“An hour to live. It almost sounds poetic.”

  A deep sigh left Aren's mouth as he was guided toward the way out.

  “You said something, sir?” an attendant beside him asked.

  Aren shook his head. “No. Nothing.”

  The attendant nodded politely, “Please wait a moment. Your carriage will arrive soon.”

  ‘Soon? How soon? Ha… I’ve started to hate this word.’ Aren frowned.

  That old man said he only had an hour to live and took ten minutes of it asking pointless questions. And now another five minutes had slipped away.

  ‘I think the people of this world are not as kind as I thought they were. Actually, the people of my old world were not so kind either… at least, not as I had hoped.’

  The old man's words were still ringing in his ears.

  He had never expected to hear something like that. The way he announced his death was… perhaps too straightforward. Aren understood the old man's position, but still, someone suddenly telling you that you were going to die in an hour.

  How were you supposed to handle it?

  Cry? Beg to whatever god you believed in to save you? But in the end, would any of that save your life?

  Probably not.

  And so Aren accepted it.

  Accepted it because there was no other way. His fate had been decided, and there was nothing he could do.

  “So be it.”

  Looking straight at the sunless sky, he burst into laughter.

  “Ha… hahahaa… An hour. I still have an hour. Isn’t that funny?”

  Laughing heartily, Aren looked at the attendant beside him. The man stood there in silent confusion, an awkward smile greeting him back.

  The attendant glanced past him and noticed a dragon-pulled carriage coming their way. His awkwardness quickly turned into relief.

  The carriage stopped in front of Aren, and the attendant hurriedly opened the door for him.

  ‘A dragon?’

  Instead of getting into the carriage, Aren observed the creature pulling it.

  A horse-sized, lizard-like creature covered in green scales, standing upright on two powerful legs.

  ‘No matter how I look at it, it’s not a dragon. Actually, it’s more like a dinosaur.’

  Concluding his observation, Aren nodded to himself.

  He understood that there were many kinds of dragons in this world, and the Dragon Kings were different from the others, worshipped almost like gods. As for this giant lizard, it was the only “dragon” people were allowed to keep, mostly used for transport.

  Aren smiled at the creature.

  What did it have to do with him? After all, he was just a miserable man who was going to die soon.

  “Ah, sir…” the attendant spoke again, this time a little louder.

  “Yes, yes. I promise I was not wasting your time.”

  Aren looked down at his palm. Deep purple veins were pulsing furiously beneath his skin. They seemed to be spreading further, now visible all across his hand.

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  ‘So the time is near.’

  His vision turned blurry, and a terrible headache weakened his steps. As he grabbed the carriage door to climb inside, the attendant helped him with visible concern.

  The attendant closed the door with a bow, and the carriage began to move.

  It was quite luxurious compared to the budget cars from Earth. The seats were comfortable, and the light was softened by silky, smooth cotton drapes. But Aren failed to appreciate any of it.

  He bit his lips, a thin crimson line running through his lips. The liquid flowed down and mingled with two faint trails of tears.

  ‘I thought the time would just fly by… but why does it feel so slow?’

  The carriage rolled steadily through the silent streets.

  Aren leaned back against the soft seat, his body trembling faintly as the pain in his head slowly intensified.

  Outside the window, the world moved on.

  People walked along the streets, merchants called out their wares, and distant voices rose and fell like waves.

  Life continued. As if nothing had happened.

  Aren watched the passing scenery with dull eyes.

  ‘When I die… nothing will change.’

  The thought came to him with strange clarity.

  The carriage would keep moving.

  The city would remain just as lively.

  People would laugh, argue, fall in love, and chase their dreams.

  Even the attendant who helped him earlier would probably forget about him in a few days.

  To them, Aren was nothing more than a stranger.

  A nameless man who appeared one day… and disappeared the next.

  ‘How insignificant.’

  He let out a quiet breath.

  In his old world, it had been the same. He had lived quietly, ate quietly, and existed quietly.

  When he disappeared back then, how many people should have truly cared?

  Perhaps a few. Perhaps none.

  The thought should have hurt.

  But strangely… it didn’t.

  Instead, it felt almost peaceful.

  As if a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

  ‘Maybe this is fine.’

  His eyelids slowly grew heavier.

  The throbbing pain in his head dulled his thoughts, making them sluggish and distant.

  ‘Although I won’t be able to buy the lakeside house like I promised.’

  His thoughts turned melancholic.

  ‘Miss Mira… I hope you will move on. And thank you for everything.’

  Clack… clack… clack…

  The rhythm of the carriage wheels echoed softly beneath him. Like a lullaby.

  Aren let his head fall against the seat.

  His breathing gradually slowed.

  The last thing he saw was the faint light filtering through the silk curtains of the carriage window.

  Then even that faded.

  And quietly, without resistance,

  Aren fell asleep.

  *****

  Pitch-black darkness devoured his vision.

  Then, slowly, the night sky revealed itself.

  The night sky of this world, normally empty, devoid of both stars and moon, now shimmered beneath the presence of a myriad of stars.

  The ground beneath Aren vanished, replaced by an endless sea.

  Yet instead of sinking into its depths, he found himself standing upon its surface.

  The dark waters reflected the starry sky perfectly, as though the heavens themselves had fallen into the ocean.

  A deep, aching feeling stirred within his chest. Something close to emptiness. Then a tall figure appeared before him.

  But Aren did not react. He could not react.

  It felt like a dream where he possessed no control over his own body.

  The man standing before him had no face.

  Or perhaps he did.

  It was simply impossible to tell, for his features were hidden beneath chaotic black lines, like the furious strokes of an artist who had tried to destroy his own masterpiece after realizing it had become something he never intended.

  The faceless man tilted his head upward, gazing at the stars.

  Then he spoke.

  “It's… here… longer… you… have not… yet.”

  His voice sounded distorted, like a radio struggling to receive a signal through heavy interference.

  The words were fragmented, broken. Then the man slowly turned toward Aren.

  His voice remained unclear, but perhaps it was the human mind’s instinct to complete unfinished sentences. Somehow, Aren understood.

  “When… you wake up… run… for home.”

  *****

  The carriage began moving faster and faster as the sky gradually darkened, a rare occurrence in a world where true darkness belonged only to the night.

  “Sir! Please wake up!”

  The driver shouted through the small window behind his seat, trying to reach the sleeping Aren.

  “There’s something… something above us!”

  BOOMMM!!!

  A deafening explosion shattered the silence of the cobblestone road.

  A violent shockwave tore through the air, crushing everything in its path.

  The dragon pulled carriage was hurled upward before slamming violently back onto the stone road.

  The carriage crumpled under the impact.

  The dragon broke free from its harness and fled in terror.

  The violent jolt threw Aren against the interior wall.

  “Agh!”

  Disoriented, he struggled to steady himself as the overturned carriage creaked around him.

  Glass shards scattered across the floor.

  He kicked out the broken frame of the window and forced himself through the opening.

  When he stepped outside beneath the heavy, cloud-covered sky, a sharp metallic scent struck his nose. The smell of blood.

  A crimson puddle spread across the stones in front of him.

  Aren’s heart sank. His eyes narrowed.

  Slowly, he lifted his gaze toward the darkened sky.

  There… A mountain of darkness loomed above the city, rising like an enormous wall.

  Then something moved.

  A monstrous creature spread its colossal wings across the heavens.

  From its body writhed long, octopus-like tentacles.

  And it screamed.