Sand.
A warm, gentle heat spread through Duyen's body.
She felt as if she were falling onto a soft, welcoming bed—something tender and comforting. The ground beneath her seemed to cradle her form, just like lying on a vast stretch of sand, exactly as in the foolish, innocent dream she had been having moments earlier. Warm light washed over her skin, as though she were stretched out on some distant beach.
Only there was no sound of waves—just faint music drifting from far, far away. Slowly, Duyen opened her beautiful amber-colored eyes.
The first thing she saw…
Sand
Endless sand
A boundless sea of gold stretching all the way to the horizon.
She jolted upright, startled, confusion flooding her mind.
Suddenly, she heard a low, muffled male voice. Hoarse, steady, accompanied by the soft rustling of pages turning and the hiss of warm sand carried by the wind.
"3,650,497… 3,650,498… 3,650,499…"
The man's voice droned on evenly as he flipped each page, as if counting something with absolute focus.
Duyen looked toward the source of the sound. All she could see was a tall man wrapped in a long black cloak that concealed both his head and body. His muscular, sun-bronzed hands calmly turned the pages of a book that—at least from where she stood—appeared completely blank. His lips murmured strings of numbers, far too many to grasp all at once.
She caught a glimpse of silver hair beneath the cloak.
He didn't seem elderly—more middle-aged, with a strangely compelling, mysterious air about him.
"Um… excuse me, sir…?"
Curiosity got the better of her, and Duyen called out softly.
The man paused for a moment, then deliberately pretended not to care, continuing to read. Coincidentally, he had reached the very last page.
"3,650,500…Exactly 3,650,500 days have passed…"
He lifted his face toward the sky and let out a weary sigh, gazing at a source of light above—something that looked like the sun, yet clearly was not.
Then he turned toward her. Duyen flinched.
For the first time, she saw his face clearly. He was elegant and handsome, with warm, honey-toned skin and only a few faint wrinkles—just enough to accentuate the charm of his age. His short hair had turned completely silver. His demeanor carried a hint of ferocity, yet at the same time radiated a strange sense of reliability.
And his eyes—
They glowed a vivid crimson, shining sharply against the unnatural darkness around them.
Here she was, standing in the middle of a warm, endless desert, face-to-face with a stranger she had never met before.
What a bizarre dream.
The man smiled faintly.
"You look beautiful… just as I remember. I've been waiting here for a very long time, Duyen."
Hearing her name from a stranger sent a jolt of panic—and curiosity—through her. How did he know her name?
She lowered her head slightly and asked politely,
"You know my name? Have we… met before?"
The man shook his head gently, his voice deep and alluring.
"Not in person."
That only deepened her confusion. Who was this man? Why was he acting so strangely?
Duyen had experienced odd things before—what she called dreams about people she had never met. But this time, her instincts whispered that this was something more real.
Suddenly remembering his words, she pressed him,
"You said you've been waiting for me. Waiting… for me? Why?"
The man pushed himself off the rock he had been leaning against and walked toward her. His crimson gaze examined her from head to toe before he bowed deeply, impeccably polite.
"Because I was given the duty to wait for you here. Du Dinh Duyen. You are here because you must be here."
His words grew increasingly cryptic, leaving Duyen more flustered by the second. His overly reverent attitude made her deeply uncomfortable.
She waved her hands in a panic.
"Please, don't bow like that. You… you look about my father's age. I really don't understand what's going on, but—"
Her humility seemed to surprise him. He slowly straightened up.
"Then, Miss Duyen, I would not dare treat myself as your equal… but I will try. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Amuro Sawada."
Duyen blinked in surprise. That was clearly a Japanese name. Though confused and overwhelmed, she forced herself to remain polite.
"I'm Duyen. Um… it's nice to meet you, but…where is this place? Please forgive me for asking, but— is this my dream?"
It felt strange, asking someone she had never met whether they were merely part of her dream. Her cheeks flushed slightly at her own awkwardness.
Yet this man was far more mysterious than she had imagined, and he didn't seem inclined to reveal everything.
Amuro showed no irritation. He shifted slightly and extended his hand forward. A mystical light shimmered before them, radiating layers of color.
"Before you lies the Golden City of Yomi."
"The Golden City… of Yomi?"
She murmured the words, but from where she stood, Duyen saw no city at all—perhaps it lay far beyond her sight.
Seeing her innocent expression, Amuro chuckled softly.
"It is a sacred city. A place where… gods reside. Or, well—call them whatever you like."
"Gods?!"
Duyen cried out in shock. This wasn't some metaphor or philosophical riddle, was it?
Amuro didn't look like he was joking. And 'call them whatever you like' only confused her further.
"Uh… I… then why am I here?"
She asked anxiously—fear now creeping into her voice.
"As I said, Miss Duyen. You must be here for a mission. Time is running out."
He looked up at the sky, where a red streak cut across the heavens—ominous, yet strangely calm.
"We have exactly one hour and forty-six seconds left. I must take you to meet her."
"Her?"
Duyen asked, curious. Amuro simply smiled enigmatically.
"Yes. There's no time, and yet everything remains perfectly precise. You must go to that city."
She stared at the distant horizon—only endless desert lay before her. With so little time left, reaching the city felt impossible. Or perhaps… time itself had already shifted while she was thinking.
"Duyen, don't be afraid," he said gently. "In the blink of an eye, we'll arrive. So… will you hold my hand?"
Amuro extended his palm toward her. Duyen stared at his hand, hesitation flickering in her eyes. She didn't understand why he needed her—why her of all people.
Yet guided by some unseen instinct, she reached out and took his hand. Together, they began walking toward the Golden City of Yomi.
Across the seemingly endless desert, time felt distorted. Everything flowed past her, unchanged, drifting by—And then, in a single blink—
What appeared before her eyes was clearer.
No—
Far more immense than she had ever imagined. The city known as Yomi.
A colossal wall of pure gold rose before them, as if it could hold up the sky itself. Beyond it stood a massive gate—so enormous it was hard to believe it had ever been meant for humans to pass through—now standing wide open. The music spilling out from within grew clearer with every step.
It sounded as though it was born from some strange, unfamiliar instrument, yet the melody was so pure and fluid that nothing Duyen had ever heard in her life could compare to it. Laughter, music, and moans blended together into a single, intoxicating harmony.
Still holding Amuro's hand, never letting go, she felt as though he was guiding her into a truly alien world. The sheer scale of it filled her with both awe and fear. Between her and the towering, layered architecture ahead stretched a suffocating sense of insignificance—structures adorned with spiraling patterns of solid gold, designs she had never seen before.
And the people…
Boom. Boom.
Heavy, thunderous sounds echoed as footsteps passed near them. Startled, Duyen instinctively shrank closer to Amuro. The figures here, dressed in strange yet lavish garments, were more than two meters tall. No—perhaps it wasn't that they were tall. Perhaps it was simply that she felt impossibly small beside them.
They were handsome men and beautiful women, faces flawless, like gods and goddesses spoken of only in fairy tales. They laughed and chatted, walking past Amuro and Duyen as though the two of them were completely invisible.
The air was thick with the intoxicating scent of strong wine. Strange instruments filled the space with music, while sensual dancers leapt high into the air, bodies twisting as if they were flying across the sky.
They…
Before Duyen could even form a word, she felt it—someone walking straight toward her. And then they passed straight through her body.
Panic exploded inside her.
"…They… walked through me…???"
Why?
As if she were nothing more than a tiny ghost drifting through a bizarre city. The loneliness and creeping terror of it made her shudder before the vastness surrounding her.
Amuro had seen it too. He fell silent for a moment, then spoke softly, reminding her once more:
"Hold my hand tightly."
His words didn't truly ease the strange sensation clawing at her chest, but they were the only anchor she had. Obediently, she tightened her grip, refusing to let go.
Whispers filled the air. She could hear the people here talking—about something at the market stalls, about something that made them smile. As if they had nothing in the world to worry about.
In this city, no one truly aged. There were only people who were beautiful to an almost unreasonable degree—and an openness toward pleasure and the body so casual it made Duyen's face burn red.
Gradually, she began to steady herself, though fear still lingered. Even if she couldn't be seen or noticed, perhaps that was… acceptable.
Then suddenly, she felt it. A gaze. Someone was watching her.
A chill ran down her spine, and she stopped in her tracks. Amuro halted as well, still quietly counting under his breath. Duyen slowly turned her head back.
Behind her was a place that looked like a children's playground—no, more like a daycare. Nothing would have seemed strange, if the children had been playing with ordinary toys.
But what she saw made her blood run cold. It was a… thing.
A massive, deformed sphere of flesh. No nose. No mouth. Only countless lidless eyes, stretched wide across pale skin so thin that tangled veins were clearly visible beneath it.
The eyes were red, twisted in agony. Tears streamed endlessly from them, as though the creature were enduring some unimaginable pain.
Yet it couldn't speak. It couldn't move.
Duyen clapped a hand over her mouth, horrified.
The children played around it innocently, laughing and touching it just as they would their toys—making the scene all the more grotesque.
Then the eyes shifted. They noticed her. All of them turned toward her at once.
Duyen froze, unable to make a sound. And for some reason—she didn't know why—one of those eyes felt familiar.
Hadn't she seen it somewhere before…?
"No way…" she whispered, emotion surging up inside her.
"Kai…?"
But Amuro stared at the creature with cold detachment, his crimson pupils glowing faintly. In an emotionless voice, he said,
"We're leaving, Miss Duyen."
She flinched at his tone. She didn't even understand why she had spoken that name here. How could that be possible?
In the end, she forced herself to ignore it and continued walking with Amuro.
Behind them, the fleshy sphere continued to stare at her. It wanted to scream.
Don't go.
Turn back.
Please save us.
Help—
But Duyen would never know.
---
Mina felt as though she had fallen into something filthy.
She struggled to her feet in total darkness, as if she had dropped into a strange cavern where the space itself was impossible to discern. The smell made her want to vomit—yet somehow, she couldn't.
She forced herself upright, pulling away from the sticky, viscous substance clinging to her body. Each step sounded like she was wading through some unnatural swamp as she staggered toward the light.
"Wh—" Mina gasped.
The light she saw was nothing like what she had imagined.
What lay before her was—
Wet.
Squirming.
Vast.
And… horrifying.
A nightmarish space made of flesh and organs. The entire expanse seemed to be constructed from living meat, still pulsing, connected by massive, throbbing blood vessels.
Mina was nothing more than a grain of sand in that grotesque world. Her stomach churned violently.
Could it be…? Is this… hell?
Suddenly, realization struck her. She understood what it was she had fallen into earlier.
"Ugh—!"
Mina clutched her stomach, gagging, though nothing came out. The sheer disgust made her thoughts blur.
"Duyen…" she whispered her name, as if clinging to it for comfort. And it worked.
Gritting her teeth, Mina forced herself to calm down. With a determined look in her eyes, she stared ahead and continued moving forward.
"Alright…"
Her footsteps squelched loudly as she walked, accompanied by a low, unsettling buzzing sound—like that of some unknown insect.