The world is gone. So, it's almost gone. The theory of the expansion of the universe was rewritten. What expanded was dimensions, not all space. It all started in the first dimension. One point. Then this dot became a line and created space and time. While the third dimension brought matter, the fourth dimension brought spirits. Spirits were imprisoned in bodies and living things were created.

Years, millennia from now, then... The fifth dimension began to expand. It had many names: some called it the Astral Dimension, some called it the Mystical Realm. But there was only one thing that was known, that it was a bridge connecting the dimension of the spirit with the body's dimension.

It was a quiet day on Earth, as usual. No one predicted that the fifth dimension would expand into our solar system. No, at first nobody knew about the fifth dimension. Then spirits, ghosts, and spirit beasts invaded the world. This is how the world as we know it disappeared. It was called 'Excess'.

[56th Anniversary of Excess, 12 Belzir Monday]

With Excess, both history and the world have changed. Humans have very high adaptability. But even they were in danger of extinction. Of course, mankind was the fastest to adapt to the changes brought by the Mystical Realm: 'Awakening'!

The 'Awakening' was an event that allowed people to communicate with their spirit and the spiritual energy that went with it. While awakened humans could survive using this power, those who could not awaken were at their mercy.

After long years of chaos, life and order were established again. But society was divided into two. They're awakends and normals. That's how one of the lower strata of society was running in a forest on Monday of 12 Belzir.

I fucked up. This time I messed up big. Damn it!

His breathing was getting harder and harder as he ran with the gas mask on his face. Running was starting to tire him out. He had been in this forest for a long time, and it seemed like the forest had no end. Even the closest settlement was quite far from here. Because this forest was the [Yellow Ember Forest], which was declared a forbidden zone after 'Excess'.

Ghosts or monsters weren't the only dangers that Excess brought. Even the physical conditions of the world had changed. There were such dangerous places in nature. The government declared such places forbidden zones. And people are prohibited from entering there.

I knew there was something wrong with this task. But its money was very good. If I was successful, I wouldn't have to worry about debts again.

It wasn't ghosts or spirit beasts that killed most people after Excess. Most deaths occurred with the change in nature. The process of merging with the fifth dimension caused anomalies in the world that could not be explained by the science of that time. The reason for these anomalies was explained as the process of adapting to the spiritual energy.

'Hay! It is very difficult to prevent a wound of this level. I don't know how much longer I can last. Wait... No... It can't be...'

All of a sudden, blood started gushing from Raymond's right knee and chest. The bleeding, especially in the right knee, was very severe. The sudden gush caused him to stumble. So he lost his balance. He started to roll on the ground because he was running so fast. When he stopped, he immediately lifted himself off the ground with his arms.

'No. I can't die here. It hasn't even been 20 years yet.'

At that moment, he heard several male voices from a distance that a normal person could not hear. He looked in that direction with worried eyes.

"Finally, the smell of blood intensified again. Come on, this way."(???)

'What is an awakened person doing here? Is the package I'm carrying that important?'

He glanced at the small box in the inside pocket of his tight black-gray suit. He wondered what could have caused such a fuss in such a small box. The box was covered with transparent packaging.

Raymond was a deliverer. But not a normal one. Now nature was full of dangers. It was very difficult to send items from one settlement to another. There were only two ways to do this. The first is to contact the foster family of the region and use their power to transport. The other was to use illegal deliverers like Raymond.

Money alone was not enough to use the first method. Relationships and status were also necessary. Especially for a normal person, it was close to impossible to contact a family of awakened ones.

In such a situation, deliverers appeared who risked their lives for money. There were even organizations that specialized in this business. In reality, the government did not get involved in this business unless it was actually exaggerated. It was overlooked. So even though it's illegal, it wasn't a bad business.

'Come on, let's do this one more time. You've been in much worse situations than that.'

Once again, Raymond encouraged himself and forced himself to stand. He lived without a mother. Ever since he knew himself, there was only him and his father. His father had also abandoned him on his sixth birthday. He handed him a box with a book in it the night before he left.

Raymond thought his father was already in hell. Because it's been a long time. However, there was still no trace. He stopped waiting for him to come back after a while. He lost all hope.

After his sixth birthday, he was left alone. He often ate garbage to avoid starvation. He even quarreled with others. It has been thrown around so far. Yet he was still alive.

However, his current situation was really difficult. He limped forward step by step. He left a trail of blood on the grass and dried yellow leaves where he passed.

'Hehe... I can't give up here. Let's do this one more time. Sync your mind and body. Control your breathing. Gather all your strength in one piece.'