The forest was unusually quiet that night.
Moonlight slipped through the dense canopy, painting thin silver lines across the narrow trail. The trees swayed gently in the cold breeze, their leaves whispering above them.
Rien walked calmly along the forest path.
Beside him, Yumiko followed at an easy pace, occasionally glancing at the dark trees surrounding them.
For several minutes, neither of them spoke.
Then—
Rustle...
Yumiko stopped.
Rien stopped as well.
Both turned toward the tall grass beside the trail.
Rustle... rustle...
The grass moved again.
Yumiko narrowed her eyes.
"Did you hear that?"
"Yes."
Rien's answer was completely calm.
The grass suddenly went still.
Silence returned.
Yumiko waited.
Rien waited.
Nothing happened.
Then—
WHOOSH!
A boy suddenly exploded out of the bushes.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"
He sprinted down the trail at full speed, arms flailing wildly, his face filled with pure terror.
He wasn't looking where he was going.
Which was unfortunate.
Because Rien was standing directly in front of him.
THUD!
The boy crashed straight into Rien's stomach.
"OOF!"
He bounced backward and landed on the ground.
For a moment, he simply sat there, stunned.
Then he slowly looked up.
His eyes traveled from Rien's shoes...
To his legs...
To his torso...
To his shoulders...
And finally—
His face.
The boy's eyes widened.
His entire body began trembling.
He pointed at Rien.
"THE SLENDER MAN!!!"
Rien blinked.
Yumiko stared at the boy.
Then she looked at Rien.
Then back at the boy.
"...What?"
The boy scrambled backward.
"HE'S GOING TO GET ME!"
Yumiko raised an eyebrow.
"Why are you running?"
The boy stared at her in disbelief.
"WHY AM I RUNNING?!"
He pointed dramatically at Rien.
"LOOK AT HIM!"
Yumiko looked at Rien.
Rien stood perfectly still beneath the moonlight, his tall figure casting a long shadow across the forest floor.
Yumiko looked back at the boy.
"That's just Rien."
The boy froze.
"...Rien?"
Rien calmly nodded.
"Hello."
The boy's jaw dropped.
"HE TALKS?!"
Yumiko immediately covered her mouth to hide her laughter.
Rien tilted his head slightly.
"Are you hurt?"
The boy stared at him.
Then slowly shook his head.
"N-No..."
"Good."
The boy suddenly jumped to his feet.
"I'm leaving!"
He turned around and sprinted away.
Yumiko called after him.
"Wait! What were you running from?"
The boy's voice echoed through the forest.
"THERE WAS SOMETHING FOLLOWING ME!"
Yumiko looked toward the dark trees.
Rien calmly looked in the same direction.
The forest was completely still.
A few leaves drifted down from the branches.
Yumiko sighed.
"Probably an animal."
Rien nodded.
"Most likely."
Yumiko glanced at him.
A mischievous smile slowly appeared on her face.
"...Although, standing in a dark forest at night, you really do look a little suspicious."
Rien turned his head toward her.
"I can't control my height."
Yumiko burst out laughing.
Rien simply continued walking.
Behind them, the boy's distant voice echoed through the trees one last time—
"THE SLENDER MAN IS WALKING WITH SOMEONE!!!"
Yumiko laughed even harder.
Rien sighed quietly.
The forest returned to silence...
While the two continued their peaceful walk beneath the moonlit sky.
After a while, Yumiko moved quietly through the tall grass, the soft rustling of leaves following her every step. She glanced back at Rien, who was walking a few paces behind her.
"What do you think? Who was following that boy?" Yumiko asked softly.
Rien looked at her for a moment before his gaze drifted toward the surrounding forest.
"There's a huge body of water somewhere nearby," he said calmly.
Yumiko raised her eyebrows slightly.
"There is."
She turned toward the dense line of trees ahead.
"After we pass through those trees and the grass, there's a huge lake down there."
Rien gave a small nod.
Without saying anything else, he continued forward.
The trees gradually began to thin.
The tall grass brushed against their legs as they walked deeper into the darkness, until finally, the ground beneath their feet began to slope downward.
Rien reached the edge of the terrain.
He stopped.
And looked down.
A vast lake stretched across the land below, so enormous that its opposite shore was barely visible through the darkness. The surface of the water was almost perfectly still, reflecting the pale moonlight like an endless sheet of silver.
The moon hung above the forest.
Its light spilled across the lake.
For a brief moment, the entire world seemed silent.
Yumiko stepped beside Rien.
She suddenly grabbed his shoulder tightly and leaned forward, looking down at the breathtaking view.
"That's beautiful," she whispered, a soft smile appearing on her face.
Rien said nothing.
He slowly lifted his eyes toward the moon.
Then lowered them toward the lake.
His expression remained calm.
Almost too calm.
The gentle smile on his face never disappeared.
But his eyes had changed.
They were fixed on one particular point in the darkness.
"Someone is hiding there," Rien said quietly.
The wind passed through the trees.
The grass swayed.
And somewhere across the enormous lake.
something moved beneath the moonlit surface.
The water began to shake violently.
Ripples spread across its surface as the entire lake seemed to tremble beneath an unseen force.
Then—
A figure rose from the water.
A human-like shadow emerged slowly from the depths, its entire body glowing with a dense, black energy that twisted around it like smoke.
Yumiko stared at the figure.
She instinctively stepped backward, her eyes narrowing as her gaze traveled over its strange, unfamiliar form.
"What is this...?"
The words escaped her in a quiet whisper.
Rien, however, remained completely calm.
His eyes stayed fixed on the black figure.
Then, slowly, a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Ecustian..."
He whispered the name almost casually.
The black figure turned its head toward him.
For a moment, the air fell completely still.
Its gaze locked onto Rien.
"I am Transcender."
The voice was deep and unwavering, carrying an unnatural weight that seemed to resonate through the surrounding air.
The atmosphere around the three of them began to shift.
The wind twisted.
The water below rippled outward.
Even the air itself seemed to bend beneath the presence of the newly arrived being.
Rien took a step forward.
Then his feet left the ground.
He slowly rose into the air, ascending toward the Ecustian without a trace of fear. His gaze remained calm, almost indifferent.
He stopped directly before it.
A faint smile lingered on his face.
"Your title sounds cheaper than your name."
His voice was calm.
Almost dismissive.
For the first time, the silence between them felt heavier than the darkness surrounding the lake.