Veer was staring at Zack with murderous eyes.
Zack, trembling, said, "My Lord… did I make a mistake?"
Veer replied coldly, "The boy you were about to kill… do you even know who he is?"
Zack swallowed. "No… I don't."
Suddenly, the scene shifted.
In the next frame, Zack was already on the ground—knocked out with a single attack. The strike itself wasn't even shown.
Zack slowly regained consciousness, coughing.
"I'm so sorry, My Lord… can you tell me who that boy is?"
Veer looked down at him.
"You idiot. If you had asked me that before acting, you wouldn't have been beaten."
He paused, then continued,
"That boy's name is Rex. And he's Jasmine's brother."
Zack's eyes widened. "Brother? But… she only had one brother. He died."
"Yes, I know," Veer said calmly. "I received information that old man Vasu adopted that boy from a hospital."
Zack nodded quickly. "Understood. I won't touch him again, My Lord."
Veer's expression hardened.
"You pig. You're not supposed to stay away from him. You're supposed to keep an eye on him. We don't know his background. We don't know his intentions. Find out who he really is."
"Yes, My Lord."
Veer grabbed Zack by the collar slightly.
"Stop calling me 'My Lord.' Call me Big Brother. I was just testing you—to see if you've gotten stronger. But it seems you still need more training. At this rate, you'll disgrace the Third Elite."
(Zack was a member of DKG's Third Elite division.
The DKG gang was divided into ranked groups—the stronger the group, the higher their rank. Each division had its own Elite leader. DKG was infamous for illegal operations and crimes, and they had deep political connections. No one dared to cross them.)
Zack slowly sat up.
"Understood, Big Brother. I'll keep an eye on Rex. And I'll train harder… I'll become stronger."
Veer walked away without another word.
Zack eventually got up and headed home.
Meanwhile, Joe and Koji were sitting in a garden that evening.
Joe said quietly, "We would've died today… if Rex hadn't stopped Zack."
Koji nodded. "Rex is a good guy."
Joe looked down, ashamed.
"He is… but I shouldn't have bullied him during break."
Koji's eyes widened. "What?! You bullied Rex? Why? He's nice!"
Joe sighed. "I don't know. I just did it. I'll apologize to him tomorrow. I feel bad."
Koji smiled. "Yeah. I'll stand with you."
After a moment, Joe asked, "What exactly happened between you and Zack?"
Koji explained, "I was going to the canteen, and I accidentally stepped on Zack's white shoes. His friends started beating me. They stripped my clothes and made me clean his shoes. Then they told me to stand in a humiliating position in front of everyone—or they'd beat me every day."
Joe clenched his fists.
"So that's what happened…, I will killed that bastard Zack if he did anything to you again. Listen—if anyone ever troubles you again, come to me first."
Koji became emotional and nodded with a small smile.
On the other side, Rex was walking home with Jasmine. Rimu and Rika were with them.
Rex said, "It was my first day, and so much happened already."
Jasmine crossed her arms. "Explain everything in detail."
Rex and Rimu explained the entire incident.
Jasmine's face turned red with anger.
"That Joe hit you? Who does he think he is? I'll deal with him tomorrow. Let's see what happens when someone touches my little brother."
Rika tried calming her down.
Rex chuckled. "It wasn't that serious, didi. Besides… you probably can't defeat Joe anyway."
Jasmine turned her anger toward Rex.
"What did you just say?!"
Seeing them argue playfully, Rika and Rimu started laughing.
At dinner, Uncle asked, "So, Rex, how was your first day of college?"
Rex smiled brightly.
"It was great. I had fun. I studied… and I even made some friends."
Uncle looked happy.
Rex had already told Jasmine not to mention anything about the fight, so she stayed quiet and continued eating.
After dinner, Rex said, "It's only 8 PM. Let's go for a walk."
Uncle shook his head. "I'm tired, son. I want to watch the news. You go with Jasmine."
He added playfully, "Jasmine, take him to the nearby garden."
Jasmine glared at Rex. "You idiot, I'll kill you."
Rex grinned. "Alright, didi, let's go."
Jasmine suddenly stuck tape over Rex's mouth.
"There. Now you'll talk less."
Uncle watched them joking around and smiled warmly.
He was reminded of the days when Rishu used to play with Jasmine the same way.
Time really is strange, he thought.
One son left… but another one came into our lives.
Rex and Jasmine reached the garden and sat down.
People nearby were laughing at Rex—
because Jasmine still hadn't removed the tape from his mouth.
And she had warned him clearly:
"If you remove that tape without asking me… I'll hang you upside down from the ceiling fan."
That's why Rex was too scared to remove the tape himself.
After a while, Jasmine finally told him to take it off. Rex quickly peeled it away, rubbing his mouth.
The two of them walked around the garden twice, then sat down on a large bench. They talked about everything that had happened that day.
After some time, Jasmine stood up.
"I have to study," she said, and left.
Rex stayed behind, sitting alone, enjoying the cool night breeze.
While resting there, he noticed a girl around his age. She had come for a walk with her grandmother. She looked pretty, and a few strands of her hair were lightly tinted red.
The girl also noticed Rex looking in her direction.
Rex quickly turned his face away.
After completing a round of the garden, the only empty bench left was the one Rex was sitting on. The girl approached with her grandmother and politely asked Rex to move a little.
Rex nodded. "Okay."
He stood up as if to leave.
The grandmother gently stopped him. "You don't have to go, son. Sit."
But Rex shook his head. "I have some work. You can sit."
After saying that, he left.
The girl and her grandmother sat on the bench, but the girl kept glancing at Rex as he walked away.
While heading home, Rex thought to himself,
Good thing I left… I was getting nervous for some reason.
Then suddenly he stopped.
Wait… did I come from this road or that one?
He had lost his way.
After wandering around for quite a while, he finally found his house. Relief washed over him.
"Finally," he muttered.
When he entered, Uncle was already asleep, and Jasmine was scrolling on her phone.
The moment she saw Rex, her expression changed.
"What were you doing in the garden for so long? It's 11 PM!"
Rex quickly replied, "Didi, I got lost. That's why it took time to find the house."
She rolled her eyes. "Stop making excuses. Go to sleep. You have to wake up early."
Rex hurried to his room, whispering to himself,
"If I had stayed out any longer, she would've eaten me alive."
Just then—
A strange voice echoed in the darkness.
"Not sure about your sister… but I will devour you."
Rex froze.
His heart started pounding.
"W-Who was that?" he whispered. "That voice… it was terrifying. Is there a ghost in this house?"
The voice responded,
"You have strayed from your path. Return to it… or they will punish you."
Rex's throat went dry.
"Who are you? And who will punish me? What path are you talking about?"
The voice replied calmly,
"You will find out tonight."
Rex was shaking.
Maybe this is just my imagination, he told himself.
He turned the lights on and lay down, deciding to sleep with them on.
Moments later—
His eyes opened again.
But he wasn't in his room anymore.
He was back inside the nightmare.
"No… not again," Rex muttered. "I'm here again…"
A voice echoed from the darkness in front of him.
"Welcome, child."
Rex's voice trembled. "Who are you?"
A distorted presence answered,
"I am… The Curse of Hollow Sight."
Rex swallowed hard.
"The Curse of Hollow Sight? Whoever you are… why are you tormenting me?"
The Curse spoke again.
"You have strayed from your destined path. You must change it. You are meant to walk the Path of Hell, yet you are choosing the Path of Heaven."
Rex's voice trembled.
"What do you want from me? What am I supposed to do?"
"I desire destruction," the Curse replied.
"Destruction of whom?" Rex asked.
"Your destruction. Humanity's destruction."
The voice burst into loud, distorted laughter.
Hearing that laughter echo through the darkness made Rex's fear grow even deeper.
"Why don't you show yourself?" Rex shouted. "Why are you hiding in the dark?"
The Curse laughed even louder.
"Because you do not have the courage to witness me, child. But I will return. Change your path… or something terrible will happen. Destruction is coming. Everything will end. I will come… and they will come too."
The laughter echoed endlessly—
Then Rex's eyes snapped open.
He was back in his room.
Breathing heavily, he sat up.
This isn't normal… he thought.
I don't know anything about my past life. I don't understand what this thing is. But whatever is appearing in my dreams… it's terrifying.
He ran his hand through his hair.
I can't tell Uncle or Didi. They'll think I've gone crazy.
A disturbing thought crossed his mind.
Am I possessed? Should I see some kind of exorcist or spiritual healer?
He didn't believe in those things… but still—
Maybe I should try once. What if it works?
The next morning, Rex sat at the breakfast table, lost in deep thought.
Uncle looked at him.
"What are you thinking about, Rex?"
Rex quickly replied, "Nothing, Uncle. Just thinking about college."
Uncle smiled.
"You'll get used to it slowly. Don't overthink. Just focus on your studies."
Jasmine smirked.
"This kid thinks too?"
Rex made an annoyed face.
"Don't call me a kid. You're only one year older than me. I'm more mature than you."
They immediately started arguing.
Uncle scolded Jasmine gently.
"Stop making fun of him all the time."
Jasmine made a sad face. "Okay, Papa."
Rex teased her, grinning.
"Look at this grown-up baby's face."
Uncle couldn't help but laugh.
Jasmine frowned.
"Papa, you're laughing too? Fine. I'm not talking to either of you."
She puffed her cheeks angrily and walked away.
Uncle sighed with a smile.
"There she goes. Now she's upset."
Rex stood up confidently.
"Don't worry. I'll fix her mood."
Uncle nodded.
"I trust you. Whenever Jasmine gets upset, it's very hard to calm her down."
Rex smiled.
"Leave everything to me."
Uncle nodded and said, "Alright."
Jasmine picked up her bag and walked past them, heading to college alone.
Rex quickly grabbed his own bag, waved at Uncle, and said, "Bye!"
Then he rushed out after her, shouting from behind,
"Hey, Didi! Wait for me—I'm coming too..!"