The sensory deprivation of the void stripped away his perception of reality, leaving his mind floating in absolute, terrifying isolation. When Leansei slowly opened his eyes, all he saw was darkness; the suffocating quietness in his ears and the darkness in the dimension mirrored a deep, endless abyss. He slowly sat up on a cold, unseen surface and looked everywhere, but all he could see was the murky surroundings stretching out into nothingness. He winced sharply as he felt a violent soreness in his head, a throbbing ache that felt exactly like someone had hit his head with a blunt force.
He started breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling frantically as his palm brushed against a freezing fluid. From the dimness, Leansei saw one foot of cold water where he was lying, his reflection entirely distorted in the dark liquid. He slowly forced his weight onto his joints and got up on his feet, the water sloshing against his ankles.
"What should we do, master?" A dull, echoing voice suddenly vibrated through the quietness, making Leansei snap his head around, but all he could see was the infinite expanse of water and his own solitary frame in the darkness.
"Is he tied up securely?" another voice cutting through the shadow.
The voices were simultaneously echoing from every direction, the audio waves bouncing off invisible boundaries as Leansei felt a continuous, agonizing pain in his head. It felt exactly like a phantom hand was kneading his head from the inside, compressing his brain tissue. Leansei stumbled, his balance fracturing completely as he dropped on his knees back into the freezing water. The overlapping voices came in randomly and from unpredictable angles, making Leansei's head infinitely more painful than before.
"Kean!"
"You absolute piece of crap!"
"Leansei! You never learn, do you?!"
"Come right here, you little shit!"
"I'm going to beat you up, you filial child!"
"We should have never raised you in the first place!"
"AHHHH!!!!! STOPPPPP!!!!!!!" Leansei screamed at the top of his lungs, slamming his hands into the cold water to drown out the violent pain in his head and the irritating, malicious voices swirling around him.
_____
"Sean..." A soft, ethereal voice called out to him, and the exact microsecond the name left her lips, the chaotic voices and the blinding pain faded away into total stillness. Leansei took several deep, ragged breaths, his heart hammering against his ribs as he slowly looked up through his blurred vision.
"I-I'm not Sean..." Leansei whispered, his voice confused, stuttering, and entirely broken.
Leansei's breathing came to a sudden halt as he felt a warm, comforting energy radiate toward him. Standing in the shallow water was a woman wearing a long, traditional floral dress in a dark brown color, her silky, straight long hair falling elegantly down her back.
The woman knelt into the cold water, extending her hands to gently touch the face of Leansei. The sheer warmth of her palms acting like a catalyst, causing hot, heavy tears to pour down his cheeks. Leansei couldn't figure out the biological or emotional reason why he was crying so violently, nor did he possess a single trace of memory regarding who the woman standing in front of him actually was.
"Sean..." the soft voice echoed from her lips once more as her thumbs gently wiped Leansei's tears away from his cheekbones. "You are such a massive cry-baby..." Hearing the words, Leansei wept even more, the raw sound echoing like a lost child who had finally reunited with his parents after years in the dark.
"Come and stand up," she commanded softly. Leansei quickly wiped his face with his sleeve and stood up on his feet, his muscles steadying.
"Who are—" Leansei started to ask, but before he could finish the sentence, the woman firmly held Leansei's hand, yanking his frame forward to run through the void.
Leansei halted his steps as the entire dimension altered in a fraction of a second, the deep darkness morphing into a highly familiar, terrifying scene. It was a dim, suffocating night, the atmospheric pressure dropping as a severe storm rumbled across the sky, lightning flashing violently to illuminate the horizon.
He turned his head to the side, but the woman had vanished into thin air. He looked around his surroundings, his blood running instantly ice-cold as his eyes locked onto a small, dilapidated house standing solitary in front of him. The structure possessed a rusty corrugated roof and rotting wooden walls. Black plastic trash bags were littered everywhere across the muddy ground, exactly like the final, horrible memory he had meticulously buried away years ago. It felt as though every single terrible, miserable milestone of his past life had come roaring back at once to haunt him.
Leansei could feel a violent thud in his heart and an uncontrollable trembling in his limbs as he slowly approached the familiar door. His hand hovered over the rusted doorknob, hesitating to open it, but he forced his fingers to turn the metal and pushed the door open.
FLASH!
At that exact second, a violent strike of lightning lit up the interior, and Leansei stood completely dazed and horrified by the scenery before him. A father was aggressively beating his own child, throwing heavy fists and driving his foot into the boy's fragile ribs. The yonder scene was a carbon copy of the memory he had buried deep in the ground, forced into a loop right before his eyes. Seeing it play out again made Leansei physically feel the exact pain, humiliation, and torture he had endured during those horrendous childhood years.
"Father, stop—AHH! Fa—" the young boy, a miniature version of Lean in his young days, continuously pleaded for his life, his voice cracking. But the older man completely disregarded the cries, kicking the child across the floorboards like an old, grumpy, drunk jerk.
Leansei slowly closed his hand into a tight, white-knuckled fist in pure, unbridled anger.
The younger Lean covered his face, rolling over to the side of a broken wooden table, where Leansei's eyes locked onto another figure. His mother was lying completely unconscious on the floor, her skin pale and bruised.
Leansei's vision slowed down to a crawl as the raw intensity of the different emotions suffocating his chest peaked. Unable to bear the sight of his past life's torment for a single second longer, Leansei closed his eyes tightly and yelled into the storm, "STOPPPPP!!!!!!"
_______
When Leansei snapped his eyes open, a sharp, burning sting flared across his cheekbone. The illusion vanished, and he came straight back to a brutal reality. His mind organized the facts instantly: the four delinquent guys had ambushed him on the street corner, and unexpectedly, someone had delivered a heavy strike to his neck from behind to knock him unconscious.
He minced his lips, tasting the distinct, metallic copper of blood in his mouth before spitting it out onto the floor. He subtly shifted his weight, attempting to loosen his bonds by pulling against the rough rope wrapped tightly around his wrists.
He looked around using his peripheral vision, mapping out the room's defensive layout without turning his head. He cataloged exactly four armed individuals holding firearms, flanked by six other thugs wielding long knives but no guns. Leansei tried to pull his hands through the knot again, but it was entirely useless; the aggressive movement only caused the coarse fibers to bite deeper into his skin, stinging his wrists.
"I guess that being knocked out completely cold doesn't do a single thing to help you remember your past, does it?" Lovo noted dryly, sitting casually on top of a stack of heavy industrial supply bags.
' You damn right, you motherfuvker. ' Leansei grumbled silently behind his teeth.
Leansei forced himself to resist the temptation of uttering a single syllable out loud. From the way they spoke, it was clear these men possessed an intimate history with Kean—one that he knew absolutely nothing about. If he spoke now, a single, trivial mistake in his tone or vocabulary could get Kean killed a second time over—and strip away his own chance at survival.
Leansei evaluated the physical structure of the building. The room possessed rusty corrugated walls and a rotting ceiling. An unknown, pungent chemical smell hung heavy in the air of the abandoned structure.
"In the past, you always used to plead desperately for your life," Lovo mocked, standing up from his seat and walking over, a predatory smirk cutting across his face as he looked directly down at Leansei. "You always used to cry as if it were the end of the world."
Leansei remained silent, tracking the shadows on the floor. He realized he had likely only been unconscious for a few minutes or an hour, but the exceptionally cold breeze slicing through the broken ceilings and shattered windows, the pale moonlight shining beneath, and the absolute darkness of the surroundings made him wonder exactly how many hours had passed since the ambush.
"This is a unique change of pace. You used to beg for mercy the exact second we tied you up," Lovo noted, his brow furrowing into a confused scowl as he studied Leansei's stoic, unbothered expression. "Are you actually—" Lovo's interrogation was cut short as the rhythmic, sharp echo of brand-new, luxury leather shoes vibrated through the abandoned warehouse.
The heavy footsteps grew closer and closer. Instantly, the surrounding minions dropped their heads down, shifting their bodies to create a wide, clear path for their leader. Leansei immediately lowered his head as well, minimizing his profile to lessen the risk of detection. He knew with absolute certainty that he could not afford to act like Kean, live like Kean, or speak like Kean right now.
' I am absolutely not going to make a single mistake tonight, ' Leansei vowed fiercely, his eyes narrowing in the dark. ' I cannot fail my second chance at life or Kean's life. '
"Master, everything has been settled according to your parameters," Lovo spoke rapidly to the incoming man, his arrogant demeanor evaporating as he sweated like a tamed puppy wagging its tail for approval.
The man smoothly claimed the central leather swivel chair, leaning back as his eyes locked directly onto Leansei's bound frame.
' If I want to get out of this place alive, executing a manual escape right now is entirely too risky, ' Leansei analyzed, his eyes calculating the distances between the armed guards. ' There are four armed targets, including their boss, completely blocking the exits. But the exact second a single, slight chance presents itself... I will take the risk. '
"Kean, it's been a long time since we've seen each other," M said, his deep voice carrying a dark, smooth rhythm as he slowly puffed his cigar.
"Do you have any idea how much cigars actually increase your long-term health risk?" Leansei countered flatly, keeping his expression entirely stone-cold while his fingers aggressively strained to find a loose fiber in the coarse rope wrapped tightly around his wrists.
Master M paused mid-breath, the glowing orange cherry of his cigar illuminating the rugged contours of his face. He lowered the tobacco slightly, a calculated look entering his eyes. "Why don't you tell me, little prince?"
"Most likely, it can aggressively shorten your life span, trigger severe cardiovascular complications, or cause malignant cancer," Leansei stated, his tone dripping with mock academic lecturing. "You'll eventually end up dead without ever knowing what hit you."
The room went dead silent for a fraction of a second before Master M suddenly burst into a loud, hysterical laugh. The surrounding thugs instantly followed his cue, their rowdy, mocking laughter echoing off the damp, rusty corrugated walls of the warehouse.
' Fuck these pieces of shit, ' Leansei cursed silently behind his teeth, his jaw clenching as he mapped his survival parameters. ' Mathematically, I have less than a five percent chance of escaping this closed space completely unscathed. The rolled-up popsicle stick in my blazer pocket is entirely useless now. Damn it. '
"You've become a remarkably funny guy after that accident. I genuinely like that about you," Master M chuckled, taking another slow drag from the cigar. "But tell me... do you happen to know who exactly Shadow is?" The smoke rolled lazily out of his nose and mouth as his piercing gaze locked onto Leansei's face.
' How the fuck am I supposed to know that kind of deep-underground shit? ' Leansei wailed internally.
"The name isn't currently listed on my personal contact registry," Leansei replied, maintaining a firm, highly sarcastic register to hide his panic. "Why don't you do me a favor and explain who it is instead?"
Lovo's face contorted with pure rage, his hand gripping the hilt of his tactical knife. "You better answer our master seriously right now, or I will personally beat your pretty face into the floorboards!"
"So, you genuinely can't remember a single trace of your past?" Master M cut in, his tone dropping into a dead-serious, chilling frequency that instantly froze the room's energy. "Even though your precious brother almost died... or is on the dangerous verge of dying as we speak?"
Hearing the name, Leansei's breath locked in his throat. The image of the annoying, two-faced Felean flashed vividly behind his eyelids, and a sudden surge of adrenaline spiked through his veins. His fingers began to manipulate the rope knots far more aggressively.
"What exactly did you people do to my brother?" Leansei demanded, pitching his voice into a calm, exceptionally deep register to restrain his roaring emotions from bursting out.
"Don't worry your pretty head, Kean. We haven't done a single thing to your two-faced, rebellious little brother. Not yet, again anyway," Master M smirked, tapping the ash from his cigar onto the concrete. He shifted his weight, gesturing lazily toward the bound boy. "Untie him, please. Holding a family member like this is not a very appropriate way to welcome our special guest."
' Not yet, again? what does that mean?? '
The armed guard standing on Leansei's left stepped forward, his boots scraping against the stone. He reached into his tactical vest, pulling out a sharp utility knife to slice through the thick coarse fibers.
Leansei squeezed his eyes shut for a split second, a heavy layer of hesitation locking his joints.
' Should I actually execute a manual counter-strike right now? ' he questioned himself frantically. ' Yes. Staying trapped in this lion's den is a massive vulnerability I simply cannot afford to risk. '
The exact microsecond Leansei felt the tension in the rope snap as the blade cut the fibers, he moved on pure instinct. Before the guard could even retract his arm, Leansei snapped his hands free, lunged forward, and violently twisted the man's wrist outward.
"Aw, aw, aw! Fuck!" the guard screamed out in raw pain, his bones straining under the sudden, expert leverage.
Without wasting a single millisecond, Leansei used his foot to aggressively kick the utility knife far out of the guard's reach across the floor. In a fluid, synchronized motion, his hand snapped down onto the man's waistband, yanking the semi-automatic pistol clean out of its holster.
Reversing his stance, Leansei aggressively grabbed the guard's sturdy collar from behind, yanking his heavy frame back to utilize him as a human shield while burying the muzzle of the firearm directly into the base of the man's skull.
Click-clack!
In a fraction of a second, the remaining six thugs drew their long blades, and the three guards raised their firearms, their barrels aiming straight at Leansei's chest. But Master M didn't even flinch. He merely leaned deep into his leather swivel chair, a slow, thoroughly amused smirk curling onto his lips as if he were watching a magnificent performance.
Pacing his breaths, Leansei began backward-stepping toward the wide, completely unguarded exit of the abandoned structure, dragging the heavy guard along with him. The hostage frantically put both of his hands up into the air, his shoulders shaking as the cold steel of the muzzle pressed harder into his neck.
"Drop every single one of your weapons right now, or your master going to lose a dearest employee tonight," Leansei threatened, his firm voice echoing off the rusty walls. In the back of his mind, a violent anxiety hammered against his ribs; he knew that if his bluff failed, he would be forced to discharge the firearm—an action he had never attempted in his entire life.
As his heels finally reached the threshold of the open exit, Master M let out a low chuckle, tapping his cigar against his thumb. "Kean... how absolutely magnificent. It looks like our intelligence reports totally underestimated your survival capabilities."
"I don't have a single clue what you people want from me," Leansei hissed, the cold night wind whirling across his neck. "But you better leave my brother—my entire family and my friends—completely alone."
"You little piece of—" the hostage began to growl, attempting to twist out of the grip.
Leansei didn't let the guard finish the insult. He instantly drove his knee hard into the back of the man's legs, forcing him to drop heavily onto his knees, before bringing the heavy butt of the pistol down in a brutal strike against the side of the guard's neck. The man groaned softly, his consciousness fracturing as he stumbled forward and collapsed face-down onto the dirt road.
Lovo and the armed thugs reared back, preparing to sprint after him to execute a full retrieval, but Master M sharply raised his hand, putting his cigar down into a nearby metal tray to halt their movement.
"Let him go for tonight," Master M commanded flatly, a cold smile tracking the dark horizon. "After all... our objective for today was merely to pay him a brief visit."
.
Leansei didn't dare to check his speed, his sneakers pounding aggressively against the asphalt as he ran through the desolate, poorly lit industrial roads. He quickly slipped the heavy semi-automatic pistol deep inside his leather handbag; he absolutely could not afford to carry an open firearm recklessly through the city transit lanes. Lean didn't intend to halt his pace for a single second, entirely ignoring the burning sting filtering across his bruised cheekbone and the dull, nauseating soreness radiating from his stomach, desperate to reach a safe, populated crowd.
When he finally navigated his way to a busy cross-section, he frantically hailed a passing taxi. He opened his phone, quickly paying the fare online via his digital wallet before climbing out of the vehicle a full block away from his actual destination. He couldn't risk the taxi driver tracking his exact location; someone from Master M's crew could easily be tailing the vehicle from the shadows.
He took comfort in the factual reality that his handbag had remained secure throughout the entire street ambush; he hadn't lost a single personal asset, and his smartphone was still safely intact.
But the security parameters were tightening.
He walked slowly down the final sidewalk, his arm wrapped tightly around his midsection to compress the raw soreness in his stomach. He idly licked the edge of his lips, catching the sharp, persistent copper taste of fresh blood against his tongue.
Stepping into the high-rise elevator bay, he tapped his floor number onto the glowing digital panel and leaned his heavy back against the mirrored wall. Every single muscle in his body was screaming; he desperately just wanted to lie down on his mattress and not move a single joint for the next twelve hours.
' Should I just skip the mandatory student council rehearsals tomorrow morning? ' Leansei's mind spun into a defensive spiral. ' Or am I forced to attend class in this physical condition? What exact excuse could I possibly manufacture for the council? That I clumsily tripped down the concrete stairs? No... that is a totally lame, suspicious idea. Xeilin and the others wont even believe it or worse, worry.'
The elevator indicator chimed softly as the doors slid open onto his private corridor. Leansei exited the cabin, his steps slowing down as he approached his condo. He stopped dead in his tracks.
The heavy electronic lock on his front door was completely unbolted.
Leansei's heart dropped straight into his stomach, a violent spike of pure adrenaline shattering his fatigue. He carefully swung his handbag around to the front of his chest, his fingers sliding inside the zipper to firmly grip the cold handle of the stolen pistol. He resting his other hand flat against the metallic doorknob.
He could physically feel the deafening, rapid hammer of his pulse vibrating behind his ribs as he held on the doorknob tightly. A suffocating, terrifying tightness locked over his chest—a deeply familiar feeling of raw fear. It was the exact same terror he had felt back in the gym; he was completely horrified that a reckless friend like Rell or a fragile companion like Perial had stupidly decided to drop by his apartment, inadvertently walking straight into a lethal trap.
He tightened his grip on the doorknob, closing his eyes tightly for a fraction of a second as he braced his psychological defenses for whatever horror lay on the other side of the threshold. He absolutely could not afford to lose another person in his life. More accurately, he refused to let someone get brutally injured or die simply because his soul had transmigrated into Kean's body and fucked up the entire timeline.
' Not again... ' Leansei vowed fiercely behind his gritted teeth, a dangerous aura flaring around his shoulders. ' If a single thing has happened to any of them because of me... I swear I will make every single one of those bastards pay with their lives. '
Leansei slowly pulled the muzzle of the semi-automatic pistol out from the safety of his bag, using his body weight to push the heavy door open. The intense, overlapping layers of paranoia and raw tension made the entire world feel as if it were operating in extreme slow motion as his vision swept across the dark entryway, tracking the short hallway that led directly into his living room.
The door opened fully. Leansei took one sharp, gasping breath, his entire body coming to a rigid, absolute halt as his gray eyes locked onto the scene before him.