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When I woke up, the fluffy floor was embracing my body.

As I gradually regained my senses in a daze, a sweet scent began wafting all around me.

From the delicious smell of sugar to the soft aroma of chocolate.

When I opened my eyes, a landscape straight out of a fairy tale unfolded before me.

“Wow!”

The sight of a sea of hot chocolate shimmering over a floor covered in snow-white marshmallows filled the blonde girl’s eyes.

She had surely fallen asleep in the mysterious Cloud Fish Village, yet here she was, waking up in such a place!

With her vision still hazy and dreamy like someone lost in a dream, it was evident to anyone that this was a dream.

The blonde girl got up joyfully, starting to walk through this dreamlike world.

After walking for a bit, she spotted a small red creature bouncing on a round marshmallow like a trampoline.

It looked genuinely happy with a bright expression.

She squatted down to get a better look at the cute creature.

Upon noticing the blonde girl, the red child turned to her with a wide, bright smile.

The face of the turned red child was familiar to her as well.

[Gray Reaper]

Aside from the hair styled in braids and the red coloration, the child looked almost identical to the Gray Reaper.

It felt a bit strange, but since this was a dream, she let it slide.

The red Reaper met the blonde girl’s gaze and, looking genuinely pleased, took her pinky finger and held it tightly.

For some reason, it felt like the red Reaper was saying it had been waiting for a long time.

But the red Reaper wasn’t saying anything!

The overly excited red Reaper suddenly released the pinky finger, crossed its arms, and turned its head away.

Still, the red Reaper squinted, sneakily glancing at the blonde girl.

‘So cute!’

Somehow, the transparent behavior was just too adorable, and the blonde girl picked up the red Reaper and rubbed it against her cheek.

Was it because it was red?

The red Reaper felt incredibly soft and warm.

The delightful warmth radiating from the red Reaper felt annoying, as it was pushing her cheek away despite the smile on its face.

How long had it been since she had contacted the red Reaper? Suddenly, the red Reaper managed to escape her grasp and began walking somewhere.

“Are you telling me to follow?”

The red child slightly turned its head and nodded before boldly walking ahead.

Thump thump.

With a spirited gait, the red Reaper reached the gigantic Marshmallow Colosseum.

Entering through the massive entrance that was well above the girl’s height, she saw various colored mini Reapers.

Upon seeing the blonde girl, the mini Reapers beamed at her, bouncing joyfully.

Though they didn’t say a word, she could definitely feel their warm welcome.

Was it the ability of these mini Reaper objects?

Or was it because of the dream?

It felt like the mini Reapers were trying to talk to her.

Following behind the red Reaper, she kept walking down a long corridor.

The corridor seemed to lead to the central plaza of the Colosseum.

As she walked through the hall, she saw a Black Reaper and a Golden Reaper shaking marshmallow skewers, cheering her on.

Maybe due to the cheering, a strange tension flowed through the corridor where she walked with the red Reaper.

In front of the cookie-made cage separating the Colosseum’s center from the corridor, the red Reaper stopped.

With a serious face, the red Reaper gripped its fists tightly, as if saying “Let’s do our best!”

Seeing such a supportive gesture, the girl could only stare blankly.

As she followed the red Reaper into the center of the Colosseum, the bright light of the plaza enveloped her, contrasting sharply with the dark corridor.

Before long, the cookie cage that had opened came crashing down, and from the opposite side, a gray Reaper made of water began to approach with heavy footsteps.

Thud. Thud.

Huh?

Huh-huh?

A fight? Am I supposed to fight?

Unable to keep up with the sudden change in situation, the girl merely glanced around.

The water-formed Reaper approached, taking a boxing stance, then suddenly shot out a punch at great speed.

Boom!

Feeling the impact like a giant water balloon bursting on her face, the blonde girl lost consciousness.

*

“Sister! Sister! Come out quickly!”

At the voice of her younger sister, the woman, who had been grinding herbs, hurried outside.

Once outside, the younger sister was pointing in the distance, making a fuss.

Looking in that direction, she saw a giant cloud mass suddenly bursting through the horizon.

It was a Cloud Whale that had landed on the ground.

“It seems the Sehee Research Institute is under attack by an object.”

The woman’s younger sister held out her phone, and on the screen was a news broadcast.

The screen displayed a gigantic Cloud Whale lying on the ground, eyes closed, looking helpless, as if it were a sick whale.

From the view of a helicopter, a line of vehicles fleeing from the Cloud Whale was visible.

In contrast, there seemed to be a considerable number of reporters and onlookers gathering around the Cloud Whale.

As the scenes were captured, the announcer’s voice flowed through the screen.

[Currently, it appears that a flock of Cloud Fish hovering in the skies over Songpa District has landed at the Sehee Research Institute.]

[This unusual behavior from the Cloud Fish, which was believed to be harmless and extremely safe, is being investigated.]

[The Korean Object Association has stated that they are currently assessing the situation and recommends avoiding reckless approaches.]

The tattooed woman contemplated as she watched the news, slowly rubbing her chin.

“Sister, should we go to the Sehee Research Institute? I’ve never seen a Cloud Fish up close; it seems like it would be okay to check it out?”

The younger sister asked cautiously, as if anticipating a negative response, but the answer she received was a bit unexpected.

“The Cloud Fish seem quite harmless, so it should be fine.”

“Really?!”

The tattooed woman added, “Let’s prepare quickly and go,” and returned inside the house.

A few days had passed since the news of the Gray Reaper’s return spread, and the woman was planning to visit the Sehee Research Institute soon.

Of course, she hadn’t expected such a sudden visit.

Cradling a Guardian in her arms and packing a few alchemical items into her bag, the woman moved towards her younger sister, who was already waiting in front of the house.

“Sister! Let’s hurry!”

Although not as much as her younger sister, the woman felt a slight excitement at the thought of meeting someone from her hometown.

*

The whole world turned white, and nothing could be seen.

Even though the mini Reapers seemed tense from the sudden assault, nothing happened.

It was just a blank white world that had descended upon the Sehee Research Institute.

Voices of people feeling lost in the white fog echoed around.

Sensing the anxious emotions, the Golden Reapers spread out and began to increase the amount of light radiating from their bodies.

Golden Reapers shining brightly like the sun!

They were burning firewood to emit light, ensuring that people wouldn’t lose their way in the fog.

The Black Reaper, seemingly unable to do such a thing, gazed at the Golden Reapers with envy.

Thump thump.

Leaving behind the glowing golden Reapers, I continued walking forward.

I felt as though someone was calling me.

As I ventured deeper, the noise around me faded, and soon the clouds surrounding me began to take on a physical texture.

As I pushed through the fluffy clouds, at the end, I spotted blackened clouds floating around, and above in the sky was the faint reflection of an orange moon.

It felt calm and not hostile at all.

Usually, any moon had a tendency to be hostile towards me, but not this time?

Fascinated by the orange moon, I looked up and felt a faint will being transmitted.

It was a letter conveying a will, made to express the desires of the mini Reapers.

‘Please help.’

The orange moon was earnestly crying out for assistance.

‘Please help.’

Along with the desperate plea of the orange moon came the echoes of unbearable and horrific pain.

‘Please help.’

It was a cry filled with pain coming from afar, from the east.

The orange moon was enduring a pain so intense that it felt like its body was rotting away at this moment.

Even though it could easily escape the pain if it gave in.

Instead, it was longing for its own demise.

Helping was not particularly difficult.

And since it was related to the black liquid, it was something that needed to be done.

I had an instinct that leaving the black liquid to spread would lead to a significant disaster.

But for some reason, I felt reluctant to accept it right away.

‘Why should I help?’ A cat-like thought kept budding up.

The secretive green frog mentality hidden in my heart was screaming.

But as if anticipating my reaction, a fragment of memory began to replay within that letter.

It was a very old, faded black-and-white memory, resembling an ominous film.

Black blood was dripping down from the surface of a purple moon that was hovering as if dominating the sky stained with ominous light.

The sluggish, sticky streams of black liquid flowed down like a waterfall, making it seem as though the sky and moon were crying.

The black liquid steadily filled the earth, tainting the seas black.

Endlessly, unceasingly.

From the sky, black rain fell, and the black liquid that had penetrated deep into the ground dried up all drinking water.

There was no land where people could survive.

It was the extinction of firewood.

That unidentified memory ended just like that.

The ‘black liquid’ situation appeared to be more serious than I anticipated.

I thought that a hydrochloric acid that could dissolve objects would be bad enough, but now to think it was an infinitely reproducing hydrochloric acid—this had gone too far.

‘Alright, I will help.’

Once I made up my mind to help, the illusion of the orange moon began to fade away and then vanished.

At the same time, the giant Cloud Whale soared back into the sky with renewed vigor.

As the Cloud Whale ascended into the sky, a flock of smaller Cloud Fish flew up, following suit.

Looking up at the sky from the Sehee Research Institute, I saw a river flowing above.

It was as if the Cloud Fish were guiding the way, intertwining in a long line across the sky.

A heavenly river flowed with shades of sky blue, white, and orange.

The river of Cloud Fish, which had started over the Sehee Research Institute, flowed endlessly eastward, meeting the horizon.

The white Cloud Fish emitted a faint yet captivating orange light as if holding the last spark of the sunset within them.

Even in the dark sky, they shone beautifully, guiding the way like a gorgeous light.

It was a galaxy of Cloud Fish glowing in orange, as if they had swallowed stars.

Seeing the stream of Cloud Fish flowing eastward, the path I needed to take became crystal clear.

*

Tap tap.

I woke up to the sensation of a small palm slapping my cheek without mercy.

Opening my eyes, I saw an unfamiliar ceiling.

“Ah, it was the Cloud Fish Village.”

The girl recalled arriving in the magical village full of cloud fish, getting a room, and falling asleep.

By the way, who on earth woke her up?

Thinking, “Did the uncle wake me up?” she looked around the empty room, but the Black Agent was nowhere to be found.

As she glanced around the empty room, she felt a poking sensation on the back of her hand.

Looking down, she saw the cheerful-faced red Reaper.

Smack.

Wondering if she was still in a dream, she slapped her own cheeks hard, but the red Reaper still remained.

The red Reaper tilted its head curiously, gazing up at the blonde girl who had just slapped herself.