"Kang Chul, are you okay? Tell me if anything hurts."

  A familiar voice lingered in my ear.

  I barely managed to open my eyes. A figure wavered beyond my blurry vision. Eyes filled with warmth and anxiety were looking at me.

  It was my mother.

  My heart sank. I couldn't believe I was still alive. My last memory was of cold soil covering my face, the moment my breath was about to stop.

  'Have I returned from death?'

  Beep, beep, beep.

  The cold, mechanical sound of the heart monitor filled my ears. The rhythmic beeping added a sense of reality.

  Only then did I notice my surroundings. Medical staff in white gowns were bustling about beneath fluorescent lights, checking equipment. The smell of antiseptic stung my nostrils.

  My body still felt numb. It was as if my body was here, but I didn't exist in this world. Even moving a finger felt like an action from a distant realm.

  'I nearly died... how am I here now?'

  "What happened? Why were you on that mountain?"

  My mother's voice trembled.

  My mind went blank at her words. That mountain...? Suddenly, memories of terror and pain flooded back. Being dragged away in the middle of the night, the ground being dug up with shovels, and soil pouring over me.

  The memories gradually returned. Right. I almost died there. Buried deep in the ground, as my breath was about to stop...

  And...

  The meteor shower.

  "What happened? Mom? How did I end up in the hospital?"

  My mother couldn't respond immediately to my question. Her eyes, mixed with anxiety and relief, swept over my face.

  "The police called. They contacted me after seeing your ID in your wallet. You can't imagine how shocked I was..."

  My mother's voice trembled. Her words strangely weighed on my chest.

  "I called you so many times... I couldn't sleep because I was so worried." She tightly held my hand. Her voice, usually so cool, was filled with concern. Our relationship had always been like oil and water, but at moments like this, she was just an ordinary mother.

  'Police? Was I reported dead? Or was I found alive?'

  Relief washed over me on one hand, but bigger questions arose on the other. Who could have found me deep in those mountains?

  Just then, groans echoed throughout the ward. Not just one or two. People moaned in pain from all directions. Bandaged patients writhed on their beds.

  "They say a meteor shower hit around our city. Fortunately, they weren't large, but it's chaos everywhere-like we've been bombed."

  'Meteor shower...'

  The moment I heard those words, my mind went blank. The flashing azure light and flames cutting through the sky vividly returned to my memory.

  A meteor shower had fallen on that very mountain where I was?

  My mother continued her explanation.

  "They say you weren't seriously injured even though you were so close. Others nearby either died or were severely hurt... Heaven must have helped you."

  Heaven helped me? No, there was something even stranger.

  'That's right... I was buried in the ground. Could that have protected me from the meteor's impact? But how did I survive deep in that soil?'

  I looked out the window. The sound of ambulance sirens occasionally reached my ears. Busy helicopters flew above the city covered in gray clouds.

  At that moment, a nurse approached.

  "I'll start by drawing blood."

  The nurse ran her hand over my arm, holding a syringe.

  But suddenly her face hardened.

  "Huh? The vein..."

  She carefully tried inserting the needle again, but failed once more.

  "That's strange. Let me try one more time."

  She pressed down harder on my forearm with her other hand and tried again, but the needle still wouldn't go in.

  This time she concentrated so intently that beads of sweat formed on her brow as she searched for a vein, but...

  "The blood... isn't coming out."

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  Even I was baffled.

  I clearly felt the needle piercing my skin, but not a single drop of blood flowed. It was as if my skin naturally repelled the needle.

  At that moment, breaking news came on the television in the ward.

  [Last night's meteor shower that struck downtown has resulted in 10 confirmed deaths and dozens of serious injuries.]

  The reporter delivered the scene with urgency.

  [The affected areas look as if they've been bombed. Roads are cracked everywhere, parts of buildings have collapsed, and there are concerns about additional damage as people are still missing.]

  The screen showed rescue workers searching for missing persons amidst the rubble.

  My heart raced as I watched the TV screen. The color of the meteor shower in the news matched exactly with the light I had last seen.

  I swallowed hard.

  'That teal light... it came from the falling meteors.'

  What if my survival wasn't a coincidence?

  Just then, the nurse said,

  "You need to get an X-ray."

  I nodded slightly. I changed clothes and headed to the imaging room.

  "Hold your breath."

  I stopped breathing as instructed by the radiologist.

  At that moment, a strange sensation spread through my chest.

  'Huh? What's this?'

  It felt like my chest was expanding. My lungs seemed to be filling with air even though I wasn't breathing.

  "I'm not breathing."

  The situation was the same during the second scan. My chest continued to expand.

  'Something's strange. What's happening to my body...?'

  The radiologist looked anxiously at the monitor.

  "This is odd. I'll send the images to the department head."

  Shortly after, the surgical department head and the radiologist were looking at the films together, talking in low voices.

  "The lungs seem normal..."

  Anxiety was etched on my mother's face as well.

  "Fortunately, there doesn't seem to be a major injury, but we need additional tests. The blood draw didn't work either..."

  The department head muttered.

  "I think we need an MRI. We can't take this lightly after what you've been through."

  I wore a doubtful expression.

  "I don't feel much pain... Is that really necessary?" In truth, my body felt no pain at all. The agony from yesterday's beating had disappeared as if it were a lie.

  My mother looked at me with worried eyes.

  "Kang Chul, let's do as the doctor says. It's the only way to feel at ease."

  After a moment's hesitation, I finally nodded.

  As I moved to the MRI room, I noticed strange changes in my senses. Distant conversations sounded as clear as if they were whispered right next to me. I could even distinctly hear ambulance sirens from several floors below.

  "Is that patient also a victim of the meteor shower?"

  "Yes, I heard he was found nearby."

  The nurses' conversation from far away pierced my ears. I realized I was being treated as a special case.

  The MRI room was filled with cold air. The low vibration from the machine penetrated my ears much more intensely than before. When the cold metal bed touched my back, a sensation I'd never felt before flowed across my skin.

  "Now you'll enter the machine. Don't move."

  The radiologist's calm voice came through. As the machine operated, my body was slowly pushed into the tunnel.

  The narrow space, the dull mechanical sounds... and the feeling of a powerful magnetic field piercing my brain. The MRI's strong magnetic waves began to stimulate deep memories in my brain.

  'What is... this sensation...?'

  Suddenly, pain like my entire body was burning up washed over me. It was as if something inside my body was strongly reacting to the MRI's magnetic field.

  'This...!'

  Everything went white before my eyes.

  My head felt like it was exploding. At the same time, broken memories came flooding back.

  ＃＃＃＃＃＃＃＃＃＃

  White light cut through the sky. A massive explosion unleashed vibrations that shook the entire ground.

  As the meteor collided with the earth, the surrounding air heated up intensely. The shock wave pushed me backward.

  When I came to my senses, I saw a huge crater in front of me. Flames were shooting up into the sky around it. Burning trees, red flames swallowing the darkness.

  In the center of the crater was something emitting a teal light. It was writhing like a living creature.

  Every breath I took felt like my lungs were on fire.

  And then I saw a severed arm in front of me. A distinct snake tattoo was visible on the blackened skin.

  But only the arm remained; the rest of the body was gone. It looked as if it had been cleanly cut off.

  "The tiger tattoo... where did it go?"

  I muttered, looking at the flames. Clearly, most of the tattooed men were dead. The dragon tattoo was over there, and I'd found the snake tattoo too.

  But only the man with the tiger tattoo had disappeared.

  That's when it happened.

  Rustle.

  The sound of leaves brushing against something came from somewhere. I instantly realized.

  Something was moving. I swallowed hard and turned my gaze.

  There was a clear, transparent liquid. It seemed to flow from the meteor's impact point. It was slowly but surely approaching me.

  It was alive.

  The liquid, occasionally emitting a teal light, moved as if it had intelligence. Its sticky movement felt like it knew of my existence. I instinctively stepped back.

  But it came closer and closer.

  Then it paused. As if exploring me, it seemed to look around.

  Then suddenly it began to invade through my nose.

  It happened so suddenly that I had no time to avoid it.

  "Urgh...!"

  It was unbelievable. A mushy sensation flowed from my nose down to my throat.

  The tangy feeling crept down my throat into my chest. It felt like it was exploring my entire body.

  Extreme fear washed over me.

  "No...!"

  I tried to resist by moving my body, but it was already too late. The liquid had already deeply penetrated inside me.

  At that moment, pain like an electric current enveloped my entire body.

  "Ah...!"

  It felt like my entire body was being torn apart. I collapsed to the ground from the pain of my bones and muscles contorting.

  'What... what is this?'

  A strange energy surged somewhere within my body. It felt like it was flowing through my blood vessels, changing each cell one by one.

  The meteor, the tattooed men, and this strange liquid...

  Everything seemed connected. This life form from the meteor seemed to have chosen me.

  But that wasn't what mattered right now.

  I gasped for breath, placing both hands on the ground.

  My fingertips trembled slightly.

  ＃＃＃＃＃＃＃＃＃＃

  "Hey... wake up!"

  A strange man's voice struck my ear. My mind was confused.

  It felt like I had just woken up from a deep dream.

  But the moment I opened my eyes, my body froze.

  For a moment, I couldn't hear anything. Then suddenly everything poured in.

  'Where am I?'

  A man with a surprised expression stood in front of me. His face was mixed with worry and bewilderment.

  "Everyone was surprised when you didn't wake up after the MRI finished."

  MRI?

  That's when the memories fell into place like a puzzle.

  The examination room. The MRI machine. The sensation of a magnetic field penetrating my body.

  And... those bizarre scenes I had just witnessed.

  'Was it a dream? Or... another reality?'

  I clutched my face. My fingertips trembled slightly. My head was clear, but a strange sensation enveloped my entire body.

  And when I got up...

  'What the...?'

  I had merely moved, but my body felt too light. It wasn't simply refreshing. It felt like freedom, as if gravity had been reduced by half.

  And my senses were completely different. The fluorescent lights were unusually vivid. Even the texture of the cloudy sky outside the window was crystal clear. "My glasses?"

  Various layers of sound overlapped in my ears. Conversations from the next room, footsteps in the corridor, even the quiet whispers of doctors...

  Various smells rushed into my nose all at once. The scent of patients, the antiseptic smell of medical staff, even the food smell wafting from the distant hospital cafeteria.

  'This is... definitely strange.'

  Anxiety and a peculiar excitement washed over me simultaneously.

  ＃＃＃＃＃＃＃＃＃＃

  "Patient Kang Chul, please come in."

  At the nurse's call, I headed to the consulting room with my mother. The doctor examined my face carefully and then opened his mouth as he checked my chart.

  "Everyone was worried when you didn't wake up during the MRI. Are you feeling alright now?"

  Doubt lingered in his gaze.

  I slowly nodded.

  "Yes, I actually feel lighter than before."

  The doctor paused briefly at my words. Then as he clicked the mouse a few times and flipped through the chart, his expression gradually hardened.

  "...Hmm."

  After a moment of silence, he enlarged the screen and spoke slowly.

  "There is a small lump on your brain."

  My heart sank.

  'Lump...?'

  I swallowed hard. A lump on my brain. The word itself was ominous, far from a minor issue.

  "Is it a brain tumor?" My mother's voice trembled.

  The doctor took off his glasses and stared intently at the monitor.

  "I can't say for sure that it's a tumor. The shape is... unusual."

  He manipulated the mouse again and flipped through the images, his frown deepening.

  My mother asked with a worried face.

  "Is there a problem...?"

  I opened my eyes wide and stared at the doctor's face.

  My heart pounded violently.

  "...Why is that?"

  Then, the doctor picked up a pen and pointed at the monitor.

  "Here... and here... and here."

  Three MRI images appeared on the screen. They were taken at different times.

  But something was strange.

  The lump was in different locations. In the first image, it was in the front; in the second, on the left; and in the last, on the right.

  I was confused.

  "Does that mean there are three lumps?"

  My mother's voice was full of anxiety and fear.

  But the doctor's answer was even more shocking.

  "...No."

  He took a deep breath and spoke calmly.

  "There is only one lump. It changed locations during the continuous scans."

  I stared blankly at the monitor.

  'If there is only one lump, why does it change locations?'

  "But..."

  His finger pointed at the screen again.

  "This lump... is moving inside your brain. It kept changing locations even during the MRI scan."

  Suddenly, I was breathless.

  'What?'

  A lump moving inside my brain? What the hell does that mean? Is that even medically possible?

  Every word from the doctor tightened the noose around me.

  At that moment, I felt that alien presence moving inside my head. A faint vibration deep within my brain.

  I instinctively felt it.

  Something incredible was happening inside me.