"Hey, mister. Can you tell me how to get to Menyurl?"
The man looked down, startled by the sudden voice. A boy, barely past his knees, stared up at him with cold, unblinking eyes. His gray hair was messy, his clothes worn.
"Uh… hey, kid, are you lost? Where are your parents?"
The boy didn't blink. "I asked you a question. Do you know where Menyurl is?"
"What—? No, wait. Do your parents live here in Hollowbrook? It's dangerous to run away from home, you know."
"I'm not running away. My parents aren't here. So just tell me where to go."
There was no hesitation in the boy's voice, no fear, no uncertainty. Just a flat demand, as if he were stating a simple fact.
The man hesitated, then sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "West," he finally said, pointing in the direction. "Just keep walking. If you're lucky, you'll get there… but it'll take time."
The boy nodded. "Thanks."
Then, without another word, he turned and walked away.
The man watched him go, a strange feeling settling in his chest. What the hell was that? A runaway? An abandoned kid? He shook his head, muttering under his breath. "I need a drink."
...
West.
I kept walking, ignoring the ache in my legs. The journey would take time, but I had no choice.
Menyurl.
A holy city, home to two divine temples. It was said that both gods coexisted in peace, granting blessings to those who sought them. A place where lost children were taken in and raised.
A place I had to avoid.
If the temple priests found me first, they would adopt me. Give me a comfortable life, a warm bed, a future that didn't involve risking my neck.
But I didn't need that.
I needed Arcane Pact.
A minor villain group that barely lasted in the story, wiped out to showcase the power of the protagonist's allies. But before their destruction, they thrived in the shadows, raising children into assassins.
They wouldn't refuse a child.
And I was a child.
I just had to reach them first.
—
The town of Hollowbrook shrank in the distance behind me.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, the sky darkened, painted in soft hues of violet and deep blue. Stars began to emerge, distant and cold, as if the universe itself was watching.
I couldn't remember the last time I had seen stars.
Back in my old world, the sky had been filled with artificial lights, drowning them out. This was different. This was real. A sky untouched by human hands.
I heard growling behind me.
Slowly, I turned my head.
A Diagung.
A feral crow that feeds on small children.
A creature spoken of in hushed whispers to keep kids from wandering too far. A fairytale even in this world. The protagonist never encountered one. Which meant only the poorfolk knew it was real.
Fuck.
Shit shit shit shit—
I was already running.
The damned bird wasn't flying—it was chasing me on foot. Clawed talons dug into the earth, beak snapping dangerously close.
I was barely ahead.
NOOOOOOO I don't wanna be eaten!
A sharp pull—
Shit.
Its beak had clamped onto my shirt. My legs flailed as I dangled, trying to wiggle free. My arms were too short.
I twisted my head around.
"You chicken—just wait! When I get out of this, I'll eat you!"
The bird stared.
No.
It glared.
I think I pissed it off.
No, I definitely pissed it off.
The Diagung swung me violently. My vision spun, nausea clawing up my throat.
Move.
I grabbed onto its beak.
The moment my fingers touched it, the Clarion of Touch activated.
For a split second—
I felt everything.
I focused.
Fokaloir—one of the main leads—had this ability. His base technique was detecting weak points and vibrations. He said he could use it since he was young.
For him, it was simple.
For me—
I couldn't tell shit.
I was done for.
Then, for a single heartbeat, my vision shifted.
The entire body structure of the bird unfolded before me. Every joint, every tendon, every fragile point of impact.
It was—
Beautiful.
Like watching stars drift in a silent sky.
Like feeling the wind—
…Wait.
Wind?
Why was the wind rushing past me?
Holy shit.
I was flying.
No, wait—I was falling.
Which way? North? South? East? West?!
AHHHH THAT'S NOT THE CONCERN—I'M DESCENDING—I'M GONNA DIE I'M GONNA DIE I'M GONNA DIE—
And just as I braced for impact—
CHOMP.
The Diagung caught me again.
It flapped its massive wings, lifting higher into the sky, its beak still clamped around my shirt.
My body dangled uselessly. What the hell was happening?
Diagung. A fairytale beast. Said to feast on children. Yet—
It hadn't eaten me.
I was still alive.
…Did it even eat children in the first place?
My stomach twisted. A second later—
I vomited.
A lot.
It sprayed through the air, plummeting down toward the land below.
For a brief moment, I locked eyes with a traveling group on the ground. Their faces twisted in horror.
Oh.
Oh no.
I think I just threw up on some passersby.
The Diagung didn't react. It didn't seem hostile at all.
…Could it understand me?
The wind howled past. I felt the cold breeze against my skin, the thin fabric of my clothes doing nothing to shield me.
Then—I looked down.
And for the first time, I really saw it.
The plains stretched endlessly below, bathed in the faint glow of moonlight. In the distance, tiny specks of golden light flickered—a town, maybe? The rest was an ocean of darkness, endless and untouched.
It was beautiful.
More beautiful than anything I had ever seen.
My heart pounded, not in fear, but—
Excitement.
I didn't know why, but I had always wanted to feel this.
Not the falling-to-my-death part—definitely not that.
But this.
This vastness. This freedom.
More than working a dead-end job.
More than living in a lifeless city.
That life wasn't terrible, but I never enjoyed it.
This, though?
This was what I craved all along.
I grinned.
Then, reality slapped me.
Wait.
Where the hell was this crow taking me?!