Chapter 1 - I Have A Dream
Deja Vu
I just snapped human necks before,
Gargoyle on kill streaks,
And I know my victims were heroes,
…
A parody song with a meme tune echoed in his mind as if he had sung this song so many times before.
A teenager woke up in the middle of the night. He blinked, replaying fragments of the vivid dream.
In the dream, he had been a stone gargoyle, a menacing figure roaming a dark dungeon, protecting a demon lord's tomb for what felt like a thousand years.
He had terrifying power. He could teleport instantly toward anyone who dared break eye contact with him. Then, with an effortless twist, he would snap their necks with his cold hands.
It was so real, so vivid, that Carn Yunho had forgotten his human identity as a 16-year-old high schooler of the 21st century. He was completely immersed in the gargoyle's existence and thought of himself as a monster.
He remembered the battles how he had ambushed an adventurer party. He crept behind the hero's lover. Then his cold hands twisted her neck until her body went limp. The hero's cries echoed in his mind as chaos broke out, allowing the gargoyle to eliminate the entire party one by one.
Then came the confrontation with the human army. They had managed to trap him in a cage, but with a single glance away, he teleported out, turning the prison into his personal slaughterhouse. Neck after neck snapped, leaving nothing but carnage in his wake.
The thrill of the hunt surged through his veins, even now. It had been exhilarating, addictive. If he could, he wished to continue that dream.
But in the end, he had been defeated. A colossal monster with an enormous head and a thousand eyeballs thwarted his power. Those giant eyes never blinked or looked away, sealing all his abilities.
After being captured by the humans, he was thrown into a dungeon alongside the monster, where he lived in darkness until…he woke up.
Carn sat up, shaking off a lingering sense of dread mixed with strange satisfaction. His room was dimly lit by the moon, casting familiar shadows on his bedroom walls. For a moment, reality seemed indistinguishable from the world he had just left.
Carn rubbed his temples, trying to make sense of it all. Memories of his current life slowly returned while the 'him' in the dream world faded, as though it had never been real.
But was it just a dream? It had been too real.
A thousand years in the dream felt as vivid as the scent of blood and the screams of the adventurers who dared to enter the tomb. The memories made him shudder. He knew he wouldn't sleep again that night.
He threw off the covers and got out of bed. In the washroom, he switched on the light and looked at his reflection, grounding himself in reality.
His dark, messy hair framed a youthful, handsome face. Black eyes, high cheekbones, and symmetry made him stand out. At 165 cm, a few of the girls in his class were taller than him, but his striking features had always been his pride. His face had an almost unreal quality, like a main character from one of Squ-re En-x's games.
In middle school, his looks had made him popular among adolescent girls. But in high school? It was different. His good looks drew the wrong kind of attention.
"Ah…"
Like a child waking from a dream, Carn felt heartbroken. He had wished the gargoyle life were real.
Staring at the mirror, he prayed he could retain some of that power, even if just a little.
Testing his abilities, he looked at his bed, focusing on teleporting.
*VIIIIII*
A strange radio noise rang in his ears, followed by a severe headache. Blood trickled from his nostrils.
Carn staggered, but managed to support himself, gripping the sink for balance. The intense headache disoriented him, and the LED light in the bathroom felt blinding.
Annoyed, he flipped the light switch off. After relieving himself and washing his face, he returned to bed without another glance at the mirror.
For the briefest moment, however, the mirror didn't reflect an exhausted teenager, but the cold, stony visage of the gargoyle he had once been in his dream, though it quickly reverted back to a human.
.
.
Early that morning, Carn silently explored his room, trying to piece together memories of this life. He sat on the bed in a daze, contemplating what to do next. His eyes drifted to the corner, landing on his schoolbag and the clock.
It was 7:00 AM.
A nagging feeling tugged at his mind.
'What was I supposed to do again?'
Once again, Carn felt confused. He stared at the schoolbag, his hand unconsciously stretching toward it.
*VIIIIII*
That strange radio frequency noise rang in his head again. A sudden headache and dizziness washed over him, making him shut his eyes. His arms and hands went numb.
*FWOOSH*
Something landed in his outstretched hand. Carn blinked and opened his eyes.
The schoolbag was in his hand.
But he had been sitting on the bed just now, right?
Wasn't the bag hanging on the wall 10 meters away?
What the hell?
Wait a second…
Suddenly, his heart rate spiked with excitement. Had he just used the gargoyle's power from his dream? Carn jumped to his feet, scanning the room with wide eyes. He reached out for another object to test the ability again.
*BEEP-BEEP*
Unfortunately, the horn of the school bus cut through his thoughts, followed by his mother's voice from outside.
"CARN! GET YA ASS TO SA-KOOL!"
Carn's instincts kicked in at the sound of her tone. Memories of her tough love surged back. He bolted from his room and rushed downstairs, finding his parents sitting at the dining table, calmly having breakfast.
Tears welled up in his eyes. He had missed them so much.
They were his parents.
In the dream, he thought about his parents, too. Life was so lonely without their nagging and presence.
But before he could step closer to hug them, a slipper flew through the air like a ninja's throwing star, smacking him square in the face. As if that weren't enough, a plastic bag containing a sandwich soon followed, bonking him on the head.
"YU AR LATE! HOW YU GONNA BE AN EXPLORER IF YU AR LAZY! GO TO SA-KOOL AND GET ME A EXPLORER DEGREE! GET ME LESS THAN 4.0 GPA, AND YU BE FLIPPING BURGERS AND HOMELESS!"
His mother's broken English rang through the house as usual, sharp and relentless.
Meanwhile, his father in a white-collar shirt and black pants calmly sipped his coffee, unfazed by the chaos. Silently, he opened a nearby drawer, fetching a fresh pair of slippers and raising them like an offering.
With precision, Carn's mother snatched the new slippers with the chopsticks in her other hand, ready for another round of multi-strikes.
Carn's body reacted instinctively, goosebumps covering his skin as he watched his mother prepare for a slipper barrage. The sight of her, armed with both chopsticks and slippers, triggered deep-rooted survival instincts. This body's memory still vividly recalled the terror of his mother's wrath.
Without hesitation, he grabbed his breakfast and schoolbag, darting out of the house in a blur. His legs carried him straight to the bus, despite the fact that he had completely forgotten what school life was even like.
.
.
.
Pedestrians wearing casual clothes or business attire went about their business in the early morning. A few cars had come to a stop in the middle of the road, their drivers standing face to face, shouting at each other. The greenery, suburban streets, and parked cars around him—all of it felt strangely nostalgic to Carn.
Sitting at the back of the school bus, Carn stared out the window, admiring the morning sunlight and the busy street. The everyday environment, so ordinary and peaceful, tugged at something deep within him. He felt like he had been away from this world for too long like he had missed this mundane normalcy.
His mind wandered back to his dream and the mysterious power he had displayed again.
Was it really just a dream?
Probably not.
He had proof!
Carn glanced down at the pen in his hand. Twirling it between his fingers, he watched as it slowly rose into the air, hovering about five centimeters above his palm.
*VIIIIII*
The strange ringing noise echoed in his head again, causing dizziness and another sharp headache. A drop of blood trickled from his nose and landed on the floating pen, causing it to fall immediately to the bus floor and roll forward to the seat in front of him.
A blond teenager leaned forward and picked up the pen. Turning around, she smiled and held it out to him.
"Carn, did you drop this?"
Carn looked up and saw the girl. She had medium-length, side-swept blond hair that fell gracefully over her shoulders. Her flawless skin, striking blue eyes, and slender figure made her one of the most popular girls in school, easily a top contender for a beauty pageant.
For a second, her face seemed familiar, but Carn couldn't quite remember her. Despite the persistent headache clouding his thoughts, he took the pen from her hand.
"Thanks," he mumbled.
The girl was Malinda, his classmate. Sixteen years old, like him. She had once been one of his admirers, though he had forgotten that detail entirely.
She shifted in her seat, kneeling on her chair to face him, resting her arms on the backrest.
"You look sick. What's wrong? Did someone dump you?" she teased. The corners of her mouth curved up into a mischievous smile.
"Nah, I just had a bad dream last night," Carn replied, trying to brush it off. It felt weird talking to someone after so long. In the dream, he hadn't spoken to anyone for what felt like centuries.
When was the last time he had actually held a conversation with someone?
Forcing a smile, he tried to keep the conversation going. "I dreamt I became a monster."
"Ooh, what kind of monster?" Malinda asked, leaning closer, her blue eyes glinting with interest.
Carn glanced into her eyes. They reminded him of the saintesses he had killed in his dream as the gargoyle. Their eyes had been just as bright and innocent, right before he twisted their necks.
Because of the distraction, Carn paused for a few seconds. He glanced at the view and noticed a billboard, advertising yet another vampire movie. Next to the billboard was a gate explorer recruitment ad, but Carn didn't see it.
"A vampire," he said, getting inspired by the ad.
"Ooh, kinky," she giggled, tilting her head to the side and revealing her neck. "So... wanna bite?"
"Bite... what?"
Malinda laughed and leaned in, still teasing him. "You know, they say the best way to shake off a dream is to act it out. Wanna give it a try?"
Carn's eyes briefly flicked to her exposed neck. Rather than biting it, an urge to snap it entered his mind. His hands trembled slightly as he fought off the dark impulse.
"Don't mess around," he shook his head and turned away.
"I see," Malinda smirked. "Or you'd rather I bite YOUR neck instead?"
Carn just gave her a deadpan look, glancing around the bus. It was filled with kids from various grades, and the bus driver kept giving them looks through the rearview mirror. A bunch of elementary schoolers nearby, overhearing their conversation, decided to get involved.
"Bite him!" a little boy cheered.
"No, bite her!" another kid shouted, stirring up a ruckus.
Suddenly, the back of the bus was filled with high-pitched laughter and screams as the kids egged Carn and Malinda on. The chaos was growing by the second.
Malinda, biting her lower lip, winked at Carn. She whispered, tempting him, "Maybe not now... but we can try after class,"
Carn just rolled his eyes. He wasn't interested.
'Who the hell are you, anyway?' he thought. He really couldn't remember Malinda, who was his childhood friend.
…
At school, students filed into their respective classrooms. Malinda and Carn entered the same room, where several classmates waved and greeted them. They were about to start a mundane conversation when the bell rang, signaling the beginning of homeroom. Everyone scrambled to take their seats.
Their homeroom teacher, a big woman in her 50s who insisted on being called "Mama," strode into the class. She had five kids of her own and loved taking pride in her role as a mother figure to her students.
"Get seated and be quiet, kids. Mama got some news to tell," she ordered in her usual commanding tone.
Carn barely paid attention. His eyes drifted to the calendar on the wall.
November 29th, 2019.
He blinked several times, rubbed his eyes, and leaned closer to Malinda.
"Sorry if this sounds weird, but... what year is it?"
Malinda gave him a funny look. "What? Did you time-travel or something? What year are you from?"
"Just answer me, please."
"That dream must have messed you up bad. Welcome to 2019, sleepyhead."
2019?
Oh, the starter year of COVID…
The year of COVID?
Wait a second...
Carn felt something was off. He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms.
But wasn't he supposed to be in the 10th grade in 2024?