Part 1
Narrator
Every world...
Measures time the same way.
One sunrise.
One sunset.
Twenty-four hours.
A day begins...
A day ends.
Such has always been the law of the world.
But...
Some laws...
Exist only until something breaks them.
And somewhere...
Beyond the understanding of mankind...
There was said to be...
An hour that should never exist.
The Twenty-Fifth Hour.
An impossible moment...
Hidden between one day...
And the next.
A place...
Where forgotten pain refused to die.
Restart Village.
The peaceful village rested beneath the pale glow of the moon.
A gentle breeze carried the scent of pine through the streets.
The wooden houses stood quietly beneath the starlit sky.
Crickets sang from the fields.
The nearby river flowed with its familiar melody.
Everything appeared...
Perfectly normal.
Yet...
Ever since the Legendary Dragon, Liza, had departed from the world...
Nature itself had begun whispering that something was wrong.
The Death Forest...
No longer breathed as it once had.
Deep inside the forest...
Ancient trees stretched toward the heavens like countless black hands.
Their branches blocked the moonlight.
Mist drifted silently between their roots.
The air felt strangely heavy.
Even the insects...
Had stopped singing.
Silence...
Had become the true ruler of the forest.
Then...
A lone owl suddenly took flight.
Its frightened cry echoed through the darkness.
The trees trembled.
Leaves drifted slowly toward the ground.
The wind...
Stopped.
Every sound...
Disappeared.
For one impossible moment...
The entire forest seemed to hold its breath.
Then...
THAAANNN...
A deep metallic bell echoed across the night.
The sound was ancient.
Heavy.
It did not simply reach the ears.
It seemed to pass directly through the heart.
The earth vibrated gently.
The mist rippled like water.
The echoes continued...
Far longer than any ordinary bell should.
THAAANNN...
...
...
...
Then...
Silence returned.
Inside Restart Village...
Several villagers suddenly froze.
An elderly woman slowly lowered the basket she was carrying.
A hunter instinctively tightened his grip around his spear.
Children stopped laughing.
Even the village dogs quietly lowered their heads.
Nobody spoke.
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Because everyone knew...
That sound.
One frightened villager whispered,
"...It rang again."
Another lowered his head.
"The Twenty-Fifth Bell..."
A mother quickly pulled her child into her arms.
"Come inside."
"Now."
No one questioned her.
Doors closed one after another.
Wooden windows were locked.
Oil lamps were extinguished.
Within only a few minutes...
The lively village became eerily empty.
The Narrator
Fear...
Spreads differently from fire.
Fire burns homes.
Fear...
Burns hearts.
The following morning...
The sun rose exactly as it always had.
Golden light covered Restart Village.
Birds sang cheerfully.
Children played near the river.
Everything appeared normal.
Almost...
Too normal.
Because everyone silently noticed...
One house remained unopened.
The home of an old woodcutter.
Brald White stood before the wooden door.
Several villagers had already gathered.
He knocked.
No answer.
Again.
Still nothing.
Slowly...
He pushed the door open.
Creaaak...
The room was untouched.
The table still held yesterday's unfinished meal.
A cup of tea had gone cold.
A chair had fallen onto the floor.
Yet...
Its owner...
Was gone.
Without struggle.
Without blood.
Without footprints.
As though...
He had simply vanished.
A heavy silence settled over everyone.
One villager whispered,
"...The bell..."
Another swallowed nervously.
"It took him."
No one argued.
Because this...
Was no longer the first disappearance.
Nor the second.
Each time...
The same pattern repeated.
First...
The mysterious bell.
Then...
Someone vanished.
Without leaving behind even a shadow.
Outside...
Brald looked toward the distant Death Forest.
The sunlight illuminated the towering trees.
Yet for some reason...
The forest looked darker than ever before.
Something inside it...
Was watching.
Waiting.
Patiently.
Later that afternoon...
Life tried to return to normal.
Children laughed once more.
Merchants reopened their stalls.
Smoke rose peacefully from the chimneys.
But beneath those ordinary moments...
Unease lingered.
Like an invisible fog surrounding every heart.
Far above the village...
On the sacred mountain...
The rhythmic sound of wooden swords echoed through the open air.
Tak!
Tak!
Clack!
V and Kai crossed blades with practiced precision.
Months of training had sharpened every movement.
Their footwork flowed naturally.
Their timing had become almost instinctive.
Nearby...
Little Tia clapped excitedly whenever one of them landed a clean strike.
"Big Brother!"
"Don't lose!"
Kai laughed.
"Hey!"
"Why are you only cheering for V?"
Tia proudly puffed out her cheeks.
"Because he's my Big Brother!"
Kai placed a hand dramatically over his heart.
"Ouch..."
"My poor heart..."
V couldn't help smiling.
"You're overacting again."
"I am not!"
Kai declared proudly.
"I'm expressing my pain!"
The three children burst into laughter.
For a brief moment...
The shadow hanging over Restart Village...
Seemed to disappear.
Not far away...
Alistair watched quietly beneath the shade of an old tree.
His sharp eyes occasionally drifted toward the distant Death Forest.
Something felt wrong.
The wind no longer carried the same scent.
The birds no longer flew as freely.
Even the forest...
Seemed unusually silent.
His instincts...
Refused to calm down.
High above...
Dark clouds slowly gathered beyond the mountains.
Though the sun still shone brightly...
A cold breeze quietly passed through the sacred mountain.
V suddenly stopped.
His smile disappeared.
He slowly turned toward the distant forest.
For a reason he could not explain...
His heart had begun beating faster.
Thump...
Thump...
Thump...
As though...
Something deep within the Death Forest...
Had just awakened.
And somewhere...
Hidden beyond human sight...
An unseen presence...
Opened its eyes.
An unseen presence...
Opened its eyes.
The cold breeze vanished.
The leaves hanging from the ancient trees became perfectly still.
Even the sunlight seemed dimmer.
For a brief moment...
The entire mountain felt unnaturally quiet.
V instinctively tightened his grip on his wooden sword.
His crimson mark...
Hidden beneath his shirt...
Began to sting ever so slightly.
"...?"
He quietly placed a hand over the left side of his chest.
The pain disappeared as quickly as it had come.
Kai noticed.
"V?"
"Is something wrong?"
V forced a small smile.
"...No."
"I think..."
"I'm just tired."
Kai looked unconvinced.
But before he could ask anything else—
THAAANNN...
The bell rang again.
Unlike before...
This time...
Everyone heard it.
The sound rolled across the mountains like invisible thunder.
The air itself vibrated.
The peaceful atmosphere shattered instantly.
Birds exploded into the sky.
A flock of deer sprinted through the forest below.
The horses inside Restart Village neighed nervously.
Dogs began barking without stopping.
Even the river seemed strangely restless.
Its surface rippled violently...
Despite there being no wind.
Far below...
The villagers froze.
Some immediately shut their doors.
Others silently bowed their heads.
No one dared to speak.
The Twenty-Fifth Bell...
Had returned.
Brald immediately looked toward the forest.
His expression became serious.
Without wasting another second...
He picked up his sword.
Lily hurried outside.
"Brald..."
He looked back at his family.
His eyes softened.
"I'll investigate."
"If I'm not back before sunset..."
"Lock every door."
"And don't let the children leave the house."
Lily wanted to say something.
But the words never came.
She simply nodded.
"...Be careful."
Brald smiled faintly.
"I always am."
With that...
He disappeared toward the edge of the Death Forest.
On the sacred mountain...
V watched his father disappear into the distance.
A strange uneasiness settled deep inside his heart.
Something whispered to him...
Follow.
He immediately shook his head.
"No..."
"Father told me to stay."
Yet...
For some reason...
His instincts refused to calm down.
Nearby...
Little Tia happily chased a butterfly across the grass.
Completely unaware of the fear spreading through the village.
Kai watched her and smiled.
"I wish..."
"We could stay like this forever."
V quietly nodded.
"...Me too."
The afternoon slowly faded.
Golden sunlight turned orange.
Long shadows stretched across the mountain.
The cheerful sounds of the village became fewer.
One by one...
Families returned to their homes.
Doors closed.
Windows were locked.
Silence quietly spread.
The Narrator
Sometimes...
Silence...
Can be louder than screams.
Night arrived.
The moon climbed into the sky.
Clouds slowly drifted across its pale light.
The Death Forest stood like an endless black ocean.
Watching.
Waiting.
Breathing.
Inside the White family's home...
Dinner remained untouched.
Lily repeatedly looked toward the door.
Tia sat quietly beside V.
Even Kai...
Who usually joked during meals...
Had become unusually silent.
Then—
A frightened villager burst into the house.
His breathing was ragged.
His face had turned pale.
"Chief..."
"He..."
"He hasn't returned..."
The room froze.
Lily slowly stood.
"What do you mean?"
The villager lowered his head.
"We searched the forest entrance..."
"There were footprints..."
"But after that..."
"They simply disappeared."
A heavy silence filled the room.
Tia tightly grabbed V's sleeve.
"...Big Brother..."
"Papa will come home..."
Right?"
V looked at his little sister.
He wanted to answer immediately.
He wanted to smile.
But...
For the first time...
He wasn't certain.
He gently placed his hand on her head.
"He will."
"He promised."
Outside...
The moon disappeared behind thick clouds.
Darkness swallowed the village.
Then...
Without warning—
THAAANNN...
The Twenty-Fifth Bell echoed once more.
This time...
Closer.
Much closer.
The sound felt as though it had rung...
Just outside the village.
Every villager rushed toward their windows.
But nobody dared step outside.
Kai slowly stood.
His eyes lost their focus.
The warmth within them faded.
His expression became completely blank.
"Kai...?"
V called softly.
No response.
Kai quietly walked toward the door.
Step...
Step...
Step...
His movements were slow.
Mechanical.
Like a puppet being pulled by invisible strings.
"Kai!"
V grabbed his shoulder.
Kai didn't even look back.
His empty voice echoed through the room.
"...I'm going."
V's heart pounded.
"Going where?"
No answer.
Kai continued walking.
The door slowly opened by itself.
Creeeak...
A freezing wind entered the house.
The candle flames flickered wildly.
Then...
Went out.
Darkness covered everything.
Tia gasped.
"Big Brother..."
She tightly held onto V's clothes.
V looked toward the open doorway.
Beyond it...
The path leading toward the Death Forest...
Was covered in silver moonlight.
And standing between the trees...
For only a single heartbeat...
He thought he saw...
A tiny silhouette.
A child...
Quietly ringing...
An ancient bell.
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