The sun peeked over the mountains, casting a soft golden light across the sleepy town of Daesong. Birds chirped in the trees, and the smell of fresh bread wafted through the market streets. It was a morning like any other—or so it seemed.
Jin sat on the rooftop of his family's modest home, knees pulled to his chest, silently watching the world stir below. The stillness in the air felt unnatural to him, too perfect. His thoughts wandered—not to the ordinary life he was supposed to live—but to memories that no longer belonged in this world.
Thirty years ago, or rather, thirty years in another time, he had stood against Demon Kings, commanded armies, and mentored the three most powerful figures humanity had ever known: Aira the Saint of Flame, Lucas the Storm Breaker, and Ryo the Void Blade. But now, he was just Jin again—an ordinary teenager in the year 2025, where the world had no idea what he had endured.
"Jin! Breakfast!" his mother's voice called from below.
He blinked, momentarily disoriented, then hopped down with a nimble grace that didn't quite match his supposed age. Inside the house, his younger sister Hana, all energy and chaos, greeted him with a glare.
"You always vanish in the morning," she said, stuffing rice into her mouth.
Jin offered her a faint smile. "Old habits."
His father, Minho, sat at the table reading the newspaper, while his mother, Soojin, poured tea. And next to Hana sat Jin's younger brother, Jace—a quiet kid who spent more time drawing than talking.
It was peaceful.
And it was wrong.
Because somewhere out there, something had followed him back.
---
Later that day, Jin walked through the streets of Daesong, ears tuned to passing conversations. Every now and then, he caught strange snippets—stories of people disappearing in forests, rumors of creatures that couldn't be explained, places that shimmered like mirages before vanishing.
He passed by a newsstand and froze.
"Another gate opened in Gwangju. Authorities claim it's a military test zone," the headline read.
Gate.
The word sent a shiver down his spine. It couldn't be coincidence. In his old world, gates were the root of it all—tears between dimensions that unleashed monsters, corrupted men, and birthed untold tragedies.
His fists clenched.
The world didn't know it yet, but it was changing. Again.
---
That night, he stood in a clearing just outside town. A place he used to train as a child. He closed his eyes and listened—not with his ears, but with his soul.
There it was.
A whisper in the wind. A ripple in the mana.
Yes, mana.
It was faint, but growing stronger. The gates were returning, and with them, the balance of the world would shift once more.
He drew a wooden stick and began to move—each motion of his body guided by instinct and memory. He slashed, twisted, parried invisible strikes, and countered with precise footwork. Each swing echoed with a force that bent the air. He didn't need a blade.
His body remembered everything.
From the shadows, a figure watched him. A hooded man, barely visible, crouched behind a tree. He held a strange device—a crystal embedded into blackened steel. It pulsed with light as it scanned Jin's every move.
"He's the one," the figure whispered. "The anomaly."
Then, as quietly as he came, the figure disappeared.
Jin paused, sensing something… off. But the presence was already gone. Still, his unease grew deeper.
If he was right, the world was just at the beginning of a new catastrophe.
And this time, he wasn't sure if he could stop it alone.
Elsewhere, in a city far north, a massive building stood atop a mountain surrounded by clouds—the Elysian Academy. The heart of humanity's hope. Founded by three heroes whose names had become legend.
Inside a grand chamber, Headmaster Vael studied reports with a grave expression.
"Another unstable gate in Jeju," he muttered. "They're accelerating."
A figure entered. A young man with sharp blue eyes and silver hair bowed.
"Sir, we've detected a high mana signature in Daesong. It's not from any known gate."
Vael stood, eyes narrowing.
"Then it's begun."
---
Jin returned home under the moonlight. The lights were off, his family asleep. He stood in the doorway, looking at them from the hallway.
They were safe. For now.
But the peace would not last.
He stepped into his room, pulled a book from beneath his bed, and opened it. It was a journal filled with everything he remembered about the old world—its monsters, its magic, its allies, and its enemies. He would need it.
Because the world was about to remember what it had forgotten.
And Jin… Jin would be ready.