The two of them walked along the now-deserted sidewalk, illuminated by the yellow glow of street lamps. The smell of grilled meat wafted from afar, making Davorin stomach growl with hunger.
But suddenly—
Whooosh!
A strong gust of wind blew past them, cold as if it came from another world. Leaves scattered chaotically, and the once-clear sky was suddenly swallowed by thick, dark clouds.
Georgia froze in place. "Eh? What was that...?"
Davorin looked around, narrowing his eyes, trying to see through the growing darkness and the thin fog that had begun to cloak the street. The atmosphere had turned drastically silent—unnerving.
Georgia suddenly screamed, "Senpai…" her voice trembling. "L-look... why did everyone stop moving?"
Davorin eyes widened in shock. He tried to remain calm, his voice soft as he reassured her, "I don't know what's happening, but stay calm, Georgia. I'll protect you no matter what."
Georgia looked at him, her eyes still filled with fear, her breathing erratic. Their hands clasped tightly, as if that single touch was the only thing keeping them grounded.
From the distance, a humanoid figure slowly approached them.
"Damn it, what now?" Davorin muttered in fear.
He instinctively grabbed Georgia's hand and turned to run—only to come face-to-face with another figure, identical to the one behind them.
"What the hell… This thing looks human, but why is its whole body glowing? Shit…" Davorin cursed inwardly.
They both froze in place, too afraid to move. Suddenly, the glowing being spoke—but its voice was distorted, unnerving.
"Humans… have your lives been peaceful?" the creature mocked.
"What is this bastard even talking about?" Davorin thought in disbelief.
"W-who are you? What do you want from us?" Davorin asked, his voice trembling.
Georgia clung tightly to Davorin's arm,
unable to speak from fear.
"Huahahaha! Who am I? I am the one who brings both peace and catastrophe. Stronger and more intelligent than anyone in this world. You may call me... ARBITER."
"And my true goal... is to find those who have been chosen. Why? That's not something a weak human like you needs to know," he said with disdain.
"Bu if you survive what's to come, you may find the answer to the fate that has befallen you," he added, grinning wickedly.
The creature snapped its fingers—and everything distorted. The sky spun, the ground rippled like water, and the air vibrated with a soundless hum.
"Dammit, this is the worst day of my life!" Davorin screamed.
In an instant, Davorin and Georgia were torn from reality. When they regained consciousness, they found themselves standing in the middle of a foreign forest.
Not long after, Davorin stirred and sat up, groaning. "Wh-where am I? Why am I in the middle of a forest…?"
Realizing Georgia wasn't beside him, he panicked and shouted her name.
"Georgia! GeorgiAAAA!"
His voice echoed through the trees, hoarse and desperate. He was about to call out again when...
A calm but unfamiliar voice called from behind him.
Davorin spun around. A woman stood under the faint light breaking through the canopy. She wore a collared shirt and a knee-length pencil skirt—like an ordinary office worker.
"W-who are you?!" Davorin asked cautiously, taking a step back.
"My name is Lena Whitmore," she replied calmly. "I'm a journalist from a private company. Like you, I was suddenly brought to this place."
She sighed. "You just woke up and already panicking because your girlfriend isn't beside you? If you're looking for her, she's over there with some of the others."
"Where? Where is she?" Davorin asked, still worried.
"Relax. I'll take you to her." Lena said, turning her back to him.
Davorin followed. As they walked, he noticed several other people unconscious like he had been earlier. Shortly after, he saw a bonfire with a group gathered around it.
Among them, he spotted Georgia sitting by the flames.
"GEORGIAAA!" Davorin shouted, running toward her.
"SENPAI!" Georgia cried, rushing into his arms.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" Davorin asked, holding her tightly.
"I'm okay, Senpai," she said, her voice trembling but relieved.
"Thank goodness... thank God…" Davorin whispered.
The others stared at the reunion—until someone suddenly yelled at them.
"Hey, you two little kids! Shut up you bastard, you're too damn loud!"
"Who are you calling kids, old man?" Davorin snapped.
"Watch your mouth, brat! Who the hell are you calling old? I'm only 35!" the man shouted.
"Oh sorry, sir, I thought you were 80—with those wrinkles and that... is that a wig to cover up your bald head? HAHAHAHA!" Davorin laughed.
"You little... come here and I'll teach you a lesson!" the man barked, rolling up his sleeves.
Before things got worse, Lena stepped in, yelling, "Enough! Fighting won't solve anything! Garran, I know you're stubborn, but look at the situation,will yelling fix this?!"
"Tch, you got lucky this time, you brat," Garran muttered as he walked away.
"Sorry about him. He's been more temperamental since we got thrown here," Lena explained.
"It's okay. I was out of line too," Davorin replied, scratching his head awkwardly.
"By the way, do you know that guy Garran?"
"Yeah, he's my coworker. He's always been headstrong, but never that aggressive," Lena replied, watching Garran from afar.
"Hmm. Oh, Lena, have you tried finding a way out of here? You arrived before us, right?"
"If I could've, I would've done it already. But try walking that way," she said, pointing behind Davorin.
"Huh? Why? What's over there?"
"Just try it," she insisted.
Davorin walked a few steps in the direction Lena pointed, only to smack into something invisible.
"Ugh, my head—what the...? There's a wall here?" Davorin muttered, confused.
Lena joined him. "See? That's why we can't go anywhere. I don't know what's going on, but…"
"And check your wrist."
Davorin instinctively looked at his arm.
"What is this? Why is there some kind of bracelet stuck to me? And… a countdown?"
Countdown: 30 minutes.
"I'm worried about what happens when it hits zero," Lena admitted.
"Georgia, do you have one of these too?" Davorin asked.
"Y-yes, Senpai," she said, showing her wrist.
"That damn Arbiter, what the hell does he want from us?" Davorin growled.
"So you met the creature that calls itself Arbiter too?" Lena asked.
"Yeah, we met him just before dinner."
Silence fell for a moment.
"Dinner? So you were on a date! Hehehe~" Lena teased.
"E-eh, n-no! Senpai and I are just childhood friends... and now coworkers! Right, Senpai?" Georgia said shyly, glancing at him.
"Yeah, that's right. Just coworkers," Davorin replied quickly.
"Oooh, but Georgia, your face is turning red~ Do you like him?" Lena teased again.
"E-eh! It's not— I mean—" Georgia stammered.
"Haha, just kidding. But if you ever need dating advice, come to me," Lena said, draping an arm around Georgia.
"Cut it out, Lena. I know you're trying to lighten the mood, but we need to figure out our next move," Davorin interjected.
"Ah, right. I suggest we wait and see what happens when the countdown ends," Lena replied, stepping back.
"I agree with Lena, Senpai," said Georgia, looking at him.
"Alright. Let's wait. We can't go anywhere anyway, thanks to that invisible wall," Davorin agreed.
The three of them sat down, eyes fixed on their devices.
Countdown: 25 minutes.
Countdown: 15 minutes.
Countdown: 10 minutes.
Countdown: 5 minutes.
Davorin couldn't take his eyes off the timer.
"Get ready, both of you. It's almost zero," he warned.
They nodded and stood, bracing for what was to come.
Countdown: 5... 4... 3... 2... 1...
Just as it hit 1, the countdown stopped.
"Eh? What? Why did it stop?" Georgia asked, confused.
Not far away, someone in the crowd screamed, "H-hey! What's that light in the sky?!"
A blinding white light shone beneath the moon—then split into ten glowing forms. They descended, surrounding Davorin and the others.
Each light transformed into a familiar figure: ARBITER.
"Ahhh, the fear on human faces,it's delicious." Arbiter said, his voice echoing.
"It's you again, damn it! What do you want from us?!" Davorin shouted.
Whispers rippled through the crowd.
"HAHAHAHA! Oh, you amuse me. Fine, I'll tell you a little..." Arbiter grinned wide.
"My purpose... is simple." He paused, then smiled so wide it looked like his face might tear apart.
"To make you suffer. To torment you. Isn't it beautiful—watching humans struggle to survive? HAHAHAHA!"
"What do you mean by struggle to survive, you monster?!" Davorin yelled.
"Hahaha... you'll find out soon."
"Oh! I almost forgot," Arbiter added, pointing at the devices. "Those are called Devices. They'll give you clues about your next tasks and display your physical and mental condition."
"Not that it'll matter. You'll probably all die soon anyway. HAHAHAHA!"
"Farewell... and entertain me!" Arbiter vanished.
"HEY!! At least tell us what happens after the countdown!" Davorin shouted.
"S-shit, shit, shit," he muttered, biting his thumbnail.
"T-take it easy, Senpai," Georgia whispered.
Suddenly, the Device lit up.
Countdown: 0...
WARNING!
WARNING!
RUN!!!
Distance: 5KM
"Shit! Georgia, hold my hand!" Davorin shouted, grabbing her tightly.
"S-senpai, what's happening?!" she asked, terrified.
"Damn it, what now?! The Device says run—but run where? From what?! The wall's still here!" Davorin panicked.
"Ahhh, what are those?!" someone screamed.
"Goblins?! How can fictional monsters be real?!" cried another.
Davorin's eyes widened. "No! They're not Goblins! Goblins look cute compared to those things! RUN!! They're REDCAPS!!"