YOSUKE ■ ■ ■ ■
Where am I?
I opened my eyes slowly. At first, my vision was blurry, but soon I realized I was staring at a white ceiling. My whole body felt heavy, sore from head to toe.
Then—warmth. Arms wrapped around me.
I tilted my head and saw a young boy clinging to me tightly. Black hair. Golden eyes—the same golden eyes as mine.
I lifted a trembling hand and placed it gently on his head.
"I'm fine. Don't worry," I whispered.
He couldn't have been more than ten years old.
Just then, the door burst open. A woman rushed inside, her golden hair flowing behind her. Her eyes widened when she saw me awake.
"Yosuke! You're awake—are you okay?" she asked, her voice thick with concern.
"I… I'll be fine," I replied with a faint smile, though my body screamed with pain.
She shook her head. "No—you saved us. I should be thanking you. The way you stopped that star… it was incredible." Her burning golden eyes locked with mine.
"Thank you," I murmured, caught off guard by the sincerity in her gaze.
She turned to the boy. "Yosuke, let this man rest."
For a moment I thought she was speaking to me, but then the boy answered.
"Yes, Mom."
The child—Yosuke?—climbed down from the bed, but before leaving, he paused in the doorway and stared at me with those same golden eyes. Then he was gone.
The woman smiled softly. "Please, rest here. I'll bring you food soon." She closed the door gently, and I caught one last glimpse of her golden hair, shimmering as though it carried light of its own.
Where the hell am I…?
I needed to know if my abilities still worked. Raising a finger, I bent a thin stream of water into the air, shaping it into a small spinning circle before letting it fall into a cup on the table. The control was still there. My powers hadn't left me.
But that boy…
That child. He looks exactly like me. Same hair. Same eyes. Same name.
My chest tightened. Could he be… me? From the past?
Before I could sink further into thought, a knock sounded.
The door opened and another figure stepped inside. A man. My height. My build. But reversed. Golden hair. Dark eyes.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"I'm fine," I answered warily.
He nodded. "Come downstairs. Eat with us."
"Yes… but before that, I have a question."
"Ask," he said.
"That boy… is he your brother?"
"Yes," he replied without hesitation.
My heart skipped. So I… have a brother?
"What's his last name?" I pressed.
"Actually… I don't know."
Suspicion coiled in my chest, but I said nothing more. I followed him downstairs, but strangely, the room was empty.
"Where are the others?" I asked.
"I'm not sure," he said. "I'll go find them." He slipped out of the house, leaving me alone.
The silence didn't last long. The golden-haired woman suddenly appeared—her presence almost ethereal. She rushed forward, throwing her arms around me.
"Yosuke," she cried, tears spilling down her cheeks, "you've grown so much… you're a man now."
I stiffened. "How do you know I'm your son?"
She pulled back just enough to meet my eyes. "Because you look just like your brother. And your eyes and hair… they're the same as the child." She gestured toward the boy upstairs.
So it's true. I really have a brother… but how?
My voice cracked. "How can I exist as a child and as an adult… at the same time?"
She cupped my face with trembling hands. "You don't remember us because that child… he is the manifestation of your true power. Your true identity."
Her eyes burned into mine as she fell to her knees, begging.
"Please… you have to stop your brother."