Even if no one had said it, I would’ve known the moment I saw it.

A vast field spread out before me—

Every inch of the ground, every patch of soil—was covered in needles.

Stretching endlessly into the distance, no matter how far I looked.

Each needle gleamed with a sickening shine.

They weren’t just part of the terrain—they were instruments of execution, lying in wait for any who dared to pass.

I had no shoes.

At some point, they were gone.

All I had were bare feet… and the bitter cold of steel and spikes waiting below.

“You expect me… to walk on this…?”

My mind couldn't process it.

Because—

No one could walk on that.

No matter how you looked at it, this wasn’t a road.

It was a trap.

A punishment, crafted to shatter the soul.

And yet—

A deep, thunderous sound echoed behind me.

Thud... Thud... THUD.

When I turned, a monstrous figure loomed into view.

More than five times the size of a human.

A hulking mass of muscle.

Steam, like blood, hissed from his skin as he dragged a massive iron club behind him.

A demon—an oni.

 “KEEP MOVING!!!”

His roar shattered the air and pierced my ears.

Then came the sound—

CRACK.

Bones crushed.

Flesh torn.

A voiceless scream.

I couldn't look.

But my nose didn't lie—

The stench of blood and scorched meat was real.

My spine froze over.

I tried to step back—only to find another demon behind me.

“Move… Move… Move…”

The words came like a curse.

My legs moved forward on their own. Or rather—they were forced to move.

Step.

The needles shredded my foot.

“Gh… aahh!!”

They pierced through flesh, through sinew—through soul.

This pain was different.

It wasn’t just physical.

It burned the very essence of who I was.

Another step.

The spike now drove up through the top of my foot.

 “Aah… guh—!!”

Tears spilled down my cheeks.

The cry escaped before I could stop it.

But still—I couldn’t stop walking.

Because if I did… I would die.

No one screamed anymore.

Only those who understood how pointless it was to scream remained.

Everyone wore blank expressions.

You couldn’t tell who was alive or dead.

All of them moved forward—bleeding, in pain, never complaining.

No, not even that.

They had simply—given up on screaming.

There was no one to help.

No exit.

No promise at the end of the road.

And still, we walked.

That was the one rule of this world—

You walk. Or you die.

But most terrifying of all—

There was no death here.

Even if pain crushed you, even if your legs were torn off—

Your soul would regenerate.

And you would walk again.

The torment never ended.

 “So this… is Hell…”

Even those words, over time, lost meaning.

Emotions dulled.

Words became useless.

Walk.

Get pierced.

Bleed.

Collapse.

Rise again.

No one noticed.

No one cared.

Only your existence itself was carved into Hell.

And thus,

my first step began.