By sunset…
I finally reached the end of the forest.
I stood atop a rocky hill and looked back.
The sea of ancient trees stretched endlessly toward the horizon.
Even from this distance, they looked like giants standing shoulder to shoulder, guarding secrets older than time itself.
A cold wind brushed against my face.
I lowered my head.
“…I’m alive.”
The words sounded unreal.
Only a few days ago, I had awakened beneath those monstrous trees, convinced I would never escape.
Now…
The impossible forest lay behind me.
Yet strangely…
It no longer felt like my greatest enemy.
Whatever waited ahead…
Felt far more dangerous.
⸻
Smoke drifted lazily into the evening sky.
Following it, I descended the hill.
The further I walked, the clearer the signs of civilization became.
A narrow dirt road appeared beneath my feet.
Cart tracks crossed the ground.
Fresh footprints.
Horse droppings.
Broken wagon wheels abandoned beside the road.
For the first time…
I wasn’t alone.
Far ahead, several merchants pushed wooden carts loaded with colorful fruits and animal skins.
I immediately hid behind a large stone.
“…Calm down.”
“They’re just people.”
Yet I hesitated.
How was I supposed to explain where I had come from?
I couldn’t speak their language.
I had no money.
No identity.
No home.
If I told them the truth…
They would think I was insane.
I waited until the merchants disappeared before continuing.
⸻
Less than an hour later…
I saw them.
Walls.
Massive stone walls rose from the earth like a mountain range.
At least thirty meters high.
Watchtowers stood every few hundred meters, each occupied by guards carrying long silver spears.
Large banners fluttered in the wind.
Their symbol depicted a soaring white eagle beneath seven stars.
The gate itself was enormous.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Even twenty wagons could pass through side by side.
People continuously entered and exited.
Merchants.
Farmers.
Hunters.
Children laughing as they chased one another.
For a brief moment…
It almost reminded me of Earth.
Almost.
⸻
As I approached the entrance…
The guards immediately lowered their spears.
“Halt.”
The word was unfamiliar.
Yet somehow…
I understood it.
Only barely.
Fragments.
Broken meanings.
The strange pills the old man would later give me had not yet happened in this version of the story, so instead the Black Devil’s transformation seemed to have sharpened my senses just enough to grasp the intention behind simple words.
One guard narrowed his eyes.
His gaze traveled across my torn clothes.
My dirty face.
My bare feet.
Finally…
To the cloth wrapped around the sword on my back.
He stepped closer.
My heartbeat quickened.
“Where?”
He pointed toward the forest.
I slowly turned and pointed behind me.
“I…”
“…came from there.”
The words sounded awkward.
The language felt unfamiliar on my tongue.
The guards exchanged confused glances.
One of them laughed.
Another frowned.
The oldest guard stepped forward.
“You?”
He pointed toward the forest again.
I nodded.
His face immediately became serious.
“Impossible.”
He spoke firmly.
“No one comes out.”
The other guards laughed again.
One shook his head.
“Madman.”
Another muttered,
“Probably another orphan.”
The old guard remained silent.
His sharp eyes never left mine.
For a moment…
I thought he had noticed the Black Devil.
Instead, he sighed.
He reached into a small pouch hanging from his belt and tossed me a round piece of dry bread.
I barely caught it.
“…Eat.”
It was the first word I fully understood.
My stomach answered before I could.
I devoured the bread in seconds.
It was dry.
Hard.
Almost tasteless.
It was also…
The most delicious thing I had ever eaten.
The guards watched quietly.
One of them chuckled.
“Hungry ghost.”
The old guard simply waved his hand.
“Go.”
I bowed instinctively.
“…Thank you.”
The pronunciation was clumsy.
Still…
He understood.
His stern face softened slightly.
⸻
Crossing beneath the gigantic gate…
I entered another world.
The streets were alive.
Vendors shouted loudly, advertising strange fruits that glowed faintly beneath the evening light.
Blacksmiths hammered glowing metal that sparked blue instead of orange.
Children ran through the streets carrying tiny wooden swords, pretending to fight invisible enemies.
Women bargained over colorful fabrics woven from threads that shimmered like silver.
The smell of roasted meat drifted through the air.
I stopped walking.
Everything fascinated me.
Everything terrified me.
It felt like stepping into one of the ancient Chinese fantasy dramas I used to watch on my phone back in the hostel.
Only…
This wasn’t a television screen.
This was real.
⸻
Then I noticed something strange.
People were looking at me.
Not with curiosity.
With disgust.
Some frowned.
Others quietly moved aside.
A mother gently pulled her child closer as I walked past.
An old merchant shook his head.
“Beggar.”
Although I understood only a single word…
I understood the expression.
It was universal.
I lowered my head.
So…
Even in another world…
Nothing had changed.
⸻
The aroma of food grew stronger.
My stomach twisted painfully.
I walked toward a marketplace where roasted meat hung above open fires.
Colorful vegetables unlike anything I had ever seen were neatly arranged on wooden stalls.
Huge mushrooms.
Blue pumpkins.
Golden apples.
Fish with shimmering scales.
Everything looked expensive.
I reached into the leather pouch I had taken from the dead young man.
The bronze coins clinked softly.
I smiled.
Perhaps…
I wasn’t completely helpless after all.
I approached the nearest vendor.
Before I could speak…
A rough hand slapped mine away.
“Those coins…”
The merchant frowned.
“Where did you steal them?”
My smile disappeared.
Around us…
Several people slowly stopped walking.
Watching.
The city that had welcomed me with warm lights…
Suddenly felt colder than the forest I had escaped.
And for the first time…
I realized surviving the wilderness had only been the beginning.
The true danger…
Lived inside the walls.
End of Chapter 8