matter what he believed? What if the world had already decided what he was?
He slowly sat up, wincing from the bruising along his side, and looked out across the valley below.
The vast openness should have made him feel free. But instead, it made him feel small. Insignificant. Like a child who had wandered too far from home.
"Paul told me not to go to Deity…" he whispered.
He could still remember it so clearly. Paul's expression hadn't changed much when he said it—stern but not cold, serious but not angry.
"Tatsuya. Avoid the Kingdom of Deity."
And still… I ignored him.
Tatsuya dug his fingers into the grass, the blades parting under his grip. His knuckles whitened.
"It can't hurt to take a quick look, right?"
That's what he had told himself.
But it had hurt.
He had gotten hurt.
And worse than that… he'd been accused—no, condemned—by someone who looked at him like he was filth.
Like he was the enemy.
"You cult members are all the same."
Tatsuya shut his eyes tightly. The boy hadn't hesitated. He hadn't paused or questioned.
He saw Tatsuya and drew a line: sinner, monster, cultist.
Was this what Paul had wanted to protect me from?
"Stupid…" Tatsuya whispered. "Why did I think I could prove him wrong…?"
The soft night wind passed over him again, a cold breeze that seeped through his clothes and settled into his bones.
He hugged his knees close to his chest.
He had left the safety of Paul's words for pride.
Not because he thought he knew better—but because he wanted to be better.
To show he wasn't just some scared boy who ran from danger, or a cursed soul dragged into another world by fate's cruel hand.
He wanted to prove something.
To Paul.
To the world.
Maybe even to himself.
But now…
"…I only proved I'm a fool," he muttered.
His voice trembled, and for the first time in a while, he didn't bother hiding it. No one was watching. No one was listening.
He was alone.
He looked at his hands. They were shaking.
Why did that boy's words cut so deep? Why did they feel true, even when I knew they weren't? Because part of me believes it.
He didn't want to. But he couldn't deny it.
He had killed.
He had sinned.
He had crossed lines he could never uncross.
Even if it was for survival—even if no one came to save him—those truths didn't change.
He buried his face in his knees.
For a long while, he just sat there and laid down, the night sky shining with it's stars.
"…I'll make it right," he whispered.
It wasn't a vow of vengeance or a declaration of justice. It wasn't brave, and it wasn't defiant.
It was just a boy's quiet plea to move forward again.
To keep walking.
Even if the path was steep, and the guilt clawed at his ankles, and the voices of judgment echoed with every step.
He wasn't part of a cult.
He wasn't a monster.
He wasn't perfect either.
But he was still Tatsuya Fukushu.
And maybe that still meant something.
"…Sorry, Paul," he whispered. "I'll make it up to you. I promise."
The stars twinkled silently above him, as if listening, the boy closed his eyes. Noticing how tired he was.
He heard the shuffling of horseshoes stop besides him.
He didn't open his eyes to look it who it was, Stefan laid next to him, as if to provide warmth and protection.
It made Tatsuya feel at ease a little bit.
Part 2
"Who are you…?"
The question came in a voice as soft as petals drifting on the wind.
It was light, feminine, and gently tinted with concern—delicate enough to pass as a dream's whisper, but clear enough to stir the boy back into the waking world.
The moment the sound reached his ears, Tatsuya's brow twitched.
His eyelids fluttered, the boundary between sleep and consciousness slipping away like fog retreating before the morning sun. A dull ache pulsed at the back of his head, and his limbs felt the sluggish weight of someone who had not intended to fall asleep under the open sky.
The morning sun had already begun its climb—golden threads weaving through the leaves and dappling the ground. The light touched Tatsuya's face with a warmth that was anything but gentle, and he squinted under its glare.
"…Huh?"
With a groggy groan, he rubbed his eyes, his fingers brushing across the dried grass stuck to his cheek. The world slowly came back into focus, shapes no longer swimming but settling into place. Trees. Mountains. Sky.
And—
Stefan sitting next to him looking past him.
The white mountain goat, still chewing absently on a leaf, stared into the distance as if deeply pondering the meaning of life.
"Morning, Stefan…" Tatsuya muttered.
"Good morning," came the calm reply.
Tatsuya froze.
The words had come not from his own mouth, but from… Stefan?
"…Good…mor…Wait. W-Wait. WAIT. Was that you just now!?"
Alarm cracked across his voice like a whip. He scrambled forward and planted himself right in front of the goat, both hands gripping either side of its wooly face.
"You… can talk!?"
Stefan blinked, the goat's expression unreadable. Then, in a voice as plain as sunshine on stone: "Of course I can. Every animal can talk, silly."
This is wrong. This is so, so wrong.
Tatsuya's spine tingled like ants were crawling beneath his skin. He shook his head, recoiling.
"This is… this is freaking me out! You're not supposed to be talking! I must still be dreaming—yeah, that's it! Still dreaming—"
"prfff!"
The goat puffed sharply through its nostrils—sending a warm gust of air straight into Tatsuya's face like a passive-aggressive hair dryer.
"…Wait. So you can't talk?".
Stefan blinked once. Then resumed chewing a stray dandelion.
Tatsuya sat down again looking over the mountains range, Yeah. I'm losing it. He let out a slow, tired exhale. I didn't realize I had fallen asleep when I laid down, I got lucky I didn't got robbed or eaten by wolves.
"You still haven't answered my question?"
Tatsuya heard that voice again.
Tatsuya quickly turned around, instinct flaring like a jolt of lightning up his spine. He had expected to see Stefan, maybe silently mocking him with that eternal blank stare, but instead he was met with—
"Ahhh!!"
He screamed and launched backward on pure reflex. His footing slipped on the dewy grass, and his body tumbled down the hill like a poorly thrown sack of potatoes.
Over and over he rolled, his limbs flailing, the world spinning—until he came to an abrupt and painful halt, his back smacking into a large flat rock.
Thunk!
His legs flopped upward against it, leaving him stuck in a twisted imitation of a yoga pose—Legs Up the Wall, the mountain-edition. His legs are extended vertically up against the rock, forming an approximate 90-degree angle with his torso.
His vision spun. His dignity had likely taken a critical hit.
"Are you alright!?"
Upside down, Tatsuya turned his head toward the voice, he saw a girl running down the grassy hill.
She came to a stop right in front of his face.
She was…
She was beautiful.
Her hair shimmered like morning dew catching firelight—warm peach-gold at the roots, fading into soft, romantic pink at the ends. The strands flowed past her shoulders in long, smooth waves that rippled like the fabric of a dream. A breeze that only she seemed to feel played with her hair, tossing a few rebellious locks over her collarbone, the rest sweeping behind her like a silken curtain of dawn.
Two thick, ribbon-like hairpins adorned either side of her head—elegant bows that curved delicately outward, adding just the right amount of charm without betraying their nobility.
Her clothes spoke volumes—fitted and formal, yet youthful.
A deep mulberry vest hugged her form, embroidered with golden accents that glittered faintly when she moved. Beneath it, a white blouse with wide, airy sleeves puffed out, cinched at the wrists with lace cuffs. At her collar, a red gemstone gleamed within a dark ribbon bow, like a single drop of sunlight suspended in crystal.
A high-waisted skirt flared from beneath her vest, pleated and stiff, moving like velvet when she walked.
It was the kind of outfit one would expect to see worn by a girl from an old noble family. Perhaps even one that had vanished into legend.
She asked again. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"
Upon closer look she stood about 165 centimeters tall.
"Argh!"
He groaned, letting his legs slide off the rock as he flopped unceremoniously to the ground. Face down. Dignity: reduced to zero.
"I can heal you if you want," she offered gently.
"Y-Yes, please!"
Tatsuya shot up into a kneeling position like an overeager child about to be handed free candy. The girl smiled faintly, raising her hand.
From her palm, a golden light emerged—gentle and warm, like a promise of spring in the dead of winter.
"Golden glow of life anew, Mend the flesh, let strength renew.
Pain now fades, and wounds take flight,
Heal within this sacred light.
Healing!"
The magic wrapped around him, and Tatsuya's breath caught.
The pain drained away like water from a cracked cup. His body loosened, the ache dissolving. Muscles realigned. Skin knit itself. It felt like being put back together by warmth alone.
This is incredible… Tatsuya thought but it left an lingering emptiness with in him.
"So. You should be good to go now," the girl said cheerfully.
"Thank you so much," Tatsuya replied, rising to his feet and dusting himself off. "I guess I should be going."
"Where are you going." She asked.
He hesitated. A tight knot twisted in his chest.
"You know, just south. Through that forest."
He said it quickly. Too quickly. Like someone trying to hide something.
Tatsuya tried to cut her off as soon as possible, not that he was in a hurry to get to Yatsu Davida, but because he could feel that horrible feeling coming up again.
The feeling he so desperately is running away from, how can I get out of here? What if I said something stupid and she starts to laugh at me?
Why did she help me anyways? She definitely wants something in return! Shit! Why did I let her heal me?
Tatsuya started to breathe heavily and sweat streamed down his face, he wanted to run away but he know he had to play it off. She can't start to feel suspicious.
"I see…" she said, but her expression didn't change. She looked at him with quiet concern, not suspicion. Not judgment.
His breath caught. His chest tightened. Sweat beaded on his brow.
"—So that's why I need to go," he forced a smile, his voice unsteady. "Thanks for the help."
"But you can't go into the forest," she said, stepping slightly closer. "It's far too dangerous."
Her tone was calm, but firm. And honest. That concern wasn't a lie. She meant every word. She really ment that it is dangerous.
Tatsuya's eyes flicked away.
"…I'll be fine," he muttered. "I've got my mountain goat, Stefan, after all. He's strong."
He tried to grin. It didn't reach his eyes.
It's none of you business…
He turned and climbed up the hill, calling out to his companion.
"Let's go, Stefan. Come we go."
The trees stood like sentinels—towering and ancient. Western red cedars, their trunks painted in deep ochre, stretched toward the sky as if to pierce the heavens themselves.
Each one was impossibly tall, their branches high above, casting a lattice of shadows on the forest floor below. The path that wound through their roots was smooth, polished by time and travel. Not a single stone was out of place. It felt curated. Cared for.
This must be for carriages, Tatsuya thought as he led Stefan forward, his eyes tracing the wheel marks embedded in the path. A road meant for nobles or villagers. It's too clean to be wild.
But the forest on either side… that was a different story. Nature had not been gentle there.
Bushes tangled into each other like they were trying to strangle one another for sunlight. Trees grew in odd, haphazard formations, like their seeds had been thrown randomly into the soil by some careless hand.
No symmetry. No design. Just pure, raw growth.
This is what real nature looks like.
Not the cultivated trees back home, planted in perfect rows, clipped and pruned until they forgot what it meant to be wild.
Tatsuya slowed his pace and inhaled deeply.
"Ahh…!"
A smile tugged at his lips.
The smell is amazing! But if I had to choose one smell that I liked the most, is definitely the smell that stays after rain.
The forest was calm. Peaceful, even. A cool breeze stirred the leaves, and a few birds chirped overhead. It was quiet… but not the kind of quiet that suggested danger.
It felt alive.
She said it was dangerous… but how? he wondered. There's nothing here but trees and wind. What danger could possibly be hiding in—
"Grrr…"
A low, guttural sound rolled through the air.
Tatsuya stopped.
…What was that?
"Grrr…"
There it was again. Quiet. But close.
He turned toward the sound instinctively, eyes narrowing.
Maybe I should check it out?
She was wrong. I know she was lying about danger. She was just trying to guilt me into staying.
Tatsuya hopped down from Stefan's back, landing lightly on the forest floor. He moved toward the source of the sound, one hand parting the underbrush, the other resting against the hilt of his sword.
"Grrr…"
"Grrr…"
It was louder now. But not hostile.
Not quite.
Tatsuya narrowed his eyes as he pushed through a final curtain of leaves—and found…
Nothing.
Huh?
He scanned the clearing. The brush rustled softly. There was no creature. No threat. Just empty air and the rising fog between trees.
Maybe… maybe it's one of those fantasy creatures I haven't learned about yet? Like a mimic bird? Or a beast that copies sounds?
That would be kind of cool actually…
But then—
He turned.
And everything inside him froze.
The trees behind him—the ones cloaked in heavy darkness—seemed to twist inward, swallowing the light. The world shifted. The forest no longer felt peaceful.
From the shadows between two thick trunks, something moved.
It didn't make a sound.
But it watched.
Eyes—two of them, glowing red like burning coals—opened from the void.
Then it stepped into view.
A beast.
Not a wolf. Not a hound. Something wrong. Something malformed.
It stalked forward with unnatural grace, its massive paws making no noise on the moss-covered ground. Its fur was black and slick, like oil coating muscle. Jagged bone jutted from its shoulders and ribs like thorns erupting from rotting flesh. Along its flank, a gaping wound—deep and raw—revealed its ribs like the inside of a carcass. But it bled nothing. It showed no pain.
It shouldn't be alive. And yet it was.
Its mouth curled into a silent snarl, revealing rows of sharp, misshapen fangs.
T-this isn't an animal…
This was not a natural creature. Not a spirit. Not even a monster from legend.
This was twisted And it was hunting.
A creature born from nightmare, lurking in the forest's heart.
A thing that should not exist.
Tatsuya's hand snapped to the hilt of his sword, drawing it in a single, swift motion. The steel caught the light, trembling slightly in his grip.
Shit—! What is this thing!?
His heart slammed against his ribs like it wanted to escape.
Breathe. Focus. Remember your training. Every swing. Every drill. You've prepared for this.
You can do this!
But even as he steeled himself, something felt… off.
The creature wasn't looking at him.
It hadn't acknowledged him at all.
Its glowing eyes were locked on something behind him.
No…
Tatsuya turned his head slowly.
Stefan.
The goat stood there, utterly still, staring blankly as he always did.
The beast lowered its body. Muscles coiled.
"NO—!"
Tatsuya moved. But he was too slow.
The beast lunged.
Fangs bared, claws outstretched, it tore through the air—straight at Stefan.
There was no hesitation. No wasted movement. It never looked at Tatsuya. Never saw him as a threat.
Tatsuya gritted his teeth and threw himself forward, sword raised.
If I were stronger—
If I were faster—
If I had just trained harder—
Then maybe, just maybe, he could have stopped what happened next.
But he couldn't.
And he watched—helpless—as the beast reached his only companion.
Part 3
Blood soaked the ground.
A thick, crimson sheet spilled across the once-pristine forest path, flooding over roots and leaves until the earth itself seemed to drown in it. The polished road that had moments ago reflected morning light now glistened only with gore.
It didn't stop there.
The trees—the towering cedar giants that had watched silently over the forest—were weeping.
Rivulets of red ran down their trunks, thick like oil. It looked like the forest itself was bleeding. Like the trees had decided to mourn the violence by sharing in the suffering.
Tatsuya stood at the center of it all, frozen.
He had seen blood before, It wasn't new.
But this was different.
This wasn't a trickle.
This wasn't a cut.
This was butchery.
He raised his hand slowly to his face and felt it. Warm. Sticky. Heavy.
The blood on his cheek wasn't his own.
It clung to him—marking him.
Tatsuya didn't scream, he couldn't he was to much in shock for that.
His breath caught in his throat.
He couldn't scream.
Not because he was brave, but because his voice had left him entirely.
His knees trembled.
Then, something rolled across the ground—bumping against the toe of his boot with a quiet, wet sound.
Tatsuya looked down he saw an eyeball.
"Blah!"
His body rejected the sight before his mind could even catch up.
He doubled over, vomiting bile onto the red-soaked path, the smell of blood and stomach acid mixing into something unbearable.
He gasped for breath.
The world was spinning.
"I told you this forest is dangerous!" A familiar voice called out to him, it was firm but still gentle.
Tatsuya focused his vision to the sound of the voice.
Her hair—still beautiful even in this place—shimmered in the scattered light, soft peach melting into rose-pink tips like dawn bleeding into dusk. Her eyes, ruby-red and unblinking, locked onto him with fierce clarity.
It was unmistakably the same girl from before.
"What… what happened…?" Tatsuya choked out, stumbling over his words like a man just learning how to speak again.
"It was a demon beast," she replied calmly. "Controlled by Rukai."
Rukai who is that?
"What happened to Stefan!" Tatsuya shouted in a panic.
"Meee~h."
Tatsuya heard coming from behind the girl.
Tatsuya's heart nearly stopped.
And then started again with a surge of overwhelming relief.
There, standing tall and proud—completely untouched—was Stefan.
The mountain goat blinked, unimpressed by the carnage around him. Not a single scratch on his body.
The girl with her magic, was able to successfully kill the demon beast an simultaneously save the goat.
Tatsuya, he ran forward and wrapped his arms around Stefan, burying his face into the goat's neck.
"You're okay. You're really okay…"
Tears threatened to fall, but he pushed them back.
"Thank you," he said, his voice thick. "Thank you so much…"
"You can thank me later, we need to get out of this forest now!" The girl said, raising her voice.
Tatsuya turned.
His first instinct was to mount Stefan and run.
Just like he had done in the city but now something was different. The girl, Tatsuya wanted to just leave her behind.
She'd saved him. Saved Stefan. Fought a beast he hadn't even been able to touch. If he left her behind now, he would survive.
Survival of the fittest, right? That's how people back on earth had treated him.
If I help her, what then? Will she hold it over me? Use it as leverage? Is she that kind of person?
Doubt clawed at his mind.
But then a memory came to the surface.
Paul's voice—his old mentor's words.
"What unseen truth binds every warrior, no matter how strong?" Paul's question shot through his mind.
"Dependence on other."
Tatsuya clenched his fists.
Didn't it right now show what it meant?
Tatsuya was to weak to handle the situation alone, so she came to help him.
Was she someone he could depend on?
Sallowing his pride he called out to the girl.
"Hey!" he called out to her, voice carrying over the bloody clearing. "Come on! Get on Stefan's back!"
The girl blinked, clearly surprised.
But she didn't question it.
In a single motion, she leapt up and landed behind him, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.
Her grip was firm. Warm.
Tatsuya's body stiffened slightly at the contact, his mind briefly spiraling at the sudden closeness—but he pushed those thoughts away.
"Just follow the path!" The girl said before beheading an other demon beast with her wind magic.
No time to waste.
Tatsuya gritted his teeth and kicked Stefan into motion.
The goat bolted forward with shocking speed.
The forest flew past them in a blur of red and green, shadow and light. Blood clung to his clothes. The scent filled his lungs. But ahead—
"There! The edge of the woods!"
"We're almost there!"
Part 4
They burst through the last thickets of the forest, Stefan's hooves thundering against the grass as they crossed the invisible boundary that separated nightmare from safety. The wind no longer howled with malice. The trees no longer stared down at them like silent judges.
Open hills stretched ahead, kissed in gold by the soft, drowsy rays of the setting sun. The sky, blushing in hues of peach and lavender, arched overhead like a painting drawn by mercy itself.
Tatsuya yanked the reins and Stefan came to a gentle halt.
The girl hopped down beside him with practiced grace. Her hair, now windblown and tangled with twigs and blood, still shimmered in the light like it had no right to. The magic was gone from her hands, but a different kind of intensity burned in her eyes.
Tatsuya turned to her slowly, wiping at his face with his sleeve.
He didn't even know whose blood it was anymore.
"…We made it," he said quietly.
The girl nodded, brushing a few strands of hair from her face.
"You're safe," she said.
"You too." He paused. "Thanks to you."
The words felt heavy as they left his mouth. Not out of reluctance—but out of weight. Gratitude carried with blood and fear and breath.
The girl looked away, rubbing her arm as if uncomfortable with the attention. "You would've done the same."
Tatsuya looked at her, really looked this time.
There was blood on her cheek. Her high-waisted skirt was slashed in a few places. She was breathing hard, shoulders trembling slightly.
But she stood tall.
Like the fear hadn't touched her.
"Maybe," Tatsuya said, voice lower. "But I didn't. You did."
Tatsuya slowly sank down into the grass, the adrenaline finally fading and the weight of everything crashing down like a tidal wave.
He didn't run.
He chose not to run.
The girl sat beside him, folding her legs beneath her skirt. For a while, they just sat there together in the soft golden quiet. The grass swayed gently around them. Stefan grazed nearby, unconcerned by the mortal peril they had escaped.
It felt unreal.
But were they save? Tatsuya didn't know, maybe you're never save? In this world with magic and monsters, it was hard to imagine a place that you could call save.
But maybe there isn't a place that you could call save, because back on earth Tatsuya judged that it was just as dangerous as here.