Chapter 1 — The Dream
Chapter 1 — The Dream
Inside a narrow alley, a five-year-old boy was slumped against the wall of a house.
Three other boys surrounded him, their small fists and feet repeatedly crashing into his body.
Thump. Thud. Smack.
The dark-haired boy could do nothing but curl up against the wall as the three red-haired children beat him.
From above, an unseen figure watched the scene with a deeply unimpressed expression.
'What's with this dream?'
He floated in the air like a ghost, looking down at the scene below.
'What kind of crappy snob scene is this? Can't it just hurry up and end so I can skip to the next part?'
The three boys were all five years old, but one of them clearly acted as the leader.
He had spiky red hair and a punkish face that somehow managed to look arrogant despite his young age.
"You were really acting tough in the classroom earlier, huh?"
The boy sneered down at the dark-haired child.
The boy against the wall was Ren Aster.
His face was already swollen from the beating, with bruises covering his small body.
"Yeah," another red-haired boy chimed in. "Reporting us to the teacher. Who gave you the courage?"
The third boy laughed.
The leader, Kael Veyron, squatted in front of Ren and grabbed him by the hair.
"Look at me."
He yanked Ren's head upward, revealing his swollen face.
Smack!
Kael slapped him across the cheek.
"Remember not to snitch about what just happened," Kael said, his voice turning threatening. "Otherwise, next time, I'll break your arm."
He released Ren's hair.
Ren's head dropped back down.
Kael stood up and brushed off his hands.
"Let's go, boys."
The other two immediately followed.
"Boss, let's go eat something."
"Yeah. I'm hungry."
The three boys walked away, laughing as they discussed what they wanted to eat.
The observer stared at them.
'What kind of crappy dream is this?'
He looked back at Ren.
'Hey, kid. Stop lying there and do something. Stand up and fight back.'
He tried to shout.
Nothing came out.
'What?'
He tried again.
Still nothing.
He couldn't even move his mouth.
'Seriously?'
Annoyed, he flew downward.
He reached out toward Ren.
The moment his hand touched the boy, everything changed.
A powerful force suddenly seized his soul.
'What—?!'
He felt himself being dragged forward.
There was no resistance.
His soul was pulled directly into Ren's body.
Ren's eyes suddenly flickered.
He slowly lifted his head and stared at the backs of the three boys walking away.
For a moment, he simply remained still.
Then he raised his hand.
Small fingers.
Small bruised knuckles.
He opened and closed his hand several times.
'What's going on?'
His brows furrowed.
'Was I just in a dream?'
He could feel everything.
The pain in his body.
The soreness in his muscles.
The sting of his bruised skin.
The solid ground beneath him.
'No... this feels too real.'
Before he could think any further, something suddenly flashed through his mind.
A memory.
Then another.
Then countless more.
They appeared one after another, but they didn't merge with his consciousness.
Instead, they played out before him like a movie.
He watched Ren's life.
His earliest memories.
His parents.
His home.
His time in the classroom.
The food he had eaten.
The people he had met.
The ordinary moments of his childhood.
Five years of memories passed before his eyes in a single second.
Then they disappeared.
Silence returned.
'...This definitely isn't a dream.'
Ren lowered his hand.
He didn't have time to dwell on it.
'Whatever. I'll think about this later.'
His gaze shifted toward the three boys.
'But first...'
Ren pushed himself off the wall.
His body hurt, but he ignored it.
He reached down and grabbed his bag by the straps.
Then he started walking.
The three boys were still ahead of him, completely unaware.
Their backs were turned toward him as they continued talking about what food they were going to eat.
Ren didn't make a sound as he approached.
One step.
Then another.
The distance between them quickly disappeared.
Kael didn't notice him.
None of them did.
Ren tightened his grip around the straps of his bag.
Then he swung it.
Whoosh!
Bang!
The heavy bag slammed into the back of Kael's head.
"Ahhh!"
Kael was sent stumbling forward before crashing onto the road.
The other two boys froze.
"What?!"
Ren didn't give them time to react.
He swung the bag again.
Bang!
The second boy was struck and knocked to the ground.
The final boy stared at Ren with wide eyes and instinctively stepped backward.
"What... what are you doing?"
"Shut up."
Ren swung the bag again.
Bang!
The third boy was knocked to the ground.
Kael groaned as he pushed his hands against the road, desperately trying to lift himself up.
Blood trickled from his nose.
"Ren, you fucking bastard!"
His voice was filled with anger and pain.
"I'll kill you!"
Ren walked toward him.
Kael struggled to push himself up.
He barely managed to raise his head before Ren arrived.
Thud!
Ren's boot slammed down onto Kael's head, forcing him back onto the ground.
"Ah!"
Kael cried out.
Ren turned toward the other two.
Thud!
His boot struck one boy in the stomach.
Thud!
Then the other.
Both boys immediately curled up, clutching their stomachs.
Their bodies trembled as they desperately tried to breathe.
They gagged and retched from the pain, but there was nothing in their stomachs to bring up.
Ren returned to Kael.
The boy was already sobbing.
Ren placed his boot against the side of Kael's face.
Then he pressed down.
He dragged his foot across the ground.
"AHHH! It hurts! It hurts!"
Kael screamed as his face scraped against the rough pavement.
Ren lifted his foot.
He crouched down and grabbed Kael by the hair.
With a firm pull, he lifted the boy's head from the ground.
Kael's tear-filled eyes met Ren's.
Ren pulled back his fist.
Bang!
His fist slammed into Kael's face.
Bang!
Again.
Bang!
And again.
Kael screamed with every punch.
Ren continued holding him up by his hair, striking his face repeatedly.
Then he moved on to the other two.
One after another, Ren grabbed them by the hair and pulled them up before beating their faces with his fists.
The three boys screamed and sobbed.
Their fear quickly overwhelmed their anger.
Eventually, they even soiled themselves.
Ren finally stopped.
He stood in the middle of the alley, looking down at the three boys curled up on the ground.
For the first time since entering this strange body, his mind was completely quiet.
