Adrian—no, the man who once was Adrian—opened his eyes to darkness.
Cold metal pressed into his spine. The air smelled like chemicals and untouched silence. When his vision finally adjusted, he realized he was lying on a steel mortuary table.
Around him were bodies. Covered. Still. Dead.
Why… why am I here? Wasn't I… in that other world?
His limbs felt brittle, like bones wrapped in forgotten skin. Every breath scraped his throat. Yet somehow, he moved. Inch by inch he sat up, slid off the table, and staggered toward the door.
His trembling fingers touched the handle.
It opened.
A long hallway revealed itself—dim, flickering lights trembling overhead.
Instinctively, he raised his hand.
Violet mist curled around his fingers, mixed with faint green luminescence—power he had brought back from another world. Its glow painted the corridor with an eerie beauty.
He took three slow steps forward.
That's when he heard them.
Voices. Footsteps. Flashing torches.A rescue squad surged down the hallway, dressed in full-body medical suits, masks, and helmets glowing under their lamps.
Adrian froze.
They stopped too—staring wide-eyed, whispering in disbelief. A man rising from a morgue table was not something they expected.
The one leading them—Ventilation Squad Leader Il-Seon—stepped forward.
His voice wavered between fear and duty.
"You… how are you alive? Are you human? Or… one of the monsters?"
The others stiffened, gripping their tools tighter.No one moved.
Adrian blinked.
Monsters?
Another rescuer quickly pulled Il-Seon aside and whispered urgently:
"He must be a patient from ICU. Maybe ventilation failed during the quake. Look at him—he's practically skin and bone. He isn't a monster."
Il-Seon exhaled and nodded.
"Alright. Escort him. He needs evaluation."
A Korean assistant with a gentle voice approached.
"Hello. I am Jing-Ul. Nice to meet you."
Another spoke behind him.
"Yes, I'm Ulson."
Ulson handed Adrian a compact gas mask and a half-body protective suit.
"Take this. It's the only spare we have."
"Oh… thank you."
Adrian wanted to ask about food, about where he even was—but something told him to wait.
He followed them quietly through the dim corridor, observing every detail. Machines lay broken. Doors were dented. Emergency lights blinked like dying stars.
After a minute of silence, Adrian finally whispered:
"…Where are we going?"
"To the bunker," Ulson replied.
"Bunker?" Adrian frowned. "Is there… a war?"
Ulson chuckled softly."You… you're not from this world, are you?"
Adrian's heart skipped.
How did he guess?But technically… he was from this world. Just not this timeline. Not this state.
"What are you talking about?" he forced a laugh.
Ulson waved it off."Never mind. You clearly don't know anything about the world's new catastrophe."
Adrian's face tightened."Can you… explain?"
Jing-Ul didn't look surprised.
"Oh—Il-Seon warned us your memory might be damaged. It happens to many survivors."
He slowed his pace, then asked:
"What is your name?"
Adrian hesitated.
His true name felt far away.Another name—the name he lived with in the other world—rose softly within him.
"…Trisen."
Jing-Ul nodded.
"Alright, Trisen. Then listen carefully."
He inhaled deeply, his voice lowering.
"You remember the great earthquake on June 20th, right?"
Trisen nodded faintly.
"After that," Jing-Ul continued, "something worse happened. A white mist erupted from everywhere—ground, oceans, sky. It swallowed the entire planet."
He pointed at a window.
Only a thick wall of white fog pressed against the glass.
"Transportation collapsed. Planes fell. Ships vanished. Communications died. The world entered full-scale panic. Scientists couldn't find the origin. We call it the Veil Mist."
Trisen narrowed his eyes.
"And the suits? Why all the protection?"
Jing-Ul's expression hardened.
"Because this mist… isn't normal. When ordinary people breathe too much of it, some fall violently ill. Others get paralyzed. A few…"He swallowed."…never wake up again."
Trisen froze.
"What do you call the disease?"
"Mist Corruption."
He looked at Trisen's thin, fragile frame with pity.
"The very weak—patients, elderly—were hit hardest. A few died. But most survived with treatment."
They walked in silence for a moment.
Then Trisen asked quietly:
"So… what happens now?"
Jing-Ul exhaled.
"Now? …Now the world tries to survive inside the Mist."
His tone dropped into a cold whisper.
"And pray that whatever is hiding inside it… never wakes up."
They moved deeper into the facility.
Citizens had been evacuated from contaminated zones.Teams rushed around carrying portable motors—machines meant to blow away pockets of Mist from houses so it wouldn't seep indoors.
"What a clever idea…" Trisen murmured.
He turned to Ulson.
"So… no deaths from the Mist yet?"
Ulson shook his head.
"Not officially. But weak patients are collapsing more often… and scientists think this Mist may lead to something chaotic. That's why President Gohil Methan declared a Black Alert."
He leaned closer, lowering his voice.
"I also heard rumors… that a rural village in Central Asia vanished. Completely. People, animals, buildings—gone. No traces. Nothing."
Ulson laughed nervously.
"It's probably just a ghost story. Don't tell me you're scared?"
Trisen forced a smile.
They finally reached the last sector.
Outside, Trisen noticed something unsettling:Buildings, trees, cars… everything stood frozen inside the Mist, untouched and unmoving.
People breathed normally.But their masks stayed on.
"This is strange," Trisen whispered. "Everything looks normal. Maybe this mist… isn't dangerous?"
He tried to convince himself, but deep inside, he felt the Mist watching them.
"It's not like some dangerous creature will suddenly appear and kill everyone, right?"
Ulson chuckled.
"Scientists don't understand the Mist at all. No origin. No behavior pattern. It's unreal."
He looked ahead, his voice softening.
"We'll reach the bunker in ten minutes. Keep me company—I'm bored. After the Black Alert, our sector president Genghis Kang ordered full evacuation underground."
He paused.
"People who collapsed from Mist Corruption were transferred to the deepest area of hospitals."
Trisen blinked.
"But our central hospital doesn't even have a bunker."
"True. That's the old model."
Ulson's voice softened.
"I had a daughter, you know. She died in the Great Rumble three months ago."
"The… earthquake?"
"Yes. Millions died. I was in Safety Department. I transferred here afterward."
Trisen didn't know what to say.
Ulson stared ahead, voice trembling.
"We're trying everything to clear the Mist. Scientists built massive motors to disperse it. But it always comes back… like it's alive."
His final words hung in the air.
"We clear a house—Mist returns.We clear a road—it fills overnight.It's not fog… or gas.It's something else."