Past life memories

A sharp inhale. Hiiiih.

A slow exhale. Aaaah...

Elius Northrim's eyes fluttered open.

His chest rose—then fell. A tremble ran through inside his rib cage as he took another breath.

The ceiling above was unfamiliar. White. Smooth. The morning sun was casting a warm glow that filtered through the windows.

Wait ...

This wasn't his apartment.

This wasn't anywhere he recognized.

His pulse spiked.

He sat up and scanned the room.

A bed.

A desk.

A shelf lined with books.

A window, pale blue curtains swaying in the breeze.

"Where... am I?"

His voice was hoarse, as if he'd been asleep for a long time.

His fingers clenched the blanket beneath him. Then—like a surge of electricity in his skull—memories flooded in.

He was Elius Northrim.

He had been in a store across from his school.

Then—darkness.

"I lost consciousness?" 

Before Elius could piece it together—

BAM!

The door burst open.

A woman stumbled in.

"Elius!"

Her voice was frantic, breathless, thick with panic.

She was beautiful—refined, yet motherly. Long, wavy brown hair spilled over her shoulders, slightly disheveled, as if she had run all the way here. Her face, lined with worry but with radiated warmth.

She rushed to his bedside, hands trembling as they reached for him—then hesitated, making her fingers hover inches from his face.

"What happened to you?! Why did the school call me?! They said you collapsed—Elius, are you okay? Dizzy? Does anything hurt? Do you remember what happened?"

Her words tumbled out in a rush. Finally, her hands settled on his cheeks, cupping his face as if to reassure herself he was really there.

Warmth seeped into his skin.

Elius blinked.

Then—he smiled. It was a warm, genuine smile.

Because at that moment, he remembered something about why he should not take this moment for granted. 

Not in this life—but his past life. A life that he wished he didn't remember. 

He had lived on Earth. 

For him, it was a cold and lonely place. 

He had been the unfavored son. 

Overshadowed. 

Ignored. 

Overlooked.

His brother had been the family's pride and joy. Every birthday, every celebration, every achievement revolved around him.

Elius's birthday? Forgotten.

His brother's? A grand event.

College had been worse.

Elius had worked himself to exhaustion just to afford tuition.

His brother? Their parents paid for everything.

Then—the final betrayal.

The girl he had loved with all his heart was betrothed to his brother by his own parents. 

They had known how he felt.

They did it anyway.

For what reason? 

Due to despair, Elius had drowned himself in games, in a world where he could pretend to be powerful. Pretend he mattered.

He had played for days in sorrow.

Then because he isn't thinking about time—he's now here. But in this Eighteen years of his life, he finally got what he wanted.

A second chance.

A mother.

A real, loving mother.

His heart clenched as new memories surfaced. But he took it for granted. 

He could remember she had sat beside his bed, humming softly as she stroked his hair whenever he was sick.

She had laughed, warm and gentle, ruffling his hair after school.

She, with concern hidden in her nagging, had scolded him for skipping meals.

She had wrapped him in blankets when he came home drenched, pressing a hot cup of cocoa into his hands, muttering, "My silly, silly boy."

She had baked cakes—imperfect, lopsided—but they were for him.

His birthdays had mattered. But he, like other teenagers, took her for granted for eighteen years. 

Shaking his head, Elius knew he had no time to regret; he still had time to bring back the care she had given him.

Elius didn't care about his past life anymore.

Hell—he wished those memories had never come back in the first place.

Why now?

For what reason?

Suddenly, he felt his instinct whisper that something wasn't right, like a strange unease curled inside his gut. 

But Elius shook his head.

He had a home now.

And that was enough.

Suddenly, his throat tightened. His vision blurred.

"Elius?"

His mother—his mother—looked at him with concern in her eyes.

Elius didn't hesitate.

He grasped her hands, squeezing them tightly.

She gasped.

He had never been affectionate before. Never like this.

What happened to him?

Her lips parted, but before she could speak, Elius leaned forward, pressing his forehead against her shoulder.

She froze.

Then—she melted.

Her arms wrapped around him, pulling him close.

"My sweet, sweet, sweet boy," she murmured, pressing kisses to the top of his head. "You scared me so much… Why are you acting like this? Did something bad happen?"

Elius just closed his eyes.

Lavender and home.

For the first time in two lifetimes, he felt safe.

She held him, rocking him gently, whispering soothing words.

Minutes passed.

Finally, she pulled away, wiping her eyes with a sniffle. "You must be bored. Why don't you turn on the TV?"

Elius exhaled, smiling faintly. "Yeah… sure."

He reached for the remote.

Clicked the button.

Bzzt.

The screen flickered to life.

Suddenly, Elius froze. Like his breath was caught by something. 

Because what he saw on the screen should have been impossible.

A news anchor spoke urgently. 

Beside her—footage played.

A massive portal crackled in the sky.

Something monstrous stirred within it.

The scrolling text sent a chill through his spine.

BREAKING NEWS: HERO ASSOCIATION ON HIGH ALERT—A 'S-CLASS' PORTAL TO UNKNOWN DIMENSION OPENS OVER NEW YORK CITY!

Elius's fingers tightened around the remote.

His mother noticed. "Elius?" she asked softly.

But Elius couldn't answer.

His mind spiraled. His fingers twitched. A creeping dread slithered up his spine.

This can't be real.

This can't be happening.

But the more he thought about it, the more everything clicked.

This world—this life that he had lived for eighteen years—was too similar to that.

At first, he had brushed it off as déjà vu.

Even when his past life's memories returned, the familiarity had lingered only at the edges of his thoughts.

But now, staring at the screen, watching that dimensional portal crackle with violent energy—

It could be that world.

A brutal superhero universe from a comic book where civilians were nothing more but mortal casualty. He loved that, he always read that comic.

That story that had been his escape—a world where Earth was nothing but a breeding ground for something far more terrifying.

A world of dimensional rifts.

Of godlike beings.

Of cosmic horrors beyond human understanding.

World of superheroes. 

No. He shook his head.

It's just a coincidence. 

Maybe I'm overthinking it.

But the moment he entertained that hopeful lie—

BOOM!

The portal collapsed violently.

And from its depths, a figure emerged.

He descended like a divine being, arms outstretched, basking in the golden light of the collapsing rift behind him.

His white suit gleamed, pristine and majestic. A golden cape billowed behind him, untouched by the turbulence of the air.

His slicked-back blonde hair, not a strand out of place, glowed under the sky's light.

A chiseled jawline—perfect. 

Symmetrical. 

The very image of human perfection.

This blonde man looks like a power incarnate.

Next thing happened, the media erupted.

Reporters screamed his name.

Civilians wept with joy.

His mother—Shannon—Practically squealed.

"Elius! Elius! Look at him!" she gushed, hands clasped, eyes glittering. "Isn't he just—so handsome? So powerful? Ahh, Radiant Man is truly the pillar of humanity! He's the only reason we're still alive with everything that's happening around us!"

She bounced on her feet, breathless, overwhelmed with admiration.

But Elius?

He froze.

Not with awe.

Not with admiration.

But with sheer, unfiltered despair.

If he had never remembered his past life, he too would have cheered.

He would have believed Radiant Man was Earth's protector.

A beacon of hope.

A hero.

But now?

All he saw was a monster.

Radiant Man wasn't human.

He was an alien.

A being from the Intergalactic Solarion Empire.

And he had one purpose—

To breed.

Earth was nothing more than an experiment.

To test the inhabitants if breeding with them could produce a strong or a perfect offspring—one capable of awakening the Golden Lion Heritage to the fullest.

If Earth's inhabitants failed?

The planet would be wiped clean.

The only reason Earth still existed was because one child had awakened the bloodline in Radiant Man's third and last try. 

The protagonist of the comic.

Solar Man.

Elius exhaled slowly.

As long as Solar Man lived… Earth wouldn't be destroyed.

Radiant Man wouldn't care about anything else.

Only his offspring.

Elius felt sorry for the ones who failed to awaken the bloodline.

For Radiant Man would execute them.

Purge them from existence.

To ensure the Golden Lion lineage remained pure.

Elius clenched his fists.

He wasn't relieved for Earth.

Or for the people worshiping Radiant Man.

He was relieved for himself.

Because he wasn't one of Radiant Man's children.

He was just a bystander.

He had time.

He had options.

He could get stronger before the real threats appeared.

A dreamy sigh snapped him out of his thoughts.

His mother was still staring at the screen.

Cheeks flushed.

Smiling like a lovestruck teenager.

Elius turned to her.

And froze.

Shannon had never acted like this before.

She was the woman who had raised him with love.

The mother who had worked tirelessly to give him everything.

The person he adored with all his heart.

And yet—here she was.

Gazing at that thing with adoration.

A shiver crawled up his spine.

Shaking his head, Elius would think that it should be impossible. 

Shannon turned to him, her voice soft. "Elius?"

He blinked. "Nothing."

She frowned. "Are you sure? You've been staring at the screen this whole time. Don't you think Radiant Man is amazing?"

Her voice glowed with admiration.

"He single-handedly kept Earth safe. He's taken on all the responsibilities left behind by the missing S-Class Heroes. Whenever a new problem arises, he solves it immediately. Isn't that just… incredible?"

Elius inhaled slowly.

His mind was screaming.

The missing S-Class Heroes?

The ones who had vanished?

Radiant Man had killed them.

The moment he sensed one of his offspring was about to awaken the Golden Lion Heritage—He eliminated every potential threat.

He was preparing for the Golden Empire's arrival that would test his son, Solar Man. 

It was also a test to decide Earth's fate. If Solar Man is not in their standard, they would wipe the Earth Clean. 

Elius forced himself to stay calm.

He couldn't let anything slip.

So instead, he simply muttered, "He looks evil."

SLAP!

A sharp sting exploded across his cheek.

The impact echoed through the room like a gunshot.

Elius's head snapped to the side.

His eyes widened.

Shannon had never hit him before.

Not once.

Not even when he was a child.

But now—

She was furious?

Looking at her face twisted with anger, with her chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. Elius felt something wasn't right. 

And then—

She spoke.

Her voice was low. Cold. Unyielding.

"Do not say that."

Immediately, Elius's pulse pounded in his ears.

Shannon took a shaky breath.

Then—her next words sent a bolt of pure horror through every fiber of his being.

"Don't you ever say that," she said, and continued, "to your father."