The fog clung to the streets like a memory that refused to fade. Yosu ran. His lungs burned, but his legs didn't slow. Not because of adrenaline—because of something else. Something stranger. As if the body he was in had been forged for this. For speed. He could feel the wind slicing past his ears, his feet barely kissing the ground.
Then—fluttering, slipping—something fell from his pocket.
He skidded to a halt, the world tilting. A small card danced in the wind and landed face-up in a shallow puddle. He bent down and picked it up, hands trembling.
It was an identification card.
His gaze locked onto the name: Regulus Colastalyos.
Born: 30th of September, 907. University: Froxan University of Astronomy.
The text wasn't in a language he recognized, yet somehow... he could read it. Every letter felt carved into his thoughts. A chill gripped his spine. The damp air bit into his skin.
So that's this body's name? Regulus Colastalyos. Not Leonard. Not Yosu. Regulus.
He stared at the name. Repeated it in his mind. It didn't feel foreign. It felt buried.
An astronomy student? In a place like this? Wandering through filth, rot, and the stench of forgotten corpses—how? How could someone so brilliant end up in such a decayed corner of the world?
He felt something stir beneath his ribs. Pity. Anger. Confusion.
Regulus, whoever he had been, wasn't just another faceless vessel. He was a real person. Maybe still was.
Yosu blinked hard. The memory of the girl flared up—the chains, the sobs, the pleading.
"Please... don't kill me... I did what you asked... I told you everything... please..."
The words echoed. Stuck. Dagger-like.
He gritted his teeth.
"Am I really just going to leave her there? Again?"
His heart pounded. The memory of the ritual still boiled in his brain. That knife. That chanting. That laugh.
He wrapped his arms around himself. Cold. Numb. His thoughts swirled.
I could die again.
And maybe this time, there'd be no second chance.
But what if she turned into one of those... things? That monster? That creature made from agony and corpses?
Would I still be able to sleep, knowing I could've done something?
He looked down at the ID card again.
Regulus. Astronomy. University. A student. A genius.
Yet living in rot.
There had to be more to this boy. This body.
"If I have your strength, then give me your courage too," he whispered.
He clenched the card, tucked it back into his coat, and ran.
Faster. Faster. The buildings around him blurred. His legs weren't just fast. They were inhumanly fast. At least 100 kilometers an hour. Maybe more.
He wasn't sure if it was him, or Regulus. Was this strength part of this world? Were people here just... built like this?
He remembered how easily the brother had cut through flesh. How his body tore like paper. Maybe this world was stronger. Or maybe Regulus... was more than just human.
And then—
The house.
He skidded to a stop outside the crooked door.
No signs of life. No footsteps. No chanting.
"I still have time," he breathed.
He entered.
The door creaked like it remembered him.
He flipped the switch. This time—the lights came on.
A low flicker.
Symbols crawled across the walls—etched, painted, burned into the wood and stone. Circles within triangles. Eyes within mouths. Words that weren't words. Some pulsed faintly, oozing something darker than light.
He swallowed.
"That's why... he refused the lights."
A harsh laugh slipped from his mouth. Dry. Bitter.
"How stupid was I? Walking blind into a den like this?"
He moved quickly now. Each second ticked like a countdown.
He found the steel door again.
Rusty. Locked. Thick.
He searched the room—nothing. No tools. No crowbar. No keys.
Just him.
"Regulus," he whispered, looking down at his fists. "If your body is this fast... maybe it's strong too."
He drew his arm back. Punched.
Metal groaned. Blood sprayed.
He winced. Looked down. Skin cracked. Knuckles raw.
He hit again.
And again.
Pain screamed up his arm, but he didn't stop. Couldn't stop. He imagined the girl. Alone. Crying. Her voice hoarse. Her eyes wide with horror.
"No one... should suffer like that."
Another punch.
His hand split open. But the door? It was bending.
One more.
The door snapped with a metallic wail.
He staggered back, panting.
He stepped inside.
The stench hit him like a wave. Thick. Wet. Rotten. Familiar.
Corpses.
Ten of them.
Arranged like trophies. Like decorations. Still.
He didn't look long.
His eyes snapped to her.
Chained to the wall.
A girl. Blonde hair, tangled and crusted with blood. Blue eyes—red from crying. Pale skin blotched with bruises. Her nails—gone. Her body—scarred. Young. Maybe twenty-one.
She looked at him with wide, animal terror.
"Please... please don't kill me... I beg you..."
Her voice cracked.
Yosu held up his hands.
"I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to help."
She flinched, unsure. But her trembling slowed.
He scanned the walls—keys. On a hook.
He grabbed them. Fumbled with the lock.
Click.
The chain fell.
She collapsed.
Yosu knelt. "Hey—hey, it's okay. You're free now."
She couldn't move.
"I... can't... I'm too... tired..."
He nodded, heart racing.
"Okay. I'll carry you."
He slid his arms beneath her. Lifted.
She was light. Too light.
But he felt no strain. No burden.
Superhuman strength.
He looked down at her, at her broken form.
He didn't know what Regulus had done before. But this? This would be different.
He whispered, "Thank you, Regulus."
He turned to leave—
Creak.
A sound from behind.
Footsteps. Leather scraping stone.
His breath caught.
He turned toward the steel door—
It was opening.
A shaft of yellow light spilled through the widening gap.
And then—
That face.
The fake brother.
Back.
Alive.
And smiling.