Knock Knock
Adam knocked on the door, then waited.
As he stood there, he wondered if he should've brought something — maybe a gift or offering.
That's what people do in Eastern cultures, right?
Before he could seriously consider it, the door creaked open.
A girl — a high schooler, maybe sixteen at most — stood frozen in the doorway. Her wide, clear azure eyes locked onto him in utter shock.
"Y-You're still alive?" she asked, her voice trembling with a mix of guilt and disbelief.
Adam noticed how her eyes scanned him from head to toe, clearly searching for injuries. But with how drenched he was in zombie blood and gore, any wounds would be hard to spot.
Then her gaze fell to the Asauchi hanging at his hip.
He fought all those zombies… with just a sword? Hua stiffened unconsciously, already registering him as a potential threat.
Adam cleared his throat and broke the silence.
"Ahem. Nice to meet you, miss. Name's Adam. Just another survivor — like you."
"Ah! I—I'm sorry about earlier!" Hua bowed quickly, flustered.
Adam's eyes drifted past her into the room. On a bed lay another girl, tanned skin, clearly unwell — but alert. Her eyes were sharp and observant.
Catching his gaze, she gave him a mischievous smirk and coughed lightly.
"Ahem, Hua. Maybe invite your benefactor in instead of chatting at the door? Y'know, considering the whole zombie apocalypse thing?"
"Oh! Right! Sorry! Please, come in!" Hua stepped aside, cheeks flushed.
As Adam stepped inside, he raised an eyebrow. Just how naïve are these two?
Letting in a blood-soaked, armed stranger without a single question?
If I had bad intentions... Tsk. Too innocent.
Carole leaning back on the head of her bed, nibbling on a piece of bread. Hua knelt beside her, checking the girl's bandages with careful hands.
Adam stood awkwardly near the entrance. He wanted to sit, but didn't want to stain anything with the gore coating his clothes.
Perhaps noticing, Carole looked up and pointed casually.
"Bathroom's over there. You look like you need it."
Adam glanced where she pointed.
"Oh. Thanks," he said, grabbing his duffle bag and heading in.
Soon, the sound of running water echoed from behind the door.
The moment it started, Carole tugged Hua close. Her expression turned grave.
Unlike the trusting Hua — raised in a rural town where neighbors looked out for each other — Carole was a city girl. She'd learned the hard way that evil didn't always wear a monstrous face. Sometimes, it smiled.
While Hua welcomed Adam with open arms, Carole had been watching him like a hawk.
He was calm — too calm. And he was armed.
She didn't want to provoke him — not in their state — but she wasn't about to let her guard down either.
Keeping her voice low, Carole whispered sharply, "Alright, spill it. Who the hell is this guy? Covered in blood, carrying a sword — and you just let him in?!"
"Wha—? I… I thought he might be another survivor! He saved me earlier…" Hua said defensively, then faltered as the logic unraveled.
You think? Carole wanted to scream. Instead, she whispered sharply, "This isn't some feel-good drama where the kind stranger appears just in time. People don't help others for free. Not anymore."
"But… he hasn't done anything suspicious," Hua said quietly.
"Yet. That's the problem. We don't know him. We don't know what he wants," Carole said, glancing toward the bathroom door. "And we don't know if he's safe."
She turned back to Hua, locking eyes.
"Think, Hua. Just think for a second."
Hua looked at her, unsure, like a child told the world wasn't fair.
Carole clenched her jaw.
Forget it. Talking to a wall might be easier.
She took a deep breath.
"Someone like him — who cut through a horde and walks through a city like this alive — what do you think he's lacking?"
"Food? Shelter? No. He's not desperate."
"Then maybe… maybe he's just lonely?" Hua said weakly. "Maybe he's looking for others… for someone to talk to."
Carole gave her a long look. The kind that said you can't be serious.
"Hua… the world ended. Not everyone left is still human. Hell, humans might be more dangerous than zombies now."
Hua's lips trembled. But she said nothing.
Carole saw it — the hesitation. The first cracks in that naive faith. It wasn't a flaw, really. Just… fragile hope. The kind that hadn't yet seen how cruel the world had become.
Carole's voice softened.
"I get it. You want to believe there's still good people out there. I want that too. But hope without caution? That's how people die."
Hua's shoulders slumped. She stared at her hands, gripping the hem of her skirt.
"…But he saved me," she murmured.
"I'm not saying he didn't," Carole said. "Maybe he is a good guy. But we can't gamble our lives on 'maybe.' Not anymore."
She reached out and touched Hua's arm, firm but gentle.
"If he tries anything — anything — you run. No hesitation."
Hua looked up, eyes wide.
"What about you?"
"I'll buy you time," Carole said without hesitation. "I'm already injured and sick. I'd only slow you down."
"Carole—!"
"No." Her grip tightened. "This is non-negotiable."
Hua bit her lip, eyes shimmering.
"I just… I don't want to believe everyone's a monster."
Carole gave her a tired smile.
"Neither do I. But it's better to be wrong and live… than trust blindly and die."
A silence fell between them.
The sound of water had stopped.
They both looked toward the bathroom door, their breaths held without realizing it.
Finally, Hua nodded.
"…Okay. I'll be careful."
Carole exhaled slowly. "Good. Just stay close to me."
Hua gave a faint smile. "Only if you promise not to do anything reckless."
Carole rolled her eyes, smiling. "Says the girl who let a blood-soaked stranger in without asking a single question."
"…You!"
They both chuckled — soft, brief, but real.
Then the moment passed.
The bathroom was quiet.
They didn't know what Adam would do next.
But they'd be ready.
———
Inside the bathroom, while two overthinking girls were busy casting him as a potential villain, Adam was having a crisis of his own.
He stood naked in front of the mirror, staring at the reflection staring back at him.
"…What the hell?"
His voice came out low — part disbelief, part quiet horror.
"That's not me. No way that's me."
The man in the mirror looked like he'd stepped out of a shoujo anime. Early twenties, maybe younger. Snow-white hair that looked like it belonged in a fantasy novel. Eyes a vibrant, crystalline blue that shimmered under the bathroom light. His skin was flawless — smooth, pale, not a single blemish, scar, or wrinkle in sight.
Then there was the body — lean and defined like a professional swimmer's, with sharp lines and just the right amount of muscle. Not bulky, but agile. Sculpted.
"I used to look like a worn-out man pushing forty," Adam muttered, brow twitching. "When the hell did I turn into a damn pretty boy?"
He leaned closer, squinting.
"Seriously? I look like a Kaslana."
He let out a long sigh and finally demanded an answer from the System.
[System Response: The change in appearance is a side effect of the Soul Anchor Pill. The pill has successfully fused the Host's soul and body. The current physical appearance reflects the true form of the Host's soul.]
Adam blinked. "…So you're telling me… this is what my soul actually looks like?"
[Affirmative.]
A long silence followed.
He stared into his unfamiliar face — white hair, blue eyes, and a surreal, almost ethereal beauty. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"…So this is me? Not just now, but maybe who I've always been…?"
There were many theories about the soul — its journey, its weight, its history. And most agreed on one thing: the soul remembered. Even when the body forgot.
Reincarnation. Past lives. Perhaps… This was the face from his very first incarnation. The truest version of himself?
Adam sighed again, rubbing his face with both hands. Still unable to accept the reality of his sudden transformation.
Not that he dislikes it.
No one would dislike being more handsome or beautiful.
Just… it gave a sense of unreal and creepiness to suddenly see yourself in the mirror only to see an unfamiliar face staring back at you.
—————
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