YURI KOI
After thirty-six hours, my body was crumbling.
I could barely speak, barely move.
The only thing we were allowed to consume was water—nothing else.
"Sai is still holding on… he's not weak like me," I thought bitterly, my vision swimming.
By the fiftieth hour, he had collapsed into sleep, too drained to stand.
But my hunger—my hunger was a monster clawing at me from the inside.
I would've devoured anything. Even one apple.
But… I didn't know the consequences. And that fear kept me from breaking.
Still, desperation drove me from the house. Maybe walking through the forest would distract me, make the hours pass faster.
Instead, I got lost.
"Sai!" I shouted, again and again. But no answer came.
Until…
"Yuri!" A voice cut through the trees. I ran toward it.
There he was—Sai. He pulled me into his arms immediately. "Where have you been?"
"I… I was hungry. So hungry," I admitted, trembling.
He looked at me knowingly. "Come on. Let's eat an apple."
My eyes widened. "B-but… I thought it wasn't allowed. The side effects—"
"It'll be fine. Just one apple," he said smoothly. He plucked one from a nearby tree and handed it to me.
"Thank you," I whispered, clutching it like salvation.
"Go on. Eat," he urged.
I hesitated. Every instinct screamed against it. But my stomach screamed louder.
I couldn't fight anymore.
So I bit into it. Sweet juice filled my mouth. I devoured the whole thing.
And then—everything changed.
The Sai in front of me twisted. His flesh melted away, his form shrinking, warping. Until, coiled where he stood, was a snake.
"Finally… I won," it hissed, its voice cold and triumphant.
The world shattered.
The forest, the sky, the light—gone. Everything collapsed into an abyss. A black hole of nothingness.
Yet somehow… I remained. Floating. Alone.
And then a voice spoke. Vast, echoing, everywhere at once.
"How could you do this to me?" My heart froze. "Who… who are you?"
"I am your Lord." The voice thundered, shaking the void.
"How could you betray me like this? How could you do this… to him?"
"To who?" I asked, terrified.
"To your husband," the Lord answered, its voice like judgment itself.
I had no words. I could only tremble in silence.
"You knew the consequences of the apple. And you still ate it!" the voice roared, like lightning tearing across an endless sky.
"Do you want the truth?" I screamed back, tears stinging my eyes. "I just woke up in this world! In this body that isn't even mine—just the future me, maybe! I didn't know the rules! I didn't know about you! I didn't even know about Sai!"
The void pulsed. The Lord was silent for a moment. Then—
"What are you saying…?"
"You don't get it!" I cried, gasping for breath. "I didn't belong here! I came from another world. Somehow, I took control of this body's consciousness without understanding anything!"
The voice rumbled, softer now. "Another world… Yes. I see. Someone brought you here."
"Yes… someone else is behind this. Someone else caused this tragedy," I whispered, my chest burning.
The Lord exhaled, and the void itself shuddered. "Very well. Then this… will be the last thing I do with my power."
Suddenly, everything ignited with light. Blinding, absolute.
I couldn't see. Couldn't feel. Couldn't breathe.
But in that final instant, I wished for only one thing—
To go home.