Black boots crushed white ash beneath them.

Sa-young stood on a beach that didn’t even smell of salt. He reached for the handle of the hut’s door—then froze. The door was slightly ajar.

He was sure he’d locked it tight.

Cautiously, he pushed it open. The door creaked, and the interior of the hut came into view. Big Mouth lay limp, chained in place. Sa-young reached out toward the monster’s nape. The moment his hand touched it, the monster crumbled into white ash.

“……”

Sa-young frowned.

No one had ever said that monsters vanished when time was reversed. He couldn’t recall hearing anything like that, no matter how far back he searched his memory.