The basement smelled of rust, damp concrete, and old blood.
Haru stood at the center of it, his back against the wall, shadows clinging to his feet like they didn't want to let him go. This was his hideout—the place where many lives had ended. The place where he had accepted that he was beyond saving.
Footsteps echoed down the stairs.
Slow. Careful. Familiar.
"Haru."
That voice.
Haru lifted his head.
"Hiro…?"
His twin brother stood there, gun lowered, eyes shaking—not with fear, but with pain. Hiro's police uniform was stained with dust, his breathing uneven, as if he had been running not to arrest a criminal… but to reach his brother before it was too late.
"It's over," Hiro said quietly. "You don't have to do this anymore."
Haru laughed bitterly. "Don't lie to me. You're here to arrest me."
Hiro shook his head and stepped closer. "I'm here to bring you home."
Silence fell between them.
"I'll surrender," Hiro continued, forcing a smile. "I'll make sure they treat you fairly. I'll talk to everyone I can. I promise… I'll shorten your sentence. From now on, I'll take care of you."
Haru stared at him.
For the first time in years, someone looked at him not as a monster—but as a brother.
"…You still believe in me?" Haru whispered.
"I always did."
Haru's hands trembled as he dropped his weapon.
"Okay," he said. "I believe you."
They walked toward the exit together.
Then—
Bang.
The sound ripped through the air.
Haru felt warmth explode in his chest—
—but it wasn't his blood.
Hiro had stepped in front of him.
"Hiro—?!"
Hiro collapsed, blood pouring from his body. Haru caught him before he hit the ground.
"Hiro! Stay awake—don't you dare close your eyes!"
Hiro smiled weakly, coughing red onto his lips.
"I'm sorry… brother," he whispered. "I'm late."
His hand slipped from Haru's grasp.
And just like that—
Hiro was gone.
"No… no, no, no—!"
Haru screamed until his throat tore.
A man stood nearby, gun still smoking.
Haru grabbed Hiro's weapon and fired.
Bang. Bang.
The man fled into the darkness.
Haru remembered that face.
The father of the man he had killed a year ago.
Karma had finally come for him.
Police sirens surrounded the building moments later.
They saw Haru kneeling in blood.
They saw Hiro's corpse.
They didn't ask questions.
The verdict was quick.
Death sentence.
"I came to where you are, brother…"
They had been ten years old when their parents abandoned them.
Hiro was adopted.
Haru was left behind.
At eleven, Haru escaped the orphanage and fell into the hands of gangsters. The boss raised him not as a son—but as a weapon. Killing became survival. Survival became habit.
All Haru ever wanted was to see his brother again.
By the time he found him—
Hiro was already dead.
Darkness.
Then warmth.
Haru opened his eyes.
Am I in heaven…?
A man with golden hair and black eyes looked down at him. Beside him, a beautiful woman with black hair and golden eyes smiled warmly, holding Haru close.
"Our little Haru is so handsome," she laughed softly. "Your golden hair and my eyes… when he grows up, he'll break many hearts."
Haru's mind froze.
This isn't heaven.
This isn't hell.
I've been… reincarnated?
"Why…" tears welled up. "Why give me another chance… if my brother isn't here?"
He cried like a child.
Because he was one.
His parents panicked, helpless.
Then—
"Haru."
That voice.
Warm. Familiar.
Sleep pulled him under.
In the depths of his consciousness, Haru saw him.
"Hiro…?"
"Yeah," Hiro smiled. "It's me."
"…Why are you here?"
"I think," Hiro said slowly, "we reincarnated in the same body. I was born ten days ago. When I felt another consciousness… I knew it was you."
Haru clenched his fists.
"They thought I killed you. With my crimes, they sentenced me to death. I'm sorry… you died because of me."
Hiro shook his head. "I'm sorry too. I went back to the orphanage for you. You were gone. When I found you… you were already drowning in blood."
Silence.
"…What do we do now?" Haru asked.
"We live," Hiro replied.
He explained the world—magic, swords, monsters, elves, dragons. Their father, a warrior. Their mother, a mage. Destiny decided paths at birth.
"But our body has both mana and ki," Hiro said. "I can already feel mana. I've been training here… secretly."
Haru smiled faintly.
"I'm happy for you."
"You can have this life," Hiro said gently. "You never had a family before."
Haru shook his head.
"No. This time… we live together."
He clenched his resolve.
"I'll find a way to fix this body."
"Forever," Haru said.
"Forever," Hiro agreed.