For the first time since I woke up in this world, the morning felt almost peaceful.
The capital, Lumeris, was glowing under the soft light of dawn. Steam rose from chimneys, carriage wheels rumbled over stone roads, and merchants began shouting their deals for the day.
Serina adjusted her dress—faded but neatly stitched—and tied her brown hair into a loose braid.
"I'll head to the manor now," she said. "Madam told the staff to prepare for tonight's banquet." She frowned. "Young Master Rowan will be there too."
Rowan.
The noble boy who had taken an interest in Serina.
Michael's memories made my chest tighten.
"He won't bother you, right?" I asked.
Serina laughed lightly. "Don't worry. I told you, I already rejected him."
She said it so casually… as if denying a noble's affection didn't carry risks.
I opened my mouth to lecture her—
but she reached out and poked my forehead.
"Stop thinking too much."
Her smile was bright.
Too bright.
As if hiding something.
Then she waved and hurried down the street toward the noble district.
I watched until she disappeared around the corner… then exhaled slowly.
Something about Rowan bothered me.
Something Michael's memories refused to show clearly.
And that scared me.
---
After she left, I went to the small coffee stall near the central square—the place where I worked part-time.
Old man Brehn, the stall owner, was already awake and grinding beans.
"You're late," he grumbled.
"It's two minutes past the usual time," I said.
"That's late."
He handed me an apron. "Start serving. Morning crowds will come soon."
The work wasn't hard: serve drinks, wipe tables, don't argue.
But today, my mind was elsewhere.
Each time I blinked, fragments of Michael's life flashed—
A dark alley.
A broken pocket watch.
A girl's scream muffled by thick fog.
And a word—
"Do not remember."
It echoed as if whispered directly into my ear.
I nearly dropped a tray.
"You okay, lad?" Brehn asked.
"…Just tired."
He squinted at me. "Your eyes look like you saw a ghost."
If only he knew.
---
During the lunch break, I sat on the wooden bench behind the stall and scribbled in the notebook.
Day 6.
The memories are becoming even stranger.
They're not incomplete anymore—some feel erased.
Like someone didn't want Michael to remember certain things.
Especially things related to Serina.
My hand trembled slightly.
If memories vanish, it's either trauma…
…or magic.
But I had no magic.
Michael had no magic.
And artifacts…
Only nobles and registered adventurers had access to them.
So why did it feel like something supernatural was gnawing at my mind?
"Lost in thoughts again?"
I looked up.
A university student wearing round glasses approached me. Pale skin, messy hair, ink stains on his sleeves.
Allen Gremont.
Michael's classmate.
"Hey," I said. "Aren't you supposed to be in class?"
"I skipped," he replied calmly. "There's no point attending when I already finished next month's notes."
Same Allen.
A genius.
Borderline insane.
He sat beside me and glanced at my notebook.
"You taking notes about lost memories?" he asked.
"…Something like that."
He tapped his chin thoughtfully.
"There've been rumors lately, you know."
"What kind of rumors?"
"People waking up with pieces of their memory missing. Commoners, servants, even low-rank apprentices." His eyes narrowed. "It started around the same time the Crimson Moon turned unusually bright."
I froze.
The Crimson Moon.
The night I transmigrated.
Allen lowered his voice.
"And in every case… the missing memories involve someone they cared about."
My heartbeat quickened.
"Allen," I said slowly, "why are you telling me this?"
"Because I noticed something strange." He pointed at my chest. "You keep touching the area above your heart, like something is pulsing there."
I stiffened.
I had been touching it unconsciously, ever since coming to this world.
"It's like," Allen murmured, "something is inside you."
A cold breeze swept through the alley.
My hands grew cold.
Something inside me.
Something that didn't belong to either Michael… or me.
Before I could respond, a loud bell rang from the noble district.
Allen jolted. "That's the manor bell. Someone fainted there!"
Serina worked in that manor.
My heart dropped.
Without thinking, I ran.
Faster than I had ever run since arriving in this world.
Through crowded streets.
Past startled pedestrians.
Into the noble district's imposing gate.
The butlers were in chaos.
"Bring holy water!"
"Call a healer!"
"She's bleeding from the ears—what kind of curse is this?!"
Curse?
My chest tightened painfully.
I forced my way through the crowd, ignoring their shouts.
And then I saw her.
Serina—
Collapsed on the cold marble floor.
Her body trembling violently.
Black, vein-like patterns crawling up her neck.
Silver sparks glimmering around her as if something invisible was eating away her life.
Her eyes were unfocused and empty.
"Serina!"
My voice cracked as I knelt beside her.
She weakly lifted her fingers—
and whispered one word.
"Mi…chael…"
And then—
Her body convulsed violently, as though an unseen force was trying to tear her apart.
My vision blurred.
My heart pounded with a terrifying clarity.
This was the beginning.
The start of the curse.
And the end of our peaceful days.