The blinding light slowly faded, thinning like morning fog under the sun.

  Warm wind brushed against Haruto’s cheek.

  Leaves whispered softly overhead.

  Birds chirped melodically from somewhere above.

  Airi blinked several times as her vision cleared. Towering trees surrounded them, ancient and massive, their trunks as wide as houses. Sunlight slipped through layers of emerald leaves, painting shifting golden patterns across the forest floor and catching in Airi’s hair.

  They stood in the heart of a forest untouched by human hands.

  Airi’s lips parted.

  “Onii chan… we really are in another world.”

  Haruto drew in a slow breath. The air felt different. Clean. Alive. It filled his lungs without resistance.

  “Yeah,” he said quietly. “There’s no doubt.”

  Something rustled nearby.

  Bushes trembled.

  Haruto moved instantly, stepping in front of Airi with his arm raised.

  “Airi. Stay behind me.”

  From between the trees, a massive white wolf emerged. Its fur was thick and snow colored, its silver eyes sharp with intelligence. It was larger than a horse, muscles shifting beneath its coat with every step.

  Airi froze.

  Haruto lowered his stance, voice calm but unyielding.

  “Don’t worry. I will protect you.”

  Airi gently tugged his sleeve.

  “Onii chan… you forgot what the Goddess told us. My power is monster tamer.”

  She puffed her cheeks.

  “I always wanted a pet, but you never even let me have a goldfish.”

  “This isn’t a pet,” Haruto muttered. “That thing could eat us.”

  Airi stepped forward anyway.

  “Airi,” Haruto said sharply. “Slowly. I’m right here.”

  She glanced back at him and smiled. Soft. Warm. Full of trust.

  “I know. You never leave my side.”

  She turned to face the wolf.

  “Hello… Mister Wolf.”

  The beast stared at her.

  Then, to Haruto’s shock, it spoke.

  “You… can hear me?”

  Airi blinked. “Ummm… I think so?”

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  “How is that possible?” the wolf rumbled.

  “I’m a monster tamer. Maybe that’s why.”

  “I am a Wolf Lord,” the creature said stiffly. “No monster tamer should be able to speak with me.”

  Airi tapped her chin.

  “Well… the Goddess herself gave me my powers. So maybe that’s the reason.”

  The wolf stiffened.

  “…Goddess. That explains much.”

  Airi smiled brightly.

  “Then will you be my friend?”

  The wolf hesitated.

  “Why would I”

  Haruto did not speak.

  He released his killing intent.

  The air changed instantly.

  Pressure crushed down like an unseen weight. The forest itself seemed to hold its breath. The wolf’s fur bristled, legs trembling beneath him.

  This human was wrong.

  No.

  This thing was not human at all.

  The wolf swallowed.

  “O Okay… I will be your friend. Let us form a contra”

  “Huh?” Airi gasped.

  Light burst from her hand, warm and gentle. A glowing circle formed around the wolf, spiraling slowly before sinking into his body.

  A voice echoed softly through the forest.

  Friendly contract formed.

  The wolf stared in disbelief.

  No ritual. No chant.

  This girl was an anomaly.

  And that boy…

  That boy was the true monster.

  Airi clapped happily.

  “Yay. I have a friend.”

  She pointed ahead.

  “Mister Wolf, do you know an open place? Like plains?”

  “It is some distance away,” the wolf said. “But I can carry you.”

  Airi’s eyes sparkled.

  “Can we ride on your back?”

  The wolf hesitated, then lowered his head.

  “…Very well. Climb on.”

  Haruto lifted Airi onto the wolf’s back and climbed on behind her, keeping one arm wrapped securely around her waist.

  The wolf sprinted forward.

  They raced through ancient trees streaked with faint silver veins. Flowers glowed softly beneath the shade. Light filtered through the canopy like countless shimmering threads. Wind rushed past them, crisp and wild.

  Airi leaned forward.

  “Onii chan. Look. It’s beautiful.”

  Haruto let out a quiet breath.

  A forest without humans.

  Without noise.

  Without cruelty.

  “…Yeah. It is.”

  No one would hurt her here.

  Never again.

  The forest gradually thinned, opening into a wide grassland. Soft green waves rolled beneath the wind, wildflowers swaying under golden sunlight.

  The wolf slowed and knelt.

  “We have arrived.”

  Airi hopped down, eyes shining as if she had stepped into a storybook.

  “Onii chan… our new life begins here.”

  Haruto looked at her smile. Innocent. Fragile. Full of hope.

  “Yes,” he whispered. “It begins here.”

  He opened the pouch the Goddess had given them.

  Inside were a folded tent, two sleeping bags, a small lantern, flint, and dried fruit.

  He exhaled softly.

  “She thought of everything.”

  Airi crouched beside him, holding the lantern with both hands, examining it like something precious.

  “Onii chan, it’s cute.”

  “That’s not the word I would use,” he said.

  But he smiled.

  He set up the tent carefully, checking every knot twice.

  “You’re really good at this,” Airi whispered.

  “I watched a lot of camping videos.”

  “You always learn things so fast.”

  He did not reply.

  When the tent stood complete, fireflies appeared, scattering gentle light around them.

  “It feels like a dream,” Airi murmured.

  Haruto handed her a sleeping bag.

  “Go inside. I’ll start a fire.”

  She grabbed his sleeve.

  “You’ll stay close, right?”

  “I won’t go anywhere.”

  The fire crackled to life. The Wolf Lord sat nearby, silent and watchful.

  Airi sat at the tent entrance, hugging her knees.

  “I don’t want to sleep yet.”

  Haruto sat beside her. The night sky shimmered with countless stars.

  “Onii chan,” she said softly.

  “Hm?”

  “Do you think this world is kind?”

  He stared into the flames.

  “Kindness isn’t something the world gives freely,” he said. “People tend to take it away first.”

  She did not fully understand.

  He ruffled her hair.

  “Just enjoy this moment.”

  “For the first time, we get to choose our future.”

  “Yeah,” he whispered. “This time, we do.”

  Later, she spoke again.

  “I was scared… during the plane accident.”

  His chest tightened.

  “…I know.”

  “You held my hand. Even when everything was shaking, you didn’t let go.”

  “I promised I would protect you.”

  “And you always do.”

  She yawned.

  “I’m sleepy.”

  “Go inside. I’ll stay until you fall asleep.”

  “Can I hold your hand? Just until I sleep.”

  “…Sure.”

  She drifted off holding his hand.

  After she slept, he stepped outside.

  The Wolf Lord spoke quietly.

  “You guard her even in rest.”

  “She is all I have.”

  “You are not like other humans.”

  “That is good.”

  Haruto looked at the tent.

  “This time,” he whispered, “she will live peacefully.”

  The fire crackled beneath the stars.

  Tonight marked the true beginning.

  Not just of a new world.

  But of a new life.

  End of Chapter 1