The world had begun to fight back.
Silently… invisibly… inevitably.
No alarms rang. No skies split apart. No gods descended to warn humanity of what was coming. The streets were still filled with laughter, markets bustled with life, and the illusion of peace wrapped itself tightly around the fragile minds of mankind.
But beneath it all—
Something was rotting.
Something was awakening.
Humanity, blinded by its own nature, failed to notice the slow collapse they had already set in motion. Hatred, greed, endless wars… emotions left unchecked for centuries had begun to gather, to condense into something far more sinister than anyone could imagine.
It was no longer just emotion.
It had become a force.
A curse.
The Phantom Curse.
Born from humanity's darkest impulses, it spread like an unseen infection—feeding, growing, evolving. Every act of cruelty, every drop of blood spilled, every selfish desire… all of it nurtured the curse, giving it life.
And yet—
No one noticed.
To the people of the world, everything seemed… normal.
Too normal.
As if reality itself was hiding the truth.
As if something was waiting.
Waiting for the perfect moment to begin.
…and then—
Leo's nightmare began.
*****
Leo jolted awake.
His body shot upright as if something had dragged him out of the depths of hell itself. His chest heaved violently, breaths coming in short, broken gasps. Sweat clung to his skin, soaking his clothes, dripping from his chin onto the cold floor beneath him.
His eyes—bloodshot and trembling—darted wildly around the room.
"…Hah… hah…!"
His vision spun, dizziness crashing over him like a wave. He pressed a hand against his chest, feeling his heart slam against his ribs as though trying to escape.
"A… dream…?"
No.
It felt too real.
Too vivid.
Fragments of what he saw still burned in his mind—cities engulfed in chaos, people screaming, shadows crawling across the land like living darkness. It wasn't just a nightmare.
It was something else.
A glimpse.
A warning.
"Damn it… not again…"
His voice came out hoarse, barely above a whisper.
Leo dragged a hand through his damp hair, trying to steady himself. This wasn't the first time. The nightmares had been coming more often lately—each one worse than the last.
Each one clearer.
He forced himself to breathe slower.
In… out… in… out…
After a few moments, his breathing steadied slightly, though his chest still felt tight, like an invisible weight pressing down on him.
"…What the hell is happening to me…"
He turned his head toward the window.
For a moment, he thought it was morning already—the way his senses felt disoriented, like time itself had skipped forward.
But when his eyes focused—
Darkness.
The night was still deep and silent.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
Leo let out a frustrated breath, running a hand down his face.
"Why am I even dreaming about wars…?"
His voice trembled slightly, betraying the unease creeping into him.
"I wasn't even there… I've never been in any of those battles…"
So why did it feel like he had lived through them?
Leo stared blankly ahead, his thoughts spiraling as exhaustion and confusion tangled together in his mind. Minutes passed.
One.
Three.
Five.
He didn't move.
Didn't think.
Just… existed.
Until—
"…Hah…"
A sound.
Leo's body stiffened.
His eyes slowly widened.
"…What was that…?"
At first, he thought it was his own breathing.
But it wasn't.
It was… deeper.
Heavier.
Like someone else was in the room.
…Breathing.
Leo swallowed hard.
"…Hello?"
Silence.
But then—
It came again.
Heavy breathing.
Closer this time.
His heart skipped a beat.
"…"
Then—
A scream.
Leo flinched violently, his hands gripping the edge of his bed.
Another scream followed.
And another.
Dozens.
Hundreds.
They echoed in his ears, overlapping, twisting together into a chorus of pure despair.
"…W-What the—?!"
His vision blurred as more sounds flooded in—
Children crying.
Voices begging.
People shouting for help.
"Please—!"
"Help us—!"
"Someone—!"
"Make it stop—!"
Leo covered his ears, but it did nothing.
The sounds weren't outside.
They were inside his head.
"STOP—!"
And then—
Clink…
A new sound cut through everything.
Sharp.
Clear.
Unmistakable.
…Chains.
Dragging.
Slowly.
Across the ground.
Clink… drag… Clink… drag…
Leo's breathing grew erratic again, panic rising like fire in his chest.
"No… no no no…"
His eyes slowly turned toward the corner of his room.
Darkness.
Empty.
Nothing there.
And yet—
The sound was coming from that direction.
Closer.
Closer.
Clink… drag…
Sweat poured down his face, his entire body trembling uncontrollably now.
His instincts screamed at him to run.
But he couldn't move.
He was frozen.
Paralyzed by something deeper than fear.
Something primal.
Something ancient.
A cold chill crept down his spine, sending shivers through his entire body.
His lips trembled.
"…There's nothing there…"
But even as he said it—
He knew.
Something was there.
Watching.
Waiting.
And then—
Everything went silent.
The screams vanished.
The crying stopped.
Even the chains—
Gone.
Leo's breathing hitched.
For a brief moment, the world felt completely still.
Dead.
And then—
A voice.
Low.
Echoing.
Not heard—
…but felt.
Deep within his very soul.
"…The Great Calamity has started."
Leo's eyes widened in pure terror.
His heart stopped.
And in that moment—
He understood.
This was no nightmare.
This was only—
The beginning.