Nine years later…
Clack.
The sound of a sliding door echoed through the room. Three girls walked inside after finishing their volleyball practice. One of them, still wearing a volleyball uniform and sporting short hair, was the class president. She noticed Erthel sleeping at his desk and walked over to him.
"Erthel, wake up. It's already getting late"
Erthel opened his eyes slowly, still heavy with sleep, and groaned softly. He stretched his arms, packed his things into his bag, and stood up before quietly leaving the room.
Along the sidewalk, Erthel walked alone, his mind troubled by memories of the past.
He had been transferred to Japan after doctors claimed he had developed mental issues during childhood. The dreams he experienced still overwhelmed him.
Whenever he dreamed, those dreams seemed to come true.
Once, he saw a girl being murdered in his dream—only to learn later that it had really happened.
Because of that, Erthel slowly began to believe that his dreams might be showing him the future.
He returned home to his big apartment. Throwing his bag into the corner, he collapsed onto the bed, exhausted.
After a while, Erthel opened his eyes.
He was dreaming again.
This time, he stood in a long hallway. The windows on the left side were open. Erthel looked outside, but everything seemed strangely vivid. A cool breeze pushed the curtains inward while the flowers and plants outside swayed gently. The lights above flickered.
He turned and looked around.
Two doors stood along the right wall, and another door waited at the end of the hallway.
When he looked behind him— there was only a wall.Erthel suddenly noticed something strange.
His hands were small. He touched his face. He had become a child again—the same age he was when he was nine years old.
Gathering his courage, he walked toward the nearest door.
Creak.
The door slowly opened.
At first, he saw a pair of feet hanging in the air. His eyes slowly lifted toward the ceiling—
and his heart stopped. It was his mother.
Her body hung lifeless from the ceiling.
Erthel stumbled backward and fell to the floor, his body shaking, sweat pouring down his face.
Then suddenly— a hand appeared beside his face. It grabbed his shoulder and yanked him away. Erthel jolted awake and fell out of bed.
Ring… Ring… Ring.
Erthel jolted awake on the floor and quickly silenced the alarm clock. When he checked the time, his eyes widened.
He was late.
He rushed into the bathroom, took a quick shower, and threw on his school uniform. There wasn't even time for breakfast. Running through the train station, he barely managed to make it to school in time.
Erthel dropped into his seat just as the teacher walked into the classroom. The lesson dragged on. It was painfully boring.
Yawn.
Erthel's eyelids grew heavy.
He blinked— and suddenly he was staring at the sky.
Soft grass brushed against his back. He was lying in the middle of a wide field.
Erthel quickly sat up and looked around.
Endless green grass stretched across the land, dotted with wildflowers. A tall tree stood nearby, and beside it rested the ruins of a small church.
Curious, he walked toward it. Inside, the roof was gone, leaving the sky open above. The altar stood broken, and shattered stained glass was scattered across the ground. Grass had grown through the cracks between the old stones.
Near the center, a small pool of water reflected the light. Erthel leaned closer to look at his reflection— and froze.
The face staring back at him was not his own. He was a girl, about eleven years old.
Slowly, he touched his face to be sure.
The reflection moved with him. It was real.
Beside the wall stood an old ladder leading to a small wooden platform on the second floor. Erthel climbed up and stepped onto it.
From above, the view was breathtaking.
He sat at the edge of the platform, quietly admiring the scenery.
For a moment, he even forgot that he had become a girl.
A strange feeling settled in his chest. It felt as if he had been here before.
Fragments of memory pressed against his mind, trying to return. A powerful sense of déjà vu washed over him.
In the distance, she saw a kingdom rising beyond the wide grasslands. Erthel climbed down from the platform and began walking toward it.
As she entered the town, the streets were alive with movement. Carriages rolled along the roads, and crowds of people passed by in every direction. Shops lined both sides of the street, each displaying colorful signs and goods. Guards patrolled the area, watching carefully over the town.
Erthel's mind still felt shattered—like pieces of a puzzle that had yet to be placed together.
Yet one thing was clear from the girl's memories. Whenever she felt scared or overwhelmed, she would come to the ruined church to calm herself.
Another memory surfaced. The girl often visited a certain place in town.
The witch's shop.
Using the fragments of the girl's memories, Erthel began searching the streets for it.
Erthel walked down the narrow valleys, searching for the sbody As he wandered through the streets, something caught his attention. The road beside him looked familiar—it was the same path he had seen in the girl's memories.
Following the road, he eventually reached the end of the street. There it was.
A small shop stood quietly beside it was a slump. Erthel stepped closer and pushed the door open. The shop was dimly lit. Strange magical items filled the shelves, some broken and scattered across the room.
Behind the counter stood a woman wearing a tall witch's hat.
It must be her, Erthel thought. He stepped up to the counter. The witch suddenly turned around and jumped.
"Ah! You scared me!" she exclaimed.
"I thought you were a ghost coming to haunt me." She squinted at him. "Why are you here again, little lady?"
She tilted her head curiously.
"Did the item I gave you not work?" Erthel froze, unsure how to respond.
The witch narrowed her eyes playfully. "You're not a lurker, are you?" she said jokingly.
Erthel hesitated before speaking. "What? No… Anyway, about that item you gave me… do you have another one?"
Inside, Erthel's curiosity burned.
That item must be the reason I came here… the reason I ended up in this girl's body.
The witch handed her a three red candles.
"Here," she said.
Erthel suddenly realized something—he had no money. He looked at the witch nervously, sweat forming on his forehead.
The witch sighed.
"It's free this time. Just take it"
Relieved, Erthel accepted the candle. As he turned to leave, the witch spoke again.
"You know my name, right?"
Erthel froze. He could feel the witch's gaze on his back, sharp as a blade. Slowly, he turned around, forcing a smile.
"Anna"
Anna relaxed immediately. Seeing her reaction, Erthel quickly left the shop.
"Good thing the shop's name was written outside," he muttered under his breath.
Erthel ran back toward the ruined church.
Inside, he noticed three old candles already placed near the altar. He set the red candle down with them, forming a triangle.
Standing in the center, he prepared himself— then suddenly realized something.
He had no way to light them. Erthel froze.
If witches exist in this world…
Does that mean magic exists too?
He began trying everything he could think of.
He chanted random words. He tried to focus his energy on one finger. He even shouted spells he remembered from books and shows.
Nothing happened.
Exhausted, Erthel lowered his head.
Then suddenly— a whisper reached his ear.
Soft. Calm. Familiar. Erthel's eyes widened.
"Moza…!"
"Let me help you," Moza's voice said gently.
Before Erthel could react, a sudden headache struck him.
Memories flooded his mind.
A frozen land. Snowflakes drifting through the air. Crimson petals like a blooming lotus scattered across the white ground.
Then— the candle ignited. The ground trembled. Wind burst through the ruined church, swirling violently around him. Small stones lifted into the air.
Two glowing strands of light spiraled upward, twisting through the silent waves of power.
The ground beneath Erthel's feet cracked open, glowing from deep within. Light surged through the cracks— and shot toward the sky.
"Erthel, wake up. It's already getting late."
Erthel's eyes snapped open. He jerked upright in his seat, startled. The girl in front of him stepped back slightly in surprise.
He stared at her.
It was the class president. His gaze quickly shifted around the room. The other two girls were there as well, standing near the door—exactly like before. Erthel's mind raced.
'Did I… just go back in time?'
Without saying a word, he hurriedly grabbed his bag and rushed out of the classroom.
The hallway looked exactly the same as it had the day before. His heart pounded as he pulled out his phone and checked the date.
It was the same. The same as yesterday.
Erthel quickly called his assistant.
"I need a plane ticket to Norway. As soon as possible"
"Yes, sir," the assistant replied before ending the call. On the other end of the line, the assistant lowered the phone.
Behind him, a man sat quietly in a chair. He wore a black suit, his face hidden in
darkness. Only part of his body was illuminated by the pale light coming from the window.
The man smiled.A single gold tooth glinted in the dim light.
Erthel nervously dialed his mother's number.
His heart pounded as the phone rang. No answer.
"Come on… please answer…"
But the call ended in silence. Erthel clenched his fist. Tomorrow… tomorrow is the day she dies. He couldn't wait any longer.
Grabbing his bag, he rushed out toward the airport. That place… maybe is the reason that rewind the time again.
Erthel sprinted down the roadside. Cars roared past him, lights flashing. Then suddenly— something felt wrong.
The world around him began to slow. The passing cars crawled forward like snails. Erthel stopped running, staring in disbelief.
"What…?"
A sharp pain pierced his head. His vision trembled. Then blood began to drip from his eyes. Erthel gasped, clutching his head as he stumbled forward. His arm slammed into a glass window.
CRASH.
The glass shattered— but instead of falling, the fragments floated in the air, frozen in place.
Erthel's vision blurred. The world spun around him. Weak and trembling, he collapsed onto the ground. Darkness swallowed his sight.
Footsteps approached from behind. A girl in a student uniform stepped into view. Her short hair swayed slightly as she stopped.
It was the class president.
She looked down at Erthel's body lying motionless on the ground.
Her eyes hardened, cold as ice. Shadows swallowed her face, leaving only the faint outline of her features. Then, slowly, her eyes ignited with a crimson glow, a chilling presence spreading through the air.
...