Morning came quietly.
Ayan opened his eyes slowly, the faint light slipping through the wooden window casting soft shadows across the room. For a moment, he didn't move. His mind lingered in that half-conscious state where things still felt distant, unclear, almost unreal.
Then—
It settled.
The wooden ceiling above him.
The unfamiliar air.
The silence that didn't belong to his old world.
"…Right."
The word slipped out quietly as reality returned.
He wasn't in his apartment.
He wasn't going to work.
There was no routine waiting for him.
Ayan sat up slowly, running a hand through his hair as his thoughts began to align again. Everything that had happened—the rooftop, the fall, waking up here—it all came back with a clarity that made it impossible to deny.
This wasn't temporary.
This wasn't a dream.
He was still here.
A faint sound pulled his attention.
Ayan turned his head slightly.
Aelira was already awake.
She stood near the window, her gaze directed outside, but the moment he shifted, her attention moved to him. Her eyes met his instantly, as if she had been waiting for that exact moment.
"You're awake."
Her voice was soft, steady.
Ayan exhaled lightly.
"…Yeah."
There was a brief pause as he looked at her, his expression unreadable.
"…Did you sleep at all?"
The question came out without much thought.
Aelira tilted her head slightly.
"I don't need to."
The answer was simple.
Ayan frowned faintly but didn't push further.
"…Right."
He stood up slowly, his body adjusting naturally. There was no lingering pain, no discomfort from the previous day, no sign of the fall that should have ended everything.
That alone—
Still didn't make sense.
Ayan stepped toward the small table, noticing simple items placed there—bread, water, something that resembled a basic meal. It wasn't much, but it was enough.
"You should eat."
Aelira's voice came from behind him.
Ayan glanced at the table again.
"…You prepared this?"
"Yes."
The answer came without hesitation.
Ayan didn't respond immediately. He simply sat down, picking up the food slowly. The texture felt real. The smell was faint but present. Everything about it felt… normal.
Too normal.
He took a bite.
The taste settled quickly.
"…This is real."
The realization came quietly.
Not surprising anymore.
Just—
Confirmed.
Aelira watched him.
She didn't sit.
Didn't turn away.
She simply stood there, her gaze fixed on him as he ate.
Ayan noticed it after a few seconds.
"…What?"
Aelira blinked once.
"Nothing."
Her answer was calm.
Ayan frowned slightly.
"…You're staring."
"I'm watching."
The correction came naturally.
Ayan exhaled quietly.
"…That's the same thing."
Aelira tilted her head slightly, as if considering it.
"Is it?"
Ayan didn't answer.
Instead, he continued eating, though his focus had shifted. There was something about the way she observed him—not intrusive, not aggressive, but steady.
Constant.
As if she didn't want to miss anything.
"…Aelira."
"Yes?"
Ayan paused briefly.
"…What's outside the village?"
Aelira didn't respond immediately.
Her gaze shifted slightly, as if thinking.
"Forest."
"That's it?"
"There are other places."
Her answer was vague.
Too vague.
Ayan set the food down.
"…What about the monsters?"
"They exist."
"…That's not helpful."
Aelira looked at him calmly.
"What do you want to know?"
Ayan leaned back slightly.
"…What attacked that man yesterday."
Aelira's gaze didn't change.
"Something abnormal."
The same word again.
Ayan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…You've said that before."
"Yes."
"…What does it mean?"
Aelira was silent for a moment.
Then—
"They're changing."
The words were quiet.
But they carried weight.
Ayan felt something shift in his chest.
"…Changing how?"
Aelira didn't answer directly.
"Not everything here is the same as before."
Ayan's gaze sharpened.
"…Before?"
Aelira looked at him.
"For you."
The answer came calmly.
Ayan let out a slow breath.
"…You're not explaining anything."
"I am."
Ayan shook his head slightly.
"No. You're avoiding it."
Aelira didn't deny it.
Instead, she stepped slightly closer.
"You don't need to know everything."
The words were soft.
But firm.
Ayan's expression hardened slightly.
"…I do."
Aelira watched him quietly.
"Why?"
Ayan didn't hesitate this time.
"Because I'm stuck here."
The words came out clearly.
"No system. No logout. No way back."
A small pause.
"If something is wrong with this world, I need to understand it."
Silence settled between them.
Aelira didn't respond immediately.
Then—
"You don't need to go outside."
The shift in her tone was subtle.
But noticeable.
Ayan frowned.
"…What?"
"You can stay here."
Her voice remained calm.
"You'll be safe."
Ayan stared at her.
"…That's not the point."
"It is."
The answer came instantly.
Ayan stood up.
"…No."
The word was firm.
"I need to see it for myself."
Aelira's gaze didn't move.
"You don't."
"I do."
The silence that followed felt heavier than before.
Aelira studied him for a moment.
Then—
"…Then I'll go with you."
Ayan paused.
"…What?"
"I won't let you go alone."
Her voice softened slightly.
But the meaning didn't.
Ayan exhaled slowly.
"…Fine."
There was no point arguing further.
Not now.
They left the house together.
The village was quieter than before. People moved carefully, conversations low, as if the tension from yesterday hadn't fully faded.
Ayan noticed it all.
But he didn't stop.
He kept walking.
Toward the forest.
The moment they crossed the edge of the village, the atmosphere changed.
The air felt heavier.
The silence deeper.
The light filtered differently through the trees, casting uneven shadows along the ground.
Ayan slowed slightly.
"…It feels different."
Aelira didn't respond.
She simply walked beside him.
They moved further in.
The sounds of the village disappeared behind them, replaced by the faint rustling of leaves and distant, indistinct noises.
Then—
Ayan stopped.
"…There."
Something lay ahead.
Partially hidden among the trees.
They approached slowly.
And then—
It became clear.
A monster.
Its body lay twisted on the ground, its limbs bent at unnatural angles. At first glance, it looked like something he had seen before—just another creature from the game.
But then—
Ayan's eyes narrowed.
"…Something's wrong."
The skin.
It didn't look right.
Parts of it were darker.
Uneven.
As if something had spread beneath it.
Ayan stepped closer.
Carefully.
The creature didn't move.
Didn't react.
"…It's dead."
He said it quietly.
Aelira didn't respond.
Ayan crouched slightly, his gaze fixed on the creature.
"…No."
He paused.
"…Not completely."
One of its limbs twitched.
Just slightly.
Ayan froze.
"…Did you see that?"
Aelira was already watching.
Calm.
Unmoved.
The creature's eye shifted.
Slowly.
Unnaturally.
Ayan's breath caught.
"…That's not normal."
Aelira spoke softly.
"I know."
Ayan looked at her.
"…You've seen this before… haven't you?"
Aelira met his gaze.
"Yes."
The answer came without hesitation.
Ayan felt something tighten in his chest.
"…Then what is it?"
Aelira didn't respond immediately.
Her gaze shifted back to the creature.
"It's changing."
The same word again.
But this time—
It felt heavier.
Ayan looked back at the monster.
Its body twitched again.
Slightly stronger this time.
Something moved beneath its skin.
Slow.
Uneven.
Ayan stepped back.
"…It's not dead."
The words came out quietly.
Almost instinctively.
Because now—
He was sure.
Something inside it—
Was still alive.