[Unknown Time — Seoul, Past]
The world didn't feel real.
It felt… delayed.
Like everything was happening a second too late.
Izumi stood still.
"…My body feels light…"
He looked at his hands.
They were there.
Solid.
But something felt off.
"…Am I really here… or just watching?"
A cold breeze passed.
Voices echoed nearby.
Familiar.
His eyes widened slightly.
"…No way…"
The railway station.
The same platform.
The same moment.
"…This is the day we arrived in Seoul…"
His heartbeat slowed.
"…So this is time travel…"
In front of him—
Two men in black stood talking.
"…Those guys…"
The exorcist organization.
Izumi stepped closer.
No reaction.
"…They can't see me…"
He walked right behind them.
"…Good."
Their voices became clearer.
"…The energy spike wasn't normal," one said.
"…And those two kids…"
"…That's me and Goutham."
Izumi's eyes narrowed.
"…Already suspicious of us…"
"…We need to confirm whether they're involved."
"…Or just unlucky."
"…No one is that unlucky."
A pause.
"…You think they're connected to them?"
Silence.
"…If they are…"
"…We eliminate them."
Izumi's breath stopped for a second.
"…So close…"
"…We were this close to dying…"
He clenched his fist.
"…This world… doesn't give second chances easily…"
The men started walking.
Izumi followed.
___________________________
[Following the Exorcists]
Every step felt surreal.
"…I've walked these streets before…"
But now—
Everything felt different.
More detailed.
More alive.
"…Or maybe I just notice more now…"
The men spoke again.
"…Reports say spirit activity is rising globally."
"…Not just here?"
"…No. But Seoul is the center."
Izumi's expression darkened.
"…So this is the battlefield…"
They stopped at a building.
Old.
Abandoned.
"…Temporary base," one said.
They entered.
Izumi paused.
"…Let's see…"
Inside—
Symbols drawn on walls.
Weapons placed carefully.
"…This isn't just a group…"
"…They're organized…"
He observed everything.
Memorizing.
"That's the phone number of this organisation I think."
"…This could be useful later…"
But then—
A thought struck him.
"…My past self…"
"…I need to see what I was doing…"
He turned.
[Night — Streets of Seoul]
The city was quieter.
Lights glowing softly.
Izumi moved quickly.
"…Think…"
"…Where did I go that night…"
Then—
He saw it.
Himself.
Walking casually.
"…There I am…"
A strange feeling filled him.
"…So that's how I looked…"
But something felt wrong.
"…Wait…"
A figure.
Behind him.
A man.
Camera in hand.
Click.
Click.
"…He's watching me…"
Izumi's eyes sharpened.
"…That's not normal…"
The man turned suddenly.
And ran.
"…HEY!"
Izumi sprinted.
The chase intensified.
Through narrow alleys.
Over broken paths.
"…He's fast…"
The man didn't look back.
"…Who is he…?"
Izumi pushed harder.
"…He's not just a spy…"
The man took a sharp turn—
Jumped over a barrier—
Izumi followed.
"…I won't lose him!"
Finally—
The man entered in a small apartment.
But then ther air suddenly distorted.
"…What—?"
Izumi staggered.
"…Not again…"
The world twisted violently.
Light consumed everything.
[Ash's House — Past]
Izumi stumbled forward.
"…This place…"
Recognition hit instantly.
"…Ash…"
He rushed to the window.
And looked inside.
His past self—
Fighting desperately.
Ash's body twisted.
Controlled.
"…He's losing…"
Izumi's grip tightened.
"…This is where I almost died…"
Ash attacked violently.
Past Izumi barely blocking.
"…If I don't act…"
He slowly drew the katana.
"…So it was always me…"
A strange calm filled him.
"…A loop…"
"…No beginning… no end…"
He focused.
Timing everything perfectly.
"…Now…"
He threw it.
The katana cut through the air.
Landing straight on to the past self.
"…Take it…"
Inside—
Past Izumi caught it.
The fight shifted instantly.
"…That's it…"
Izumi watched silently.
The final strike.
The spirit destroyed.
Both collapsing.
Silence.
Izumi entered slowly.
"…This is… strange…"
Seeing himself unconscious.
"…Was I always this weak?"
A faint smile.
Then—
"…Focus…"
He picked up the katana.
"…I need this…"
Then remembered—
"…The call…"
He searched quickly.
Found the phone.
"…Here…"
He dialed.
"…We need help…"
He gave the details.
Ended the call.
"…That's how they came…"
Everything aligned perfectly.
"…So the past… was never changing…"
"…I was always part of it…"
A heavy realization settled.
"…This isn't time travel…"
"…It's fate."
His vision blurred again.
"…No… wait…"
His body weakened.
"…Not yet…"
Darkness consumed him.
____________________________
[In The Streets Of Seoul - Past]
"What does I have to do here now?"
Then Izumi noticed the same man who he had chased after.
"..where is he going?"
Izumi followed him until he reached a small building.
Izumi entered that building.
That small building was only small from the outside.
Footsteps echoed loudly through a long corridor.
That man rushed forward, breath uneven.
"Master!"
The large doors opened.
Inside—
A shadowed figure sat calmly.
Izumi went inside. No one noticed him. Except the evil spirits.
"…Speak."
The man bowed slightly.
"…Two of our targets were freed."
Silence.
"…We failed to capture those two powerful spirits."
A pause.
"…Was it the doing of that exorcist organization again?" the mastermind asked.
"…No."
The man hesitated.
"…It was… two teenagers."
Silence deepened.
"…Teenagers?"
"…Yes, Master."
He stepped forward.
"…I have been observing them."
"…One of them…"
He pulled out his phone.
"…His name is Izumi."
"How did he knew my name?"
A photo appeared.
"…I managed to capture this."
He showed it.
The moment the mastermind saw it—
He froze.
Complete silence.
"…Impossible…"
His voice dropped.
"…That face…"
Not just similar.
Identical.
"…No…"
His eyes widened slightly.
"…It can't be…"
A whisper escaped his lips.
"…The legendary exorcist…"
Everyone paused for a moment, including Izumi.
"…No…"
A faint smile appeared.
Dark.
Cold.
"…His reincarnation."
The air shifted.
"…So you've returned…"
He stood up slowly.
"…After all this time."
His voice carried excitement.
"…Interesting."
He turned.
"…Call everyone."
The man flinched.
"…Master?"
"…It's time."
A pause.
"…We begin the ultimate plan."
Darkness swallowed the room.
Izumi already knew what was that ultimate plan.
But then he felt like fainting again.
[Return — Present]
"…Hah—!"
Izumi gasped.
Back.
I'm in my house.
"…I'm back…"
His breathing slowed.
"…Before it happens…"
He stood up.
Ran and went to all the rooms around.
Everyone alive.
"…This time…"
His grip tightened.
"…I won't fail…"
The memory of their deaths flashed.
"…I won't let that happen again…"
His eyes hardened.
"…Not to anyone."
[Final Scene — Resolve]
Outside.
The sky calm.
Too calm.
Izumi stood still.
"…I know where they are…"
"…I know what they'll do…"
A pause.
"…So I'll strike first."
He slightly drew the katana.
The red stone glowed.
"…No more waiting…"
"…No more reacting…"
His voice steady.
Cold.
"…I'll destroy them."
A final thought crossed his mind—
"…Before they destroy us."