"Hey kid, you're going to die."
The words snapped Jonah's attention.
He immediately turned his head toward the red-haired man.
Only now did Jonah properly look at him.
Sharp features. Handsome, annoyingly so. A long scar ran from the man's cheek down to his chin, yet instead of ruining his face, it somehow made him look more dangerous.
'Damn… he's still handsome even with that scar.'
The man's golden eyes met Jonah's gaze. There was a lazy, sarcastic smile on his lips, the kind that made it feel like he already knew everything Jonah was thinking.
Jonah snapped out of it.
"What?"
"What's what?" the red-haired man replied casually.
"What do you mean by 'I'm going to die'?"
The man nodded, as if confirming something obvious.
"Exactly that. You're going to die."
Jonah frowned. "Are you messing with me?"
Instead of answering, the red-haired man tilted his head slightly and studied Jonah.
"How am I messing with you?" he asked as if he was genuinely curious.
Jonah stared at him for a few seconds.
Then he looked away, his gaze returning to the road ahead. Whatever this guy was, Jonah had no interest in dealing with him.
Seeing that reaction, the red-haired man let out a soft chuckle.
"Pierre Scythe, that's my name, and you're Jonah Valkyr, right? I'm here to recruit you."
He finished calmly.
Hearing Pierre's words, Jonah's eyes widened. His hands trembled uncontrollably.
'How… how does he know my full name?'
Even in the military, many don't know his name, let alone his surname.
Jonah knew if people didn't see him for a long time, they would forget him. But this man is... different.
'He knows my name and wants to recruit me?'
—HONG —HONG
The sudden roar of an engine shattered his thoughts as the city bus stopped in front of them.
'Whatever, he sounds shady.'
Jonah stood up and walked toward the bus. His hand closed around the door handle.
Then Pierre's voice reached him.
"If you get on that bus, you'll never be able to destroy your fate. You'll only bring destruction to yourself… and to everyone around you."
Jonah's grip tightened.
Pierre continued, his tone unchanged.
"And I can help you find your family."
Jonah's hand trembled as his fingers loosened.
He stared blankly at the bus steps in front of him, his mind screaming while his body refused to move.
After a long moment, he clenched his teeth and cursed aloud.
"FU*KING G*D DAMNIT."
Letting go of the handle, Jonah turned and walked back toward Pierre.
Jonah stopped right in front of him. He said, his voice low and rough.
"Fine, I'll come with you."
His eyes hardened as he continued,
"But if you break your promise, I'll goddamn kill you."
Pierre didn't flinch. Instead, he chuckled softly.
"Good, then let's go to your new home."
Jonah nodded, took a deep breath, and finally asked the questions piling up in his chest.
"How do you know my name? Why do you want to recruit me? How did you know I would come here? What—"
"Stop. Stop. Stop."
Pierre cut him off mid-sentence as he slowly stood up.
"My superior gave me your name," Pierre said casually. "And ordered me to recruit you. I've been waiting here for the past three days."
The words hit Jonah like a hammer. A realization surfaced in his mind.
Pierre noticed immediately and grinned.
"Looks like you figured it out. Yes, my superior can see the future."
Jonah's breath hitched.
"If you had boarded that bus, within ten days, you would have been killed by a Silver Ascender."
Jonah wanted to ask, why would a Silver Ascender want to kill me.
But before he could ask, Pierre waved his hand dismissively.
"I've wasted enough time already. Your questions will be answered when they need to be."
Pierre raised his hand, pressing his middle finger against his thumb.
—SNAP—
The sound echoed unnaturally loud.
In that instant, Jonah froze.
Not just him. Everything froze. The wind. The people. The world itself was frozen.
Then something even more absurd happened.
Black cracks spread across the sky and the ground, splintering reality itself. The world shattered like a broken mirror.
Jonah felt weightless.
When sensation returned, he found himself suspended in a vast black void.
Pierre stood before him, looking down with calm indifference, as if Jonah were something fragile and easily discarded.
Then color bled into the darkness.
The void dissolved.
Sand pressed beneath Jonah's feet as the sound of waves reached his ears. He was standing on a quiet beach beneath an unfamiliar sky.
"Let's get going," Pierre said, already walking ahead without looking back.
Jonah stared at his retreating figure.
Only one thought echoed in his mind.
'What the hell am I getting myself into?'