Reo stood in front of his apartment, the top floor of a fancy high-rise building. The city skyline stretched out behind him, glowing in the warm light of the setting sun.
He sighed, running a hand through his dark hair, before turning the handle and stepping inside.
The hallway was quiet. "Baby?" he called out, his voice echoing through the spacious home. "Why'd you tell me to come urgently? You better not be pranking me again!"
He walked down the hallway, his footsteps soft on the plush carpet. The living room was empty, sunlight streaming through the big windows, casting long shadows on the floor. He frowned, looking around. "Where are you?"
He peeked into the kitchen. Still no sign of her.
"Come on, this isn't funny!" he shouted again, his tone a mix of annoyance and playful frustration.
Suddenly, she jumped out from behind the kitchen counter, wearing a silly monster mask. "Boo!" she yelled, her voice muffled by the mask.
Reo stopped, folding his arms and raising an unimpressed eyebrow. "Seriously? That's your big scare tactic?"
She pulled off the mask, revealing her face—a beautiful woman in her late twenties, with soft brown hair and sparkling green eyes full of laughter. She pouted, giving him a playful punch on the arm. "At least pretend to be scared! You're no fun."
Reo chuckled, pulling her into a warm hug. "You're cute when you try to be scary."
She laughed, resting her head against his chest. "So, did you really leave the gang?"
Reo nodded, his expression softening. "Yeah. I'm done with all that. Let's go to New Zealand, like you said. Just the two of us. We'll start fresh, live the life we've always dreamed of."
Her smile widened, but there was a playful glint in her eyes. "Not two," she said, her voice teasing. "Three."
Reo blinked, confused. "Three?"
She stepped back, walking over to her handbag on the counter. She rummaged through it, pulling something out and hiding it behind her back. Her smile grew as she approached him.
"What are you hiding?" Reo asked, his curiosity piqued.
She stopped in front of him, her hands still behind her back. "Close your eyes," she said, her tone playful.
Reo rolled his eyes but obeyed, a small smile on his lips. "You're such a—"
The sound of a gunshot shattered the moment.
Reo's eyes snapped open just in time to see her body jerk violently, blood spraying from her chest. Her smile vanished, replaced by a look of shock and pain. She fell to the floor, the object she had been holding slipping from her hand.
Reo froze, his mind unable to process what had just happened. He dropped to his knees beside her, his hands shaking as he reached for her. "No… no, no, no!"
Her hand, now limp, still held the object. With trembling fingers, Reo pried it from her grasp. It was a photograph—an ultrasound image. The grainy outline of a tiny baby was visible, its edges now soaked in blood.
"Three…" she whispered, her voice barely audible. Her eyes closed, and her body went still.
Reo's scream tore through the silence, raw and filled with pain. Grief and rage consumed him as he held her lifeless body, the ultrasound image clutched tightly in his hand.
—
Reo woke with a start, gasping for air, his body drenched in sweat.
He sat up, his heart pounding, his hands clutching at the rough fabric beneath him. He looked around.
He wasn't in his apartment. He was in a cave, the morning light filtering in through the entrance.
The fire had burned out, leaving only ashes. His breathing slowed as he took in his surroundings.
Reo noticed he was wearing an oversized shirt, likely taken from the bandits.
The maid was sleeping a few feet away, her body curled up on a makeshift bed of leaves and cloth.
Reo sat quietly, his back against the cave wall, watching the maid as she slept peacefully. He didn't want to disturb her.
For the first time since waking up in this strange place, his mind felt clear enough to think. Everything about this situation felt wrong—his body, his surroundings, even the air he breathed felt unusual.
It was as if he'd been moving on autopilot, unable to process how strange it all was. But now, as the fog in his mind began to lift, the reality of his situation hit him like a wave.
He tried to stand, but his legs wobbled, weak and unsteady. His body felt different—lighter, smaller. He glanced down at his hands, narrowing his eyes.
They were smooth, almost delicate, with no scars or calluses. He clenched his fist, testing his grip. It felt strange, like it wasn't even his own hand.
"What the hell?" he muttered under his breath. The sound of his own voice startled him—it was higher, younger, like a teenager's.
His gaze shifted to the hunting knife lying nearby. He picked it up, the weight of it grounding him, giving him something real to hold onto.
---
Stepping out of the cave, Reo squinted as the morning light filtered through the dense trees. The forest was alive with the sounds of birds chirping and leaves rustling in the gentle breeze.
He walked a short distance, following the sound of running water, until he reached a small stream. The water was clear, reflecting the sunlight like a mirror.
Kneeling by the stream, he leaned forward, his reflection staring back at him. His breath caught in his throat.
The face in the water wasn't his. It was the face of a teenager—maybe sixteen years old—with sharp features, shoulder-length red hair, and piercing crimson eyes.
The resemblance to his old self was faint, but this was clearly someone else. Someone younger.
Reo raised a hand to his face, his fingers tracing the unfamiliar features. "What the hell is going on?" he whispered, his voice shaking. "Who is this? Where am I?"
Before he could process the shock, a mechanical voice echoed in his head, startling him so badly he fell back, landing hard on the ground.
[SYSTEM INITIALIZATION COMPLETE.]
[WELCOME BACK, REO CARTER.]
The words appeared in his mind, as if projected like holograms. Reo stared into the empty air, his heart pounding. "What the hell is this?" he muttered.
Then it hit him. It was the same voice that had guided him to kill those people last night. He had thought it was just a hallucination.
[CORRECTION: IT WAS NOT LAST NIGHT.]
[YOU HAVE BEEN UNCONSCIOUS FOR THE PAST FIVE DAYS.]
Reo blinked, his thoughts racing. "Five days? Wait… can you read my mind?"
[AFFIRMATIVE. I AM DIRECTLY CONNECTED TO YOUR BODY AND MIND. ALL PHYSICAL AND MENTAL STATES ARE MONITORED.]
Reo groaned, running a hand through his hair. This felt like one of those silly novels his lover used to read.
[....]
"Fine. Then tell me—what the hell is going on? Where am I? And whose body am I in?"
[WHEN YOU DIED ON EARTH, YOU WERE GIVEN A SECOND CHANCE.]
[THE BODY YOU CURRENTLY HAVE BELONGS TO LEONHARDT CAULEM, SON OF DUKE ALARIC CAULEM AND THE LATE DUCHESS SERAPHINA CAULEM.]
[YOU ARE NOW IN THE WORLD OF ELDORIA, WITHIN THE KINGDOM OF ELARIS.]
He stared at the stream, his reflection staring back at him with those unfamiliar crimson eyes. "So, I'm stuck in some fantasy world now? Great. Just great. This makes no sense!"
His grip tightened on the hunting knife, frustration boiling over. "I'm not some hero who deserves a second chance," he muttered. "I've done things… things I can't undo."
Without thinking, he pressed the blade to his throat, his hand trembling. "Maybe this is the only way out."
[WARNING: HOSTILE ACTION DETECTED.]
[SELF-HARM PROTOCOL ACTIVATED.]
[MOTOR FUNCTIONS TEMPORARILY DISABLED TO ENSURE HOST SAFETY.]
Before he could push the blade further, his body froze, completely paralyzed. The knife slipped from his hand, clattering to the ground. He tried to move, but his limbs wouldn't obey.
And then, everything went white.
---
Reo stood in endless, white nothingness. The floor under him was solid white, as far as the eye could see. No walls, no ceiling, no horizon—just infinite nothing.
"Fucking what is this?" he muttered, his words echoing off in a strange, disappearing sound.
He looked at his hands. They looked familiar—his old body from Earth. But something was off. This didn't feel real. It was like a dream, or maybe a projection. He clenched his fists, trying to anchor himself, but the sensation slipped through his grasp like sand.
In the distance, a faint shimmer caught his eye, like heatwaves in the desert. He didn't hesitate. His legs moved on their own, carrying him toward it. With every step, the void grew brighter, sharper, until the void itself seemed to ripple.
Then, as suddenly as it had come, the emptiness vanished. Reo staggered, frozen in place. A lush, beautiful garden lay before him.
Flowers of every color imaginable bloomed in shining splendor, their petals glowing softly. Silver-leaved trees and a crystal stream wound through the gardens, its surface shimmering like liquid diamonds.
"What... the hell?" He looked around the surreal landscape. "Where did this come from?"
"Don't worry, this is my garden," a voice, smooth and melodic, interrupted his thoughts.
He turned around. His eyes landed on a woman seated at a tea table beneath a graceful pavilion in the garden's center.
The structure was made of polished white stone engraved with flowering vines—it seemed both ancient and timeless. How had he not noticed it before?
The woman was captivating. Her long, flowing silver hair shone like moonlight, her bright blue eyes alive with an otherworldly glow.
Her face was flawless, almost divine, and she was dressed in a gown that seemed to glow as if stitched from starlight.
She placed her teacup down, her lips curling into a serene smile.
"Welcome to my space, Reo Carter," she said, her voice gentle yet firm.