Ethan's hand rummaged through his pockets as he fished out the keys to his apartment. The only bulb lighting his doorway flickered repeatedly. He shivered slightly as a cold wind blew by.
"Dammit, why am I struggling to get my keys?" he murmured, finally managing to bring them out.
His left hand clutched the items he'd bought on his way home. As his eyes fell on them again, Ethan's body trembled with excitement and anticipation."Finally, I'll be rich," he murmured.
After wrestling with the door, he finally managed to insert the key correctly. He twisted it to the right as usual, but the door didn't budge. Frowning, he twisted it left—and immediately, a soft click sounded. The door was unlocked.
Ethan smiled brightly. Just as he was about to enter, his neighbor from next door arrived.She was a beautiful woman, dressed in her usual tight-fitted gown. Her red heels clicked against the pavement, and her crimson dress hugged her frame. She looked stunning.
Ethan paused. Something about her felt… off. There was a strange energy about her tonight. Still, they were both the type to mind their own business. Without a word, he stepped inside—but he could feel her eyes burning into his back.
"It's everywhere... the blue mist is everywhere," she whispered behind him.
"Strange," Ethan muttered. "Everything feels strange tonight. Must be the nerves... I am about to be rich, after all."
Laughing to himself, Ethan placed the items on the bed. He changed into a white shirt and blue pants, yawned, and took out the twelve candles he'd bought. Then he retrieved the bottle of dove's blood he had purchased from the strange woman who kept muttering things like, "The winter solstice has arrived," along with other incoherent phrases.
Ethan smiled. He figured it was all a ruse—she'd acted mysterious just to sell the dove's blood faster. People were into divination's and rituals these days. It wasn't her fault the media and social feeds were flooded with that sort of thing.
After lighting the candles, he dipped a brush into the dove's blood and began to draw the symbol of wealth his friend had given him. Ethan didn't doubt the ritual; most of his friends had done it, and they were all living better lives than he was.What could possibly go wrong?
As Ethan continued drawing, he thought of his beautiful neighbor again. His hand paused as something flickered in his memory—but it was like a fog blocked him from grasping what felt off about her.
He tried to shake the thought."She was wearing red. Her hair was messy... her neck looked longer than usual…"
"She must've had a rough day," he finally said to himself. With that, Ethan calmed down. The ritual was starting to scare him a little—he would have to chant unknown incantations, after all. Steadying his nerves, he set the remaining items in the corners of the room, lit the incense, and sat atop the strange symbol he'd drawn.
As he began to chant, the woman came to mind again. He remembered the many times they had passed each other. She'd always seemed normal to him. But halfway through the chant, he stopped. The fog in his mind suddenly cleared.She'd never worn red before.
"Gosh… what am I thinking about? She's way better off than me. I can't believe I'm thinking about her. After this ritual, once I'm rich… maybe I'll ask her out."
He closed his eyes and continued the chant. As he did, a blue mist spread out from the symbol. Ethan shivered from the coldness it emitted, prompting him to open his eyes slightly—just as a figure appeared before him.
Ethan's eyes flew open.
It was his neighbor. The beautiful woman in red.
She stood before him, her tight gown outlining her curves. Ethan stared at her for a moment—then dizziness swept over him, and his eyes closed involuntarily.
The last thing he remembered was her neck stretching… and then her image distorting. She grew two heads—each hanging from a branch sprouting out of her neck.
Ethan didn't even have time to scream before he blacked out.
Ethan opened his eyes to an unfamiliar ceiling. He sat on a wooden chair, facing the window of a strange apartment.
I'm awake... but apparently, I'm still asleep. I think this is called lucid dreaming.
Outside the window, two red moons hung silently. He didn't think much of it—until the memory of what happened earlier came flooding back.
Why the fuck would I have such a terrible nightmare? Is this a sign that I shouldn't do the wealth ritual?
As his head cleared, panic surged through him. Ethan stood up in a flash, ignoring his unfamiliar surroundings. He looked around the room and quickly realized—this wasn't his apartment.
I need to wake up. Now.
The room had a wooden table with several books on it, a bed, and a wooden wardrobe. Across from the door stood a mirror. He caught his reflection—and froze.
It wasn't him.
The reflection showed a teenage boy, maybe seventeen, with jet-black hair and a handsome—though not overly handsome—face. He was tall, slender, and dressed in a black coat and a hat.
That can't be me.
Staring in disbelief, Ethan ran to the door, kicked it open, and bolted outside. Just before he exited, his eyes caught a piece of paper. On it, scrawled in red paint:
"They are not dead… the blue mist is everywhere."
Ethan cursed under his breath. He'd read books and watched anime about transmigration and reincarnation—exactly the kind of stories he was now living. That realization only made him curse more, wondering why he hadn't considered this as a possible outcome.
As he ran, he frantically searched his pockets for his phone, but it was gone—further confirming his suspicion.
He desperately wanted to call the police.
After running for a while, he heard faint music in the distance. With no other option, he ran toward it and suddenly found himself in a large, open space.
A ballroom.
The music grew louder. Several middle-aged men and young women were dancing. The scene wasn't unfamiliar—he'd seen this kind of thing before. But what struck him was the way they were dressed.
The men wore long, dark coats. The women were dressed in colorful, elegant gowns. It reminded him of the princess cartoons his sister used to watch as a kid.
Ethan didn't know what to do. His body froze, mind spinning.He remembered the ritual. The strange woman. The mist. The dizziness. And now… this.
Only a madman would believe any of it.But everything he'd seen—and felt—so far was too real to deny.