Kaito "Kai" Haruto had always been a wanderer.
Not in the aimless, drifting-through-life kind of way, but in the curious, can't-sit-still-because-there's-too-much-to-see kind of way. Ever since he was a kid, he had an insatiable need to explore—forests, tidepools, abandoned shrines covered in moss. If something looked mysterious, he had to check it out.
His grandfather, an ecologist, had encouraged this curiosity, teaching him everything he knew about nature. By the time Kai was in high school, he could identify bird calls, track animals, and even tell what kind of storm was coming just by watching the clouds.
It was no surprise, then, that he chose to study biology. His dream? To travel the world, documenting rare creatures and ecosystems, creating a documentary and an encyclopedia that would capture the beauty of nature in a way that books and statistics never could.
That was the plan, at least.
For now, he was still just a university student, juggling coursework with weekend hikes and late-night research. But the excitement of discovery never faded. Every new species, every strange phenomenon, every uncharted path—he wanted to see it all.
Kai tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, waiting for the light to turn green. His phone, mounted on the dashboard, buzzed with an incoming message.
James: Tell me you're not doing anything dumb today.
Kai smirked and picked up the phone, quickly typing back.
Kai: Define dumb.
A reply came almost instantly.
James: Dumb as in "going alone into the middle of nowhere to find a bird."
Kai: It's not just any bird. It's a Scarlet-Tailed Jay.
James: Oh wow, a bird. How life-changing.
Kai rolled his eyes and set the phone back down as the light changed. He made a turn onto the road leading toward the forest. A few minutes later, his phone buzzed again, but this time James was calling.
Sighing, Kai hit the speaker button. "What?"
James didn't waste time. "Dude, I swear, you have some kind of death wish. Why are you always wandering into forests alone?"
Kai chuckled. "Because someone's gotta document all the cool stuff before people like you destroy it with snack wrappers and bad decisions."
"Hey, my bad decisions have never harmed the environment," James shot back. "And seriously, don't you ever think about, I don't know, not walking straight into potential bear territory?"
"It's not the bear season."
"Not the point. Look, man, I get it, you're passionate about this stuff. But one of these days, you're gonna find something weird and regret it."
Kai turned into the forest rest area, parking his car. "Appreciate the concern, Mom. I'll be fine."
James groaned. "At least check in later. If I don't hear from you by tonight, I'm calling in a search party."
Kai smirked as he grabbed his backpack. "Noted. Try not to cry if I find the bird before you."
"Just don't die, bird boy."
"Love you too, James." Kai ended the call.
The steady hum of the engine faded as Kai pulled into a parking lot just outside of the forest. Gravel crunched beneath the tires as he eased the car into a parking spot, cutting the ignition. The sudden silence was jarring. No city noise, no passing cars—just the rustling leaves and distant chirps of birds hidden in the canopy.
He leaned back in his seat, stretching his arms before glancing at the dashboard clock. 3:42 PM. Plenty of time before sunset.
Grabbing his backpack from the passenger seat, he swung the door open, stepping into the crisp forest air. The smell of damp earth and pine-filled his lungs. This was the kind of place he felt most at home—untamed, unpredictable, full of life.
Kai locked the car, adjusted the straps of his backpack, and set off down the narrow dirt trail leading deeper into the woods.
The forest was alive with movement. Sunlight filtered through the canopy, casting golden patterns on the ground as a light breeze whispered through the leaves.
As he walked, he kept an eye out for anything interesting. Within minutes, he spotted a flash of red darting between the trees. A Scarlet-Tailed Jay—rare, especially this far north. Kai grinned, watching as the small bird landed on a branch, ruffling its deep blue feathers.
Not bad. Maybe today's hike won't be a total bust after all.
Further along, he noticed fresh deer tracks imprinted in the damp soil. He followed them for a short distance, eventually spotting the creature itself—a young buck, grazing in a sunlit clearing. Its ears twitched as it sensed him, and in an instant, it bolted, disappearing into the undergrowth.
Kai exhaled, shaking his head. Skittish as ever.
He continued his trek, noting the variety of flora around him. Wild mushrooms, twisted vines, towering trees with bark peeling in strange patterns—everything told a story. The deeper he went, the more his surroundings shifted. The usual sounds of birds and insects became subdued, the air growing oddly still.
That was when he noticed it.
A break in the trees ahead—a rocky outcrop, almost hidden by thick foliage. It wasn't marked on any of the hiking maps he had studied.
Curiosity tugged at him.
Alright. Just a quick look.
Kai pushed through the underbrush, stepping into the clearing. Before him stood the entrance to a cave—except there was no actual entrance. Just a solid rock wall, smooth and unnatural, like something had sealed it shut.
Yet, something felt… off.
A faint, almost imperceptible shimmer rippled across the surface, distorting the air around it. And from beyond the rock, he could feel it—something strange. A draft, cold yet warm at the same time, carrying an otherworldly energy.
His fingers twitched.
Logic told him to turn back, but his instincts—his curiosity—urged him forward.
He reach out.
The cave was colder than Kai expected. A damp, mineral scent clung to the air, and the faint sound of dripping water echoed through the stone walls. His footsteps were slow and careful, his headlamp casting a soft glow on the uneven ground.
At first, it was just an ordinary cave—stalactites hanging from above, rough walls shaped by time. Nothing special. But as he moved deeper, something felt off.
The air changed.
Kai stopped, rubbing his arms as a shiver ran down his spine. It was a strange kind of cold—not the usual underground chill, but something deeper, unnatural. Yet at the same time, there was warmth, as if two opposite forces were colliding around him.
"Okay… that's weird."
He exhaled, watching his breath mist in front of him. His body told him to turn back, but his curiosity pulled him forward.
The tunnel walls gradually smoothed out, losing their rough, jagged texture. It was almost as if they had been shaped by something. Then, up ahead, a faint glow flickered.
Kai's breath caught in his throat as he stepped into a vast chamber.
The ceiling stretched impossibly high, vanishing into darkness, while the walls curved in a perfect circle, polished like glass. And at the very center—
A massive crystal pillar stood, pulsing with a soft, ethereal light.
It was unlike anything he had ever seen. The crystal shimmered between white and blue, its glow shifting like the surface of water under moonlight. Tiny sparks of energy flickered along its surface, and the strange warmth-cold sensation intensified.
Kai swallowed hard, his fingers twitching at his sides. Every instinct screamed that he had found something important.
Something not of this world.
"What are you…?"
Slowly, cautiously, he stepped closer, reaching out—
And the crystal shone.
Blinding light erupted from its core, swallowing everything in pure, overwhelming radiance.
Kai barely had time to gasp before his world turned white.