Heimin awoke to a voice he had never heard—yet somehow recognized.
It wasn't a sound in his ears, but a whisper echoing through his skull, rising from within his bones.
The first trial had begun.
Survival wasn't for the strongest, but for those most honest with themselves.
He slowly opened his eyes.
He was in his office—the same wooden desk, the same scattered papers. But the air felt heavier, and the silence… suffocating.
He glanced out the window.
The world had frozen. People stood motionless, as if trapped in time.
Time had stopped. The world had broken—without a sound.
He stood.
Took a slow sip of cold water. Closed his eyes.
Something inside him screamed.
It felt like he'd lost something… something he couldn't name.
"I don't understand… but if I stay here, I'll lose something."
He ran.
Not because he knew where to go, but because something deep within begged him to move.
His heart pounded—not from fear, but from something else.
A fifth sensation… something that felt like sorrow.
He reached a shadowed courtyard, veiled in black smoke.
And there—he saw what he wasn't ready to face:
A woman falling.
A child screaming.
A massive man raising a hammer.
Heimin stepped back. His eyes trembled.
"Too late… too late again…"
His mind couldn't make sense of it.
But still—he moved.
He raised his hand.
There was no weapon. But something surged from his chest to the tips of his fingers.
Then—
Activation detected: Perception Sharpness – Level: Unknown.
Condition: High emotional stress.
He didn't understand.
But his focus locked on the man.
The hammer swung, aimed at the child's skull.
Without thinking, Heimin lunged forward, pushing the boy aside just as the hammer crashed down.
The blow missed.
The man turned to strike again.
Heimin screamed—not like a warrior, but like a drowning soul:
"Stop!!"
In that instant, the air shuddered.
The man dropped to his knees, hands trembling.
His eyes widened, as though staring into a nightmare.
Then—he collapsed.
Heimin stood frozen, breathless.
He didn't understand what had just happened.
The child sobbed, looking up at him with tearful, questioning eyes.
"My mom… she died. Why didn't you save her?"
Heimin had no answer.
He knelt down in front of the boy.
"I'm sorry… I was too late."
"Who are you?"
Heimin paused… then said softly:
"I don't know yet. But I don't want to see you fall like I did."
He reached out his hand.
The boy hesitated… then took it.
And deep within him, a quiet voice echoed:
Hidden Skill – Not fully activated.
Status: Primed.
Source: Unknown.
Narrator:
He wasn't a savior. He wasn't a hero.
Just a man… afraid of losing something before even knowing what it was.
And in a world that offers no second chances…
Sometimes, a single step forward is enough—to be born again.