"Wein."
Wein heard someone calling him.
The voice was distant—muffled, like a whisper through water. He drifted on the edge of consciousness, warm and weightless, as though floating in a dreamless sleep.
"Wein."
"Wake up!"
The voice tugged at him again, faint and persistent.
It reminded him of when he was still in high school, when his older brother used to call him every morning. It was loud, nagging, relentless.
He groaned inwardly and turned away from it, sinking deeper into the silence.
"Wein! Wake up!"
But the voice kept calling. Firmer this time. Closer. Urgent.
His brows twitched. His fingers curled slightly against the cool grass beneath him.
A dull ache crept into his awareness. His body throbbed, sore and stiff, like it had been trampled over. His eyelids fluttered, and when he finally cracked them open, sunlight stabbed into his vision. He hissed and shut them again.
The world was blindingly bright.
Then a voice broke through, low and laced with panic.
"Wein. Hey. Little brother—wake up. Can you hear me?"
The haze lifted slightly.
Wein blinked, his lashes heavy. The pale blue sky came into focus overhead, cloudless and endless. Terr's face loomed above him, flushed and damp with sweat, concern etched deep into his features.
"Finally," Terr exhaled, visibly relieved."You scared the crap out of me. Fortunately, I decided to go look for you. I'd been out for a few hours and didn't see you come back."
Wein opened his mouth, but only a hoarse croak escaped. He tried to push himself upright, but pain exploded across his ribs and back. His muscles seized. He collapsed with a sharp gasp.
Terr caught him and gently lowered him back down.
"Hey! Take it easy," Terr said with a frown. "What the hell happened to you, to end up like this? Don't move too much—you're in bad shape." He crouched beside Wein and gently draped his arm over his shoulder. "Come on. Let's get you to the clinic."
Wein could barely stand. His legs buckled beneath him, and he had to lean heavily on Terr. Each step was agony. His vision swam, and every breath scraped against his ribs like knives.
"It hurts," Wein hissed through clenched teeth.
"Just bear with it a little longer—we're almost at the clinic," Terr said, his tone both firm and worried as he supported most of Wein's weight.
Wein staggered beside him, his legs barely holding up as Terr all but dragged him forward.
"I know a good doctor around here," Terr muttered beside him."Let's head to his clinic—maybe we can ask for a discount."
They approached a squat white building nestled near the western side of the Beast Tower. A small, unassuming clinic with ivy climbing the stone walls and fluttering white curtains billowing in the breeze. The scent of herbs and sterilizing mist filled the air.
Inside, the place was cool and still. A pale-blue crystal hovered in the ceiling's center, pulsing softly with light. A faint hum emanated from it—a cleansing aura used to sterilize the space.
Wein was helped onto a narrow bed. He sank into the cushion with a groan, a light blanket tucked over his body. His entire frame throbbed with exhaustion.
A tall figure entered moments later—dressed in a pristine white robe, silver hair tied back neatly, a pair of thin glasses perched on his nose. His features were youthful, but his eyes were sharp and unreadable.
"Aster," Terr said, urgency in his voice. "My friend here collapsed—he's beaten up pretty badly. Can you check on him and see what's wrong?"
The man looked at him, eyes narrowing behind his glasses. His silver brows furrowed.
"You're here again?" he asked dryly.
Terr huffed. "What? I told you I was challenging Level 10, didn't I?" He let out a happy laugh, clearly distracted. For a moment, Wein was reminded of a hyperactive child.
"Let me tell you—I finally managed to clear the level this time and—" Terr started, standing up animatedly, but then paused as if suddenly remembering the situation. He cleared his throat. "Ahem—no, wait. Let's talk about that later. Can you check what's wrong with him first?"
It was clear from their exchange—and the doctor's exasperated tone—that the two knew each other well.
Aster didn't respond immediately. He moved with quiet precision, pulling out a thin, rod-like device embedded with twin blue crystals on either end. As he swept the tool over Wein's body, beams of light scanned his frame, humming faintly.
After a moment, Aster lowered the device with a soft click.
"Dislocated shoulder. Two cracked ribs. Multiple deep bruises," Aster said in a calm, clinical tone.
"I'll reset the shoulder—it looks like he was slammed hard. Once it's aligned properly, he'll be fine. The rib fractures can be treated with a healing pill. If he has one, let him take it. If not, you'll need to purchase one. As for the weakness he's feeling, that's due to complete energy depletion—but that's easily resolved with rest."
Wein let out a shaky breath of relief. Terr exhaled beside him.
"But he still needs to rest. Two days in the clinic should be enough for his recovery," Aster added, turning to the window. "I'll install a stabilizing crystal in the room. It'll accelerate the healing process."
"That's good," Terr said. "We'll stay here for a while, then."
Aster helped him reset his dislocated shoulder, which surprisingly, didn't hurt much at all.
"Thank you," Wein muttered, glancing at the doctor, who remained aloof.
Aster gave a small nod in return, then turned and signaled something to Terr. Terr nodded silently in response as the doctor exited the room.
When they were finally alone, Terr slumped into the chair beside Wein's bed and let out a tired laugh.
"Man… I really thought I was going to have to carry your corpse home. Your family probably would've buried me right alongside you."
Wein gave a faint smile, dodging the comment with a dry joke.
"Then next time, I'll leave a will—so no one can blame you."
Terr chuckled, then stood up. "Alright, I'll leave you to rest for now. I'll go get a body scan myself. Don't forget to take your healing pill."
"Got it," Wein nodded, watching Terr step out of the room.
As the door clicked shut, his faint smile faded.
He let out a slow breath and closed his eyes—only for a sharp ache to stab through his skull.
Countless images surged to the surface of his mind, fragmented and disjointed, like the scattered shards of a broken mirror. Flashes of different monsters. Of blood. Of shadows moving in and out of the light.
And a figure—wielding a sword with a precision far beyond anything Wein had ever achieved.
Each movement was flawless. Fluid. Lethal.
Too clean. Too perfect.
In the midst of it all, Wein had been like a spectator—trapped in a dark abyss, forced to watch everything unfold from deep within, helpless and unseen.
Wein let out a low groan as the images faded.
"What... was that?" he muttered, massaging his temples. A dull ache throbbed behind his eyes, and the weight of what he'd just seen lingered
He couldn't help but feel like something was missing. Like he was forgetting something important.
"Is my mind still scrambled from what happened…?" he whispered.
Wein's thoughts drifted back when that presence had taken over his body and fought the Skitter Boss in his place. That strange sensation of being pushed to the back of his own consciousness, forced to watch his body move on its own.
He still couldn't make sense of it. Couldn't unravel the mystery wrapped around what had happened to him.
But one thing he was certain of, was that he wasn't alone in this body.
But who was he? And why could he use his body so effortlessly, as if it were his own?
Wein's thoughts stalled.
A chilling idea crept into his mind. What if… this wasn't his body at all?
What if, from the very beginning, he had been the intruder? What if the body he believed had become his after being transported here… had never belonged to him in the first place?
What if the one he thought was an invader—was actually the rightful owner all along?
Someone who looked like him. Moved like him.
A version of himself from this world, perhaps. Maybe this was a parallel world… and by being transported here, he had possessed that person's body?
A shiver ran down his spine.
Had he truly been summoned here… or had he stolen someone else's life?