Carriage

Outside the Dense Forest – Crownshade Camp

A well-fortified camp stood at the forest's edge, torches burning bright, casting flickering light over guards in chainmail. Each bore a green badge marked with a black eagle—the sigil of Crownshade.

Footsteps echoed against the packed dirt as a man sprinted toward the camp entrance. The guards, recognizing him, parted without question.

The man didn’t stop to rest. He dashed straight into the largest tent.

Inside, Commander Rock—stoic and sharp-eyed—stood beside his attendant, a blonde man named Albert, poring over maps and scrolls. Rock's piercing blue gaze shifted as the messenger entered.

"Quil, you're back. Judging by your gasping, I assume you found something."

Quil tried to catch his breath as he nodded. "Yes, Commander Rock."

Rock handed Albert the documents he’d been reviewing and calmly took a seat.

Quil stepped forward.

"While searching the western forest, I came across a tiger… but not a normal one. It was massive—easily ten times the size of any regular tiger—and its fur was green."
He paused, wiping sweat from his brow. "I thought a beast that size must’ve fallen prey to something stronger. But then I saw footprints—human footprints—near the body."

A hush fell over the tent. Rock’s expression hardened.

This was not the first strange report.

Only days earlier, scouts had spotted a carriage drifting through the woods. It moved without horses or oxen—on its own. Of the three scouts who pursued it, only two returned. They spoke of a woman with bright red hair seated within, though her face had been concealed.

Commander Rock stood slowly, tension brimming behind his voice.
"Can you take us to the creature?"

"Yes, Commander," Quil replied, regaining his composure.

"Good. Assemble ten men. The rest will guard the camp. We leave tonight."

Quil turned to obey, then hesitated.
"One more thing—the tiger’s meat... it was poisonous."

"Poison?" Rock’s eyes narrowed.
"Strange. No weapons found, yet toxins present. And that carriage…"
He murmured to himself, "Something is deeply wrong with this village."

Deep in the Forest

"Ugh…"
Lance vomited beside a crooked tree, gripping his stomach in pain.

"Damn it… That meat. It tasted amazing, but it’s killing me."

His vision blurred.
His skin soaked with sweat.
He couldn't even smell the air properly anymore.

"I… I can’t find the village like this…"

His knees buckled, and he collapsed. His chest rose and fell weakly.

Then it stopped.

The poison from the tiger coursed through his veins. His heart went still.

Time passed—seconds turned to minutes, minutes into hours.

Then—

Ba-dum.
Ba-dum.

A slow, rhythmic thumping echoed from his chest. His body twitched.

SLAM!

His eyes burst open, glowing faintly in the moonlight.

Lance was back.

Inside Tresia Village – Chief Headquarters

Gasp!

Sunflower reeled back from the door, shocked by the voice she had just heard.

Without hesitation, she threw her weight into the door, SLAMMING it open.

Fog poured out from the room like a living thing, thick and white. She instinctively covered her mouth and nose with her hand, unsure if the mist was magical—or poisonous.

Through the haze, she saw movement.

A shadow near the mini kitchen—a figure darting side to side, pacing frantically.

"Burns! It burns!"

Sunflower’s eyes widened.
It was Reality.

She was cradling her right arm with her left, hopping from foot to foot like she’d been scalded. The right arm was glowing faintly—reddened, steaming, and pulsing with unnatural heat.

Sunflower stepped closer, scanning the scene for threats. The fog began to thin, revealing the disheveled room—pots knocked over, a broken crystal lying shattered on the counter, a few strange symbols smudged on the tiled floor.

Finally, the two women locked eyes.

Reality's expression was a mix of pain and confusion.

Sunflower raised an eyebrow, finally speaking:
"What the hell happened here?"