The morning sun had barely peeked over the distant hills when Seren jolted awake.
There it is again…
He sat up slowly, eyes scanning the dim room. Fenwick snored softly on the other bed, drooling onto his pillow. The other children mumbled in their sleep. But none of them were the reason Seren stirred.
It was that faint… hum.
Like a vibration beneath the floorboards. Almost like the earth itself was whispering.
He held his breath and focused.
Footsteps? No. Too soft. Wind? No… it's coming from farther away…
Since the Awakening Ceremony, his senses had sharpened day by day. Sound was no longer something he heard — it was something he felt. It wrapped around him, flowed through him, resonated with his heartbeat.
And right now… something was moving outside the village.
Something big.
He climbed out of bed quietly, slipping on his small boots. When he opened the door, he nearly bumped into Sister Helena.
"Seren? You're awake very early."
Her soft voice cut through the tension in his chest. He forced a smile.
"I… felt something."
Her eyebrows knitted with worry. "Nightmares?"
"...Sort of. I think fresh air will help."
She studied him. Seren could tell she sensed something was wrong, but she didn't press.
"Don't go beyond the fence," she reminded gently, brushing his hair as she always did. "Stay safe."
He nodded — but the moment her footsteps faded, he walked straight past the fence.
He had to know what that sound was.
---
The Forest's Edge
The Demon Beast Forest loomed dark and ancient, the giant twisting branches forming a natural canopy that blocked out most of the morning light. Even at age four, Seren had enough sense not to step inside the forest — not yet. The villagers constantly repeated:
Don't provoke the beasts. Stay away from the shade. Never wander without an adult.
But the hum he sensed wasn't coming from deep inside. It was near the border, maybe twenty or thirty steps in.
He exhaled slowly.
I just need to check. If it's dangerous, I retreat immediately.
He pressed his hand against a tree trunk.
Sound vibrations bloomed outward like ripples in still water. Birds fluttered in distant branches. A small rodent scurried under a root. Wind swept across patches of long grass.
Normal.
Calm.
Except
A pulse.
A faint echo, like a heartbeat.
Then another.
Regular. Heavy. Slow.
Something is breathing out here.
He swallowed, backing up instinctively,
and bumped into someone.
"AAGH—!!"
They both screamed.
Seren turned and saw a wild-haired boy with twigs stuck in his hair, panting and glaring.
Fenwick.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT HERE?!" Fenwick shouted in a whisper-loud-enough-to-wake-the-dead. "I woke up and your bed was empty— I thought you were kidnapped or eaten or something!"
Seren pressed a finger to his lips. "Quiet. Something's here."
Fenwick froze.
"...Monster?"
"I think so."
Fenwick's expression shifted immediately — fear mixed with excitement. "We're gonna fight it?"
"No."
"Aww—"
"We're going to look at it from very far away."
Fenwick deflated slightly, but nodded.
Side by side, the two crept forward.
---
The First Beast
They reached a clearing, just barely shielded by bushes. Seren crouched low, Fenwick copying him.
And there — beside an old log — stood a boar-like creature the size of a horse.
Thick fur. Curved tusks. Black eyes that shone with predatory focus.
A Low-Grade Forest Tusker.
A beast far too dangerous for children to confront.
Fenwick inhaled sharply. "It's… huge."
Seren nodded. "And aggressive. We can't take it."
"Yet."
Seren blinked at him. "Fenwick. It would turn you into a pancake."
"...A really good pancake?"
"Fenwick."
"Right. Okay. Not a pancake."
Seren focused again. He tapped the ground gently with his knuckles, sending a vibrating pulse outward.
The beast reacted.
Its ears twitched.
Its head snapped to the side.
It raised its snout and sniffed the air.
Seren's heartbeat quickened. It sensed the vibration… even that tiny…?
"Seren," Fenwick whispered, voice trembling, "we should go home."
Seren nodded slowly. "On three."
"One… two… thr—"
A branch snapped behind them.
Both boys turned—
And nearly screamed again.
A pair of eyes stared back at them from the bushes.
Not human. Not beast.
A little girl.
Blonde hair tied in messy twin tails. Red cloak torn at the edges. Face smudged with dirt. Maybe their age — maybe slightly younger.
She waved shyly.
"...Hi."
Fenwick choked. "WHY IS THERE A GIRL IN THE FOREST?!"
The Tusker roared.
All three children screamed.
---
Run First, Questions Later
"Run!" Seren yelled, grabbing Fenwick's wrist and sprinting out of the clearing.
The girl ran too, surprisingly fast for someone so tiny. The ground trembled behind them as the beast charged, tearing through bushes and branches like paper.
Seren's mind raced.
I need a distraction. Something to confuse it—
Sound. Vibrations. Waves.
He inhaled sharply and thrust his small palm backward.
A concussive sound burst — not loud, but sharp — like a whip cracking.
POP!
The air rippled.
The beast hesitated — confused by the sudden wave — and rammed into a tree instead of them.
"YOU DID THAT?!" Fenwick yelled mid-run.
"Less yelling, more running!"
They burst out of the underbrush, panting, stumbling into the outskirts of the village.
Village guards spotted them and immediately sprang to action.
"Protect the children!" "A Tusker? This far out?"
The beast didn't pursue beyond the forest line. After a moment of angry snorting, it turned and lumbered away.
Seren collapsed onto the grass, gasping for air.
Fenwick landed beside him, equally exhausted.
The girl sat calmly on the ground, swinging her legs like nothing happened.
Fenwick stared at her. "Who… are you?"
The girl blinked innocently.
"I'm Maeve."
Seren and Fenwick exchanged looks.
This girl was trouble.
---
The Strange Child
Sister Helena came running moments later, grabbing Seren in a crushing hug.
"Seren! Fenwick! Are you hurt? Why were you outside the fence?!"
Fenwick pointed at Seren instantly. "He dragged me!"
"I did not!"
"You ABSOLUTELY did—"
The argument died when Maeve tugged Helena's sleeve.
"Um," she whispered, "do you have food?"
Helena blinked. "Sweetheart… where are your parents?"
Maeve looked away.
"I got lost."
Seren narrowed his eyes. Something about her answer felt off. Too quick. Too rehearsed. And… her clothes were high quality — not something a commoner child could afford.
Helena sighed. "We'll take you back to the chapel for now."
Fenwick whispered to Seren as they followed behind.
"She just… showed up."
"I know."
"You think she's dangerous?"
"I don't know."
Fenwick frowned thoughtfully. "She's weird."
Seren crossed his arms.
"She survived alone in the Demon Beast Forest… at her age."
Fenwick's eyes widened.
"...Okay. She's not weird. She's terrifying."
Seren nodded.
And Maeve, walking ahead, hummed softly — a tune completely unfamiliar to either boy.
---
That Night
The chapel quieted as the sun set. Maeve slept in a spare bed, curled into her cloak. Sister Helena kept watch over her like a mother hen. Seren lay awake, staring at the ceiling.
Today, he learned three things:
1. His sound abilities could affect beasts.
2. Sound could confuse or misdirect dangerous creatures.
3. A mysterious girl named Maeve had somehow survived something no normal child should.
He couldn't stop replaying the moment he blasted the Tusker with a shockwave.
It reacted instantly… but it worked.
If he could refine that technique…
He closed his eyes.
In the silence of night, the forest hummed again — distant, restless, alive.
Seren whispered to himself:
"Tomorrow… I'll train harder."
For the first time since being reincarnated, the world felt less like a second chance…
…and more like a responsibility.