Two days remained.
The village woke beneath a strange silence.
Arix noticed it immediately.
Usually, the streets would already be filled with people by morning.
Merchants shouting.
Children running around.
Adventurers arguing over quests.
Today— everyone seemed to be in a hurry.
Guards were moving toward the northern road.
Adventurers were carrying supplies.
The guild had barely opened before people began entering.
Arix stood outside his house, watching.
“What’s everyone doing?” His father looked toward the northern forest.
“Preparing.” “For the Alter Tear?” His father nodded.
Arix frowned.
“But the monsters aren’t attacking anymore.” “They don’t have to.” Arix didn’t understand.
His father crouched beside him.
“Sometimes the most dangerous part of an Alter Tear is what happens before it opens.” Arix looked toward the forest.
“Is it going to open?” “We don’t know.” “But the crack is still sealed, right?” His father hesitated.
“Yes.” That hesitation didn’t escape Arix.
— At the Adventurer’s Guild, things were even more chaotic.
Kael stood over a large map.
Several red markings had been added overnight.
Renn pointed toward one of them.
“Movement stopped here.” Kael nodded.
“And here.” Mira looked over the map.
“All of them stopped at almost the same time.” Lena frowned.
“Why?” Nobody answered.
Mira placed her hand over one of the markings.
“The energy changed.” Kael looked at her.
“Again?” “Yes.” “How?” “It became quieter.” Renn raised an eyebrow.
“Quieter?” Mira nodded.
“Yesterday it was spreading.” She looked toward the northern forest.
“Today, it feels like something is holding it back.” Kael’s expression hardened.
“The seal?” “Possibly.” Mira wasn’t convinced.
There was something else.
Something she couldn’t explain.
— Arix eventually made his way toward the guild.
He found Kael outside.
“Kael!” Kael turned.
“Morning, little man.” “What’s happening?” “Nothing you need to worry about.” Arix frowned.
“Everyone keeps saying that.” Kael laughed.
“Because you’re six.” “I’ll be seven in two days.” “Still six.” Arix crossed his arms.
Kael smiled.
“Come on.” He crouched down.
“You wanted to know about ranks yesterday, right?” Arix nodded immediately.
Kael picked up a small stick and drew lines in the dirt.
“Think of ranks as a basic way of comparing strength.” He wrote: F Then: E D C B B+ A A+ And finally— S Arix stared.
“That’s more than Dad showed me.” Kael laughed.
“Your father gave you the child-friendly version.” Arix looked offended.
“I’m not a baby.” “Sure.” Kael pointed at the letters.
“B and B+ are already extremely powerful compared to normal adventurers.” “And The Star?” “We’re B-rank.” Arix nodded.
“And the wave is B+.” “Correct.” “So you are weaker.” Renn’s voice suddenly came from behind them.
“Kid, you’re really good at hurting people’s feelings.” Arix laughed.
Kael shook his head.
“Rank isn’t everything.” He tapped the ground.
“Abilities matter.” Another tap.
“Experience.” Another.
“Teamwork.” Another.
“Equipment.” He looked at Arix.
“And sometimes, there’s a difference between someone’s official rank and what they’re actually capable of.” Arix’s eyes widened.
“Like what?” Kael smiled.
“That’s something you’ll learn later.” Arix sighed.
“Everyone keeps saying that.” Renn laughed.
“Because it’s true.” — A sudden bell rang.
DONG!
Everyone outside the guild froze.
Kael’s smile disappeared.
Another bell.
DONG!
Then another.
DONG!
Arix looked toward the northern road.
“What’s happening?” Kael immediately stood.
“Stay here.” He drew his sword.
Renn grabbed his bow.
Mira and Lena rushed out of the guild.
The guards began moving toward the northern gate.
Arix watched them disappear.
Then— nothing happened.
No monsters.
No explosion.
No attack.
Only silence.
Minutes passed.
Then the captain returned.
His expression was grim.
Kael stepped forward.
“What happened?” The captain looked toward the northern forest.
“The crack.” Mira’s eyes narrowed.
“What about it?” “It moved.” “How much?” “Not enough to open.” The captain paused.
“But enough to make the seal react.” Mira’s expression became serious.
“How stable is it?” The captain shook his head.
“We don’t know.” — Beneath the Northern Forest Far below the ancient trees— the wall stood in darkness.
The crack remained.
Thin.
Silent.
Almost insignificant.
But behind it— something moved.
The blackish-white wolf stood before the ancient seal.
His pale fur moved slightly in the unnatural wind.
His crimson eyes, carrying that faint blackish tint, remained fixed upon the crack.
He placed one paw against the ancient stone.
Dark energy spread across the wall.
The trembling stopped.
For a moment— the seal stabilized.
Then— CRACK.
A fracture appeared.
The wolf’s eyes narrowed.
He pushed more power into the seal.
The darkness behind the crack pressed against it.
The ancient wall groaned.
Another fracture appeared.
CRACK.
The wolf’s claws dug into the stone.
He continued holding the seal together.
But something had changed.
The seal was no longer merely resisting.
It was dying.
Another crack spread across the wall.
Then another.
The wolf remained where he was.
The Gatekeeper of Hell had guarded this boundary for longer than anyone in the Material World could comprehend.
And now— the boundary was failing.
— The darkness behind the crack shifted.
Something enormous moved.
The wolf’s eyes narrowed.
For a moment, only darkness could be seen.
Then— a single scale pressed against the other side.
It was enormous.
The scale disappeared back into the darkness.
A moment later— something much larger moved behind it.
A shape.
Long.
Massive.
Impossible to see completely through the narrow opening.
Then a vast wing shifted within the darkness.
The ancient chamber trembled.
The wolf increased his strength.
The seal cracked again.
He knew what was coming.
The being had been sealed for an age.
And the seal— was no longer enough.
— The Village Nobody knew.
The guards remained stationed around the northern road.
The guild continued monitoring the Alter Tear.
The villagers continued their daily lives.
Arix sat outside his house as evening approached.
His mother prepared dinner.
His father worked near the doorway.
Everything looked normal.
Yet Arix kept staring toward the forest.
His father noticed.
“Something bothering you?” Arix shook his head.
“No.” He paused.
Then— “Dad?” “Yes?” “Why do I feel like something is watching us?” His father’s hands stopped.
For a moment, he didn’t answer.
Then he smiled.
“Probably your imagination.” Arix nodded.
But he didn’t believe him.
Somewhere far away— a wolf howled.
Arix looked toward the forest.
The sound wasn’t threatening.
It was almost— a warning.
— The Opening Night fell.
The village slowly became quiet.
The guards remained at their posts.
The guild’s lights stayed on.
Nobody noticed the darkness gathering beneath the forest.
Nobody heard the ancient wall groan.
Nobody saw the Gatekeeper standing before the seal.
Then— CRACK.
The final fracture appeared.
The wolf pushed his strength into the seal.
The ancient wall shook.
For a moment— it held.
Then— the seal broke.
Not with an explosion.
Not with thunder.
With a sound like reality itself tearing apart.
The crack opened.
Darkness poured into the chamber.
The wolf immediately moved forward.
His presence suppressed the violent energy spilling from the opening.
He did not abandon his post.
He did not welcome what was beyond it.
He stood between the opening and the world— as he had always done.
Behind him— the sealed being moved.
A long scaled body shifted through the darkness.
A massive wing unfolded.
The chamber trembled.
But nothing emerged.
Not yet.
The wolf’s crimson eyes remained fixed on the darkness.
The opening had happened.
— Elsewhere Far from the village— a lone rider raced across the road.
His horse was exhausted.
The rider was barely able to remain in the saddle.
His armor was damaged.
His body was covered in wounds.
He had been riding for hours without stopping.
He couldn’t stop.
Not now.
A massive fortress finally appeared on the horizon.
The rider’s vision blurred.
“Almost…” His horse stumbled.
The rider pulled the reins.
“Come on…” The fortress gates came closer.
The guards noticed him.
“Rider approaching!” The horse crossed the final stretch.
Then— its legs gave out.
The rider fell heavily onto the ground.
Several soldiers rushed toward him.
“Get the commander!” The rider tried to stand.
He couldn’t.
A soldier grabbed him.
“Who are you?” The rider struggled to breathe.
“I…” He swallowed.
“I’m a messenger.” “From where?” The rider looked up.
His expression was filled with fear.
“The Empire.” The soldiers froze.
“What happened?” The messenger forced the words out.
“They’re coming.” “What?” “The Empire…” His breathing became weaker.
“They’re going to invade.” Silence.
“How long?” The messenger looked toward the distant horizon.
“Not long.” Then— he collapsed.
The fortress erupted into chaos.
Orders were shouted.
Soldiers rushed through the corridors.
The gates began closing.
Nobody knew when the Empire would arrive.
Nobody knew where they would strike.
And nobody in the village knew— that something else had already opened.
— One day remained.
Arix’s seventh birthday was getting closer.
And the world had already begun moving toward it.