[Ronald's POV]
'…Darkness.'
'I see nothing but darkness.'
'Did I die?'
'Is this… the afterlife?'
'I guess I did die…'
'Ah… how peaceful…'
My body felt weightless, as if the burdens I carried all my life had finally been peeled away. No aching muscles. No gnawing worry about tomorrow's meal. Just a quiet void—like a blanket too heavy to lift, but strangely comforting.
But peace never lasts.
Fssh—
Fragments of memories appeared around me, drifting like embers in the void.
Father, slouched in his chair, glassy-eyed and reeking of alcohol. His words were always sharp, his hand sharper.
Mother, lips painted thick with colour I paid for, looking at me with disdain. "Is this all? I can't even buy proper powder with this."
My little sister, knees drawn to her chest, sobbing because I had to leave for another shift.
Rain pounding against the roof of the tiny flat while I worked nights in a warehouse, lifting crates heavier than my own body.
The dull sting in my fingers after washing dishes for hours, skin wrinkled and raw.
The cold stares from people who never knew my name, only my worth in coins.
The void was cruel. It didn't just show me the pain—it made me relive it.
The fragments spun faster, overlapping, suffocating.
I could feel my chest tightening.
I was starting to lose myself… until I noticed it.
A fragment, unlike the rest, drifting lazily through the void.
It glowed faintly—like a single firefly in an endless night.
Without thinking, I reached for it.
The instant my finger touched it—
Shhhkk!
—it shattered into countless shards of light.
But instead of fading, they bloomed. Colours burst across the darkness like dawn spilling over a battlefield.
And there they were—
Llyne, grinning at me with that prideful confidence.
Isaac, glaring at me for unknown reason.
Rona, chattering endlessly while dragging me into trouble.
Each fragment was a moment—fights, escapes, close calls, meals snatched between chaos.
Slowly, the warmth from that single touch spread through my arm, crawling up to my shoulder, then my chest. It didn't burn. It didn't sting. It soothed.
It was the kind of warmth I knew I didn't deserve.
The fragments kept playing until they stopped—at the moment Llyne and I jumped into the wormhole.
'Right. I was with her just now… Did she make it out alive?'
'Of course she did. She's Llyne. She's weird—no, always weird—but she's unstoppable.'
A short laugh escaped me.
My body drifted, as if carried by an unseen current in this endless dark.
The void no longer felt empty. It was… softer.
For the first time in a long time, I felt… safe.
Bmmm—
A voice cut through the silence, rumbling from everywhere and nowhere at once.
"...Pa..."
'Huh? A child's voice?'
I opened my eyes. Blinked.
An unfamiliar ceiling.
A soft bed—too big.
People hovered at my side, their faces drawn tight with worry.
"Am I alive? Where am I?"
A little girl—six, long black hair, emerald eyes—touched my face.
"Papa...? Are you unwell?"
'Huh? Papa?'
"Papa! Papa!"
She shook me, then turned to the man in a white coat.
"What's wrong with Papa? Will he be okay?"
The doctor smiled. "My lord is simply tired from overwork."
The girl pouted. "See, Papa! I told you to rest!"
She scolded and fussed until the doctor gently guided her out.
"Now, now, my lady. Let your father rest."
She stomped off. Gone, just like that.
"Like the wind."
The words slipped out with a weak laugh.
But before I could process the strangeness—
Pain.
A jagged spike through my skull.
Memories I never lived flooded my mind.
I grabbed my head. Rubbed at my temples.
'Something felt… wrong.'
My fingers met smooth skin.
No scars. No burns.
'What…?'
I staggered to a mirror.
A man with green eyes and a cruel smile stared back.
Monocle. Noble clothes.
'Not me—'
'…but it was me.'
Fragments of memory slammed into place.
An evil spirit.
Killed the original man.
Stole his life.
Enslaved his land.
Drained people dry.
Killed a witch.
'Wait. I know this story. Llyne and I read it. I'm the evil spirit? Didn't he die in the end?'
Cold sweat ran down my back.
The pain returned.
"AARGH!"
I collapsed. Crawled to the bed.
The agony dragged on—minutes, hours, I couldn't tell.
Eventually, the pressure faded, leaving only ragged breaths.
"Huff… Huff… What is this place?"
A knock at the door.
"Sir, it's time for breakfast. Would sir like the standard?"
'…The standard?'
I glanced at the mirror. 'Those green eyes didn't belong to a man who ate toast.'
"Egg on toast would be fine."
"Understood, sir."
Silence.
Then footsteps retreating.
My shoulders sagged. My hands trembled.
'What would Rona, Isaac, Llyne do?'
"Who cares! Let's roll!" —Llyne's voice.
"No plan. Again. That's why we almost die every time."—Isaac.
"YOLO!" —Rona.
I snorted.
'Right. Bulldoze through. Deal with the fallout later.'
I dressed. Went downstairs.
The dining hall.
A woman sat across from the child. Calm, kind eyes.
My wife—apparently.
'Wife? I can barely talk to women outside Llyne, Rona, my sister—now I have a wife? What do I do? If I talk like I do with Llyne, she'll faint.'
I froze.
She rose. Touched my face.
"Are you alright, dear? You should've waited for the maids."
Her smile was soft. Too soft.
My heart thumped wildly as she continue to stoke my face. I could feel heat coming out from my head.
'I bet I'm blushing from head to toe.'
She waved. The butler bowed, and left.
She turned to the girl. "I'll take Papa back. Wait here."
"Why can't we go together?"
"Young lady, your class is about to start," a maid said.
The girl pouted.
My wife stroked her hair. "Be a good girl. Papa will heal faster. Then you can play with him as much as you like."
"Really, Mama?"
"Of course. Mama doesn't lie."
The child beamed. Legs swinging.
I smiled—then flinched.
"Honey."
She was right beside me. Looping her arm through mine.
"Let's go back to bed."
I nodded, meek.
Upstairs, a row of maids waited with clothes.
They stepped forward—
"I-I can change myself!"
My wife dismissed them with a wave.
She leaned in, teased, "Should I help my honey?"
'My heart is going to fly out of my chest. Abort. Abort!'
I shook my head furiously. She chuckled.
"I'll wait outside, honey."
A soft kiss to my forehead and walked out of the room.
My jaws nearly dropped as she left the room.
'Wa~ Is this how people in the old days showed affection? My heart can't take it anymore. I should commend myself from not fainting on the ground when she kissed my head.'
After I had calmed my heart, I changed. She returned. Tucked me into bed.
"Rest well, my dear. Don't overwork."
Another kiss to the forehead.
I pinched my leg to stay conscious.
After that, she walked out of the room.
I stared at the ceiling and let out a big sigh.
"No way I'll get info from her. I'll try the maids. Or the butler."
As I waited for my food, my eyelid grew heavy. I tried my best to keep them awake but for some unknown reason, my body felt extremely tired.
'I guess I can't sync well with this body.'
As I was thinking, my consciousness slowly faded away and soon fell into a deep sleep.