After staring at the glowing blue window displaying a row of text, Dawn felt a wave of exhaustion. The window was a distraction, irrelevant to his current predicament.
"So what if I have a superhero class?" he muttered internally, his voice tinged with sarcasm and disbelief.
As if responding to his thoughts, the blue window flickered and shattered into countless tiny particles before vanishing completely. Dawn allowed a faint smile to creep onto his face—at least something, however small, had gone his way.
But that fleeting moment of relief evaporated instantly.
A sudden, suffocating sense of danger gripped him, an instinctive warning that screamed at him to move. His heart pounded in his tiny chest as if he were on the brink of death itself. Panic clawed at his mind, but before it could take hold, an unnatural calm swept over him like an icy wave.
"What's happening now?" he wondered, unsettled by the eerie tranquility that had taken control of his thoughts.
The ground beneath him shuddered violently, the tremors reminiscent of a massive earthquake. The once-solid surface warped and shifted like liquid, tossing his small body up and down as though he were adrift on a stormy sea.
A deafening explosion echoed nearby, the shockwave sending vibrations through the air. Dawn's heart raced, but his mind remained disturbingly clear, devoid of the chaos he would have expected.
"This calm... it's not normal," he realized, a thread of unease sneaking through his thoughts.
Before he could delve deeper into his unsettling state, a sudden jolt sent him flying through the air. He crashed to the ground, pain erupting across his body. It felt as if a hammer had struck his chest, and a sharp, agonizing crack confirmed that some ribs had likely broken.
Kacha!
The sound of something shattering echoed in the dim space. The cage that had confined him fractured and fell apart, releasing him into the open.
"My eyes!" Dawn winced as a harsh, blinding light flooded his vision. Squinting against the glare, he forced himself to look around, desperate to understand his surroundings.
As his vision adjusted, an icy, bloodthirsty voice pierced the air, sending shivers down his spine.
"Don't let anyone escape. Kill every single one of them."
The voice was cold and merciless, and it chilled Dawn to his core.
"Kekeke... Follow the leader's command! Destroy their bodies and swallow their souls!"
The sinister laughter that followed was even worse. Dawn froze, his tiny body trembling as he processed the horrific cries and screams echoing in the distance.
"Mommy! Please save me!"
"I don't want to grow strong—I just want to go home!"
"What's happening? Why is our entrance point so far from the sanctuary?"
One by one, the desperate voices were silenced, cut off by the sickening sound of flesh being torn apart. Dawn's stomach churned, but he forced himself to focus. He needed to move—needed to escape.
"Run!" his instincts screamed, but his body betrayed him, refusing to obey. His limbs felt like lead, weighed down by fear or some unseen force.
"Dammit, move!" he growled internally, fighting against the paralysis. His mind raced with possibilities, refusing to succumb to despair.
The cries around him faded, leaving an oppressive silence broken only by the sound of slow, deliberate footsteps approaching him. Dawn's breath hitched as a massive shadow loomed over him, blotting out the faint light.
"Interesting," a guttural voice rumbled. "What sort of human is this?"
The creature's tone was laced with twisted curiosity.
"Will this little human's soul taste good?"
"No, you fool," the voice snapped, scolding itself. "Finish the task. There'll be plenty of time for indulgence later."
Summoning every ounce of courage, Dawn forced his head to lift. What he saw made his blood run cold.
A towering, wraith-like entity stood over him like a towering mountain, its form shifting and writhing like living smoke. Crimson eyes glowed menacingly within its translucent face, and skeletal limbs extended unnaturally, ending in razor-sharp claws. The creature's gaping maw seemed to devour the very light around it, its edges swirling with an ominous void.
"What in the world...?" Dawn's thoughts faltered, overwhelmed by the sheer horror of the creature.
The monster lunged suddenly, its claws slicing through the air with deadly precision. Dawn's heart stopped as time seemed to freeze. He could see every detail of the attack—could feel the suffocating weight of impending death—but his mind remained eerily calm.
Just as the claws were about to pierce his body, the world around him shattered.
It was as if reality itself had splintered into countless fragments, dissolving into a kaleidoscope of chaos. And then, from within the void, a familiar blue window appeared once more, its light cutting through the darkness.
---
[Forceful exit successful.]
[Young warriors, you have run out of soul force.]
[Please wait for your soul force to recover before reentering the battlefield.]
Dawn, however, was oblivious to these notifications. He was in a deep, dreamless sleep, his tiny body motionless, and his eyes shut tightly.
If he had seen those windows, he might have realized how his weakness had inadvertently saved his life today.
Time passed like a fleeting dream. Dawn's small, tender ear twitched as muffled voices reached him, pulling him closer to consciousness.
"Calm down, my love. Our son will be fine. With the Divine Doctors here, how could anything happen to him?"
Theodore's voice was low and soothing as he wrapped his arms around Athena, trying to ease her trembling shoulders.
Athena, however, remained silent. Her tear-filled eyes were fixed on the baby lying motionless on the white bedsheet.
Standing near Dawn was a white-haired man dressed in a flowing white robe. His sharp gaze lingered on Dawn's small form, his expression a mix of curiosity and unease.
"How strange," the man muttered, his tone thoughtful yet cautious. "The young master's soul is emitting unusual fluctuations."
Athena's face turned pale at the doctor's words. The blood drained from her cheeks as glistening tears streamed down her face.
"Is there no way to help him?" she whispered, her voice breaking with despair.
Theodore immediately stepped in, his tone firm yet comforting. "Darling, please. Don't lose hope. I'm certain the Divine Doctors won't fail us."
He turned to the white-haired man, his sharp gaze locking onto him. "Isn't that right?" Theodore's voice carried an edge, a silent demand for reassurance.
The white-haired doctor hesitated for a moment, his brows furrowing. Then, with a nod, he spoke. "We will do everything in our power, Lord Theodore. The young master's condition is… rare, but not beyond the reach of our expertise."