The infinite darkness suddenly vanished, replaced by a blinding light. Eden found himself standing before a man whose hair was silvered with age, his face marked with countless scars that told stories of battles fought. Eden recognized him instantly—this was his body from a past life.
Eden's gaze filled with confusion as he wondered how he ended up here and why he was seeing his old self. Even though he had regained memories of his previous life, he knew this world was torn apart by wars—both among humans and against other creatures. A world governed by the laws of strength, where the strong write the rules, and the weak have no choice but to obey. In this world, prophets were kings, and the commoners were mere slaves. The line between them was power.
In his past life, Eden was an orphan born at the bottom of society, a place worse than the life of pigs. He lived in the back alleys, stealing and eating from garbage. Perhaps he was lucky to join the army, but he lacked extraordinary talent, always teetering on the edge of death. Yet, he survived every time, fighting relentlessly and using any means to stay alive, even sacrificing his allies without hesitation. This earned him the nickname "Hyena" among the soldiers. He didn't care; his only goal was survival and climbing the ranks.
But just as he was close to a promotion, he was abruptly discharged without explanation. He later discovered that the positions he sought had been given to someone else due to the influence of nobles. His heart filled with rage and bitterness, but he realized he was just an insect that could be crushed easily, so he sought another path.
He formed a group of mercenaries, gaining small-scale fame. Later, he decided to marry, but that turned out to be the worst decision of his life. His wife, who was poor, accepted a nobleman's offer to become a maid in his mansion without hesitation. Eden tried to stop her, but she refused, and he was beaten when he tried to convince her otherwise.
His group disbanded due to debts, forcing him back to the battlefields. He spent his life in wars, occasionally hearing about his wife, who became a plaything in a brothel, and about his group members, who either ended up as slaves or dead.
But Eden felt nothing for them—no pity, no hatred. He kept fighting from one battlefield to another until he finally died in a battle against the forces of evil.
Eden looked at his past self—the old man with wrinkled, scarred skin. Every scar represented a battle, as if he had returned from hell.
"Why do these memories still haunt me? Why won't they let me live in peace?"
Suddenly, the other man spoke, saying:
"This is your truth. Why do you wish to deny it?"
"But I want to forget and live a normal life."
"You know everyone who comes near us ends up cursed with misfortune, either dying or suffering."
Eden tried to deny it, but he knew it was true.
"Then why have the memories of my past life returned?"
The old man laughed maniacally and said:
"Because it's your destiny. Yes, your destiny is to be alone and miserable. Your destiny is to walk through seas of corpses and rivers of blood."
Eden felt his consciousness fading, and he suddenly woke up. Morning had come, and the first rays of sunlight were driving away the night's darkness. He struggled to lift his sweat-drenched body and looked at the book in front of him, wondering about its nature and who sent it.
His phone suddenly rang. He pulled it out and saw an unfamiliar number. He answered:
"Who is this?"
"Are you Mr. Eden?"
"Yes, who's calling?"
"I'm Zane's fiancée."
Eden was shocked. Why was Zane's fiancée calling him? Zane had been with him the previous night, giving her a gift.
"What's wrong? Where's Zane?"
A long silence from the other end heightened Eden's anxiety.
"Did something happen to Zane? Please, speak! Where is Zane?"
A muffled sob came through the phone.
"Zane… Zane had an accident last night."
"Is he okay? Where are you?"
"We're at the hospital."
Eden threw the book aside and rushed out, hailing a taxi to the hospital. On the way, he looked up at the sky as dark clouds gathered, blocking out the sunlight.
When he arrived, he hurried to the operating room, finding a group of people standing in front of the doctor. He approached them, but the doctor came out, shaking his head in regret. Everyone burst into tears.
Eden froze in place, unable to move. He couldn't understand why everyone who got close to him ended up dead or cursed with misfortune. He felt guilty, convinced that his presence was the reason for what happened to Zane.
He left the hospital, blaming himself, believing he needed to stay alone to prevent his misfortune from affecting others.
The rain began to pour heavily. He looked up at the sky and said:
"It seems even the heavens mourn with me."
He stood under the torrential rain while everyone else sought shelter. He wanted the rain to wash away his sorrows, sins, and pain.