We walked, and we walked.


    Days must have passed. At least, it felt that way. But the moon remained frozen in the sky, an unmoving eye watching over us. The silence was absolute—unchanging, suffocating, endless.


    Huff… Huff…


    Ryan collapsed onto the ground.


    We had no food. No water. No sign of civilization in sight. And yet, we kept walking, kept moving forward on this endless road that stretched into nothingness. Were we even still on Earth? The thought gnawed at me, but the towering pine trees, the thick air, and the only other light in the sky besides the moon—Venus—told me that we were.


    Yes, this was Earth.


    But where on Earth?


    Our destination was the mountain range. Yet the thick undergrowth refused to end, stretching endlessly no matter how far we walked. The ecosystem of a mountain range wasn’t like this.


    Then we must still be in the valley. But there were no hills in sight either.


    "Let''s rest for a while," I said, looking down at Ryan.


    He nodded weakly, his breath shallow. He was on the edge of losing hope. Hunger had hollowed out his face, darkened his skin, and cracked his lips. He looked like a soldier who had marched too far without rest.


    I didn’t care much.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    I was hungry too, but I could still move. Maybe it was my mental strength, my optimism, or my rationality. I considered myself a philosopher, after all. Or maybe it was just my training—my preparation to apply for the military. Either way, I was grateful to my past self.


    As I was thinking, Ryan, who had been silent for the entire journey, finally spoke.


    "Subba, you know..."


    He trailed off.


    I frowned slightly and asked in a hoarse voice, "What?"


    Ryan had always been the obedient type. He never denied anything, always followed orders without question. Just like that time he sat down on the bus with a thud simply because the teacher told him to rest.


    "I’m not from here," Ryan murmured, his gaze fixed on the crimson moon.


    The red glow reflected in his sweat, making it shimmer like a jewel. He was a handsome man—if not for the messy bangs covering his face.


    I listened carefully to every word he said.


    To be honest, I was expecting something ridiculous. Maybe he would say he was from another world. Maybe he would claim he had been isekai’d into our world, and now this was his hero’s arc.


    Such thoughts weren’t rational. But then again, neither was this situation. Time wasn’t moving. The world around us was frozen.


    This wasn’t something humans could do.


    Tck… tck…


    I shook my head, forcing myself to focus on Ryan’s words. But in the back of my mind, I prayed that my absurd thoughts wouldn’t turn out to be true.


    "I’m actually from the countryside," he said. "I have a family there. It’s far from here. My father is a barber. My mother is a housewife. My little sister… she’s in the fourth grade."


    I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.


    Normal words. A normal story.


    Tck… tck…


    I scoffed at myself. I must be losing my mind.


    Ryan started reminiscing. He spoke of his home, his childhood, his family.


    "I wanted to be a doctor. There are very few doctors in my village. I thought if I became one, the people who looked down on us would finally respect us. That I would be the pride of my family."


    He paused. Then added, "Of course, money was another reason."


    It might have sounded like a joke to break the awkwardness, but Ryan sat too straight. His face was too serious.


    Tears began falling down his cheeks. He didn’t seem to notice. His gaze remained locked on the crimson moon. Maybe he was lost in the past… or mourning the future he knew he would never have.


    Ryan was the only person I had left.


    So I decided—I needed to make him trust me.


    "I’m from this city," I said. "My father works at a company. We’re not rich or anything—just normal middle-class people. I also had a dream of becoming a doctor."


    At the mention of "doctor," Ryan’s eyes widened slightly. His lips twitched, and for the first time in what felt like forever, he smiled—just barely.


    I continued, "I want to save people. I can’t stand watching them die."


    Of course, that was a lie. A calculated one.


    Ryan believed every word.


    But that wasn’t enough. To make my words matter, to solidify my authority over him, I threw out one final lie.


    (A lie that, unknowingly, would become the best thing I ever did.)


    "We were from a royal family."


    Ryan’s face stiffened. His mouth fell slightly open.


    He completely believed me.


    This idiot.


    I hid my smirk.


    ---