Chapter 1 – The World of Snow
The world was silent. A thick layer of snow blanketed everything—rooftops, roads, abandoned cars—all swallowed by a white void. The sky above was as blank as the ground below: no sun, no clouds, just a pale emptiness. It was daytime, but the light offered no warmth, only a soft, eerie glow. The kind of quiet that made your heartbeat sound too loud.
Seventeen-year-old Arin limped through the snow, a small package of bread clutched in his bloodied hands. His winter coat was torn at the sleeve, stained red. His breath came out in shaky clouds as he trudged forward. His lips were dry, his face pale. Every step seemed to cost him more than the last. But he kept walking, through the cold and the pain, until he reached the one place he still called home.
"Lysia… I found something to eat…" he whispered, voice weak and cracking. He stood in front of his apartment door for a moment, trying to steady himself. Then, slowly, he pushed it open.
Blood dripped from his hand onto the floor.
The warmth inside greeted him, but it wasn't the kind he expected.
From the doorway, his tired eyes met a sight that shattered what little strength he had left—Lysia, his girlfriend of three years, was in the arms of another man. Kissing him.
Noric.
Time froze.
Shock carved itself into Arin's face. Confusion, betrayal… disbelief.
His grip on the bread loosened. It dropped to the floor with a dull thud. No one said anything.
Then, for a split second, something flickered in Arin's eyes—a flash of red. No one noticed.
"What… are you both doing?" His voice was calm, but each word dripped with tension.
Lysia spun around, her expression twisted in panic. "It's not what you think—"
"Shut up," Arin said coldly.
Before he could react, a sudden force struck the back of his head. Pain exploded through his skull. The world turned black.
The last thing he saw before hitting the floor was a figure—Kaelin, Lysia's best friend—grinning with a bat in her hand.
Laughter echoed as Arin lay unconscious. Cruel, mocking laughter from the three people he had trusted the most.
When he came to, he was tied up. Ropes dug into his wrists. He was on the cold floor, disoriented and aching. In front of him stood Lysia and Kaelin, both laughing. Noric stood behind them, smug.
They noticed he was awake.
"Why, Lysia…?" Arin's voice cracked from pain and confusion. "We've been together for three years…"
Lysia laughed. "I was only with you for your parents' savings."
The words hit like daggers. Arin's body trembled with rage and disbelief.
"You… you did this… Why!?"
Lysia narrowed her eyes. Her voice turned cold. "You remember Ayric?"
Arin's blood ran colder than the snow outside. He froze, silent.
"He knew everything about me…" Lysia said, her smile wicked. "So I killed him."
Three seconds passed. Arin didn't move. Didn't blink.
Then he laughed.
It wasn't the laugh of someone broken. It was the laugh of someone transformed. Deep, dark, and chilling.
"If I get another chance…" he said through his grin, "I'll kill you all."
A flash of silver. A warm splash across his neck.
Lysia stood over him, her blade dripping with his blood.
His head hit the ground.
As consciousness slipped away, a final thought echoed in Arin's mind.
Is this… how it ends? No… I want revenge…
His severed head lay on the cold floor. The light in his eyes began to fade.
And in the final moment—
—they flashed red.
