Arlan woke up to cold.
It hit him first.
Not something mild.
Not something he could ignore.
This one went straight through him.
Sharp. Damp. Uncomfortable.
His chest tightened before his eyes even opened.
Something was wrong.
He forced his eyes open.
The sky above him didn't make sense.
Not dark.
Not blue.
Just wrong.
A deep purple stretched across it. Thick. Unnatural.
Red cracks spread across the surface, shifting slowly.
They didn't stay still.
They moved.
Like something was breathing behind it.
Arlan didn't sit up.
He just stared.
"…what is that?"
His voice came out dry.
A few seconds passed before he pushed himself up.
His body responded.
But not the way it should.
Too light.
There was a slight delay between thought and movement.
Small.
But there.
Like his body wasn't fully his yet.
He frowned.
Then looked down.
His clothes were gone.
Replaced.
Armor covered his body.
Simple. Rough.
A thin metal chest piece.
Leather gloves with small plates.
Heavy boots that didn't belong to him.
Arlan raised his hand slowly.
The purple light reflected off the metal.
"…what am I wearing?"
He clenched his fist.
The armor didn't slow him down.
It moved with him.
That made it worse.
A quiet discomfort settled in his chest.
He looked around.
His living room was still there.
But something felt off.
The dining table stood where it should.
Nothing wrong there.
Then his eyes shifted.
The wall was gone.
In its place, a long stone corridor stretched forward.
Dark. Uneven. Damp.
It went too far.
Farther than his house ever could.
The smell hit him a second later.
Wet earth.
Rot.
Metal.
The sofa flickered.
Half of it stayed solid.
The other half broke apart into fragments, blinking in and out.
The floor wasn't stable either.
Some tiles were still there.
Others had turned into rough stone.
Uneven.
Like two places overlapping.
Neither one stable.
His heartbeat sped up.
"Ibu?"
He stood up fast.
"Ibu!"
His voice echoed too far.
Then a response came.
From the kitchen.
"Arlan. Dinner is ready. Come eat before it gets cold."
He froze.
That was her voice.
No doubt.
But something felt wrong.
There was no warmth.
No change in tone.
Flat.
Like it was being repeated.
"…Ibu?"
He moved toward the kitchen.
At first fast.
Then slower.
Each step felt off.
The distance stretched.
Too long.
The walls changed.
No paint.
Only stone.
Dark. Wet. Covered in moss.
A thin mist crawled along the ground.
The smell shifted.
Sharper.
Like sulfur.
Arlan stopped.
The kitchen wasn't there.
A small stone platform floated ahead.
Nothing beneath it.
Just darkness.
No floor.
No depth.
And on that platform stood his mother.
Her body was stiff.
One hand slightly raised.
Like she was holding something invisible.
Her eyes didn't focus.
"Ibu!"
Arlan called out.
He stepped forward.
A translucent window appeared in his vision.
Text formed.
System Sync Completed
Level 1
ID AzureBound
Class Sword Magician
Skill Detected Flash Step
Status Anomaly
He didn't understand any of it.
Before he could react, his body moved.
The world stretched.
Blue light cut across his vision.
The distance disappeared.
One moment he stood at the edge.
The next moment he was already there.
Right in front of her.
His breath caught.
"…what just happened?"
There was no movement.
No step.
He was just there.
"Ibu. I'm here."
He grabbed her hand.
For a moment her eyes shifted.
Focus returned.
"…Arlan?"
Her voice trembled.
Real.
Relief hit him.
"Yeah. It's me. We need to go. Now."
He pulled her gently.
Then stopped.
Something caught his attention.
Above her head, faint green text floated.
Maid NPC Level 1
Arlan stared at it.
His mind rejected it.
"No…"
That wasn't possible.
She wasn't—
"Ibu. Look at me."
He tightened his grip.
Her hand went still.
Her eyes lost focus again.
Empty.
Gone.
Like that moment never happened.
Arlan clenched his jaw.
A pulse appeared in his vision.
A minimap.
A small green marker blinked far away.
Safe Zone Detected
Town of Beginnings Jakarta Sector
He didn't understand.
Didn't have time to.
This place wasn't safe.
That much was clear.
He lifted her onto his back.
The platform beneath him cracked.
Thin lines spread across it.
Light leaked through.
Arlan jumped.
The moment his feet left the surface, the platform shattered into particles of light.
They landed outside.
Arlan looked up.
And stopped.
Jakarta was still there.
But not the one he knew.
Buildings stood where they should.
But twisted.
Massive glowing roots wrapped around them, pulsing faint blue.
Street lamps were gone.
Stone pillars burned with dim fire.
Cars lined the road.
Some had turned into wooden carts.
Others stayed as rusted shells.
Half swallowed by plants.
The sky covered everything.
Purple.
Cracked.
Alive.
Then he saw it.
Far ahead, a dome of golden light.
Bright. Clear.
Near Bundaran HI.
A barrier.
A safe zone.
Arlan started running.
No hesitation.
No thinking.
Just moved.
Something lunged at him from the side.
A green mass.
Semi transparent.
A red core pulsing inside.
Slime.
His body reacted first.
A sword appeared in his hand.
No draw.
No motion.
Just there.
He swung.
Clean.
The creature split.
Then burst into light.
Arlan didn't stop.
He kept running.
Toward the dome.
Something settled in his chest.
Heavy.
Real.
This wasn't a dream.
This wasn't a glitch.
The world he knew was gone.
Replaced.
Now he was inside it.