A girl… was born to a very poor family. Her mother and father hurt her. Unlike the other children, she was given scraps to eat. There were beatings and cuts. In the village, she was treated as a mysterious, creepy child.
(Splatter!)
"Hehehe… there she is—the scary girl…"
The only thing that made the girl happy was the apple tree outside their house—yet she wasn't allowed to take any. One day, by chance, an apple fell, rolled through a window, and into the cellar where the girl—hungry and injured—was kept. She ate it. It was the most delicious thing she had ever tasted—sweet, filling, even enough to make her cry with relief. Her body was covered in wounds. There was one more thing that brought her joy: sometimes, when her mother had her good moments, she would read fairy tales to her. Her mother was very ill in mind and body. Despite the harm, the girl loved her mother. On rare nights the mother let her sleep by her side; the warmth and soft singing felt like an angel's wings around her.
But the mother's condition worsened—ashen skin, hollow eyes, hair falling out. The girl never hated her mother for the hurts; whenever the mother realized what she'd done, she would hold her daughter and apologize in tears. The wounds hurt, but the girl kept forgiving. The father, though, was cruel from the start—the root of much of their suffering.
One day, everything broke. The mother was found in critical condition. Violence spiraled. In the end, the father died during a struggle, and by morning the mother had also passed away in her sleep. The villagers blamed the girl for the deaths and decided to execute her by firing squad. They shot her 22 times and threw her into a well. But she did not die. She crawled out, riddled with wounds, barely breathing. In the forest, she found a building—an old woman appeared.
"…It hurts, doesn't it? How about I free you from this misery?" the woman said. "You'll die like this. Is that what you want?"
The girl shook her head.
The woman handed her a book: the word Grimm at the top, Hansel and Gretel in the center. "Inside are two cursed spirits. Form a pact, and the spirit named Gretel will heal you. But be warned: these are not the children from bedtime tales. They are spirits. Hansel won't cause trouble… Gretel, you must control. They'll grant you spirit power—but this gift is no blessing."
And now, back to our story. Kisa and Diego were on their way to the village.
Kisa: "Hahh."
Diego: "You okay, Kisa?"
Kisa: "I'm fine…"
Kisa sat hugging her doll—really Gretel. The more Diego looked at her, the more he noticed how pretty and cute she was in that mage-like outfit.
Diego: "Kisa… a question."
Kisa: "Yes?"
Diego: "You're not actually a mage… right?"
Kisa: "No. Why?"
Diego: "Then why the mage outfit?"
Kisa: "Mmm… I think I look better in it. Or… does it not suit me?"
Diego: "No, it does. I was just confused."
Kisa: "It's because Gretel is a hat."
Diego: "Right."
Kisa: "We're almost there. Be ready."
Diego: "Hmm?"
Kisa gently cupped his cheek.
Kisa: "Diego…"
Diego: "Yeah?"
Kisa: "The Vinka rat may be weak… but the plague it spreads is the worst. You'll see things you'll never forget. If you want to turn back now… I won't blame you."
Diego: "…Uh…"
Kisa: "I'm worried about you. Giving a brand-new hunter a mission like this is cruel. I don't know why Isolde chose it."
Diego: "…It's okay, Kisa."
He smiled—and then struck a cringey pose.
Diego: "Diego isn't a scaredy-cat! Hehe."
(A few minutes later)
Kisa: "Stop."
They arrived. A village lay ahead… destroyed.
Kisa: "We're here."
They dismounted. Diego stepped ahead of Kisa.
Hansel (whisper): "(Kisa.)"
Kisa (whisper): "(What?)"
Hansel: "(Is it wise to keep him around?)"
Kisa: "(Hmm?)"
Hansel: "(You yourself said Diego might be hiding something.)"
Kisa: "(Yes… He's the Red Riding Hood–Werewolf Märchen. In our history, there have been evil… Vinka hunters. You told me that the 'Big Bad Wolf' type has appeared four times.)"
Hansel: "(You think that's why Isolde sent you?)"
Kisa: "(I don't know. You taught me that history. Whether Master Isolde knows it too—I'm not sure. But we can't take risks.)"
(You're probably wondering what she meant by "evil hunters." In the past 300 years, some hunters used their powers for themselves—the "Dark Fairy Tales," as they're called.)
Kisa: "Hmm…?"
Diego had frozen. When Kisa reached him, she saw why.
Kisa: "…Ugh."
Corpses everywhere—men, women, children.
Diego: "Ugh."
Kisa: "Damn… the plague… hmm?"
She heard something. In a dead man's mouth—movement. A rat crawled out.
Kisa: "…Ugh… Wait… these bodies… they aren't old."
Diego: "Ugh…"
Kisa: "Diego! We need to go—otherwise—"
(Crash!)
Suddenly, rats poured in from every direction.
Diego: "Ugh."
Kisa: "Ugh… so many."
(Thud!) (Thud!) (Thud!)
And then it appeared—the Vinka rat.
(Roaaaaaaaaaaaaar!)
Vinka Rat.Height: 5 meters.Weight: 3 tons.Sex: Female.Casualties: ~700,000–1.4 million.Threat: Spreads plague.Rank: E.
(Roaaaaaaaaaar!)
Kisa: "Ghhh… Diego, we have to move. Don't let them bite you—too many bites and we'll get sick."
Shock rooted him to the spot.
Kisa: "Diego…"
Diego: "Ugh…"
Kisa: "Please… pull yourself together."
She grabbed his hand and ran.
The rats were so many they toppled walls and houses.
(Crash!) (Crash!)
Kisa: "Damn—"
(Crash!)
A mass of rats blocked their path.
Kisa: "Ugh—Ghh—"
Diego: "Huh—"
Kisa shoved Diego away.
Kisa: "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh!"
Diego: "Ugh!"
They bit her everywhere.
Kisa: "Aaargh… gahhh—"
Diego: "Kisa! (It's my fault… my fault… I have to help her!)"
Kisa: "Urk…"
Blood and saliva spilled from her mouth as rats swarmed her.
Kisa: "…Run… away…"
The giant Vinka swallowed her whole. The swarm closed over her.
Little Red Riding Hood: "I… have no choice."
The Grimm: Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf book opened.
Diego: "Ugh… Ghhhhh… rrrrr!"
He slowly transformed into a wolf.
(Roaaaaaaaaaaar!)
He charged, tearing into the swarm.
(Slash!) (Slash!)(Splatter!) (Splatter!)
Kisa, meanwhile, was still inside the mass.
(Memories)
"Forgive me… Kisa… I'm sorry, Kisa…"
Her mother embraced her. Kisa's back bled where, in a broken moment, her mother had hurt her.
Kisa: "It's… okay… Mom."
(It did hurt—but she didn't want her mother to cry.)
Her mother's arms wrapped around her from behind.
Mother: "I'm sorry… Kisa."
(I didn't want Mom to cry.)
(More memories—pain, fear, apples, the well, the old woman—already told.)
(End of memories)
Kisa: "(Hahh… so this is it…)"
(Splatter!)
Diego: "Kisa!"
Kisa: "Ugh… huh!"
When she came to, he was kneeling and holding her in his arms. Her outfit was shredded.
Kisa: "Huh."
Diego (in wolf form): "…Hhh."
Kisa: "…Di… Di… ego…"
Diego: "Ugh…"
He slowly turned back to human.
Diego: "I'm so glad… you're okay."
Kisa: "Diego… what about the… Vinka… rat… ugh…"
Viscera lay everywhere. To understand what happened, we step back a moment.
(Splatter!) (Splatter!)Diego: "Aaaaaaaargh!"
After annihilating the small rats, the giant remained.
Diego: "Give her back… give me… my comrade… Kisa… back!"
(Roaaaaaar!)
The Vinka lunged, but Diego—fast and relentless—had the edge.
Diego: "Roaaar!"
(Slash!)
He raked it with his claws.
(Roaaaaaaar!)
Diego: "Give me my comrade!"
(Slash!)(Roaaaaaar!)
He shredded it again and again. Overwhelmed, the Vinka crashed belly-down.
Diego: "Grrrr…"
With bare hands, he ripped open its stomach—Kisa was inside.
Diego: "Kisa!"
And that brings us back to now.
Diego: "…Are you okay?"
Kisa: "You… saved me… why?"
Diego: "Hehe… You wanted to see if I was friend or foe… but you're still a comrade."
Kisa: "You knew?"
Diego: "Mhm."
Kisa: "And still… you saved me—even though I might have killed you."
Diego: "Mhm."
Kisa: "Why?"
Diego: "Because you're my comrade. And… you're a kind girl."
Kisa: "Huh!"
She smiled softly.
Kisa (thinking): "(…He isn't evil. He's the opposite—a guardian angel.)"
She cupped his cheek.
Kisa: "Thank you… Diego…"
(Meanwhile)
"Hmm?"
A rat scurried.
"Hm."
A figure lifted it.
"I see… someone destroyed the Vinka rat. Show me… who."
Through the rat's fading memory, she watched.
"Ugh… I understand. A werewolf… how interesting. At last… he's appeared. The Big… Bad… Wolf!"