The story begins with a blurred, shaky scene inside a dimly lit bedroom. Nothing is clearly shown— just silhouettes, muffled sounds, and an awkward amount of motion hidden behind heavy mosaic censorship. A black-haired young man and a blue-haired young woman are clearly… very busy, though every detail is aggressively blurred out as if the universe itself refused to show it.
"Can you remove the censor?" The man asked.
Soon it becomes clear as the moaning sound resonated.
"Wait—am I that guy?" the man watching the scene asked, eyes widening as he pointed at the silhouettes and said, "Quick send me there. Let me ride her..."
"No," the Specter replied calmly. "You're simply being inserted into her womb right now."
"The hell do you mean 'inserted'?! So they are my predecessor parents? Just—just fast forward! Fast forward!" the man shouted, waving frantically.
"Understood."
The Specter lifted a remote and pressed a glowing button.
The bubble scene jumped ahead— only to show the same two uncensored silhouettes still going at it, now even more violently. There is a blue haired baby sleeping beside them.
"SERIOUSLY, BRO?!" the man yelled, incredulous.
"My apologies, this memory cluster is… persistent. One moment."
The Specter clicked fast-forward again, skipping through multiple uncensored moments in rapid succession.
"Why is there so much of this?!"
"Past-life complications," the Specter answered. "Please be patient."
----
The moon hung high in the night sky, its silver glow stretching across the quiet landscape like a soft blanket. In the middle of an old village graveyard, two small figures sat side by side. One was a six-year-old boy named Lei, and beside him sat his little sister Lan, only four years old. Their feet dangled above the grass, and neither of them spoke. They simply sat, holding each other's hands, staring at the tombstones that bore their parents' names.
The man watching the memory bubble widened his eyes in shock.
"Wait… they're both dead? How?" he asked, his voice filled with panic.
"They died in a monster stampede," the Specter answered calmly, arms folded behind his back.
The scene continued. Though young, Lei and Lan weren't homeless. Their parents had left them a small house on the edge of the village—a simple place with creaky floors, old wooden windows, and a tiny garden in the backyard. Despite everything, it was a home.
The garden was filled with a rare type of flower called Smoky Roses. These weren't ordinary flowers. Their petals were transparent like crystal, but inside them swirled colored smoke—blue, red, silver, purple, white, and more. When the petals broke, liquid of the same color spilled out, each possessing its own mysterious effect.
White Smoky Roses healed wounds instantly. Red ones restored stamina. Blue ones soothed fevers and anxiety. Others had more unique uses—some useful, some questionable.
These flowers only grew in extremely dangerous parts of the wild—forests where even trained adults hesitated to enter. The fact that Lei's parents had once brought a full batch home was nothing short of miraculous.
After their parents' death, Lei took responsibility for caring for Lan. He fetched water, cooked, cleaned, and tended to the flowers. He wasn't the smartest boy in the village; in fact, he often got tricked or teased by other children. But Lei had a kind heart, and he always smiled through everything.
Years passed.
At fourteen, Lei began to understand something new—first love.
Her name was Li Yun, the girl next door. She had long black hair, a calm voice, and was taller than Lei. Whenever she passed by, Lei would turn red and forget whatever he was doing.
He eventually gathered all his courage, picked a bouquet of Smoky Roses—carefully avoiding the ones with weird side effects—and confessed.
Li Yun was flustered at first, but over time, she fell in love with him too. Their relationship bloomed quietly, like soft petals in morning dew. Just innocent teenage affection.
In this world, every person between the ages of fourteen to sixteen went through a crucial event: Glyph Awakening.
A Glyph was—
Suddenly, the memory bubble jumped forward like a badly edited movie.
"WHAT THE—?!" the man shouted.
"Huh… sorry. Butt-dial," the Specter mumbled, lifting himself from the sofa he was inexplicably sitting on. The remote was trapped under him.
The man stared. "Where did you even get a sofa?!"
The Specter casually shrugged. "Storage pocket."
"Whatever. Can you rewind it?"
"Uh… if I rewind, we'll have to start from the beginning."
"No need. Just continue. Show me the Awakening scene. I can already guess what happened in the skipped part."
The Specter gave a dramatic tongue-click.
"Did you just throw a flying kiss at me?" the man asked suspiciously.
"It's a tsk sound, idiot!" the Specter snapped.
---
The memory resumed.
It was Lei's birthday. He woke long before dawn, Lan curled beside him, trembling with excitement. Lei wasn't as eager, but he tried to stay hopeful. After all, this was his last chance. If a person didn't awaken their Glyph between fourteen and sixteen, they might never awaken it naturally.
Lan was practically bouncing. "Big Brother! Today's the day! You'll get your Glyph for sure!"
Lei smiled weakly and patted her head. "Even if I don't, it's fine. There are… other ways."
But he didn't want Lan to worry.
When the first sunlight stretched across the sky, a single streak of gold breaking through the horizon, Lei held his breath.
Nothing happened.
He checked his arms.
Nothing.
He checked his legs.
Still nothing.
Then his back, his neck, even his face.
No glowing lines. No symbols. No signs of power.
Lan's voice trembled. "B-Big Brother… did you not awaken…?"
Lei inhaled slowly. "Looks like it."
Lan's eyes watered, but Lei forced a reassuring smile. "Don't cry. There are treasures that can awaken a Glyph too."
She wiped her face. "But… but that treasure is yours!"
"No." Lei ruffled her hair. "I was saving it for you."
The treasure had been left behind by their parents—one of the rarest items known. Lei had secretly planned to give it to Lan once she turned fourteen, ensuring she'd awaken a strong Glyph.
But now… he needed it.
If he awakened a Glyph, he could work better jobs, protect Lan, and guarantee her safety. If he remained powerless, life would be much harder.
"What do Glyphs even do again?" the man asked from outside the memory.
The Specter answered, "They grant supernatural abilities. Not magic, not mana, not cultivation—pure supernatural traits."
People gained different shapes and symbols on their skin—some glowing like fire, some forming icy patterns, some looking like runes or circuits. And each shape granted a power.
Flame manipulation.
Water control.
Enhanced strength.
Gravity shifting.
Speed bursts.
Even rarer ones like phantom steps or time flickers.
But not everyone got something impressive.
Some awakened abilities that were practically useless—like shrinking two inches for five seconds. Or running slower than normal. Or turning into a rock for exactly one second.
The world was unpredictable.
Lei's parents had awakened powerful Glyphs. Lan was expected to follow the same path.
Lei… had now failed his natural awakening.
Still, he wasn't discouraged.
He made his decision.
"Lan," he said gently, "I'll use the treasure. If I awaken, I'll make sure our life gets better. If not… then I'll give you everything I can, like always."
Lan hugged him tightly. "You always take care of me."
Lei smiled. "That's what brothers do."
The memory blurred as the scene prepared to shift toward the moment Lei would use the treasure to force an awakening.
Outside the bubble, the Specter stretched his arms.
"Alright, ready for the next part?" he asked.
The man nodded. "Yeah. Let's see what kind of life this Lei kid had… before I transmigrate into his life."
---
Lei carefully picked up a Black Smoky Rose with faint golden tints shimmering across its petals. It was the most precious treasure their parents had left behind. Today, he had made his decision—he would use it to awaken his Glyph.
He informed his little sister and also told Li Yun. Upon hearing it, Li Yun's expression shifted slightly before she asked, "Lei… can I talk to you alone for a moment?"
Lan pouted, clearly unhappy, but she still stepped outside to give them space.
Once they were alone, Li Yun suddenly leaned in and kissed him on the lips as their tongues collided. Lei froze, eyes wide. He wasn't used to surprises like this, and his heart almost jumped out of his chest.
"This is for good luck," Li Yun giggled as she stepped back forming a bridge of saliva between their lips, she turned toward the door. "Make sure you awaken something amazing, okay?"
When she stepped out, she found Lan waiting just outside, sitting on the floor with puffed cheeks.
"Don't disturb your brother," Li Yun said with a smile. "I'll be back later."
Then she walked away.
Lan decided to wait quietly. Minutes turned into hours. No sound came from inside— not a word, not a movement.
Worried, she slowly pushed the door open.
"Brother…?"
Lei was lying unconscious on the floor.
And the Black Smoky Rose— was missing.