...Darkness.
That was the first thing he felt—followed by a crushing pressure from all directions.
"Awaken."
A faint whisper, like wind brushing through dead leaves, echoed in the void.
His hand moved slowly, pushing through damp soil, struggling toward the surface. At last, bony fingertips broke through the earth, scraping against dry grass and brittle leaves.
He flexed his fingers—there was no skin to feel with, only bone.
His arm moved slowly, burrowing upward through the dirt, reaching for sunlight. A pale, skeletal hand clawed its way up from the ground. Eventually, a full skeleton emerged, its body lacking flesh, skin, and even eyes. He brushed soil from his empty eye sockets.
"What... is this? Am I dreaming?"
"...Rise."
The voice echoed again, deep and cold, not a command—but compelling nonetheless.
"…Who are you?"he rasped. Dirt fell from his jawbone, which barely stayed connected.
There was no reply. Only silence—and the faint light of a clouded sky.
He paused, trying to see his surroundings even without eyes.He looked down at his own hands.
"Am I… dead?"
He rose to his feet and began exploring the world that had changed so drastically. Dense forest surrounded him. Roots tangled across the ground. Strange birds called out in the distance.
He didn't know how much time had passed.He muttered to himself, only to stop, startled that he could still speak.
Even in this corpse-like state, he retained consciousness. Sunlight filtered weakly through the treetops. The air smelled of damp earth and rotting leaves as he wandered aimlessly. He had no goal, no memory—only a desire to know where he was, and what had become of the world.
Eventually, he heard the gentle sound of flowing water. He followed it through the undergrowth and soon came upon a narrow stream.
He approached cautiously, until a faint reflection appeared on the water's surface. A skeletal figure stared back at him from the rippling stream.
"So I'm not just dreaming... and I'm no longer human either..."
He murmured aloud before reaching out with a bony hand to touch the water.
The reflection shimmered, revealing more detail—only bones, no skin, no eyes. Not even breath.
He continued walking along the stream, until something caught his eye—a small bird lying motionless beside a rock. Its feathers were wet, and some had fallen out. He knelt beside it, staring at the tiny body before gently pressing a finger to its chest.
Suddenly, its wing twitched.
He jerked his hand away, and the bird fell limp once more.Though he had no heart, a pulse of shock surged through his awareness.
"That's… creepy. What kind of power is this…? What am I?"
He kept walking—now more cautious. Along the way, he heard odd sounds from a nearby bush. Peering through, he saw three small green goblins hunting an animal. They used spears and ropes to trap their prey, stabbing it until it collapsed.
He stayed hidden, watching silently as they dragged the kill away without noticing him.
"Creatures like these still exist in this world…?"he thought, baffled.
After avoiding the goblins, he ventured deeper into the forest. The usual sounds of nature began to fade unnaturally.
He walked until he stumbled upon a strange lair beneath the trees—white, murky webs coated the surrounding bushes and rocks. Curious, he crept closer and saw the corpses of several small animals tangled within. Some still twitched faintly.
Suddenly, there was movement above—legs, long and black.
He looked up and saw a giant spider, glistening darkly, twice the size of a man. It crept slowly across the branches.
He backed away slowly, holding his nonexistent breath, then turned and slipped past the edge of the lair without drawing its attention.
As the sun dipped lower and the forest grew dim, he began noticing signs of human presence—shredded cloth, bits of rope, footprints pressed deep into the soil. And then… smoke. A thin wisp rising beyond the trees.
He crept toward the source and found a small camp in a forest clearing. Three tents surrounded a roaring fire, with three men resting nearby.
'Humans…'he thought hesitantly.
He hid behind a bush, observing them. Three men—two with short blades, one with a bow. They laughed and talked without a care in the world, dressed in rough leather armor, looking like a mix of travelers and mercenaries.
He hesitated.
Should he approach them for help…?
He still felt human somewhere inside. But when he looked down at his skeletal hands, he wondered—who would listen to him?
Before he could decide, a twig cracked under his foot. Snap.
The men stopped laughing.
The archer turned sharply toward the noise."You two! I'm sure I saw something move over there!""An animal?""No—it looked like a skeleton!"
He froze, unsure of what to say to avoid being mistaken for a monster.
"I… um… I don't mean any harm—"
Before he could finish, an arrow whistled past and struck near his shoulder joint, making him stagger out of the bush.
"It is a skeleton! Kill it!"
He sprang to his feet and bolted. Footsteps thundered behind him.
"Don't let it get away!"
He ran across the shallow stream, his body light despite its fragility. He dove beneath the water, hiding under a web of roots. He held his nonexistent breath, waiting as the sound of pursuit grew closer...
When he saw the archer break off from the others and step into the water near the gnarled tree roots, the skeletal figure suddenly burst from beneath the surface. His bony hand seized the archer's arm and dragged him under.
The man thrashed wildly, smashing his bow against the skeleton's skull again and again until a long crack split across the bone.
But at last, the struggle ended.The water fell still.
The archer no longer moved.
Moments later, the other two men arrived and found their companion's body lying sideways at the river's edge.
"Where are you, you damned demon?!"
He didn't answer.
Instead, he slipped silently through the shadows of the trees, trying to draw them deeper into the forest. He hid behind trunks, using branches and darkness to his advantage. The footsteps of the two remaining men grew closer.
He tried to separate them—luring them apart with movement and noise—but they stayed close, tightening their formation. They began to catch on to his tactics, slowly boxing him in and forcing him back toward the river.
The skeleton picked up a slick branch from the stream and used it as a weapon, striking one of them in the legs. The man slipped and crashed into the water. The undead tried to force his head beneath the surface, but lacked the strength to hold him down.
He was starting to lose.
One of the men, swift and agile, slashed at his leg. The skeleton dodged the first strike but was kicked aside and sent sprawling to the ground.
"Die, you bony bastard!"
Blades and daggers rained down, clanging against his hardened bones. His body was surprisingly durable—but it wouldn't last forever.
Then, suddenly—
The archer's corpse… stirred.
Its eyes were now hollow voids.
It staggered forward from behind and grabbed the man mid-swing.
"What the hell?!"
The bandit screamed as the corpse bit deep into his neck and dragged him into the stream.
It gave the skeleton a brief moment to act.He snatched a dagger from the dead man's hand and used that chance to roll forward, plunging the blade into the other attacker's gut.
The man gasped.
Then the skeleton drove him to the ground...before stabbing the final bandit through the chest.
The river ran red with blood.
He sat at the water's edge, panting—even though he had no lungs to breathe with.His empty sockets stared at the three bodies… now beginning to rise again.
Not by his command.
But because—somethinginside him had awakened.
He returned to the camp and rummaged through the tents. He found an old set of clothes and draped them over his bones to look more… human.
He stole whatever supplies he could carry—food, tools, a cloak, a face-covering hood, a bag, and a map.
Then he turned to look back at the three corpses.
They still wandered around the camp aimlessly, like lost children.
"…Stay here,"he said softly.
He didn't know how to control them.And… he didn't want to kill them again.
He unfolded the map.
It detailed routes within the Kingdom of Khon Kaen.One destination was marked clearly in the south: Phon Town.
He stared at the name for a moment…then folded the map and tucked it into his cloak.
"Continue onward… Mortis."
That voice again.
But this time—it said his name.
"…Mortis… is that… my name?"
A breathless sigh passed through the cracks in his teeth.
For the first time—he knew who he was.
He whispered it aloud, testing the name.Then he gave a faint, cold smile.
"Fine. It doesn't sound too bad."
Beneath the hood, the lifeless figure turned and walked deeper into the forest…
...toward Phon.