Lukas found himself standing in a vast forest, bathed in golden sunlight. But he wasn't himself.
He was watching.
Like a ghost, an outsider in someone else's past.
And then, he saw him.
Zed, the real Zed, no older than eight, riding a galloping horse through the dense woods. His small frame barely held firm on the saddle, his hands gripping the reins tightly.
Riding beside him was another boy, strikingly beautiful with long, flowing red hair and piercing golden eyes that burned with arrogance.
Prince Frey.
Their horses weaved through the trees, their hooves kicking up dirt and leaves as they pursued a wild boar. The beast dashed frantically ahead, its massive body knocking over bushes in a desperate attempt to escape.
"Prince Frey, let's turn back! We can't catch it on our own!" Zed called out, his voice tinged with unease.
Frey merely scoffed, his smirk wicked, his golden eyes gleaming with something dark.
"Oh, Zed… I'm not here to hunt a wild animal."
A chill ran down Zed's spine. His instincts screamed, something was wrong.
Zed turned to look at him, confusion flickering across his young face. "What do you mean?"
Before he could react, the arrow had already left the bow.
Pain.
A searing, unbearable agony tore through his small body as the arrow pierced deep into his stomach. Zed gasped, his hands flying to the wound.
The arrow dissolved into his flesh, leaving behind an open, bleeding gash.
His vision blurred. His breaths turned to shallow gasps.
He swayed on his horse and then fell.
Far away, Lukas watched it unfold.
Horror crashed into him like a tidal wave.
He tried to move to run to the boy, to grab him, to do something
But his hands passed through the scene like mist.
He wasn't real here.
All he could do was watch.
Zed hit the dirt with a painful thud, his body curling in on itself. His small hands trembled, pressing against his stomach as warm, sticky blood pooled beneath him.
Crunch.
Footsteps over dry leaves.
Frey approached slowly, each step deliberate. The prince knelt, grabbed a fistful of Zed's dark hair, and yanked his head up.
Zed whimpered, his body trembling violently.
Frey's lips curled in amusement.
"Look at you." His voice dripped with mockery. "The only heir of the great Ravenhart family… a pathetic, weak loser."
Zed tried to push him away, but his strength was fading.
Frey's smirk deepened. "Such a shame you have a beautiful sister. But don't worry…" He leaned in, his breath ghosting over Zed's ear.
"After I kill you, I'll make her my concubine. I'll feel her every night."
Zed's dazed blue eyes widened in sheer horror.
Rage.
A weak, dying fire flickered in his chest.
"NO!"
With the last of his strength, he swung his fist at Frey
He missed.
His knuckles barely brushed Frey's face before his own blood splattered onto the prince's pristine clothes.
The smirk vanished.
Frey's expression twisted into pure rage.
"You filthy swine." His voice was ice-cold. "How dare you dirty my clothes?"
His boot slammed into Zed's gut.
A sharp, choking gasp.
Zed curled in on himself, the force knocking what little air was left in his lungs. His small frame convulsed, fresh blood dripping from his lips.
Frey watched, unimpressed. He reached down, ripped the arrow from Zed's stomach, then grabbed his limp body by the collar.
Dragging him toward the edge of the cliff.
The wind howled.
The ground disappeared beneath them.
Frey spat on the broken boy in his grasp.
"Now die like your father, you pig."
And he let go.
Lukas watched, heart pounding, as Zed's small body tumbled into the darkness below.
Zed's scream of agony echoed through the valley as his small, battered body crashed onto the rocky ground below. A sickening thud followed.
Lukas didn't think. He jumped. The wind howled past him as he plunged into the darkness, but he felt nothing. No fear, no pain. His body was weightless, as if he were merely an observer in this nightmare.
A dream…? No. A memory.
The moment his feet touched the ground; he dashed toward Zed's broken form. The boy lay there, his once fair skin smeared with blood, his small chest barely rising and falling. Lukas knelt beside him, reaching out to help
But his hands passed right through.
His heart clenched. I can't touch him… I don't exist here.
The atmosphere shifted, silent, weightless.
Lukas found himself suspended in a void. No ground beneath him. No sky above. Just endless black stretching in all directions.
He clutched his chest, breathing hard. "What… was that dream?"
A gentle blue glow appeared beside him, soft but vivid. A translucent, human-like figure slowly emerged its form fluid, its presence familiar. A soul. A memory.
"That wasn't a dream," the figure said calmly. "It was my past."
Lukas jolted, turning sharply toward the voice. The figure hovered beside him—elegant, yet broken. The soul of the real Zed.
Heart pounding, Lukas took a step back. The realization hit hard, he was in Zed's body. And now, face to face with the boy himself.
"Don't worry," the soul said, its voice echoing like a whisper in a cathedral. "I'm not here to harm you."
Lukas's shoulders eased slightly. "Then… why are you here?"
The soul hovered in silence for a breath, then spoke with quiet intensity.
"I am here to ask a favor..." "Can you be Zed Raven hart... and""Take care of my family?"
Lukas blinked, stunned. "Me? Why me?"
"I don't know how you ended up in my body, why you're alive while I'm not. But it doesn't matter now as I can feel it. You're not a bad person. You have a heart… one that can protect what I left behind."He paused. "Please. My sister. Keep her safe."
Lukas's throat tightened. The horrendous scene of zed dyeing flashed in front of him he felt the pain , He felt the weight of Zed's life, even if only glimpses of it.he felt it .
He slowly nodded. "You have my word. No harm will ever come to her."
The soul's expression shifted—relief, joy, a trace of long-lost peace. Tears shimmered in its translucent form as it began to fade into the void.
"Thank you," the soul whispered.
"From now on… you are Zed. And they are your family."
And with that, the void collapsed into silence.
Lukas gasped, Zed's eyes snapped open.
His chest rose and fell in ragged breaths, his body drenched in sweat. His heart pounded against his ribs, his mind still reeling from the dream no, the memory.
For a long moment, he simply lay there, staring at the wooden ceiling, his thoughts spiraling.
"What is happening...? No scientific analysis, no logic or theory can explain what I've been through these past few days."
Lukas muttered to himself, his voice barely audible.
"I fell… and woke up in a different world. Transmigrated into a life that isn't mine. And now… I have a family. A sister to protect."
Lukas lost in thought turned his head slightly, he froze.
Aurora.
Her delicate face rested against the wooden table beside his bed, her long, silky black hair cascading over her arms. The faint glow of candlelight flickered against her soft features, highlighting the exhaustion etched into them.
Zed blinked, momentarily stunned.
"What a beauty… If she were in my world, she'd be a top model—hell, maybe even Miss Universe."
But then, his gaze drifted lower.
His eyes locked onto her hands.
His stomach clenched.
Bandages.
Her small, slender fingers were wrapped in cloth, but the burns beneath were still visible, red and raw.
A strange, unfamiliar emotion settled in his chest something heavy.
Zed's brows furrowed.
"What the hell happened to her?"
Just as Zed was about to sit up, something else caught his eye
A maid standing near the door, swaying side to side, half awake and half asleep.
Her head bobbed up and down like a broken puppet, her posture tilting dangerously every few seconds. Every time she nearly lost her balance, she jolted awake, straightened like a soldier—only to start dozing off again.
Zed watched her for a few moments, mildly entertained.
"This is either next level dedication… or a serious lack of sleep."
Clearing his throat, he called out, "Oi."
The maid twitched violently, jerking upright like she'd just been struck by lightning.
"Y-Yes, Master Zed!" she blurted, immediately standing stiff as a board, her eyes wide like a scared cat.
Zed waved her over. "Come here."
She hurried closer, struggling to shake off the sleep from her face.
He nodded toward Aurora's hands, his voice calm but firm. "What happened to my sister's hands?"
The maid's expression softened with sympathy. She hesitated before speaking.
"For the past few days, Lady Aurora has been praying to the Devas."
"Devas?" Zed's brow arched. Must be this world's godly entities.
"So?" he asked, folding his arms.
The maid hesitated before continuing, her tone tinged with pity.
"She… held candles in her bare hands while praying. For hours. She did it for days without a break."
Silence.
Zed slowly turned back to Aurora, who was still fast asleep, completely unaware of the confusion—and frustration—brewing in his mind.
"...Why?" he asked, his voice flat.
The maid blinked, as if the answer was obvious.
"For your recovery, Master Zed."
His fingers twitched.
He pressed a hand to his forehead, exhaling through his nose. "And nobody thought to stop her?"
The maid gave a nervous smile. "Well… she was very determined…"
Zed dragged his hand down his face.
"What a fool... but a kind one."
His gaze softened as he looked at her again. The flickering candlelight traced the contours of her tired face, her breath slow, steady.
Something inside him stirred—a warmth, an ache, something he couldn't quite put into words.
His heart clenched.
Even in his absence, Aurora had never given up on him.
And as the memories of his past life intertwined with this new one, the promise he had made to his dying brother burned in his chest.
"I'll protect her. No matter what."