Another day, another way to survive until his master arrived. All Elurian could do was hope that his master wouldn't ignore him—at least, that's what he told himself.
Elurian was one of the chosen, trained by the guides. At only ten years old, he was the youngest among them. But he was no ordinary boy. He had the potential to awaken supernatural powers. With Rex Violet, the strongest of the guides, as his master, Elurian believed he could save the world from the impending apocalypse.
However, there was a twist: Elurian wasn't from this world. He was a transmigrator, someone who knew how this world would end.
"Has Master forgotten me?" he muttered, lying on his back in the middle of the cold, snowy desert.
His dull grey eyes stared up at the bleak sky. The cold bit into his skin, and he wondered if he would freeze to death. Memories from his previous life flickered in his mind—memories that had kept him going so far. He refused to give up, not like this.
---
Ahn Seohyun returned to the only place that mattered to him—the place where his brother was buried. Alone in a world that had become unrecognizable, he stood at the gravesite, his face emotionless.
"Hyung, are you waiting for me in there?" he murmured, his voice devoid of feeling.
In his hand was a thick, red-covered book with a golden title. Seohyun placed it gently beside his brother's grave. The book was a memorial—a printed version of the novel his brother had written before his sudden death. The story was unfinished, without an ending.
The Tower of Desire.
That was the title. It was a fantasy story set in another world, one that Seohyun had always found interesting. The protagonist bore a striking resemblance to his brother, almost as if his brother had written himself into the novel.
But the story had stopped just as it was about to reach its climax, cut short by his brother's accident.
"Hyung, how does it end?" Seohyun whispered, replacing the dried flowers with fresh ones he had brought. "I've read it over and over again, but I still don't understand."
He stood there for a long time as the sky darkened and rain began to fall. It wasn't until he heard footsteps behind him that he turned.
"I finally found you," a voice called out. "It took me a while, but you came here, alone, just like I thought."
A group of men in black suits emerged from the shadows, weapons in hand. Seohyun smirked slightly, unsurprised by their appearance. He had known this was coming.
It was time to say goodbye to his brother. Not to die, but to go somewhere far away, to complete a task.
"This is the end, right?" Seohyun said softly, pulling out an antique pocket watch from his coat.
"What are you..."
Seohyun turned to face his enemies. "Let's meet again, another time.
With those words, he pressed the button on the pocket watch, and the world around him froze. Time itself stood still. The men were frozen in place, like statues, as if a strange filter had been placed over reality. Seohyun glanced around before being transported to a pure white room.
[Is this your choice?]
An unfamiliar voice echoed in his mind, robotic and genderless. Seohyun had heard it before, but he still wasn't used to it.
"Yes," he replied calmly.
[You must save another world from the apocalypse to reset time in this one.]
Seohyun already knew that. It was the deal he had made, the condition set by the entity.
[You will have a new identity in that world. Consider it a reincarnation.]
The voice grew more human, surprising Seohyun.
[Good luck. The world under the control of the Tower of Desire awaits you.]
Seohyun recognized those words. The novel his brother had written wasn't just a story—it was real. He had to finish it, even though he still didn't fully understand what that meant.
---
When Seohyun woke up, he was in a different body. He was now Elurian, a young boy with silver hair and grey eyes. The entity had given him all the necessary information.
Elurian was one of the chosen, a disciple of the world's protagonist, Rex Violet. The entity had placed him close to Rex to make his mission easier.
However, knowing Master Rex's personality from the novel, Seohyun doubted it would be easy to get close to him, let alone receive his help. Master Rex was indifferent to human relationships, focused solely on his duties as a guide. If his disciple died, Master Rex wouldn't even blink.
Now Elurian had little hope that Master Rex would come to his rescue. And yet, somewhere deep inside, he still hoped—perhaps because Master Rex reminded him of his older brother.
As his body began to freeze and his breath slowed, Elurian closed his eyes. He was dangerously close to death, caught off guard by the harsh reality of this world. He had believed, naively, that as one of the chosen, he would be untouchable. But that had only been his misunderstanding, drawn from the novel.
In this world, people were real, not predictable characters.
At that moment, a memory surfaced—his brother giving him a gift: a scarf and jacket to keep him warm. The cold seemed to melt away, and a warmth enveloped him, as if his imagination had become reality.
Opening his eyes, Elurian saw a reddish silhouette beside him.
"My little rabbit, who has done this to you?" The voice was cool, but beneath it was an undeniable trace of concern. It was his master, Rex Violet. The name "little rabbit" was oddly endearing.
Elurian tried to respond, but darkness swallowed him.
---
Elurian remembered how he had arrived in this world. It had been difficult for him to adjust to his new, small, and young body, which was much weaker than his old one.
Ahn Seohyun woke up in a large room filled with several beds. He immediately recognized the place—it was clearly an orphanage.
He looked down at his thin hands and feet, his shabby clothes. His small size made him feel insignificant compared to the other children around him.
The other children formed groups, ignoring him as if he didn't exist. The only time he was acknowledged was during meal times when the sisters handed out food. He would quietly receive his share and sit by himself.
Ahn Seohyun stared at the bowl of watery soup, bread, and butter. He wondered how these children survived on such meager portions.
He sat in the corner, eating quietly, lost in thought about the strange circumstances. He found it odd that no one paid him any attention, yet when it came to the basic necessities, he wasn't forgotten.
While pondering this, Ahn Seohyun felt a sudden disturbance in his mind. It was as if, for a moment, he couldn't control his body. His hands stopped moving, and the bread he had been eating fell to the floor. After a brief period of losing control, he was able to move again, regaining command of his body.
He stared at the fallen bread, still feeling the pang of hunger. He picked it up, brushed the dirt off with his clothes, and resumed eating. He couldn't afford to waste food, not in this state.
What was that? he wondered. Did this body reject my soul?
Something inside him sensed that part of him was being taken away.
After the meal, he followed the other children to the town square. There, they gazed at the clear pool of the fountain and the strange, saucer-shaped statue at its center. A jolt struck Seohyun's mind.
Wait. Who am I? Why am I here?
Memories that didn't belong to him flooded in, mixing with his own. He was Elurian. He lived in this orphanage within the sanctuary. He was...
Ahn Seohyun felt a wave of dizziness and collapsed. His mind swirled with confusion as foreign memories and sensations overwhelmed him. He felt like a puppet controlled by invisible strings, unsure of what was real anymore.
It was then that the noise of the crowd snapped him back to reality. He saw people rushing toward the sanctuary's grand building, where its owner resided.
Seohyun hurriedly followed, blending into the crowd to see what was happening.
When he finally caught a glimpse of the scene, his breath caught in his throat. Standing in the middle of the gathering was a striking figure, with pink hair and eyes that shone in multiple colors. The figure seemed to notice Seohyun's stare, turning to meet his gaze with a curious expression.
Instinctively, Seohyun looked away and hid behind someone in the crowd. He didn't know why, but something about that figure made him uneasy.
Later, he would learn that the figure was Master Rex Violet, the sanctuary's enigmatic owner. He was conducting a selection process to find disciples with potential.
At that moment, Ahn Seohyun realized who he was. The memories settled, and the fog in his mind cleared. He was a transmigrator, and this was the world from his brother's novel. The figure he had seen was none other than the novel's protagonist.
Because Elurian was still a child, and children had a better chance of awakening their potential than adults, he had been chosen to participate in the selection process. Somehow, he had met the criteria.
The children were chosen by a magical artifact that measured their potential. When it was Ahn Seohyun's turn to place his hand on the artifact, something unexpected happened. The artifact began to glow brightly, signaling that his potential was immense.
And that was how he became Master Rex Violet's disciple, sealing his fate as Elurian.
***