Chapter 78: I am not him

The room was quiet—except for the muffled groans of a certain unlucky clone.

On the floor sat Zayne, his hair a mess, clothes wrinkled, face swollen with purple bruises that made him look like he’d picked a fight with a mountain. Tears pricked at the corner of his eyes, more from humiliation than pain.

Across from him, Zane dusted off his hands, as if he’d just finished clapping away dirt. A satisfied smile curved his lips.

“That was refreshing…!”

Zayne sniffled, clutching his ribs dramatically. “I–I’m sorry, boss…”

Zane gave him a long look, his smile softening into a sigh.

“Don’t act pitiful. Get up and heal yourself. You can patch up something like this in less than a second.”

“…Right.” Zayne’s swollen mouth tugged into a crooked smile. Slowly, he pressed his palm against the floor and pushed himself up. As he rose, faint threads of green light flickered in and out, shimmering across his body like tiny sparks. By the time he straightened his back fully, the bruises, cuts, and swelling had vanished—his skin smooth and clear once more.

“See?” Zane said flatly.

Zayne rolled his shoulders, testing the result, then smirked at his boss with renewed bravado.

“Anyway, boss… don’t you wanna wake up sleeping beauty over there?”

He jerked his chin toward the corner.

Zane’s gaze followed.

Half-slipped out of the travel bag, Eirenyssa’s pale form rested limply, her hair spilling over the edge like silken strands. The soft rise and fall of her chest was the only sign of life. Her skin seemed faintly luminous in the dim light—like a dormant flame hidden inside porcelain.

Zane’s smile faded into something unreadable as his eyes lingered on her.

Zane turned his gaze back toward Zayne, who was now stretching his shoulders as if nothing had happened.

“Do you want to see and learn about her goals and all?” Zane asked, pointing toward the unconscious figure of Eirenyssa.

Zayne casually put his hand behind his head, his expression nonchalant. “Nah… I already beat her up quite a bit, and honestly, I’m bored of her already.”

Zane gave a small nod, as if he expected that answer. “Then you better get going to your destination.”

Zayne grinned, sharp and carefree. “Got it, boss.” He turned to leave, but just as he reached the window, Zane’s calm voice followed.

“And don’t forget about what I told you from now on…”

Zayne paused mid-step, then chuckled with his healed lips. “Yeah, boss. In the future, if I see anybody with a system or some otherworldly being, I’ll contact you first.”

Without another word, he leaned forward, and his body seemed to blur. He passed through the window as though it wasn’t even there, fading out of sight into the night.

The room grew silent again.

Zane slowly turned his head toward Eirenyssa, who now lay sprawled on the wooden floor. Zayne had taken his dimensional bag with him, leaving her exposed, her once elegant posture replaced with something pitiful.

With a faint smile tugging at his lips, Zane crouched down slightly, his deep purple eyes studying her with interest.

“Now then…” he murmured. “What should we do with you?”

Zane’s fingers tapped lightly against his arm as he studied Eirenyssa, sprawled motionless across the floor.

“Should I bring her to the island… or just stuff her away like Zayne did?”

He let out a small chuckle at the thought, shaking his head. With a flick of his wrist, his grey dimensional bag appeared in his grasp—its surface rippling as if it were made of liquid shadow.

“Simple solutions are always best,” he murmured.

He grabbed her limp form by the collar, lifted her with all the grace one might use to pick up garbage, and casually tossed her into the swirling mouth of the bag. She vanished in an instant, swallowed whole by the void.

Zane then set the bag gently on the bed, patting it once almost mockingly.

“Comfortable enough.”

Without hesitation, he vaulted forward and dove straight into the dimensional bag himself. The room instantly fell silent, empty save for the faint ripple of space where the bag rested—an unassuming object that now contained an entirely different world within.

—

Eirenyssa’s POV

“H…th…”

“He…ther…”

“Hey…ther…”

“Hey you.”

“Hey there…wake up.”

Her eyelids twitched. A heavy fog clouded her thoughts, but that voice pushed against it again and again until her lashes finally fluttered.

Her eyes opened a sliver—just enough to catch a hazy silhouette leaning over her. Her entire body throbbed, every muscle aching like it had been crushed under mountains. Her breath hitched, shallow, pained.

“…!”

Her vision sharpened, and in the next instant her eyes widened. The silhouette became clear.

That face. That man.

The monster who had beaten her mercilessly.

Her pulse spiked, panic flashing across her eyes. Ignoring the screaming pain in her limbs, she tried to push herself back, her arms trembling, her body flinching away from him instinctively.

I have to get away from this monster…!

But the effort only made the pain sharper, tearing through her body like knives. Her breath came in ragged gasps, her mind spinning between terror and the desperate need to flee.

She crawled across the floor, each movement stabbing through her body as if her bones were nothing but shattered glass grinding together. Tears streamed down her face, her breath ragged, her eyes wide with terror.

Her gaze lifted—shaking, unfocused—only to meet him. The same silhouette, the same figure that had reduced her to this state. Panic shot through her veins.

“I—I have to get away… from this monster…” she whispered hoarsely, clawing at the ground as if distance alone would save her.

Then his voice reached her, calm yet carrying a weight that rooted her in place.

“Now, now… calm down, girl. I’m not the one who beat you.”

Her trembling grew worse, tears spilling harder as she still tried to push herself back. Her mind screamed to escape, yet her body betrayed her, broken and frail.

Why… why am I not healing? she thought in despair. I should’ve healed by now…

Zane let out a quiet sigh, shaking his head as if disappointed by what he saw.

“Tsk, tsk… that bastard even tampered with your recovery. Slowed your healing just enough to keep you alive, but not enough to let you recover.”

Her eyes widened, realization stabbing into her heart.

T-That’s why…

And then, with a casual flick of his fingers, a glowing circle manifested above her body. It pulsed with white light, ancient runes spiraling like a chain suppressing her very flesh.

Eirenyssa froze, watching with wide eyes as Zane swept his hand across the air—

crack!

The circle shattered like fragile glass.

Light spilled over her wounds, warmth spreading across every nerve in her broken body. She gasped, unable to believe it—her bones realigning, torn flesh mending, blood fading away.

And then, after fifteen long minutes, Eirenyssa’s body was whole again. No trace of her injuries remained—except the memory of them.

She sat there, staring at him, bewildered. Confusion and fear warred inside her eyes as she whispered under her breath, almost disbelieving—

“Why…?”

Zane leaned back slightly, a faint smile on his lips as he lifted a hand toward his face.

“See? I’m not that guy,” he said calmly, his deep purple eyes glimmering in the dim light. “Look closely. My eyes aren’t like his.”

But then, almost casually, he let the deep purple fade into the same light shade of violet that Zayne’s clone had. In an instant, his features seemed to shift, his aura twisting faintly. He looked identical to the man who had beaten her.

Eirenyssa’s body froze. Her newly healed muscles stiffened as her breath hitched. Her pupils shrank, and tears welled up again. The phantom pain of her broken bones returned in her mind, dragging her into the pit of trauma.

Her lips trembled as her voice broke.

“G–get away… f-from me…!!!”

She pushed herself backward, shaking violently, as if the very sight of him had ripped her open again.

Zane sighed softly, shaking his head before letting the false eye-color fade, returning to his natural deep, abyss-like purple. He raised his hands slowly, his tone low and steady.

“I told you… I’m not him.”

Eirenyssa’s trembling voice cracked, her gaze fixed on the ground, refusing to meet his eyes.

“Y-you… p-please leave me…! P-please..!”

Her whole body shook as though the fear had carved itself into her very bones.

Zane, standing over her, let out a soft sigh. His expression wasn’t anger—it was something unreadable, somewhere between pity and disappointment.

“Whatever,” he muttered, waving his hand dismissively. “If you don’t want to talk like a normal person… this is enough too.”

His voice was calm, steady, as if her desperate pleading hadn’t rattled him in the slightest.

The air between them grew heavy. Eirenyssa’s breathing was shallow, her heart still racing, while Zane turned away, his deep purple eyes dimming for a moment before he began walking toward eirenyssa.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep