Yohan's eyes snapped open, the rough ceiling of his old bedroom assaulting him with its familiarity. He had expected oblivion, eternal darkness, perhaps even fiery torment. Instead, he was here - back in this room that held a lifetime of pain and memories: his bedroom in his uncle's house.
He turned his head left and right, taking everything in before muttering softly to himself, "Does this mean I'm going to hell? Why did I get stuck with the exact same bedroom where I was tortured as a child when I die?"
Despite these thoughts, Yohan chuckled softly as he looked around at the small room which held almost nothing aside from an old bed, a cupboard barely clinging to its hinges, a rickety table and chair - all remnants of his childhood. As strange as it was being back here again after all these years and under such mysterious circumstances, Yohan felt somewhat comforted by the familiarity of it all. Perhaps this wasn't hell after all; maybe it was just... purgatory?
Just as Yohan was processing the situation, the door swung open with a bang, shattering the fragile peace. A figure identical to Yohan stormed in, his face contorted with rage.
"What the hell do you think this place is? A hotel?" he shouted at Yohan. "You can't just wake up whenever you want!"
Yohan's eyes widened as he looked at the man before him.
"Oh my god," he muttered to himself. "This really is hell... There's even a demon guarding this place!"
"Tell me again…" The doppelganger growled through gritted teeth, taking menacing steps towards him while Yohan sat frozen on the bed. "Who do you mean by 'demon'?"
A wry smile tugged at Yohan's lips. It was truly unfortunate that this particular demon had chosen to impersonate his cousin, Yoh – a man who wasn't far removed from demonic himself in Yohan's eyes.
Yohan was convinced that he was dead and that the person in front of him was a real demon. He couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you a demon? Why did you take on the appearance of my cousin, someone who's not too different from a demon?"
Yohan's words had enraged Yoh even further, and he lashed out by slapping him hard across the face. It echoed through the room like thunder, sending a jolt of pain and anger coursing through him. The sting on his cheek brought back memories of the abuse he had endured at this house for nearly 20 years.
"You have some nerve, huh? How could someone like you even think of insulting me?!" Yoh spat venomously, stepping closer still.
But something had shifted within Yohan in that moment; perhaps it was the echo of past pain or the sheer absurdity of being trapped in this twisted purgatory. This time, there was only burning rage in Yohan's eyes. Whatever the reason, Yohan felt a spark of defiance ignite within him – a determination to fight back against the tormentor who had haunted his life.
He scrambled to his feet and grabbed the baseball bat he had kept hidden under his bed for years - a gift from his secret friends. With newfound strength fueled by anger and desperation, he swung it at Yoh again and again, each blow echoing through the room like thunderclaps against hell itself.
"Just because you're a demon, doesn't mean I'm afraid of you! Get lost!" Yohan yelled as he repeatedly slammed the bat into Yoh's body.
"Have you lost your damn mind, Yohan?! One more hit and I'll end you!"
Yoh screamed out in pain and tried to run away, but Yohan didn't let him escape. He tripped him up until Yoh fell down, before unleashing another barrage of blows on him. The blows continued until Yoh's scream filled the entire house with their sickening sound.
"Dad! Mom! Help me!"
Not long after, Yohan's uncle and aunt rushed into the room. The sound of his aunt's hysterical screams echoed through the house while his uncle shoved Yohan aside to help their son who lay on the floor with injured body.
"Dad... my bone seems to be broken..." Yoh whispered before succumbing to unconsciousness. His aunt let out a blood-curd lling scream again, her grip on Yoh tightening as she helped her husband carry him out of the room.
"Dear, we need to get him to a hospital immediately..." his aunt said in a shaky voice.
As they were about to leave the room with their son, Yohan saw a look of burning hatred in both his uncle and aunt's eyes directed towards him. His uncle turned around and looked at him like he wanted nothing more than to kill him.
"When I come back home, I will make sure you pay for this!"
Yohan stood there in silence, he slowly realized that he was not in the afterlife as he had initially thought. The sight of his uncle and cousin, both looking much younger than the last time they met before his drowning, made his body tremble with confusion.
The plastic bat slipped from his grasp, hitting the floor with a loud thud. It rolled across the room, making an echoing sound that filled the silence.
Desperate for answers, Yohan searched frantically for his old phone on the bed. When he finally found it and checked the date and year displayed on its screen, a strange sense of realization washed over him.
"Even death doesn't want me..." Yohan laughed softly to himself. "Is this why I've been returned to 5 years ago?"
Though many details from that period remain hazy in Yohan's memory, what stands out most vividly are two things: first is an accident involving his cousin, Yoh. Second is his encounter with the two brothers.
Those two things will be the key to the change in Yohan's life. So there's only one thing on Yohan's mind right now, and that's to...
run away!