The place was strangely quiet. Everyone was silent and no one spoke. Even the sound of birds had disappeared, as if they had fled from the place. Clouds covered the sky, as if the spring morning earlier had only been a dream.
Kaid gathered his courage and entered through the main gate. Everyone stared at him in a strange way. Their gazes pierced his body, as if they were looking straight into his hidden feelings and secrets. The boy grew tense, cold sweat running down his body. He couldn't endure this strange atmosphere—he couldn't even understand it.
The solution? He ran away.
He hid in the bathroom, locked the door behind him, and tried to calm himself.
"I didn't do anything… I don't look strange, right?"
The boy's anxious thoughts were interrupted by the voices of two friends passing through the hallway.
"Did you hear about that loser kid? The clip is everywhere."
"Who?"
"I don't know his name, but he appeared in a video getting humiliated by Mo and his friends. They beat him, poured milk on him, and even took all his money."
The two boys burst into laughter. To them it was just casual gossip, but for Kaid it was the end. He had been filmed. Exposed. Humiliated. He would become the talk of the school for the entire semester.
The boy trembled where he stood. His chest tightened and breathing became difficult. Inhale… exhale… A sharp pain spread through his chest, cold sweat covering him.
Then nothing.
Just darkness.
"My senses are numb. I can't see or hear. I was in the bathroom and then suddenly…"
Kaid's thoughts were interrupted by a voice from an unknown source, as if the emptiness itself were speaking.
"So you're the anomaly. Fine. I'll deal with this quickly and go back to sleep."
The void collapsed. The boy's awareness of his surroundings faded. Then a faint light appeared from nothingness, pulling his consciousness toward it at a terrifying speed.
Suddenly—an impact.
"Ugh… where am I…? This definitely isn't the school."
The boy asked in confusion. He looked around. A clear blue sky, rocky mountains, and no sign of life. Only silence and the echo of his own voice.
The boy lowered his head and noticed something near his feet. There was a book that looked ancient, worn down by time. Nervously, he picked it up and opened it.
"First page of the instruction book. Beginner Program. I don't know these words, but somehow I can understand them."
That was all that appeared on the first page. The rest of the book was empty, filled only with old yellowed pages.
Kaid decided to explore the area and search for a place that could at least serve as a temporary shelter. Towering terrain and a gloomy silence surrounded him. It was a strange place—only the sound of his own thoughts accompanied him.
But in truth, that wasn't the problem. He was already used to loneliness, so he could endure the psychological pressure, at least for a while.
As he walked toward the unknown, thirst and hunger overwhelmed him. Soon he came across a rocky cave—more like a hollow in the mountain than a proper cave. Beside it lay the corpse of a strange animal he had never heard of before. It had four legs, a short yellow tail, and spotted fur. It somewhat resembled a deer.
The boy had no choice but to eat the raw meat. It tasted terrible, and the flesh was tough. If it weren't for the sharp rock he found nearby, he wouldn't have been able to cut it.
After eating his fill, the boy lay down and stared at the sky, thinking:
"Isn't this place wonderful? No one to talk, no one to judge me. Why don't I just stay here forever?"
As always, whenever he found a moment of peace, it was interrupted. A growling sound came from deep within the mountain hollow. Red eyes glowed in the darkness.
The boy ran as fast as he could. He didn't stop.
"Don't stop running. No one knows what that thing is."
The book emitted a faint light and flickered, but Kaid ignored it until he had run far enough and was sure the creature wasn't chasing him anymore. He sat down to catch his breath.
"Huff… huff… huff…"
Then he remembered the book.
He opened it—and what he saw was stranger than the fact that he had almost died.