He thought that he had been reincarnated. Repeated deja vu accompanied him with a familiar feeling. However, without clear memories.

He didn't know who he was, why he was in this world? Who was he before he was reincarnated? He also didn't have a name as people would only call him 'thief', 'unlucky child', and 'cursed child'.

He lived anywhere as long as it could protect him from the rain and heat, sleeping on the streets, eating from stealing or scavenging in the trash.

Some other street kids invited him to join them, but he refused. For some reason, he didn't want to get too close to other humans, so he was always alone.

"Hungry ...." He started walking a few blocks to scavenge for food in the trash.

His thin hands and legs dragged him along slowly and hobbled. There were times that he wihed to die, to end his pain. However, he couldn't die.

He will definitely wake up the next day, if he kills himself. If someone else kills him, that person will die, while he resumes breathing.

This is a curse.

***

A pair of blood-red eyes rounded as their owner was jolted awake from his long sleep. Trying to recall the dream that caused him discomfort, he moved from his lying position as he pressed his temples.

His black bangs slightly obscured his vision as he sat hunched over, while the side of his right eye caught his reflection in the mirror on the same side.

Black hair, blood-red eyes, and a petite little body, he was one of the Skylord Academy students. The name tag attached to his uniform displayed his name, Cail de Castalia.

"Cail ...," he muttered in confusion. He couldn't help but stare at his reflection in the mirror thoroughly.

His red eyes contained an eerie dark impression, but that was not what he was more concerned about. His left eye turned a violet color with strange symbols for a short time as he observed it.

"What is this?" he whispered as he turned his head in the other direction, stopping his observation of himself.

"Why do I feel like I've forgotten something?" His brow was furrowed tightly as if he was trying hard to dig out his unfortunate memories.

He winced in pain as the sensation of a needle pricking seemed to perforate his brain, an unbearable pain that he had to give up.

He felt lost, he didn't know why he had such a hard time accepting his identity as Cail de Castalia. However, there was no point in continuing his rejection, he should hold onto his identity well until he could recover all his memories.

Glancing at the hourglass on his desk, Cail sighed softly. He had to attend classes as he had been doing for the past month. He was just one of the average students, with no particular standout character that the professors would notice.

So, he didn't pay much attention to classes, but he couldn't be absent or the Disciplinary Board would knock on his dorm room door.

His memories of his time at Skylord Academy were quite confusing as if they were illusions. On the other hand, he could not help but feel a strange sadness. Perhaps this was what amnesia patients experienced. Feeling that some of his memories were illusory, while being sad because he could not remember anything else that mattered to him.

"I'm like a random side character who doesn't have much of a story," he mused, wondering where he came up with such an idea.

Time in the hourglass was running out, making Cail hurry to put on his uniform which was designed with a cape cover that was optional to wear. Cail preferred not to wear it as it was quite inconvenient. He buttoned up his shirt and suit before putting on his black leather boots. The final touch was a sapphire blue jeweled brooch pinned on the lapel of his suit.

Staring at his good looks in the mirror, Cail felt satisfied, especially after noticing the sapphire gem brooch around his neck. For some reason, he was soothed by it, dispelling his sadness.

Knock Knock

The knock on his bedroom door sounded steady. Cail frowned for a moment before finally going to the door and opening it.

Outside, a young man around his age, with silvery white hair and gray eyes, looked at him enthusiastically. Seemingly happy to greet Cail in this morning.

Cail nodded at him, followed him to the corridor outside the dormitory and marched to the teaching building which was quite far away. There were no other words because Cail did not like talking, in fact he felt strange with that young man, Eire, who actively wanted to be friend with him.

Suddenly, their relaxed mood was shattered as they saw the supervisor appear at the end of the corridor to the stairs downstairs.

"This is bad, the supervisor will definitely punish us for being late," Eire regretted as he grabbed Cail's hand and dragged him to hide in the corner of the wall behind the statue.

"You're late because you waited for me," Cail accused deliberately, implying that Eire didn't have to wait for him to go to class.

"Shush." Eire covered Cail's mouth with his hand as he checked for a passing supervisor.

"Talk later," he whispered hoping that Cail would understand.

Unfortunately, although Cail understood his point, he had different plans today. He didn't want to attend class. He wanted to see someone.

So, he bruhed off Eire's hand and under his surprised gaze, Cail ruhed towards the supervisor and bumped into the supervisor so deliberately.

The robed supervisor, who was a puppet controlled by one of the professors, screeched. It instantly took out a golden chain to bind Cail and carried him quickly towards his punishment.

"Cail!" shouted Eire, he couldn't understand why Cail was deliberately captured by the overseer.

Cail turned his head, blinking his left eye at Eire as a code signal. The latter came to his senses, but would not accept it.

"I'm coming with you!" Eire, who was stubborn, followed Cail's path to bump into the overseer's puppet and was both bound by chains.

Cail was dumbfounded, lost for words for this strange person who was obsessed with befriending him.

Why did Cail do it? He wanted to meet the person who had saved him, the person who brought him to Skylord Academy and secretly took care of him. However, that person was extremely difficult to meet even for him.

During the previous week, Cail planned many things to be able to meet him, it was unfortunate that they all failed. That person did not want to meet him.

What could be done if that was the case. So, Cail changed his tactics. That person would definitely come if he was injured or in danger. He was sure of that. The trust in his heart could not be wrong.

The overseer put them into cells in the basement. The overseer's puppet master was a dreaded psychopathic professor so it was not strange that the punishment would be so gruesome.

After seeing the overseer lock the cell and leave, Cail gave Eire an annoyed look.

"Why did you come?!" Although he already knew the answer, Cail still asked in case it was different from what he expected.

"I wanted to see that person too. He's the one who made me stay here, the illusion ...." Eire's last word was so faint that Cail did not hear it.

The latter tilted his head, confused. Eire always gave his similar answers. It felt as if Cail wasn't real, he couldn't even feel his emotions properly, it was empty at the moment. Other than when he woke up this morning and saw the jeweled brooch on his neck, Cail could not feel any other emotional fluctuations.

Exactly, why?

Deg!

The invisible hands began to attack his heart, it was painful. This was the punishment room being applied.

"Ugh!" Cail fell to his knees, he didn't expect the punishment to be this cruel. Sure enough, that was why not a single student dared to break the rules at Skylord Academy.

Eire was in the same condition as him. Grimacing while clutching his left chest.

Cail bit the corner of his mouth, his blood flowing as a way to release some of the energy attacking him. However, it was still painful.

'This hurts... Big Brother... Will you come and see me?'

For a certain amount of time, Cail instinctively called out 'Big Brother', although he did not know who he was actually calling out to. He seemed to have a dependency on that 'Big Brother' figure.

At that moment, the corner of Cail's left eye caught a flash of bluish light streaking towards him.

It was a beautiful blue butterfly. When it came, the pain in his body vanihed. Cail knew that he was successful, yet why did he suddenly feel fear?

"Ai... How naughty. Did you miss me that too much to do this, Yoo Han?"

The voice was deep and made his emotions come out, he was happy, but also scared. Outside the cell, stood a figure in dark blue priest robes. The figure's sapphire blue eyes were watching him with all sorts of inexplicable emotions.

The figure opened the cell door, walking over to Cail. He lowered his body and caught Cail's chin lightly.

"Tell me, why did you want to see me so badly?" The figure raised the hood of his robe, revealing his lustrous aquamarine blue hair.

He was like a God to Cail. He was the beginning of his memories.

"I'm ...." Cail suddenly forgot his long-held intentions.

His mouth opened and closed wordlessly.

"So, you really missed me, Yoo Han. I'm very happy," said the figure.

Cail finally remembered his question.

"Why do you call me 'Yoo Han'?"

Since the beginning of their meeting in that darkest place where Cail was saved by him, that figure had always called him 'Yoo Han'. Was he related to 'Yoo Han'? Or was he a substitute? Cail took a risk to find out this truth.

"Do you remember my name?" The figure asked him back calmly.

"Rui?"

"Exactly. I call you 'Yoo Han' because I am 'Rui'. Well, now, I must punish you for your mischief," Rui added with a sinister expression.

This was the beginning of the illusion.

***