Morning came quietly.

  Samye opened his eyes—

  And immediately regretted it.

  His head spun violently.

  Pain surged through every muscle. His ribs throbbed. His arm felt numb.

  “…Still alive,” he muttered.

  He forced himself upright.

  The room tilted slightly before stabilizing.

  But something was wrong.

  His eyes burned.

  Not painfully.

  Intensely.

  As if something inside them was adjusting.

  He moved toward the washroom slowly and splashed water onto his face.

  When he looked up—

  He froze.

  In the mirror—

  His pupils were no longer normal.

  Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

  Within the dark iris, faint star-like patterns rotated subtly.

  Not glowing.

  Not dramatic.

  But unmistakable.

  “…What…”

  He leaned closer.

  His vision felt sharper.

  Clearer.

  Deeper.

  “…I can see more clearly than before.”

  Not just visually.

  Perceptually.

  He washed his face again, hoping it would disappear.

  It didn’t.

  He stepped outside.

  The village was chaos.

  Injured soldiers being carried. Families crying. Workers rebuilding temporary shelters.

  But something strange happened.

  When he looked at a wounded man being carried past—

  A brief flicker appeared in his mind.

  A battlefield moment.

  The soldier screaming.

  Falling.

  The image vanished instantly.

  Samye stumbled slightly.

  When he looked at a grieving woman—

  Another flicker.

  Her house burning.

  Her child trapped inside.

  Her scream.

  Gone again.

  His heart began racing.

  “…What is this?”

  He focused on another person.

  Another flash.

  Fragmented.

  Like broken memories.

  Not his own.

  He grabbed his head.

  “Is this their past?”

  He turned away quickly.

  “No… no…”

  He remembered the conversation.

  The white space.

  The inner self.

  The merging.

  “…It wasn’t a dream.”

  His breathing steadied slightly.

  “Alright… I understand that part.”

  He looked at his reflection in a broken window.

  “But what is this vision?”

  “Am I seeing their past?”

  “…Or something else?”

  The thought unsettled him deeply.

  He needed answers.

  He rushed toward the temple.

  Inside—

  The monk was already meditating.

  As Samye entered, the monk’s eyes opened slowly.

  He stood and walked toward him.

  Very close.

  Too close.

  The monk examined his eyes carefully.

  The rotating star pattern reflected faintly in the temple light.

  The monk’s expression changed.

  Not fear.

  Concern.

  He spoke slowly.

  “Are you the same person I met before?”

  Samye swallowed.

  “…What do you mean?”

  The monk’s gaze sharpened.

  “Or…”

  He leaned slightly closer.

  “Is someone else wearing you?”

  The temple air felt heavy.

  Samye did not immediately answer.

  Because for the first time—

  He wasn’t entirely sure.