"AGGAHHH!" she screams in pure agony.
She is clearly pushing herself beyond her limit. Soon, the figures of the crowd can no longer be seen, and the screams and curses fade, growing quieter as she runs farther and farther away.
"Haa… haa…" she pants, breath coming in ragged gasps, yet she does not dare to stop.
She keeps running toward the tall trees ahead.
At this moment, one side of her sleeve—where the man slashed her shoulder —is soaked in blood, a stark contrast to the other side, which remains a clean, light grey.
Her rosy skin has lost its color, turning pale. Dried tears and sweat cover her beautiful face. She is clearly in a dire state.
"If this continues, she might die of blood loss," I calculate.
I have to observe more—because observation is all I can do in my current state.
The concept of transmigration always felt like dogshit to me.
What an unrealistic thing. Someone once recommended a novel like that to me, and I dropped it after the first chapter.
It's unreal.
Daydreaming.
I rejected fiction wholeheartedly because I was never the kind of person who would fall into escapism.
But now, however, I am trapped in this predicament.
"So there is something after death, after all…"
As I stare ahead, the trees loom tall, and the clouds seem to brush against their crowns. It isn't that the trees are enormous—rather, the clouds feel unnaturally close.
The air is moist and fresh, as if the entire world is trapped in the Golden Hour.
It looks beautiful, calming even—but my situation is anything but safe.
THUD
"Huff… huff…"
She collapses near a small stream of water, drinking greedily from the stream before falling onto the soft, green grass.
The owner of this body mimics her actions playfully, copying her movements without thought.
"Mai… Maiyu," my lips mutter.
The words come out uneven, childish. The voice is boyish—nothing like my own deep voice.
I know it is the owner of this body speaking.
"So he can speak?"
Tears well in her eyes as she stares at my face with longing.
"What kind of relationship do they have?"
The question lingers.
"Lucain… you… you remembered me!" she says.
Her tears do not stop. She struggles to straighten her back, her body trembling.
"Big Sis," my lips move again.
Tears stream down my face, and a warm sensation spreads through my chest.
The feelings are complex.
Sadness.
Fear.
Longing.
Guilt.
My steps move on their own, slow and careful. My gaze fixes on her wound as my arms wrap around her gently.
Yet I can separate these feelings from myself.
I feel amused—at first, the emotions were uncontrollable, like a raging sea.
Now, I can clearly decipher what the owner of this body is feeling.
"Amnesia?"
It is the only explanation I can think of. I know of such a condition.
Her shoulders shake as she sobs. She turns toward me, clutching me tightly, crying without restraint.
"…"
So, what I know so far is this:
the owner of this body has amnesia,
he is mentally challenged,
and for some reason, this strange girl is his older sister.
The reflection of the owner's appearance—what I saw in the burning hut—returns to my mind.
"His ears were human, placed normally… and his brows were dark, unlike hers…"
Her hair is silver and she has feline ears – like that of a cat.
A possibility forms.
"Half-siblings?"
I assume.
I know my assumptions could be right—or wrong—but…
"I'm scared, Lu!" she sobs, her body shaking.
The owner's hand pats her shoulder, and silent tears fall from my eyes (owner of this body) as well.
All I can see is the azure sky above, the soft grass beneath us, and her bleeding limb—her trembling body resting against mine.
"Poor thing."
One thing I cannot be wrong about is their bond—
She threw herself forward to protect the owner of this body.
She carried him while she herself was in a miserable state.
"This girl deserves nothing but my respect."
Her sobbing doesn't stop, but I can feel the owner's emotions turning chaotic:
It feels like a mess, as if the owner is trying his best to cling to himself, but a large wave is crashing onto him.
The fear dissipates, and the longing—and the vision—seem to blur,I could feel the pupils shaking violently.
The body trembles uncontrollably, as if the owner is trying his best to cling on to the movement, but eventually the body relaxes, leaving behind something that seems like a broken puppet.
I can no longer decipher the owner's emotions. They feel chaotic—like a violent storm. I can't understand anything.
The owner breaks away from her embrace.
The last thing before facing the forest was her face—her eyes wide, her golden pupils shrinking to pinpoints.
"LUCAIN!" she shouted, her voice strained and weak.
All I feel is the soft grass beneath my feet and water splashing as I run.
Behind me, her muffled cries fade, vanishing as I venture deeper into the forest.
"Tch… dammit. She'll die."
I can't help but feel bitter. Even if emotions barely remain within me, I still can't accept—morally—leaving her behind, bleeding beside that stream.
But again—
What can I do?
I'm merely a prisoner. That's all I am.
The heart thumps wildly, and a wave of pleasure and excitement floods his chest as his speed increases.
But compared to her pace, that girl—"Maiyu."
Body 's Owner's speed is no better than that of a toddler.
As I pounderd all my collected information.
I realized one thing.
I'm fucked!..no matter how I look at it!
It's not just my frustration–my thoughts are no longer restrained and clouded by emotions it's clear and calm.
" I'm fucked!..it's a fact!"
***
"Why… why is all of this happening?"
A young woman with a pale face and tear-filled eyes lay on her back, disheveled silver hair clinging to her cheeks as her gaze remained locked onto the azure sky above.
It was Maiyu.
She wiped at her tears, but more spilled out anyway.
"Shit," she muttered, her expression hardening.
With great effort, she forced herself onto her knees. Her body trembled as she took off her cloak, fingers stiff and unsteady, and tore open the thin white tunic beneath it.
"Ugh—"
She snarled through clenched teeth.
"Aghhh!"
A blood-stained strip of cloth peeled away, tearing free with a sickening scrape as it pulled loose a layer of dried blood. Pain surged through her shoulder—sharp, merciless. Even her tears seemed to abandon her then, leaving behind only agony and despair.
"Lucain… why do you have to become like that?" she whispered, her voice breaking with every uneven breath.
She tore away more fabric around the wound.
Her skin was pale from blood loss, but as she washed it with water, something unsettling became clear—much of it had already healed.
As a half demi-human, her body possessed strength, agility, and a regenerative ability far beyond that of ordinary humans.
But that blessing was not always a mercy.
Healing at such an unnatural speed did not dull the pain—it amplified it.
The sensation was worse than the injury itself, as torn flesh forced itself back together.
The only consolation was that her recovery far surpassed that of any human.
Even so, it had its limits.
The wound was deep. The bleeding had stopped thanks to rapid skin regeneration, but beneath the surface, the muscle was damaged—and the shoulder's rotator cuff had been torn.
At least half a month would be needed for a full recovery.
"WHO'S THERE?" she barks.
A boy around Lucain's age steps out from behind the trees, sweat rolling down his forehead as his eyes land on Maiyu.
His face is delicate, almost doll-like.
Golden hair frames icy blue eyes.
Maiyu presses her lips together.
"Aurelian?" Her golden eyes lock onto him with intensity.
"BlackSmith Haru and his wife… what did you two do?"
"Tch. You— You're here to help those villagers, aren't you?"
"…"
Aurelian looks at her, confusion flickering across his face.
"I heard some children laughing," he mutters. "They were running naked and hid themselves in a neighbor's house."
"…"
Maiyu stares at him, her golden brows twitching.
"What?"
Maiyu stared at him with utter caution, constantly looking around to see if anyone else was lurking behind.
Silence hung in the air, but no one spoke. Maiyu felt some weight lessening her worry.
So they are not dead…
Yet she looked at Aurelian, who had a stiff stance. He maintained his distance as if he were facing an injured beast.
"So they are alive?" she asked.
Aurelian nodded.
Maiyu barely held back the urge to relax and collapse onto the soft green grass, but she knew this kid couldn't be trusted.
Although Aurelian looked like an innocent doll, he was clever and crafty. She still couldn't tell if some people were circling her in an ambush.
"…"
Aurelian scanned her torn sleeve, her bloodied shoulder, and the way she was gritting her teeth while looking at him as if she wanted to tear him into shreds.
Gulp.
He swallowed his saliva.
He felt as if he were frozen under her gaze.
"W-Where is Lucain?" he asked with hesitation.
Miyu gritted her teeth and didn't answer.
***
"I'm fucked… I'm so very fucked!"
As the owner walked deeper and deeper into the forest, even though the sun was shining above, the light seemed bleak because of the lush canopy.
FwWHH–
I felt a gust of wind on my face, and if I could—
I wanted to run.
Run for my life.
" JUST WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!?"