Consciousness returned slowly, brought on by the bite of cold stone against Liam’s cheek. He lay on a rough, jagged surface, the chill seeping through his clothes, but when he tried to move, his body ignored him. He expected pain—crushing, blinding agony—but there was only a hollow numbness.

  Am I dead?

  The thought dissolved as a searing pressure clamped around his chest, sharp and sudden. It felt as if invisible hands were tearing his ribs apart. His breath caught, choking on air that tasted stale and metallic. He wasn't drowning in water, but in shadow—a thick, suffocating blackness that pressed against his eyes.

  He forced his eyelids open. They were heavy, dragging like lead weights, but he managed to blink once. Twice. The darkness didn't fade.

  The silence around him was thick, almost alive. His body refused to respond, as if it no longer fully belonged to him. Then, a sound cut through the quiet.

  A voice—trembling, cracking with sobs.

  "Leo!! Please!! Where are you?! Answer me!!"

  A girl. She was crying, shouting into the void. "Don't leave me... not like this..."

  The raw desperation in her tone clawed at him. Leo. The name echoed in his skull, stirring a headache that felt like a knife behind his eyes. It felt familiar, yet distant, like a word heard in a dream.

  He wanted to answer her. He tried to move his hand, to scream that he was here. But his body remained paralyzed.

  Why does that name haunt me?

  A sudden weight crashed against his chest—not the physical pressure of the stone, but a wave of sorrow so raw it threatened to swallow him whole. It wasn't just confusion; it was grief. An aching, bottomless sadness that didn't belong to him, yet he felt it in his marrow.

  Then came the flashes. Fragments of images, rapid and disorienting.

  He saw the girl, young and determined. Her eyes were wet with tears, but they burned with a fierce strength. Another image followed quicker this time. He saw himself—or rather, the boy they called Leo.

  "Sister...?" The word barely formed in his thoughts.

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  Another wave struck. He saw the girl hugging him tightly, her voice trembling but brave.

  "Don't cry, Leo... Mom and Dad taught us how to survive in this world. And I'm still here. Your sister is always with you."

  Liam’s breath hitched. The pain in the memory felt sharp, personal.

  How is this possible? How am I Leo?

  A soft light appeared in the distance. It was faint and warm, a lantern glowing in the dark, flickering as it danced against the shadows. Beside it, the silhouette of the girl from his memory moved toward him.

  Without thinking, the name slipped from his lips—fragile and breathless. "Mira..."

  The girl froze. Her eyes widened, tears welling instantly. She dropped the lantern, letting it clatter to the stone, and ran toward him, sobbing.

  "Where were you going?!" she cried, her voice shaking. "You know the kingdom has forbidden anyone from entering this place!"

  Leo tried to sit up, but his muscles failed him. He looked at her helplessly. "I can't stand... I don't know why... Please, help me."

  Without hesitation, she grabbed his hand and pulled, steadying him as he rose on shaky legs. Her arms wrapped around him tightly, anchoring him to reality.

  "Come on," she said, voice trembling as tears streamed down her face. "Please... let's get out of here. I was so scared. I can't lose you again."

  They walked slowly toward the end of the corridor, each step echoing through the ancient silence. Dust, untouched for ages, stirred beneath their feet. Cracks spiderwebbed the stone walls, lined with faint etchings—symbols half-lost to time, whispering secrets in a tongue he could not place. The lantern in Mira’s hand guttered, struggling to hold back the pressing dark.

  Suddenly, Liam stopped. A cold whisper brushed his ear—soft, breathless.

  "Leo..."

  His muscles locked. Every instinct screamed that he was not alone.

  He turned slightly, eyes wide. "Mira... did you hear that?"

  She glanced around, confused. "What is it?" she asked softly.

  Liam hesitated. His eyes flicked along the corridor, searching the shadows. "N-No... it's nothing," he said quickly, forcing a smile. "Let's just get out of here."

  Something is wrong. Why had Leo come to this place in the first place?

  The question pulsed in his mind as they continued walking. Under the dim glow, they reached the ruins' exit. The air shifted as they stepped outside.

  It was night—but not an ordinary night. The sky hung unnaturally dark and heavy. No stars. No moon. Thick clouds lay low like a blanket of sorrow. Before them stretched a wide, empty field of grass—silent and cold, as if the land itself held its breath.

  The air tasted of age and decay; it pressed upon his chest, making each breath feel hard-won.

  Why am I here? What was I doing before this?

  His memory was a blank canvas. Then, a stray thought slithered into his head. Wait... was this like the stories he used to read? People dying and waking in another world?

  He tried to laugh it off, but the idea refused to leave.

  Then something flickered—a shard of a broken memory. A distant voice, urgent, shouting through the dark inside his head.

  "Liam!!"

  His heart twisted sharp.

  The world around him shifted, as if reality had leaned sideways for a single moment. His vision swam.

  Did I... really die?

  He stopped walking.

  Was he not meant to be here?

  The weight of the question fell upon him like the ruined palace overhead — cold, suffocating, and impossibly real.