Ms. M

Sirius Arepi lay on the ground with his head blown open, looking thoroughly dead.

"Huff, huff..."

Li Ran lowered the revolver, gasping for air.

As the adrenaline of the fight faded, he finally felt how exhausted he was, and the places where he had been struck earlier began to ache even more.

His mind was a blank slate, and he was suddenly struck by a powerful sense of unreality.

Am I dreaming? Transmigration, hallucinations, murder—these are things I've never encountered in over twenty years of living... Could all of this just be a dream?

Just as he was thinking this, Li Ran was shaken awake.

"Luther, are you okay!"

Cecilia's lovely face appeared before him, her hands gripping his arms tightly, her worry plain to see.

It seems it wasn't a dream.

Li Ran came back to his senses and couldn't help but sigh.

"I'm fine."

He said casually, standing up to look around.

Cecilia watched him with concern, but she didn't say anything more.

Among the pile of debris that had fallen from the drawer was a mirror. Li Ran reached out, picked it up, and looked into the Mirror Surface.

Inside the mirror was a young man of striking appearance, with black hair, blue eyes, and sharp, handsome features. He was wearing a thick straitjacket covered in sturdy black leather straps. If all those straps were buckled, he likely wouldn't be able to break free no matter how much he struggled. His face was gaunt and pale, and deep within his azure eyes, there seemed to be a trace of inescapable madness and pain.

Beyond handsome, he looked slightly sickly.

This is... Luther?

Li Ran quickly matched this face with the memories of the past.

No, I should say now, this is me.

He thought with a bitter smile, and the young man in the mirror smiled miserably in return.

Li Ran, who had died in a car accident on a certain blue planet, had been resurrected in the body of a mentally ill youth in another world, inheriting all of his memories. At this moment, Li Ran felt surprise, confusion, fear, and regret... but in the end, he still wore a helpless smile.

Looking on the bright side, it was better than being truly dead. Since this was reality, he would just have to accept it calmly.

So from now on, I am Luther.

Li Ran—no, Luther—said to himself.

Cecilia, standing to the side, was still watching him with concern. Luther smiled and was about to say something comforting when he heard a commotion outside.

He reached out and pulled back the curtains, and crimson moonlight immediately spilled across the floor, giving him an even stronger sense of reality about being in another world.

Through the window, he could see the scenery outside.

It was night; a red moon was embedded in the sky, gas lamps illuminated the road, and a four-wheeled carriage clattered past. Several people were standing outside, men and women, looking like local residents. They were staring at the house where Luther was with suspicion and unease, discussing something among themselves; the noise came from them.

Damn it, the gunshots!

Luther felt a jolt in his heart and reacted immediately. He had fired six shots in a row; the nearby residents must have heard them. If they followed the sound and came up to see the corpse on the floor, what would he do?

But then he calmed down.

Even if they see the corpse, so what? I acted in self-defense! It was that old bastard Sirius who came to attack us first! Besides, he's covered in tumors now, like a monster. Any normal person can see there's something wrong with him; it's obvious who the good guy is and who the bad guy is.

Thinking of this, Luther felt a bit more at ease. After a moment of thought, he turned to Cecilia and said, "Cecilia, go downstairs and call the police."

"Call the police?"

Cecilia's eyes widened.

"Otherwise what? Do you think we can run away or cover this up?"

Luther said, glancing at his cheap sister.

Cecilia was just like Luther, with black hair, blue eyes, and outstanding looks, though compared to Luther's sickly state, she had a bit more youthful vitality.

"If we report it immediately, we can take the initiative. Not reporting it would only make us look suspicious. As long as we explain it was self-defense, they shouldn't give us a hard time."

"Oh, okay. Luther, aren't you coming with me?"

"I'll stay here to protect the scene."

Cecilia nodded, turned, and ran out in a hurry.

Through the window, Luther watched his sister rush out of the house. The onlookers were startled and scattered in a flurry, trying to avoid her, but they quickly gathered again after she left, all of them wearing curious expressions, much like a flock of ignorant sheep.

She should know to find a patrolman on the street, right? She won't run all the way to the police station, will she?

Well, let's hope so.

Luther thought to himself, his breathing gradually steadying.

The room soon became quiet, so quiet that he could hear the sound of blood dripping on the altar. Sirius's corpse lay face up; the bullets had blown off the top of his skull, and combined with his already torn mouth, his face looked increasingly terrifying.

This is actually pretty creepy...

Luther Rondal's mouth twitched as he rummaged through the clutter on his desk to find pistol cartridges. Only after reloading the revolver did he feel a sense of security.

When he turned his gaze back to Sirius, he suddenly noticed a stark patch of white against the black-robed corpse. Stepping closer to inspect it, he discovered it was several folded sheets of letter paper.

The wind blew the pages open slightly, revealing a single name—

Luther Rondal.

Is this letter about me?

Staring at the sheets, Luther hesitated for a moment before crouching down to pinch them between two fingers.

Logically, he should preserve the crime scene, but his intuition told him that this letter likely contained vital information regarding himself.

Luther unfolded the paper.

The letter was written in Rooseveltian. Luther sifted through his memories, quickly becoming familiar with the script, and began to read slowly:

[Respected Ms. M:

Following your instructions, I have successfully gained control of Luther Rondal. You were right; he carries a dense aura of the Lord. Yet, Ms. M, while I feel joy, I also harbor an immense hatred for him!

He possesses the Lord's aura, and he can encounter the Lord in his hallucinations to listen to the Lord's teachings. This is a blessing all of us believers crave, yet he, this damned Luther Rondal, actually claims he hates his own fate and despises those hallucinations!

This blasphemer, this ignorant, stubborn fool! How dare he!

He is unworthy of being so close to the Lord; he should become the sacrifice for the Lord's descent! I can feel it—the Lord is within his body, and his filthy shell is imprisoning the Lord's will!

Lord! Oh, Lord!

I cannot wait another moment! I know now! This must be the trial the Lord has sent for me, it must be! I will use his death to summon the Lord's descent!

Today is his eighteenth birthday; from a mystical perspective, it is the most opportune moment!...]

It was a frantic letter filled with malice. The handwriting at the beginning was relatively neat, but as it progressed, the strokes became increasingly wild and chaotic. Combined with Sirius's deranged phrasing, it was clear the author was not in a sound state of mind.

It seems Sirius was already unstable when he wrote this, Luther thought to himself. No wonder he resorted to blood sacrifice.

However, despite the madness, the letter revealed some terrifying information.

Sirius's approach to Luther Rondal was indeed premeditated. He likely belonged to some secret organization and had received orders to monitor Luther, writing the letter to report the situation to his superior, "Ms. M"—though he had descended into madness halfway through.

Furthermore, there seemed to be something genuinely wrong with Luther's body, apparently related to the "Lord" Sirius spoke of. Combined with Sirius's sudden mutation, it was possible that this world contained elements of the mystical.

What the hell... is my body being targeted by a cult?

He couldn't help but frown.

Does this mean I might be captured for blood sacrifice by lunatics like Sirius in the future?

What a load of absolute bullshit...

Luther took a deep breath, feeling a mix of agitation and unease.

Just then—

"Bang!"

Without warning, Luther felt a massive force strike his chest, and the world before his eyes suddenly lurched forward. The next instant, his back slammed hard against the cold, hard floor.

Only then did he realize he had been shoved onto his back!

The pitch-black ceiling filled his vision, and a shattered, horrific skull slowly poked out from below.

It was the persistent Sirius!

His skull had been blown open, yet he could still move!

His heavy body pressed down on Luther, crawling toward him with stiff, sluggish movements.

"Bang! Bang!"

Luther's hair stood on end, filled with shock and rage. He raised his revolver and pulled the trigger frantically at Sirius's head. The bullets passed through one after another, turning Sirius's skull into a mangled mess, yet even so, he continued to pin Luther down.

This was nothing more than a walking corpse!

Sirius reached out his withered, aged palm toward Luther's face. On the palm was a twisted black mark. The mark seemed alive, writhing and contracting until it pierced through the skin, transforming into a small sphere mixed with blood and black veins, floating silently in defiance of physical laws.

"Get away! Get away!"

Luther sensed a dangerous aura emanating from the sphere. He roared, smashing the butt of his revolver against Sirius's body. He wanted to break free from the restraint, but his body was held tightly by the other, leaving him no room to escape!

He saw Sirius's blood-smeared face twitch, as if he were smiling.

"Lord, please save us..."

Sirius's tone was cold and hollow, his movements stiff as he slowly shoved the black-and-red sphere into Luther's mouth.