In the sunlit plaza of Sinchon Station, a girl took a seat among a row of chairs.

The short bob of her hair made her face stand out even more.

Under the blazing sun, people hurried by in peaceful motion, but the girl's heart was anything but calm.

The bob-haired girl had come to this place in Seodaemun District, following the words of the mysterious man from her dreams.

His voice, saying that the "festival" would soon begin, echoed repeatedly in her mind.

Yet no matter how much she searched, there was nothing unusual in sight.

There were no signs connected to any “object” she sought.

"Sigh…."

She let out a frustrated breath.

Then, the rules of the "festival" that the man had explained in the dream came back to her.

"If you eat or possess an orb, you can join the festival."

"If you take all the orbs from others, you’ll be the winner."

"You must not speak of the festival to others."

The rules were simple and easy to remember.

But with such vague guidelines, she couldn’t grasp what she was supposed to do.

Just as she was about to stand up, her phone began to ring.

Checking the caller ID, she saw it was a familiar number she’d been seeing often recently—the detective handling the "cognitive loss incidents."

"Hello? Detective?"

When she answered, a slightly disheveled voice came through the line.

[Ah, I’m glad you picked up. I have some questions about the latest findings, and I was hoping you could answer a few things if you have a moment?]

"Yes, I’m available."

[It seems your sister was in Seongbuk District about three months ago. Did she mention anything to you about it?]

As the detective continued speaking, all sounds began to fade from her perception.

[Several of the victims, even if at different times, visited Seongbuk District, hence my question.]

[Don’t know? Well, if you remember anything, please let me know.]

Even though the girl hadn’t responded, the detective seemed to carry on as though he’d heard her answer.

As soon as the call ended, an uncanny scene greeted her.

The sky was covered with a grid-like pattern.

A fog swallowed all the sunlight, leaving everything cloaked in shadow.

The fog seemed to absorb not only light but sound as well, rendering her hearing progressively duller.

In that moment, the bob-haired girl felt it.

The "festival" had begun.

Deep within the Mini Reaper Garden, at the Golden Reapers’ Grand Hall.

Once packed solely with Golden Reapers, the presence of Black Reapers was now too prominent to ignore.

The ratio was nearly 50-50!

Of course, in sheer numbers, the Golden Reapers were still far more numerous, but since many Golden Reapers roamed outside, the balance shifted in this setting.

The cheerful Golden Reapers seemed unfazed by the increase in Black Reapers.

"New siblings!"

"So many siblings!"

Especially, it appeared that the Black Reapers Mom had recently brought in accounted for much of the increase.

Nom nom.

"This is delicious!"

"Who keeps biting me?"

Kyu-hihihi.

Amid snacks and playful teasing, the Golden Reaper assembly began.

The most hotly debated topic was "What should we eat during break time?"

This simple question led to a fierce voting battle.

The contest was between the Golden Reapers' favorite, "Gray Reaper Pudding," and the Black Reapers' preference, "Sehee Lab Chocolate Cookies."

With a slight edge in numbers, the Golden Reapers were expected to win, but the support of other Mini Reapers tipped the scale in favor of the Black Reapers.

It was a narrow victory by only a few votes!

"Oh no!"

"The pudding lost!"

Though disappointed, the Golden Reapers didn’t seem too affected by the loss.

A Ghost Reaper popped up at one point, shouting "Black Pudding!" but since most Mini Reapers didn’t understand what it meant, they didn’t react.

The Ghost Reaper, visibly downcast, mumbled “It’s a bloodline…” as he cut into a slice of Black Pudding.

Nearby, a Green Reaper quietly nibbled on a mint chocolate pudding, alone.

During the meeting, an unexpected proposal arose: "Let White Maws have voting rights!"

This was a frequent demand from the radical White Maws, but the Mini Reapers responded weakly, accustomed to the spectacle.

Kyu-hihihi.

The cries of White Maws being dragged away by Red Reapers faded without touching the hearts of the Mini Reapers.

When the White Maws disrupted the assembly, the moderator paused the meeting and declared a break.

The break began.

The Golden Reapers laughed with anticipation for snack time.

Though a bit let down that "Sehee Lab Chocolate Cookies" had been chosen, they still looked forward to the tasty treat.

Sehee Lab Chocolate Cookies, while not as beloved as Gray Reaper Pudding, were still a popular snack, known for being soft and sweet.

Soon enough, small White Maws entered, each carrying a cookie on their backs, filing into the hall.

"Cookies!"

Each Golden Reaper received a cookie roughly their own size, beaming with happiness.

However, the smiles faded as soon as they took a bite.

"Crunch… too hard…."

The cookies they’d received were a hard, chewy version, one the Golden Reapers didn’t usually enjoy.

While humans giving them these cookies was fine, eating them among themselves wasn’t the same.

This version seemed tailored to the Black Reapers' taste.

Golden Reapers preferred soft, very sweet treats, while Black Reapers often enjoyed more textured snacks.

"No way…."

"Did we get these because we lost the vote?"

"So that’s why these cookies…?"

All around the hall, Golden Reapers wore saddened expressions.

Only now did they grasp the true meaning of the vote’s outcome.

The era where they could expect things to always go their way was over.

Whimpering sounds echoed in the hall.

In a cozy corner of the Mini Reaper Garden.

I lay on a marshmallow with hot chocolate streaming underneath, snuggled up in the warmth.

"Mmm."

Noticing a slight commotion nearby, I turned to see a crowd of Black Reapers gathering around me.

Nom nom.

The Black Reapers had piled up heaps of snacks as if they were planning to devour every treat in Sehee Lab.

These newcomers seemed to have voracious appetites.

Did they starve as ghosts?

Beyond the snack-hoarding Black Reapers, some others were up to peculiar activities.

Some melted and merged, turning into black maws like those at the Tower of Ends, roaming around.

Others were cutting white marshmallows into brick shapes, stacking them neatly around me.

Must be the newly arrived Black Reapers.

I couldn’t recognize every Black Reaper, but I’d never seen them do these kinds of things before!

Watching closely, I saw a giant black maw carrying white marshmallow bricks, which the Black Reapers were arranging around me.

What on earth were they doing?

Curious, I opened my eyes wide.

"Ah!"

"Mom’s awake!"

The Black Reapers jumped in surprise, making a fuss.

They rushed up to me, exuding intentions.

"Mom shouldn’t wake up!"

"Why?"

When I asked why, they replied they were building a structure for me.

"What kind of structure?"

"A temple!"

Ah, yes, I am rather divine.

Hehe.

Looking closely, I could see that the construction did have a sacred, temple-like vibe.

However, the entrance was Mini Reaper-sized, meaning I wouldn’t be able to leave once it was complete.

Would I have to phase out as a ghost just to exit?

"I can’t get out of this."

When I pointed this out, a Black Reaper tilted its head, sending a message of intent.

"It’s a tomb?"

"!"

Ugh, the Black Reapers were at it with their morbid humor again.

I kicked over the marshmallow bricks, toppling the structure, then bit the Black Reapers carrying bricks.

"Ouch!"

"Mom’s teasing us!"

"Mom’s place has always been a tomb!"

A street painted white with fog.

Tap. Tap.

The bob-haired girl moved slowly through the fog, the sound of her footsteps muffled and distant.

"There’s no one here."

Aside from the gridded sky and the fog, the scene was just as it had been moments earlier, but not a soul was in sight.

And the strangeness didn’t stop there.

Water was frozen mid-flow.

Birds were suspended in midair.

Clock hands had stopped moving.

As if time itself had been cut from reality and put on display, everything on the foggy street was frozen in place.

Thud.

As she carefully advanced, she felt a heavy vibration that the fog hadn’t completely swallowed.

Despite an unsettling feeling, she steeled herself and slowly moved toward the sound.

"Sis, just a little longer. I’ll bring you back, I promise."

She had a wish to fulfill.

After pressing through the fog, she found them.

Two monstrous creatures locked in a fierce battle.

One creature was a bloody mess, its arms severed at the elbows and replaced with saws.

The other was a bipedal reptilian monster covered in green scales, wielding its tail like a spear.

The gruesome creatures fought to the death, and the sight of them shocked the girl into immediate retreat.

She dashed back into the soundless, light-absorbing fog.

Heart pounding, she hid between narrow buildings, hugging her knees tightly.

"I’ve been tricked by the man in my dreams."

"He didn’t tell me the orb would turn people into… those."

She realized instinctively.

Those creatures had “eaten the orbs.”

The "festival" the man spoke of was a brutal game, a fight among monsters to seize each other’s orbs.

Burying her face in her knees, she sobbed softly.

"Sis, what do I do? What should I do?"

A feeling of dread swept over her, as though eating the orb would mean the end of everything.

Though she wanted to throw away the horrifying orb right then, she couldn’t.

It was her only lifeline to save her sister.

"Should I eat it?"

"I don’t want to."

As she wrestled with her thoughts, a strange realization hit her.

There were no more sounds of fighting.

"…."

At that moment, the sound of metal scraping against asphalt reached her ears.

Scriiiitch. Scriiiitch.

Slowly, with a face gone pale, she raised her head.

Through the fog, she saw the shadowy outline of a creature dragging saw-like hands, approaching her.