Prologue

The surroundings were all white.

It was a white snowfield.

The moonlight casting a spectral brightness over the snowfield, making it almost as clear as day. But amid this pristine whiteness, a trail of vivid scarlet marred the snow, stark and chilling. The blood marked the desperate path of someone fleeing through the winter night, each step was a sign of urgency and fear.

A boy gasped for breath, his legs trembling with fatigue. The cold air seared his lungs, but he forced himself onward, oblivious to the pain from the gash in his leg. The wind howled around him, biting through his thin clothing, driving him to move faster.

One word echoed relentlessly in his mind:

Run

And so he ran.

Determination pushed him forward, forbidding any glance back, knowing that even a moment's hesitation might crumble his fragile resolve. Memories of his village, now engulfed in flames, clawed at his heart. He could almost hear his mother's unspoken plea in her eyes.

His strength waned, and finally, his legs gave out. He collapsed onto the snow, having reached his limit. He gasped for air as he lied down, staring at the bright full moon in the sky.

It was beautiful, enough to make a person shed tears in their eyes. Nevertheless, it wasn't the reason why the tears in the boy's eyes that he kept until now finally flooded his cheeks, but for the horror of that night he had witnessed.

He wept for the nightmare etched into his mind, for the scenes of terror that would haunt him forever. Yet, the true nightmare was not over.

A sudden, chilling awareness gripped him. He sensed the danger he had been fleeing. Struggling to rise, he turned his head toward the path he had taken. A figure wearing a white splendid armor approached through the snow, a twisted smile visible even from a distance.

Fear struck him like a blow, his eyes wide with terror, cold sweat trickling down his spine. His mind raced, caught in a storm of panic and disbelief.

"That person…" he croaked, recognizing the figure as one of those who had turned his village into a hellish nightmare.

As the figure drew closer, the boy's strength faded away. His consciousness flickered like a candle in a gusting wind, wavering and fragile.

Then, the darkness swept over him, extinguishing the light. The world that was white turned black, the cruel smile of his pursuer burned into his memory as he slipped into unconsciousness.