Scene 1: Awakening in a New Body
Darkness.
Alex's skull pulsed with a slow, painful throb. Each pulse sounded like a mallet rapping against bone. The smell of musty concrete, the rough texture of a threadbare blanket against his skin, and the faint sound of nearby voices arguing all roused his senses.
With effort, Alex pried his eyes open.
The world before him was unrecognizable. The cracked walls, the exposed wiring, the flickering overhead bulb—gone was the pristine penthouse he remembered. Everything screamed poverty.
"What the…?"
His voice cracked—higher-pitched, unfamiliar. He blinked and looked down. His hands were rough, calloused, and smaller. Panic surged through him as he stumbled toward a foggy mirror on the wall.
The self-assured, trim heir to Kingsley Enterprises was not the one staring back at him.It was a completely different person—a thin, hollow-eyed teen with unkempt black hair and bruised skin.
His chest rose and fell rapidly. "This isn't possible… This isn't me."
Scene 2: The Harsh Reality
A loud knock shattered the moment.
"Open up, deadbeat! You think you can keep hiding forever?"
It was a menacing, gravelly voice. The door exploded open, followed by the sound of splintering wood.
With icy eyes, a dozen men burst into the room.. Debt collectors.
At the front stood a burly man with a jagged scar trailing down his cheek—Goro. "Looks like the rat's still breathing," he sneered.
Another twitchy, lanky thug cracked his knuckles. "It's time to make the payment."
Alex was folded over as a blow struck his stomach before he could say anything. He struggled for breath and gasped.
Goro slammed him against the wall after yanking him by the collar. As Alex saw another punch, stars danced in his mind.
A man with a pockmarked face stepped forward, pulling out a chipped blade. "Bet you scream if we start with a finger."
Pain lanced through Alex's arm as the knife traced a shallow cut. Blood blossomed beneath his sleeve.
He tried to fight back—muscle memory recalled martial arts training—but this body lacked the strength. Each movement was sluggish, every breath strained.
Laughter echoed around him.
I'm going to die, he thought. Right here, in someone else's skin.
Scene 3: The Silent Shadows
Then… the lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Darkness swallowed the room.
A shuffle. A whisper of motion. Then a thud.
One of the men dropped without a sound.
Another was pulled back into the shadows, a strangled noise escaping his lips.
Panic rippled through the group. "Who's there?!" Goro shouted.
Too late.
A gleam of steel. As blood spurted from his cut wrist, Goro let out a howl.A thin figure with silver hair and calculating eyes—Jin Woo—came out of the shadows. His movements were as smooth as those of a skilled assassin, each one purposeful and lethal.
Behind him came Arya—fast, relentless. She struck like a storm, silencing Vinny with a single hit to the throat.
Goro barely turned before Jin's blade kissed his neck.
"You picked the wrong fight," Jin said coldly.
The rest tried to flee, but Arya was faster. Her leg swept one man off his feet, her elbow crushed another's jaw. Minutes later, the floor was littered with groaning bodies.
Scene 4: The Second Wave
Arya exhaled sharply, her knuckles bloodied.
Then came the rumble of engines.
Motorcycles roared as a second wave of thugs poured in from the alleyway—twenty strong.
Clutching his injured arm, Goro laughed. "You're outnumbered now. Let's see you crawl out of this."
Jin's expression didn't change. "This is getting annoying."
Arya glanced at Alex—barely able to stand. "Jin?"
"We cut through. Keep moving."
The gang charged.
Arya moved first, dodging a bat swing and striking her attacker's gut. She snatched the weapon and turned it on another.
Jin danced through the chaos, his blade slicing tendons, dropping enemies with surgical precision.
Still, they were overwhelmed.
A metal pipe cracked against Arya's ribs. She stumbled. Jin caught a fist to the jaw.
Alex clenched his fists. Fear churned in his stomach. But something deeper rose—anger.
He ducked, tripping a thug. Then, grabbing a rock, he slammed it into another's head.
Arya gave a pained grin. "Not bad for a newbie."
"We move now!" Jin barked.
They fought toward a narrow alley—tight, defensible. Jin broke an attacker's arm and pulled Arya inside. Alex stumbled after them.
The gang hesitated. Their numbers meant nothing in the confined space.
Jin smirked. "Amateurs."
Arya, breath ragged, leaned against the wall. "We have to vanish. Fast."
Alex nodded. His pulse was racing, pain pulsing in every limb.
But he was alive.
For now.
And he knew one thing for sure:
He wasn't ready.
Yet.