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A universe filled with starlight…

Something radiating a red glow was moving toward a nearby planet, leaving behind a long trail of light.

At the same time, a mysterious being with yellow horns, draped in his black robe, was gazing desperately into something that looked like a mirror, searching frantically for someone. After wandering for a long while, he finally found him.

Outside his black robe, his forelegs and hind legs were covered in green scales, and his hands and feet resembled the hooves of a beast.

Watching the red light through the mirror-like object, he cried out:

“Yes! I found him!”

“Oh… how did it come to this? How could it be so….”

Unable to continue, he shed tears.

He was tormented by worry, regret, and sorrow. A crushing weight of remorse pressed down on him.

“I… ignored your desperation. I turned away. Now I regret it so deeply…”

“Even knowing your judgment was right, we were stubborn. You were right.”

“It’s only natural that we cannot be forgiven. We will never be forgiven…”

“We locked ourselves inside walls we built, blaming the world… haah… uhhuhhh…”

As he sighed deeply and wept in regret, a sudden wave of fear overwhelmed him.

“Fool! This is no time for this! You can’t just sit here like this!”

His heart grew restless. The red being was plummeting toward the planet, and only he could save it. Too much time had been wasted in meaningless lamentation.

The horned being, in his haste, rushed out of the cave without even knowing where the red light was headed.

“Ah… damn it!”

“Where? Which way?”

“Should I go back and check?”

“No, there’s no time… what should I do?”

“What should I do… what should I do…”

Panicked, he fell into a swamp of his own questions.

At that moment, an unknown force revealed the location of the red light to him.

“Hm…? There! That direction!”

“Who is it? Who, at this moment, is guiding me…?”

But he had no time to wonder.

Sensing the trail of light, he hurried in that direction. But he was too late.

In an instant, before his eyes, the red light pierced through the clouds and plummeted rapidly to the ground.

He wanted to seize it with all his strength at the last moment, but there was no time to use his power—it vanished from sight.

“Ahhh… it’s over…”

Complete despair. He could not move. As darkness threatened to consume him, someone—or something—helped him once again… allowing him to act swiftly with cold judgment.

“I don’t know who you are… but thank you.”

He began to draw a large circle with his forelegs.

Gradually, red, yellow, and green clouds appeared, and when he pressed his hooves together, the two small clouds slowly merged into one.

He dropped to all fours, like a beast preparing to charge, resembling a plump deer ready to dash.

As he focused his mysterious power, the merged clouds transformed into a glowing orb. Sitting upright, he guided it into his arms with both hands.

The yellow horns steadied their breath and commanded the orb:

“Reveal the location of the Red Rooster.”

At once, his eyes shone brightly.

Soon, he discovered the rooster’s location.

The yellow horns searched the surroundings for a creature he could command.

He spotted a wild beast grazing nearby.

As he muttered, a glowing orb descended slowly onto the beast’s forehead, then sank into it.

The beast moved under the will of the yellow horns, racing toward the Red Rooster.

The rooster, fallen from the heavens through the clouds, floated briefly upon the sea.

Perhaps it had sunk deep into the water before resurfacing. But now, it was slowly sinking again.

Seeing this, the yellow horns urged the beast to rush to the rooster’s location. From a cliff, the beast leapt high, plunging into the sea.

With a great splash, the beast dove underwater and found the unconscious rooster sinking.

It nudged him upward with its snout, hooking him with its horns, and as they rose to the surface, the rooster lay draped across the beast’s back.

The limp Red Rooster showed no response, as if unconscious.

From afar, the yellow horns licked their hooves, and a mysterious power slowly revived the rooster.

“Thank goodness… it wasn’t too late. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

He sighed in relief, drenched in sweat, yet filled with joy.

“I’m sorry, Red Rooster… truly sorry… Guardian…”

After a long silence, he whispered softly:

“But listen… don’t worry too much. It wasn’t total destruction.”

“Not long ago… a seed of hope came to me.”

“This time, I will protect them.”

With resolve, he clenched his hooves until they bled.

Countless time passed.

The Red Rooster wandered alone across a desolate planet, draped in tattered rags, relying only on a faint lantern.

He did not even know if the path he walked was the right one. Half-mad, he muttered between ragged breaths:

“This time… I must reach the Tarin Forest. No matter what, I will make it.”

As he drew closer to the deep darkness, familiar fear crept in.

“The insects… they’ll come soon.”

“Yes… that time approaches again. They will surely come.”

He cast aside the lantern and the ragged cloth that shielded him from the cold, and slowly walked into the endless darkness.