Staring at his blood-soaked hands, Yami moved his fingers—slowly testing them, as if to make sure they were his own.
He felt that his body was no longer the same. The skin on his hands was paler than he remembered—lean and tight, with veins and muscle lines clearly visible. Rings adorned his fingers, and on his wrist, the watch left by his parents was gone.
He had never taken it off after their death twelve years ago, yet now it had simply vanished.
He stood up. His head throbbed with a dull ache, yet his body felt surprisingly light.
The clothes he was wearing were different from before. They felt expensive—simple, yet elegant and comfortable. It wasn't the style of clothing Yami usually wore, but somehow, it felt right.
As if this was how he was meant to look all along.
Yami sank into his thoughts, trying to find a logical answer for all these strange things. There were no answers.
He observed his surroundings. The sky had no color. Not gray. Not black. Instead, it was a void too vast to be called a color.
Around him, buildings towered like decaying giant bones—cracked, bent, and growing the wrong way. The windows were shaped like eyes. The fences curved like spinal columns.
And it felt… Alive.
Not in the way humans live. But in the way something that refuses to die and breathes in the silence.
Yami touched his chest. A single symbol glowed faintly from beneath his skin— A BLACK LOTUS.
It wasn't a mere mark. It was a living tattoo, its ink shifting like liquid under his flesh. He didn't remember when it appeared or who gave it to him. Yet, he could feel it pulsing in sync with his own heart. His body knew it. Better than his own memory.
He wiped the blood from his head with the edge of his sleeve and began to walk.
His steps were met by echoes that were too slow, as if the world were lagging in responding to his presence. The air smelled of iron and old rain. The silence here didn't feel empty— It felt watchful.
As if this world were observing him.
Suddenly— Something moved at the edge of his vision.
Not a shadow. Shadows have no form of their own. This entity did.
It stood between two collapsed buildings. It wasn't beautiful like the entity he had seen before. Its body resembled a human… But it was too tall. Too slender. Its arms were too long. Its skin was pale like old paper dipped in blood, then forgotten.
And on its back— Two shadow wings pulsed slowly, like breathing smoke.
The entity lifted its face. Eyes without whites. Without irises. Only darkness. Darker than Yami's eyes.
And it— Smiled. Slowly. Like someone finding an old toy.
Yami stopped walking. Not because of fear. Not because of doubt. He just… stood there. Observing. Analyzing.
The instincts that had died in the old world— Woke up in this one.
The entity opened its mouth. No sound came out. Yet Yami's mind received a message:
"WELCOME BACK. LOST SOUL."
Yami touched his chest. The black lotus throbbed. And the entity's smile grew wider—a smile that no living thing should ever possess.
Suddenly— The entity's body shifted. The distance between them— Vanished.
It was now standing right in front of Yami. Too close.
Yami could see fine cracks on the entity's face, as if its skin were just a thin mask that could tear at any moment. The entity raised a finger and pressed it against Yami's forehead.
The world— Trembled.
Yami saw flashes: Blood on the floor. Fading light. The sound of screams. Himself, covered in red.
Then… Everything stopped.
The entity took a step back. Its head tilted slightly, like it was observing an insect.
"YOU ARE STILL INCOMPLETE. NOT YET READY."
Yami spoke for the first time since waking up. "What… are you?"
He held his throat; his voice sounded different in his ears.
The entity chuckled. The sound didn't come from its mouth—instead, it crawled directly into Yami's bones.
"I AM THE GUARDIAN. I AM THE GATE. I AM… YOUR LAST CHANCE."
The shadow wings fluttered slowly. The air around them froze. The entity stepped backward. Its body began to blur, but its eyes remained fixed on Yami.
"SURVIVE. I WANT TO SEE HOW FAR YOU CAN BREAK."
And— It vanished. As if it had never been there.
The world went quiet again. The silence was thicker. Heavier.
Yami stood alone once more. The black lotus on his chest throbbed faster.
It wasn't pain. Instead, he felt something else—faint, strange, and far more dangerous.
He felt… Hunger.