In the dead of the night.
Lia was suddenly jolted awake, and the man sleeping beside him was also woken up by the big movement. But before Bei could even ask his wife what happened, Lia immediately rushed out of the tent to the center of the tribe.
Bei takes a nearby monster's hide and immediately follows Lia. The winter just ended, and the wind is still cold. He is worried that his wife might catch a cold by running barefoot and in a thin cloth.
Lia, on the other hand, didn't care.
Right now, nothing is more important than waking up everyone in accordance with the beast god's oracle.
'Wake up and welcome him.'
Although the beast god did not specify who should be welcomed, they must follow it without question, as this is their god's direct commandment.
After arriving at the center of the tribe, he takes the wooden mallet and hardly beats the gong.
A large, flat, circular metal disc is suspended in the middle of two big trees, a conspicuous instrument that looks out of place in their world. On the whole continent, only five gongs existed. It was personally bestowed by the beast god to the first five tribes at the beginning of the world.
This divine instrument was used during the ceremony of eulogia and other tribe rituals, but it was also used as a signal during an attack from monsters or other tribes.
Owning a gong represents the power of one's tribe.
And at the moment, sonorous, wave-like sounds rang out in the whole tribe in the middle of the night. Immediately, many frantically rushed out of their tent.
Some were even carrying their things.
Upon hearing the familiar sound, their first thought was to gather and evacuate because their tribe might be under attack.
Everyone who could hear the continuous beating of the gong was filled with worry and fear. The elderly and children were immediately carried, but as they all started gathering at the center of the tribe, they didn't find any monsters attacking, only Lia, who kept on hitting the gong.
"What is happening, tribe leader?" An elderly sub-beast asked Bei.
Bie worriedly looked at his wife and hesitantly answered. "I don't know."
He tried to stop Lia, but he was ignored, and when he attempted to get close, an invincible force hindered him.
"It must be the beast god," Bei mumbled after a while. It is the only reason he can think of for his wife, the high priest of their tribe, to act like this.
Unbeknownst to them, the same scenario was happening in every tribe on the continent. All of the chosen high priests received a clear oracle from the beast god for the first time, making them exhilarated.
Different loud sounds started to resonate in each tribe that could wake up all of their tribesmen.
And for the first time, the five gongs were beaten at the same time.
Many were still confused, seeking answers and trying to question their own tribe leader.
When the five gongs rang at the same time. A deep, very full, and round sound reverberated from the center of the continent. Echoing in every corner, waking up every living being.
A huge hole then opened up in the dark sky. A bright pillar of light soon descended from it and illuminated the whole continent.
An astonishing scene that rendered everyone speechless.
Those tribes near the hallowed ground could even vaguely see the four guardians flying in circles, as if protecting something.
With the high priests leading, everyone kneeled towards the light and shouted.
"We humbly welcome your arrival!"
"We humbly welcome your arrival!!!"
_______________.
"When do you think he will wake up? It's been three days."
"I don't know."
"Should we wake him up?"
"No, let's just wait. It will really take time for his body to adapt."
'Kaaaaw! Kaaaw!'
Tangtang's consciousness was slowly awakened by the children's chattering.
The voices are so loud that it feels like they are just beside him, added with the loud caws of birds.
'Who the hell brings children and birds here?'
Children and pets were not allowed in their apartment because most of the people renting this shabby place were single students or working night shifts.
And because the walls are thin and not soundproof, loud sounds are prohibited.
Although it's not the perfect place for him to live, his financial situation limits his options. The room is affordable, and it is near his university and part-time jobs.
The landlord is a co-worker at the XX nightclub, surnamed Lin.
Tangtang almost begged that lunatic just to let him rent a vacant room for a very reasonable price because, unlike him, who is desperate to earn money, that guy, due to his possessiveness, only works to monitor his boyfriend, the club owner.
'If money is not a problem. Why not renovate this place? It's so noisy early in the morning.'
'Kaaaw! Kaaaw!'
"Shh! He is waking up."
"Okay, don't scare him."
"What are you saying? We're so cute. How can anyone get scared of us?"
Tangtang frowns.
Another loud caw reverberates in his ears.
'Aaah, so noisy!'
He stretches his arm and reaches for his phone.
'Eh?'
Without opening his eyes, he stretches his two hands again to feel his surroundings, but instead of the familiar thin mattress, all he can feel is soft grass. It is so comfortable and a little bouncy.
If not for the chattering voices, he wants to fall asleep again.
"What is he doing?" A clear, childish voice asked.
"Stretching?"
'What the fuck?!'
He immediately sat up and looked around.
"W-where am I?"
Tangtang is sitting on the soft grass. Nearly as tall as he is, plants surround him, their big, heart-shaped leaves totally enclosing him from the outside world.
Countless towering trees that surpass the height of a 10-story building have lush green leaves that almost cover the sky.
High mountain ridges stretch in the distance. The upper half of it is covered in dense clouds, making it impossible for him to even see the summit.
Four giant birds flying can also be seen above the trees, and every time they caw, it feels like they're near him.
'Did someone take him from his apartment and throw him in the Amazon rainforest?'
'Who the hell has a lot of time to do that?'
What he is wondering the most is that earlier he clearly heard children's voices. But now he is all alone in this strange forest with just four floating fluff balls in front of him.
'Is that just my imagination?'
While he was trying to arrange his thoughts, the bush near him rustled. Then a fat white rabbit that is almost 130 cm tall leaps behind it.
He was startled at first, then a chill ran down his spine after seeing how big the rabbit was; it also had a long horn.
'Damn! This is not a normal rabbit.'
He tried to stand up to run, but his legs don't have any strength. He tried to move, but he was stiff all over, as if his body didn't belong to him.
Since he couldn't move, Tangtang looked around to find something that he could use to drive away the giant rabbit when he heard a familiar, childish voice.
"Don't be afraid. It will not hurt you."
The plump white rabbit with the single horn on its forehead just glanced in his way before continuing to hop in the other direction. Just as the speaker had said, it didn't hurt him.
"Who are you?" Tangtang asked with vigilance.
Even with the sweet and childish voice of the speaker, he didn't plan to put his guard down, especially when the voice came from one of the floating fluff balls that he ignored earlier.
"Don't be afraid, my dear. We were not here to harm you in any way." The blue fluffball spoke as it slowly floated to him and rubbed his cheeks.
They have fluffy, colorful fur and are about the size of a ping-pong ball. They look completely harmless.
His restlessness eased a little.
Tangtang cannot help but poke the red fluff ball several times. Who doesn't like cuddly little things?
"Hey! That tickles, haha." The red fluff ball giggled.
After playing a little with the blue fluff ball, Tangtang asked. "Who are you guys, and where am I?"
Tangtang may have looked calm, but his mind is now in turmoil. He has a lot of questions that need answers, especially now that he is in an unknown forest with four adorable but mysterious creatures.
"I am Ero." The red one rubbed his finger and landed on his palm.
The yellow one swirled in front of him as if dancing. "I am Philia. You can call me Phi."
The blue one just softly bumps his nose. "Nice to meet you, Tangtang. I'm Agape, Gae for short."
Tangtang then looked at the white fluff ball that wasn't moving.
When it senses his gaze, it immediately hides behind Gae, and light pink slowly creeps to its white fur.
Afraid that Tangtang might misunderstand Nia, Phi immediately introduced him. "His name is Nia. He doesn't talk a lot and is a little shy."
Tangtang just nodded and smiled.
Gae then explained. "We are referred to as guardians. Our purpose was to assist you in fulfilling your mission. We will accompany you and help you as best as we can."
"Guardians? Mission?" Tangtang has become puzzled. He looks around, trying to find some hidden cameras. "Am I in a reality show or some survival challenge?" he asked.
"No, you're on the Gaia continent," Phi said naively, tilting his round torso.
"Where is the reality show?"
Ero bounced, ecstatic that he knew something his brothers didn't. "Oh! I know, I know. I watched some when I visited Earth 890," he said.
"Hmmf, because you always play around," Phi retorted.
'Earth 890?'
'Gaia continent?'
The more Tangtang listened, the more puzzled he became. "What do you mean? Am I not on Earth anymore?"
Gae sighed and bumped Phi and Ero, who had already started fighting.
"Tangtang, you're not on Earth anymore. This is the Gaia continent, a planet under the god Cernunnos. You will be staying here now." Gae hesitated but still added. "Because you already died."
The four guardians felt scared, remembering the scene when they came to earth to retrieve the little master's soul. They almost let him dissipate into oblivion, unable to save even a whiff of his soul.
If that really happened, their master will never sit still.
Tangtang looked down, absorbing the idea that he had already died and was now in a different place, or rather, in a different world. Like those novels he used to read during his free time, he transmigrated.
He sighed. "I see."
Tangtang already imagined many scenarios that may cause his death.
Drowning.
Encountering a robber.
Run down by a speeding truck.
Slipping on the stairs while holding an umbrella or from a falling flowerpot.
Anticipating painful deaths, at the end he dies while sleeping.
"Do you know the cause of my death on Earth?" he asked.
Gae, of course, knows, but he doesn't think it is necessary to tell it to Tangtang. He keeps fidgeting.
Tangtang felt the little one's hesitation. He smiled and rubbed the soft blue fur. "It's fine. All I wanted to know was how that chapter of my life ended."
"Due to asphyxia," Gae answered after a while.
"Asphyxia?"
Gae nodded and continued. "Lin Jun set the apartment on fire after confirming you already came back from work."
"Lin Jun? Why would he do that?"
"His boyfriend likes to end their relationship in order to pursue you, and they got into a quarrel. Lin Jun blames you for it and intended to murder you," Gae explained a little angrily.
Tangtang was aware of Lin Jun's possessiveness and paranoia long ago. In the end, he still dies at the hands of the person he considers a friend, despite his efforts to distance himself from the owner and reject all of his kindness.
"How about the other tenants?"
Tangtang will feel deep regret if others were implicated because of him.
"Don't worry, everyone is safe. Only a few people left at that time since most of them were going to work already," Phi answered as he rubbed Tang Tang's neck, making the latter feel a little ticklish.
"You already died, but you're still thinking about others," Ero said in an aggrieved voice.
Tangtang chuckled softly and poked Ero. His chuckle was so pleasant that it made the four guardians blush.
"I just want to make sure that no one was offended or hurt because of me. It will certainly make me comfortable to start a new life in this new world, right?" he explained.
"Yes! This is your new beginning." Ero agreed without thinking, making Tangtang's smile deepen.