The road beyond Shimotsuki was quieter than Kevin expected.
Not peaceful.
Just empty.
The caravan wheels creaked rhythmically as they moved forward. Dust rose in soft clouds behind them, fading into the distance like memories being erased.
Kevin walked at the side of the cart.
Silent.
Watching.
Every sound mattered out here.
Every shift in wind.
Every bird that suddenly stopped calling.
"…Too quiet."
The merchant leading the caravan glanced at him nervously.
"You… don't like quiet?"
Kevin didn't look at him.
"…Quiet means something is waiting."
The man swallowed.
"…That's not comforting."
Kevin finally glanced over.
"…It's not meant to be."
The guards laughed awkwardly ahead.
Trying to ease tension.
But even they kept checking the trees.
Everyone felt it.
Something unfamiliar about this road.
Shimotsuki Kuina would've said it was paranoia.
But Kevin knew better.
Paranoia didn't make the air heavier.
The caravan continued until midday.
Then—
The first sign appeared.
A broken wagon.
Flipped.
Empty.
Kevin raised a hand.
"…Stop."
The caravan halted immediately.
The merchant peeked out.
"…W-what is it?"
Kevin stepped forward slowly.
Eyes scanning.
"…Attack site."
He crouched near the wagon.
Wood splintered inward.
Not outward.
"…Something strong hit this."
A guard gulped.
"…Pirates?"
Kevin stood.
"…Maybe."
But his expression wasn't certain.
Because something felt off.
No bodies.
No blood trail.
Just… disappearance.
Kevin stepped closer to the trees.
His hand slowly tightened on his sword.
"…Everyone stay back."
The guards hesitated.
But obeyed.
Kevin moved into the forest edge.
Quiet.
Careful.
Each step deliberate.
Then—
He felt it.
A presence.
Not human.
Not normal.
Something… hollow.
Kevin narrowed his eyes.
"…Come out."
Silence.
Then—
A sound.
Not footsteps.
Not movement.
A dragging noise.
Like something being pulled through dirt.
A figure emerged.
Tall.
Thin.
Wrapped in torn cloth.
Face partially missing.
Not alive.
Not fully dead.
Kevin froze slightly.
"…What the hell…"
The creature tilted its head.
And smiled.
Too wide.
Too unnatural.
The air around it felt wrong.
Kevin's instincts screamed.
"…That's not a pirate."
The thing stepped forward.
Slow.
Dragging something behind it.
A body.
Unmoving.
Kevin's eyes sharpened.
"…You did this?"
No answer.
Only movement.
Then—
It rushed.
Fast.
Too fast.
Kevin barely blocked in time.
CLANG!
The force pushed him back.
His arm went numb instantly.
"…Strong—!"
The creature twisted—
Another strike came from the side.
Kevin ducked.
Barely.
His sword cut upward—
But it passed through empty air.
"…What?!"
The creature wasn't fully there.
It flickered.
Like a shadow breaking apart.
Then reformed behind him.
Kevin turned instantly—
CLANG!
Blocked again.
Barely.
"…This isn't normal…"
Kevin's breathing tightened.
The caravan behind him was panicking.
Screams.
Confusion.
"WHAT IS THAT?!"
"GET BACK!"
Kevin gritted his teeth.
"…Focus."
He stepped forward.
Not retreating anymore.
The creature lunged again—
Kevin met it head-on.
Clang!
Clang!
Faster exchanges.
Stronger pressure.
Kevin's arms strained.
But he held.
"…I can't read it…"
No pattern.
No rhythm.
Just chaos.
The creature grabbed Kevin's blade—
And pulled.
Hard.
Kevin's grip slipped—
"…Tch!"
He activated instinct.
That feeling.
That connection.
Not fully controlled.
Not perfected.
But enough.
Something inside him stirred.
Cold.
Sharp.
The world slowed slightly.
The thread appeared again.
Life.
Presence.
Kevin reached forward—
Grabbed.
And pulled.
The creature froze instantly.
For the first time—
It hesitated.
"…Got you."
Kevin clenched his fist—
And yanked.
A dark mist-like energy ripped from the creature's body.
It struggled violently.
But Kevin held firm.
"…What are you…?"
The creature screeched.
Not in pain.
But in resistance.
Then—
It shattered.
Like glass breaking into nothing.
Silence.
The forest went still.
Kevin stood breathing heavily.
His hand trembled.
"…Still like that…"
The caravan behind him slowly stepped forward.
"W-what… what was that?"
Kevin didn't answer immediately.
Then—
"…Something that shouldn't exist."
The merchant swallowed hard.
"…We're still going forward?"
Kevin sheathed his sword slowly.
"…Yes."
A pause.
"…Because if that thing is out here…"
His eyes sharpened.
"…Then the world is worse than I thought."
The caravan resumed moving.
But slower now.
More cautious.
Kevin walked beside them again.
But his thoughts weren't on the road anymore.
They were on the creature.
On the feeling it gave him.
Not fear.
Not hatred.
Recognition.
Something in the world was already changing.
And he was beginning to feel it too.
Far away—
A Marine report was updated again.
"…Unidentified phenomenon increasing."
"…Recommend immediate tracking of subject."
Kevin didn't know it yet.
But he was no longer just a village anomaly.
He was becoming a signal.
A warning.
A problem the world would eventually have to answer.
And for the first time—
Kevin felt it clearly.
He wasn't just walking toward the sea.
The sea was already noticing him.