The little glow-blob drifted ahead of me like an overexcited lantern.
Every few meters, it turned back to make sure I was following.When I lagged, it chimed impatiently — a tiny crystalline ding that said, "Hurry up, human, I don't have all century."
"You know," I muttered, stepping over a root that pulsed like it had a heartbeat, "I used to follow actual road signs. Now I'm following an LED marshmallow."
The creature chimed proudly, as if I'd complimented it.
The deeper we went, the stranger the forest became.
The trees grew taller, their trunks splitting into braided strands of glowing bark that twisted upward. Their roots stretched across the ground like pale, luminescent veins, pulsing with soft light beneath my feet.
If a forest could breathe, this one was inhaling.
And exhaling.
Not metaphorically — literally.
Every few seconds, a slow breeze swept through the trunks, synchronized with the rhythm of the glowing roots. The light brightened when the wind flowed outward, dimmed when it pulled inward… as if the world had lungs.
"Great," I muttered. "I'm walking inside a massive photosynthesizing organism."
The glow-creature chimed once, like confirming.
"Don't agree with me," I said. "I'm already uncomfortable."
Still, despite the bizarre environment, there was a strange beauty to it. The air smelled crisp, like dawn right after a storm. Little particles of light floated lazily between the branches, drifting around me whenever I passed.
The forest wasn't hostile.
It was… curious.
Which usually meant trouble in about five minutes.
As if on cue, the glowing creature stopped.
We reached a vast clearing where the trees bent outward, forming a natural dome. The roots here were huge — thick as stone pillars — twisting together across the ground like a woven web.
My guide chimed twice and floated upward, circling above my head.
"Yeah, yeah, I see it," I muttered. "You brought me somewhere important. Great. What now?"
Then I heard it.
Voices.
Not human ones.
They echoed faintly through the clearing — soft, melodic whispers weaving between the trees like a chorus carried by the wind.
I couldn't understand the language, but the meaning prickled across my skin.
Warning.
Movement stirred in the underbrush.
The glow-blob dimmed and shivered, suddenly hiding behind me.
"That can't be good."
A low hum rippled across the clearing.
Then something stepped out from behind a tree.
No—three somethings.
They were tall, thin, and shaped vaguely like humanoids, but their bodies were made of carved wood entwined with roots. Their heads were smooth masks of bark with two oval holes glowing faintly within. Their arms were long, branch-like, ending in curled fingers that looked sharp enough to butcher meat.
Their footsteps thudded softly against the glowing ground, and with each step, the roots pulsed brighter.
Great.
Tree spirits.
Hostile ones.
One of them leaned forward slightly, the glow in its eyes narrowing.
"...Human."
Its voice was the sound of branches creaking in winter — dry, brittle, and cold.
I raised both hands slowly. "Not looking for trouble. Just sightseeing. This thing—" I pointed at the glow-blob trembling behind me "—brought me here. Against my will, I might add."
The spirits looked at the blob, then at me.
Another whisper rippled through the clearing.
The one in front stepped closer. "Humans do not belong here."
"Well, neither did I in the last twelve worlds, but you get used to it."
The spirit paused.
A long, slow crackling sound spread across its body — bark splitting slightly.
It was frowning.Or the spirit equivalent of frowning.
Its glowing eyes scanned me from head to toe.
"No mark," it murmured. "No bond. No root-crest."
"I'm new," I said dryly. "Haven't received the welcome package yet."
The spirit's eyes dimmed dangerously.
Unamused.
Great.
"Then you are trespassing."
It raised its branch-like arm.
Roots beneath my feet tensed.
Here we go.
THE FIRST CONFLICT
The forest reacted instantly.
Light surged from the ground, weaving into tendrils that shot toward me like living ropes.
I barely jumped back in time. The tendrils cracked against the ground where I'd been standing, leaving scorch marks of pure light.
"Oh, so we're skipping diplomacy. Cool."
The spirits advanced.
Fast.
For tree-beings, they moved with terrifying fluidity — their limbs unfolding like whips.
I ducked as one swung an arm, the wooden claw slicing the air with a sound like a blade cutting cloth. Another tendril shot up from the ground. I rolled aside, landing beside a root that thrummed beneath my palm like a heartbeat.
The glow-blob chimed frantically.
"HELPING WOULD BE NICE!" I yelled.
It hid behind a rock.
Useless.
A spirit lunged toward me, arm elongated like a spear. I slid under it, grabbing its root-like wrist and pulling myself up just enough to kick its chest.
The impact wasn't elegant, but it shoved the spirit backward, roots scraping across the ground.It recovered instantly.
No damage.
Of course.
They weren't physical beings.They were constructs of light, memory, and old magic.
Fighting them with bare hands was as useful as punching a breeze.
"Okay," I muttered, dodging another strike. "Time for an exit strategy."
The glow-blob chimed sharply and shot upward again — pointing toward the far side of the clearing.
A gap.
Between the roots.
A tunnel-like passage.
"About time you did something useful."
I sprinted toward it.
The spirits roared — a harsh, rustling scream that vibrated the entire clearing.
Roots exploded upward around me, forming walls of woven light, slamming shut my path. I skidded to a stop, breathing hard.
Behind me, the spirits closed in.
"Trapped," one whispered. "Fate sealed."
"Story of my life," I muttered. "Literally."
One raised its arm again.
I braced myself to move—
Then the wind changed.
A pulse rippled through the clearing.Everything — the trees, the roots, even the spirits — froze for half a second.
Then I heard a sound.
A single, soft tap.
Like someone knocking lightly on glass.
The forest stopped breathing.
The spirits turned sharply toward the source, their glowing eyes widening.
Fear.
They were afraid.
"...What now," I whispered, already exhausted.
The tap came again.
This time, louder — a strange, crystalline resonance that vibrated in my bones.
The first spirit whispered, trembling:
"A High Spirit approaches."
Ah.
So this world had power hierarchies.
Great.
THE HIGH SPIRIT ARRIVES
The air shimmered.
The light particles in the air gathered, spiraling downward like a reverse snowfall. They condensed above the roots in the center of the clearing, forming a glowing whirlpool of silver and pale gold.
Then it materialized.
A figure stepped out.
A woman-shaped silhouette, but her body was made of pure light — soft, flowing, refracting like crystal under water. Her hair floated behind her like threads of starlight.
Her eyes—
Her eyes were not gentle.
They burned with ancient memory.
The entire clearing bowed.
Even the spirits lowered themselves, roots bending in submission.
"High Spirit Lyselle," one whispered. "We apologize for the disturbance. This human—"
"Silence."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it resonated like a temple bell ringing underwater.The spirits froze instantly.
Lyselle stepped closer.Her gaze turned to me — calm but sharp enough to cut.
"So," she said. "The unmarked human speaks."
Her tone wasn't hostile.
It was assessing. Calculating.
"Unmarked?" I asked. "I'm new. I don't have a membership badge yet."
A faint smile tugged at the corners of her luminous face.
"Your courage is unusual."
"No," I said. "It's reflex. I die a lot."
She tilted her head slightly at that, light shifting around her features.
"The spirits attacked you because you bear no crest of belonging. To them, you are an intruder. Luminara is not kind to outsiders."
"I noticed."
Her eyes brightened.
"But something else concerns me."
She stepped closer, so close that her glow warmed my skin like sunlight.
"You do not carry a spirit imprint," she said softly. "Nor a past-life echo. You carry… nothing."
"That's one way to say I'm unemployed."
She ignored my sarcasm.
"You walk in this world as if you were born outside of existence."
Her words pierced something in me.A familiar ache.An old truth, repeated across lives.
She lifted her hand.
Light gathered in her palm, forming a small sphere glowing like liquid starlight.
"This may sting."
Before I could ask what—
She pressed the orb gently against my chest.
Heat seared through me, spreading across my ribs, my lungs, my spine.Not painful — just overwhelming.Like my soul was being scanned.
Images flashed behind my eyes:
A knight's sword.A merchant's stall.A desert battlefield.A mountain monastery.A child's laughter.A queen's dying breath.A burning city.A frozen temple.Too many lives.Too many endings.
When it stopped, Lyselle stepped back, the glowing orb dissolving from her hand.
The spirits around us trembled.
Lyselle's expression shifted.
Something between awe—
—and fear.
"You…" she whispered.
"You have lived many lives."
"Yeah," I breathed. "It's a long story."
Her eyes narrowed.
"No. It is a dangerous story."
The spirits flinched.
She spoke louder, voice ringing through the clearing:
"This human is not to be harmed. He belongs to the Light Train."
The spirits recoiled in horror.
One stammered, "T-The Train? He—he is a Passenger?"
Lyselle nodded slowly.
"A Passenger of the Seven Stops."
The clearing fell silent.
Even the forest held its breath.
I stood there, chest still burning faintly, trying not to pass out.
"So," I said weakly. "Does that mean I'm… not getting murdered today?"
Lyselle's luminous eyes softened.
"No, Kang Jaemin," she murmured."In this life… you are meant to be guided, not slain."
She extended her hand toward me.
A gesture of welcome.Or alliance.Or trouble.
Probably all three.
Behind me, the glow-blob chimed excitedly and popped out from behind the rock like it had always believed in me.
Traitor.
But I took her hand anyway.
Her fingers were warm — too warm for light.
And the moment my skin touched hers, something clicked.
A bond.A connection.A thread tying me to this world.
To her.
Her voice softened to a whisper.
"Come, Jaemin. There is much you must learn about Luminara… and about why you were brought here."
"Is this where you dump exposition on me?"
A faint smile.
"No. This is where your life in the First Stop truly begins."
She led me deeper into the shining forest, the spirits bowing as we passed.
And for the first time since arriving, a thought crept into my mind — annoying, unwelcome, but persistent.
Maybe this life…might matter.
Even if it kills me.
Which it probably will.