Night had finally descended.
Darkness swallowed the forest whole.
The pale moonlight filtering through the twisted branches above did little to illuminate the endless sea of snow beneath their feet. The only sounds that disturbed the suffocating silence were the distant cries of creatures lurking within the darkness.
Some came from the skies.
Long, distorted shrieks that echoed overhead before fading into the night.
Others came from the forest itself.
Heavy footsteps.
Unnatural growls.
The rustling of something moving just beyond the line of sight.
It was enough to remind everyone present that the dangers of the Spell World had not diminished with the setting sun.
If anything—
they had only grown worse.
Fortunately, after what felt like an endless trek through the frozen woods, Xavier, Raiden, Miriam, and Elra had finally reached the giant tree Elra had spoken about.
Even in the darkness, it towered over the surrounding forest like an ancient guardian. Its massive roots twisted through the snow-covered earth, and nestled beside those roots was the entrance to a cave.
The sight alone brought relief to the exhausted group.
Then Raiden suddenly stopped.
"Wait."
His voice immediately put everyone on alert.
Xavier shifted Elra slightly on his back before looking toward him.
"Raiden? What's wrong?"
Raiden narrowed his eyes toward the cave entrance.
Orange light flickered from within.
Firelight.
His expression hardened instantly.
He turned toward Elra.
"Does anyone else live with you?"
Elra blinked.
"What?"
"Answer me."
"N-No." She shook her head quickly. "I live alone." Confusion slowly replaced the exhaustion on her face. "I always put out the fire before sleeping. I don't want to attract monsters."
Her expression paled.
"Then... why is there light inside?"
The atmosphere changed immediately.
Raiden acted without hesitation.
The black wings behind him unfolded with a soft rustling sound.
He reached backward and plucked several feathers free.
Blood stained the edges of the black plumage for a brief moment before the feathers hardened into steel.
"Take these."
He handed one to Xavier.
Another to Miriam.
Then another to Elra.
"Stay behind me," he ordered quietly.
Nobody argued.
Slowly, they approached the cave entrance.
Every step felt heavy.
The crackling sound of the fire grew louder.
Raiden pressed himself against the rocky wall near the entrance and motioned for the others to remain hidden.
Then, cautiously, he entered.
The tunnel stretched several meters inward.
The warmth from the fire became stronger with every step.
The flickering orange glow illuminated the rough stone walls.
Then—
A fireball shot directly toward him.
Raiden's eyes widened.
His wings instantly folded around his body.
The hardened feathers interlocked like armor.
BOOM.
The flames exploded against his defense.
Heat washed over him.
Before the attacker could react again, Raiden spread his wings apart and stepped forward aggressively.
"I YIELD!"
The desperate cry echoed through the cave.
"I yield! Please! Don't kill me!"
Raiden stopped immediately.
The person standing before him was not a monster.
It was a young man.
His clothes were torn.
Numerous cuts and bruises covered his body, some crudely wrapped in makeshift bandages stained with blood. He looked exhausted.
Terrified.
He stared at Raiden as though death itself had just walked into the cave.
Moments later, Xavier and the others emerged from behind the tunnel entrance.
"Raiden?" Xavier asked. "What's going on?"
Raiden lowered his guard slightly.
"There's someone here," he answered. "He's injured."
The young man's gaze swept across the group.
Xavier.
Miriam.
Elra.
His already pale face lost what little color remained.
Almost immediately, he dropped to his knees.
"Please!" he begged frantically. "Please don't kill me! I swear I don't have anything valuable! I won't cause any trouble!"
His body trembled violently.
Xavier stepped forward.
"Calm down," he said gently. "We're not going to kill you."
The boy looked up uncertainly.
Xavier offered him a reassuring smile.
"My name is Xavier."
He gestured toward the others.
"These are my companions."
Then he looked back at the frightened young man.
"What's your name?"
The boy hesitated before answering.
"...Xylo."
His voice shook slightly.
"I came here to hide."
Raiden crouched beside him.
"What happened to you?"
Xylo lowered his head.
"I was attacked."
Immediately, Xavier's attention sharpened.
"Attacked?" he repeated. "By monsters?"
Xylo slowly shook his head.
"No."
The atmosphere inside the cave became noticeably colder.
"People."
The single word stunned everyone.
"Groups are hunting other players," Xylo explained quietly. "They kill people in the Spell World to gain points and become stronger."
Fear surfaced in his eyes again.
"I happened to run into them."
His hands tightened against his torn clothing.
"I managed to escape... barely."
He glanced nervously around the cave.
"I'm sorry... Is this your hideout?"
"If it is..." His voice dropped lower. "Could I stay here for tonight? I promise I'll leave in the morning."
Raiden stared at him for a moment before his expression softened.
"It's fine." He placed a hand on Xylo's shoulder. "You can stay. you could come in handy, were heading for the black tower"
He gave a small smile.
"Besides, this place doesn't belong to us."
His gaze shifted toward Elra.
"It belongs to her."
Xylo blinked in surprise.
Relief slowly flooded his face.
"Thank you..."
Raiden nodded.
"Allow me to introduce myself."
"My name is Raiden."
For a brief moment, Xylo froze.
Then his eyes widened.
"Raiden?"
His gaze sharpened.
"Wait..."
"I've seen you before."
Raiden looked surprised.
"You have?"
Xylo nodded quickly.
"You're one of the group commanders of the White Lotus Knights, aren't you?"
This time, genuine surprise appeared on Raiden's face.
He hadn't expected anyone here to recognize him.
"You know who I am?"
Xylo nodded.
"Yeah."
His voice carried a mixture of admiration and disbelief.
"I've heard about you."
Raiden remained silent for a moment before asking,
"You're from one of the cities?"
Xylo nodded.
"I'm from Thorn City."
"The Kingdom of Raya."
Realization dawned on Raiden's face.
"I see."
For the first time since entering the cave, the tension eased slightly.
However, Xavier couldn't ignore the uneasiness settling within his chest.
Until now, the monsters of the Spell World had been their greatest threat.
But hearing that there were people hunting others for power...
Perhaps the most dangerous creatures in this world weren't monsters after all.
Perhaps they were human.
Xavier had been quietly watching Raiden and Xylo talk by the fire.
The cave echoed with their laughter as they exchanged stories about city life, favorite foods, and places they hoped to visit once they escaped this nightmare. It was strangely comforting.
For the first time since arriving in this world, Xavier felt... safe.
Then his chest tightened.
A sharp pain lanced through his skull.
His smile faltered.
The firelight around him blurred.
"...Xavier?" Elra called softly.
His vision doubled.
The laughter in the cave suddenly sounded distant, as though he had been submerged underwater.
Another wave of pain struck.
His breath caught in his throat.
Then—
He collapsed.
"Xavier!"
His body hit the cave floor with a sickening thud.
Almost instantly, violent tremors overtook him.
His entire body convulsed against the cold stone as if something inside him was trying to tear its way out. His fingers clawed helplessly at the ground while his breathing became uneven and strained.
"Xavier!" Raiden rushed toward him.
"What's happening to him?!" Miriam cried.
Xylo immediately knelt beside him, panic written all over his face.
But Xavier couldn't hear them properly anymore.
Their voices sounded distant.
Faint.
As though they existed on the other side of an endless tunnel.
Then the memories came.
Not one.
Not two.
Hundreds.
They crashed into him all at once.
Gunfire echoed through his mind.
Buildings burned beneath smoke-darkened skies.
People screamed.
He saw students running through bloodstained hallways, desperately trying to escape.
A little boy stumbled through rubble while dragging his injured mother behind him.
Someone cried for help.
Someone begged.
A man screamed in agony.
Another memory overlapped it.
Snow.
A ruined castle standing against a violent storm.
The sound of steel clashing.
A woman with fiery red hair smiling warmly at him.
The warmth of a hand resting atop his head.
Laughter aboard a ship.
Then blood.
A masked figure standing amidst corpses.
Green eyes glowing beneath a deer skull mask.
Everything blurred together.
The screams of students.
The roar of flames.
The crashing of ocean waves.
The howl of a blizzard.
Faces.
So many faces.
People he had never met.
People he had lost.
People Xavier Xylaris had loved.
People, Liam had failed.
The memories collided violently within him until he could no longer separate them.
Which ones were his?
Which ones belonged to Xavier, Which ones belonged to him?
Who was he mourning?
The voices grew louder.
"Xavier!"
"Liam!"
"Help me!"
"Run!"
"Please!"
"Brother!"
"KILLER!"
His body jerked violently.
Tears streamed uncontrollably from his closed eyes.
He couldn't breathe.
Couldn't think.
The world around him was collapsing beneath an avalanche of memories that didn't belong together.
Then, through the endless chaos—
He saw them.
A classroom stained red.
Students huddled together in terror.
A young man standing frozen at the doorway.
His sister.
Three familiar faces behind her.
Fear in their eyes.
Then—
Gunshots.
The image shattered.
Immediately replaced by another.
A young Xavier Xylaris reaching toward a woman with crimson hair.
"Mother !"
The deer-masked figure stood behind her..
Another scream.
Another death.
Another loss.
The memories twisted together into an unbearable torrent of grief, guilt, terror, and helplessness.
Xavier's body convulsed harder.
"Xavier!" Raiden shouted.
But his voice couldn't reach him.
Because in that endless sea of memories—
He could hear only one thing.
Countless voices calling out to him.
"Liam!"
"Xavier!"
"Liam!"
"Xavier!"
The names echoed endlessly.
Until even he no longer knew which one belonged to him.
Then everything went dark.
And He had lost consciousness