"Where'd you find someone like that?" he asked hoarsely after giving the unconscious boy a thorough once-over.
White hair…
That wasn't something you saw on just anyone.
Could he be from Kyoto?
Some high-ranking noble?
But he was soaked through and unconscious—it hinted at something more.
"Fished him out of the sea. Seems like he's a noble's son…"
The woman laid the boy on the floor inside and knelt at her husband's side, carefully spooning him his medicine.
"…Once he wakes up, send him away. Don't get involved in whatever mess people like that bring with them," the sickly man muttered between coughs.
"Mom, is he the noble?"
A little boy ran up to the woman, staring at the pale-haired stranger with wide eyes, full of curiosity.
"Noble Lord really does look different from us," a little girl in patched, ill-fitting clothes said in awe, eyes filled with envy.
The white-haired boy had been unconscious for an entire day and night. It wasn't until the second night that he finally, slowly opened his red eyes.
What met his gaze was a thatched and wooden ceiling above him.
The space was cramped, filled with the mixed smells of fish and medicine.
So…
He'd transmigrated again?
And… why couldn't he move?
In this tiny room, besides himself, there were four other heartbeats and breathing patterns.
His Six Eyes still functioned, allowing him to sense his surroundings—only his body was completely paralyzed.
"System, explain."
He called out inwardly.
Suddenly throwing him into a new world—at least explain where the hell he was now.
> [Current World: Jujutsu Kaisen.]
[Due to the urgency of the transfer, timeline calibration failed. Current era: Heian Period (approximately 1000 years before canon).]
"…Jujutsu Kaisen is a modern series. The whole story takes place in the present day… What's the point of sending me here?" Cyr complained internally.
First the wrong world, now the wrong timeline?
Really impressive, system.
"Why was the transfer so rushed?" Cyr asked, trying to stay calm.
> [The world's rejection was too strong. The Dark Continent has the densest world rules. Host's act of reviving others without any cost was detected by world consciousness. If you hadn't escaped, you would've faced direct confrontation with it.]
[System energy insufficient.]
The system explained plainly.
In simpler terms: the stowaway got caught, was too weak to fight back, and had no choice but to flee.
"…So why can't I move right now?" Cyr continued.
He currently felt like a vegetable—only his eyes could move; he had no sensation anywhere else.
> [Before departure, the Hunter World's consciousness cursed you.]
So petty.
All he did was disrupt the plot a bit. Just revived a few people.
Was it that serious?
Talk about being stingy.
"How do I lift the curse?" Cyr sighed in resignation.
He really didn't want to stay like this.
> [In two days, the Host will have fully exited the Hunter World's range. The curse will naturally lift.]
Even for world consciousness, cross-world cursing wasn't a simple task.
"…Two more days as a vegetable, huh."
Cyr was irritated—but forced himself to stay calm and began checking his inventory.
Inside the system storage, Storage Curse was still there.
So was Prison Realm.
"These two…"
He stared at the backpack slots containing a white tiger head and a golden-haired one, falling into thought.
Why were they in his system bag too?
Storage Curse he could understand—he'd bought that directly from the system.
But Sora and Maro…
He hadn't gotten those from the main system, had he?
> [Sora shares a soul contract with the Host. Maro, as your attendant, is considered personal property and followed you here.]
"…"
Cyr had nothing to say.
What, they worried he'd switch worlds and forget to bring along his beloved No. 2?
…Fine.
Cyr closed his eyes.
He had no intention of letting the people in the house know he was awake.
After all, right now he was just a paralyzed body.
Better to wait until he could move again.
---
"This noble has been asleep for three days…"
The fisherwoman leaned close to check the boy's breath, then spoke to her husband.
"Life and death are fate. If he dies, toss him out.
He must not die in our home…"
The man's words were followed by a violent coughing fit.
If it were discovered that a noble had died under their roof—even if they had nothing to do with it—they wouldn't escape blame.
"…I don't think I'm going to make it much longer…"
Just saying a few sentences had worn the man out completely.
"When I die, take the kids and remarry someone else," he said to his wife.
People seem to vaguely sense the approach of death in their final moments.
The wife lowered her head and covered her face, crying silently.
After her husband died, life would only grow harder for her and the children.
Finding someone else to marry would be her best path forward.
"Akiko…"
The man lay there gasping for air, his voice strained, eyes gradually growing vacant—until, at a certain moment, they focused on the corner of the room.
In the face of death, people could sometimes see beings invisible to the living.
And now, he saw one—
A massive, deep-purple, writhing creature like a fleshy worm, clinging to the ceiling of their home.
Green slime oozed from the walls around it.
Suddenly, the creature locked eyes with him.
"You can see me—you can really see me…"
It screeched, crawling down from the ceiling toward him, slithering to his side, and winding around his throat.
"Akiko… run…"
The man gasped, trying to speak, his voice barely audible.
Bruises began forming on his neck.
The fisherwoman covered her mouth in shock.
She couldn't see the monster wrapping around her husband—only that he seemed to be struggling with some invisible force.
Was this one of those unseen creatures?
The kind only nobles in the capital could handle?
She stood, bolted toward the inner room, scooped up her two children, and made for the door.
As she passed the white-haired boy, a flicker of hesitation and guilt crossed her eyes.
But then—
She saw that the boy, unconscious for three days, had opened his eyes.
Those red eyes were like frozen drops of blood, filled with arrogance and cruelty.
His pupils rolled slowly, locking onto the gasping man and the monster clinging to him.
The creature froze.
Its intellect was limited, but instinct screamed at it—danger.
The white-haired boy frowned, clearly displeased.
"So noisy," he said coldly.
With great effort, he controlled his finger, slowly raising his hand and dragging his index finger downward.
In an instant, the monster wrapped around the man was cleanly and decisively torn apart.
Purple blood splattered across the floor—but to ordinary people, it remained invisible.
"Cough, cough, cough—"
Now free, the man collapsed, coughing violently.
"Is this noble… from Kyoto?"
He looked up at the white-haired boy—only to see that the boy had already closed his eyes again.
As if he'd fallen asleep once more.
°°°
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