Tiger was inside a dream again.
He stood alone in his school building.
It was night.
The corridors were empty.
Then suddenly—
Fire.
Flames began spreading across different floors of the school.The fire wasn't chaotic. It moved with intention — skipping certain rooms as if choosing what deserved to burn.
Not everywhere. Just certain sections. Random. Controlled.
"What kind of dream is this…?" Tiger muttered.
He tried to move toward the burning floors, but something stopped him.
An invisible barrier.
He pressed his palm against the air. It felt solid… like cold glass.
"So you're hiding something from me…" he whispered.
Every path he took was blocked. He couldn't fully explore the building. It was as if the dream didn't want him to see something.
Then—
"Ha… ha…"
As he took a breath, the ground beneath him disappeared.
He began falling.
Not down stairs.
Not through a floor.
Into something deeper.
An abyss.
A black void pulling him inside like a silent black hole.
As he fell, he thought he heard footsteps above him — walking calmly along the edge of the abyss.
And just before he vanished—
Tiger woke up.
He sat upright instantly.
His heart was beating fast.
He looked at the time.
1:23 A.M.
"…What is this?"
He ran his hand through his hair.
"Why am I getting dreams every night… why… why… WHY?!"
The last word echoed in his room as he slammed his hand down hard.
The silence that followed was heavier than the scream itself.
"I won't be able to sleep again… great."
He exhaled sharply.
"I'm tired of this."
He lay back down.
"Maybe I'll try again."
A few seconds passed.
"No. Useless."
He sat up again.
"If I can't sleep, I'll warm up."
Tiger got out of bed and stretched his body slowly. His muscles were tense. His mind wasn't calm.
After a moment, he sighed.
"If sleep won't come… I'll go out."
He changed into black clothes — dark pants and a short jacket.
Then he left his room.
When Tiger stepped out of the lift and walked outside, the night air felt colder than usual.
He walked quietly down the empty street.
No traffic.
No voices.
Just wind.
After some time, he reached a park nearby and sat down on a bench. The area was dimly lit. The distance ahead was hard to see clearly.
Tiger leaned back slightly.
Then—
He saw it.
Two white eyes.
Just floating in the darkness.
They didn't blink. They didn't move. They simply existed — like they had been waiting long before he arrived.
Tiger didn't speak.
He didn't panic.
He stood up slowly and walked toward where he saw them.
Nothing.
No one.
He scanned carefully.
Right.
Left.
Above.
Below.
Nothing.
After a few seconds, he returned to the bench and sat down again.
The cold here felt stronger than near his apartment.
The moon looked unusually clear tonight.
But--
Tiger noticed something.
Below the moon.
Exactly in his line of sight.
Those same white eyes…
Were staring at him again.Tiger felt something different this time.
The white eyes were still there.
Watching.
He ran toward them immediately.
But the moment he got close—
They vanished.
"Who's there?" Tiger said calmly.
No answer.
This time he raised his voice.
"Who's there?!"
Suddenly—
Something pushed him from the front.
Tiger stepped back slightly, but there was no one visible.
He narrowed his eyes.
Then he saw it.
A white ribbon lying on the ground.
He picked it up with both hands. It looked like a ribbon a girl would tie in her hair.
Before he could think further—
He was pushed again.
From behind.
Tiger turned instantly.
Nothing.
Silence.
Then—
The two white eyes appeared again.
They were sitting on a pillar wall nearby.
Tiger moved closer carefully.
And the moment he saw clearly—
His eyes shifted.
From white… to blue.
Standing there was a ninja-like figure.
Before Tiger could react, a sword appeared behind him.
The blade pointed directly at his left eye.
One inch away.
Perfect aim.
But it didn't move forward.
Swiga. The invisible shield shimmered faintly — barely noticeable, but not invincible.
An invisible shield had already stopped it.
The sword remained frozen in place, still targeting his left eye. A thin strand of his hair slid down, cut cleanly by the edge of the blade.
That close
The ninja jumped back lightly, creating distance.
Tiger spoke calmly.
"I don't know who you are… but you're weak. My Swiga's invisible shield alone stopped your attack."
The ninja tilted her head slightly.
"So where do you think I stand… on the scale of destructive level?"
Tiger froze for a second.
"…Wait."
That voice.
"A girl…?"
He was slightly shocked.
Without warning, she attacked again from behind.
This time her face was fully visible.
No mask.
But she didn't strike.
Instead—
She suddenly sat in front of Tiger, No killing intent. No tension.
That unsettled him more than the blade had. face to face, casually, as if nothing had happened.
And she smiled.
Tiger felt uneasy.
She was attacking me a second ago… and now she's sitting like this?
Who is she?
Before he could react—
She moved.
In a blink.
She appeared right beside him.
She placed her left hand lightly on his back.
Her touch was light — yet she controlled his balance completely.
She understood bodies. Movement. Gravity.
Then began spinning him slowly, using his backbone as support.
They rotated once.
Locked in each other's gaze.
Tiger frowned.
"What are you doing?"
She smiled.
"Nothing much. Just having fun with you."
The moment she finished speaking—
She jumped.
And stuck to the wall.
Standing vertically.
Tiger stared.
"…What?"
She began walking on the wall as if gravity meant nothing.
Then stood properly at the top.
Looking down at him.
"I might not meet you again," she said while looking at the moon.
"Wait," Tiger replied quickly.
She stopped.
Turned.
Looked at him.
Then laughed softly.
"You said wait for a second. One second is over. Should I leave now?"
"Listen to what I'm saying first."
"Fine. Speak quickly."
She slightly adjusted her outfit and glanced at the time.
Tiger's voice hardened.
"What were you doing here? And why did you attack me?"
He was clearly angry now.
She smirked.
"Oh… the little cub is angry."
Tiger clenched his teeth.
She looked at him for a moment.
"I attacked you because I was ordered to… actually, forget it. No time to explain useless things."
She turned toward the moon again.
For a moment—
Tiger felt strange.
Under the moonlight, she didn't look like an enemy.
She looked like something the night itself had shaped.
Her presence calm.
The wind moved her hair gently.
Tiger's anger slowly faded.
Then she spoke again.
"I'm under someone's command."
So it wasn't random.
Someone had been observing him. Measuring him.
A short pause.
"And your power… is impressive."
And then—
She disappeared.
In less than a blink.
Only a rush of wind remained.
Something fell from above.
Tiger stepped forward and caught it.
He looked down.
"…The white ribbon."
He lifted his eyes toward the moon.
Then toward the place where she had been standing.
The night felt heavier now.
But also quieter.
Tiger closed his fist around the ribbon.
It felt warmer than it should have been.
And for the first time that night… he wasn't sure whether he had been the hunter or the one being tested.
And said nothing.