Fallen Lightbringers' Return

"—two, one, Happy New Year!"

Confetti cannons went off and loud bangs echoed in the distance. Bright lights of many colors shone through the windows, illuminating the small room. The people toasted their wine and drank it in one gulp. It was a festive atmosphere.

Lee Dojin looked at the unfathomable situation. Simultaneously, He held his head in pain as he felt like it had been split in two. He felt as if the world was spinning and was came close to puking, but he held strong. Still, the thunders in his brain kept ringing out, as if willing to break free at any moment. Not only did it hurt physically, but it also did mentally. He still felt the aftershocks running through his body as he self-destructed and blew the monsters away. Yet now he stood comfortably and alive in a place he had never been before.

There weren't many people at the scene, but they all seemed happy. A woman walked away from the crowd, seemingly looking for something. Seeing Lee Dojin standing alone in the corner, she approached him.

"Hey, why are you so gloomy? It's a new year. At least for today, show some kind of reaction, will you," the woman asked, but didn't appear convincing since she herself carried a stone-cold face. She didn't look angry, rather, her countenance showed no emotion.

As the pale Lee Dojin grabbed his temples, his sight fell onto the woman too. His eyes opened wide and he forgot all about the vertigo he felt. "Who the hell are you?" At the same time, he held his face, wondering why he could feel anything at all.

"Are you joking around?" The woman was of short stature. She possessed long black hair—similar to him—and green eyes, shimmering like morning dew on fresh grass. She wore a white dress, flowing down to her knees. Her face was without any wrinkles, yet, she seemed incredibly mature, unlike her physical appearance. "Who am I except your mother?"

Lee Dojin held his mouth. A feeling of disgust welled up from his stomach, like a punch, no, a train had split his guts, and his throat began to ache as a slightly acidic taste touched his lips. He felt like he was going to throw up. He stepped a few steps back and fell on his feet.

His mother quickly walked up to him. She asked if he was okay.

"That's impossible," he muttered in shock. Lee Dojin coughed twice. It should not be possible. "Because you..." Because she was supposed to be dead. He had seen it with his own two eyes. Without a doubt, his mother had died. Still, here she stood, as if an exact replica, not even a strand different.

"Because what?" The woman brushed her hair aside. She stared at him, her eyes cold. But to Lee Dojin, it was a welcoming sight. His mother was a woman that never showed many emotions, her expressions were always frosty. To him, her face could not look any warmer right now.

Lee Dojin propped himself up. This was not the time to wallow in useless thoughts. He was sure he had died. For one, that was what his skill had been designated to do. A great attack with a great price. But what made him sure of his perishment were his last thoughts as the light faded away. He had many near-deaths before, but nothing felt quite like this—lungs rupturing, skin bubbling, hair burning.

"A trick? A dream? The afterlife?" Lee Dojin walked towards a window. He did it reflexively, hoping for fresh air. However, when he opened the windowsill, he saw way more than he bargained for. Outside, he saw many people all walking around, fireworks kept popping off, people cheered, fancy neon signs brightened the night. The apocalyptic world was nowhere to be seen. The Seoul tower that had fallen long ago, stood tall and bright in the far distance. A bad premonition overcame him. He turned back, seeing his mother stare at him in concern. He muttered, "Even if it is an illusion, do not wake me up. Not yet, please."

"You're acting weird. Are you fine?"

"What date is it?"

"Huh?"

He asked again, this time more agitated. "What date is it?"

His Mother (or at least the woman that looked like his mother) swirled her wine then answered. "Well, I suppose it is now the first day of 2026." She took a sip. "Geez, is this your way of wanting to celebrate with us together? Aren't you shy? You could have just asked—almost had me worried there."

He felt a sense of incredulous vertigo hit him again. He grasped his head, his long beautiful hair had turned into short straight bangs. He looked at the window's reflection and could almost not recognize himself, he had turned 20 years younger. Things were just a little too weird for him to understand. However, he was not such a weak-minded man that he could not analyse what was going on with all these hints. "It seems that I have returned." He breathed out. "After death, to a time before the Mirage, a time without system, a time before the first advent." He shuddered at that thought.

His mother grabbed his hand and guided him to the other guests. The people weren't a lot. but they seemed intimate with him and his mother. Was it because he had been gone for so long? He couldn't remember for the life of him who they were.

An older lady stepped up. Behind her was a young boy, presumably her son. She wore thick glasses and had a bob haircut. At first glance, the woman seemed to be wealthy, with her designer leather jacket and gold accessories, but after further scrutiny, one would realize that they were mostly fake. "Oh has your son finally decided to join us? I was wondering why he was so silent today."

"Unnie..." Lee Dojin's mother seemed a little displeased, but since there wasn't much emotion in her expressions to begin with, no one but him noticed it.

The older lady continued, "Now that we have the festivities out of the way, why don't we have a little chat?" She laughed in a shrill voice, "See, my son has gotten a recommendation from a University in Boston, don't you think that is great? He always works hard to make me proud."

The son in question grabbed his mother's hand. "Mom, please drop it." He seemed a little embarrassed by what his mother said.

"Aren't you a lucky one," Lee Dojin's mother said curtly.

The woman continued with an disingenuous smile. "He's been starting to take extra lessons from English tutors. See, the teachers are of no use these days, they don't teach anything of value. Did you know that 2/3 of all high-schoolers cannot speak English? In comparison, my son is doing rather well. Say, do you have some tutors you'd recommend?"

"Uhm, my son doesn't have any tutors." His mother lowered her head. "He's doing alright in school, and I think it's more important that he makes friends and learn to socialize."

The lady appeared shocked as she gasped out loud. "Seunhee, how can you say something like that? Socialize? Wake up! Your son can socialize even after he has found a stable job. Do you know how important a career is? Rent is rising, wages are stagnating, food expenses keep piling up—forget a family, how will he feed himself?"

"He—"

"See, my son has already learned to communicate his thoughts properly. He's taken the CEFR and has been certified as a B1. We are thinking of letting him do the TOEFL next Isn't that great?" The lady egged his son on, "Why don't you speak some English, I'm sure they'd like to listen. Oh wait, maybe it is that your Lee Dojin can't speak anything other than Korean?" The woman cackled like a hyena.

Suddenly, Lee Dojin, who had been spacing out the entire time, spoke, "Shut the hell up. I don't care if you are God Himself speaking, I'm trying to think." And he did so in perfect English.

All the people listening (or eavesdropping) were caught in a stupor. He spoke a little too fast for them to understand, but they had a feeling that something incredible had occurred. Only the son of that lady had a different reaction.

The boy looked at his mother and replied in English. "You, you can speak English too?" However, his voice had a thick accent behind it. A stark difference to Lee Dojin.

Lee Dojin rubbed his temples. "Who cares what I speak? I have more important business to attend to." He eyed the boy. An idea popped into his head. "Buddy, lent me that coat you have."

"What?"

"I need that coat." He grabbed the boy by his shoulder. He gestured at the door. "It's cold outside." The boy, seeing his intimidating face, quickly surrendered his coat.

"...Uhm, Hyung." The boy timidly called for Lee Dojin but was scared away by his vicious face. How can a guy be this terrifying? "I, uh-"

Lee Dojin cut him off. "Forget English. Forget tutoring. Forget career. These things will no longer matter." He clicked his tongue and walked out. "Soon, the only thing in your mind will be how to survive in this wretched world."

If he had returned, he needed to see. He had all his knowledge and experience at hand. His skills and items would not be the same anymore, but what did it matter? He could just find them again. The mistakes he had made in the past, the people he could not save, the opportunities lost—it all came back to him. An incredible sensation ran over his body, sending shivers down his spine. However, for now, that was all still in the future. Yes, for now, he needed to understand his situation.