Something's wrong—this world isn't right!
In the year 2009, at the Sunflower Orphanage, an eight-year-old boy named Shenyuan Yi stood staring at the building cloaked in darkness. What should have been a familiar place now felt eerily foreign.
Everyone—children and adults alike—had vanished without a trace. Beneath this strange, shadowy veil, even the orphanage buildings themselves looked… off.
Shenyuan Yi thought back to his life so far. His previous life was ordinary, just another face in the crowd on Earth, or what he called "Blue Star." Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with a terminal illness at a young age and eventually died from it.
When he regained consciousness, he found himself reincarnated as a young child in a foreign island nation, with little to no memory of any parents. From his earliest recollections, he'd always lived in this orphanage.
Perhaps it was due to the reincarnation, but his past life now felt more like an incredibly vivid dream—real, yet separated by a thin veil of illusion. Through books, television, and whatever he could access, Shenyuan began to realize that this world was completely different from the one he'd known. Despite some surface similarities, this place was entirely separate—perhaps a parallel world.
The most telling evidence? He had superpowers.
He called it psychokinesis, though the name didn't really matter. Its primary function was to enhance his body—speed, strength, resilience. Even as a small child, he could perform feats far beyond normal human limits.
Still, to avoid harming his underdeveloped body, Shenyuan limited his use of this power. He didn't know if overuse could cause long-term damage. It was all speculation—no one was around to teach him.
Life at the orphanage had been peaceful, never requiring him to use his power much. Even so, he'd already established himself as the "king of the kids." His psychokinesis usually manifested as a faint blue aura, and sometimes he could move so fast it was almost like teleporting. But whenever he used this speed, he felt slightly off afterward, so he avoided relying on it.
Whenever he used that ability, it felt like time froze around him—a sensation that reminded him of the god-like speedsters from comic books. It had thrilled him at first.
But that was just the beginning. The second, even more shocking discovery was: ghosts exist in this world.
At first, he'd assumed his powers were unique—or that there might be others like him, hidden from public knowledge, just like in the movies. But he never expected actual monsters to exist.
Over the years, he encountered five or six ghost-like entities. They didn't resemble the ghosts of his old world—no Sadako or Kayako. These were bizarre, grotesque creatures.
And they seemed weak. No one else could see them. Once, a couple visited the orphanage to adopt a child, and Shenyuan saw a mosquito-like creature hovering near them. It had wings like hands and a needle-sharp proboscis. No one else noticed it. He could only assume that only those with powers like his could see them.
But now, something was different.
Tonight, the entire environment had changed. This was no ordinary haunting. Dread, anger, and fear surged inside him.
"Why now—when I'm still weak? I haven't even grown into my power yet!
No—I won't give up. I've been given a second chance. I have powers.
I refuse to die like this!"
Driven by sheer will, he summoned his psychokinesis. His body defied common logic—faster, stronger, tougher. He could easily overpower several grown men. But in this twisted, unfamiliar world, he'd need every ounce of strength to survive.
Elsewhere, a white-haired woman with an elegant figure stood just outside the Sunflower Orphanage. Her eyes shimmered with power as she surveyed the ominous aura wrapping around the building. She was calm—no fear, only fascination.
"From darkness it comes, from shadow to the deepest shadow.
All corruption and filth—be cleansed."
As she chanted, a gray-black ripple spread from above, like a curtain of dark water, covering the entire orphanage. Then, without hesitation, she walked into the darkness and vanished.
"Crap."
Shenyuan Yi looked down at the grotesque corpse of a creature that had just begun to dissolve. Five minutes earlier, he had encountered the first ghost of the night—a fusion of dog and child, howling as it lunged at him.
Panicked at first, he fought back with his enhanced body. It only took a few punches to kill the thing. The scene must have looked like a kid beating up a deformed monster.
But the exit was gone. No matter how far he walked, he always ended up back where he started—like being trapped in a cursed maze. He decided to go deeper instead, hoping to find the source or a way out.
That's when he began running into more of the monsters. Each was different, but all shared one trait—they had features resembling children.
He began to suspect these entities were born from the grudges of orphaned children. It was just like the stories—rage and sorrow manifesting as monsters. And after defeating a few, Shenyuan's fear faded. When you have the power to fight back, ghosts don't seem so scary anymore.
"Uuu… uuu…"
As he walked down a hallway in the staff dormitory, he heard the faint sound of crying. At first, he tensed, thinking it was another ghost. But the sobs felt different.
The sound came from inside a nearby cabinet. Cautiously, Shenyuan opened it—only for a shriek to burst out. Inside were two small, trembling children.
"Hey! Stop screaming! You want to bring the ghosts down on us?!"
The children froze. They recognized his voice.
"Y-Yuan Yi…?"
One boy, one girl. Shenyuan vaguely recognized the girl—her name was Kumiko. She had almost been adopted once, but a birthmark on her cheek had made the couple reconsider.
The kids knew who he was. That made sense—he was infamous in the orphanage after beating up a few bullies with his strange strength. As for why he hadn't been adopted? That was his own decision. Despite his youthful looks and charm, he couldn't bring himself to join a strange new family.
The kind-hearted orphanage director had planned to adopt him herself and send him to school. Many kids raised here had returned later to give back—some even came back to work at the orphanage.
But that was a story for another time.
After calming the two children, he tried to ask what they knew—but they were scared and confused. All they remembered was running and hiding from the monsters.
Suddenly, a loud noise echoed nearby.
Shenyuan's expression changed. He told the children to hide again in the cabinet. If they hadn't been found yet, it was safest to stay hidden.
Because while he could fight these creatures, protecting two small kids while doing so would be too much.
As they ducked back into hiding, Shenyuan sprinted in the opposite direction, footsteps echoing in the empty hallway.
Behind him came unnatural screeches and the sound of clawed limbs scraping the floor.
The monsters were coming.
He needed space to fight—and fast.
(End of Chapter)
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