Accidentally Became the Most Wanted Entity in the Multiverse

The semester wasn't over for Dae.

But his sister's was.

And in the weird math of his family's logic, that somehow meant he was being summoned home. Mid-semester. Zero warning. Like a leftover someone remembered to reheat, out of guilt, not hunger.

The call came at night.

No hello. No how are you. Just:

"Pack your things. You're coming back tomorrow."

No explanation.

But Dae didn't ask for one.

Because deep down, he already knew.

He was never part of the plan. Just an extra piece on the board. moved when convenient, ignored when not.

......

The ride home was silent. Awkward. Thick.

His sister sat in the front seat, scrolling through her phone like she was too cool for sound. Smirking at memes or boys, probably both.

His mother drove like she was dragging something behind her. Not a car. responsibility.

No one asked how he was doing. Or if he'd eaten. Or if he even wanted to come home.

The city passed outside the window in a blur of lights and dust. It didn't feel like returning. It felt like being dropped off at a place you once lived but were never really welcome in.

When they reached the house, nobody said, "Welcome back."

Because no one meant it.

....

His old room hadn't changed. That somehow made it worse.

Same ticking fan. Same cracked switch. Same window that let in mosquitoes but blocked the breeze. A bed that had always been just slightly too short, too cold, too not-his.

But something was… different.

Not in the room.

In the air.

A pressure.

Like the house was holding its breath.

...…

It happened that evening.

A knock at the door.

Three sharp taps. Not casual. Not neighborly.

His mother opened it without blinking.

Standing outside: two men and a woman. Dressed in black. Not cops. Not government. Not normal.

Their suits were sharp. Too sharp. Their expressions even sharper.

No names. No greetings. No badges.

They didn't need them.

Dae watched from the top of the stairs, heart thumping like a warning bell. He didn't know why but something about this moment felt final. Like the last page of a chapter you didn't realize you were reading.

He leaned in.

The voices downstairs were calm, but cold. Too calm.

Whispers wrapped in purpose.

"…final transaction…"

"…unregistered potential…"

"…high compatibility…"

"…worth more than projected…"

Dae's stomach twisted.

And then…

"The ring has chosen him."

His blood turned to ice.

......

He didn't understand. Not fully.

But he knew enough.

They were talking about him.

A leather bag was set on the table. It clinked.

Silence followed.

Then his mother's voice, calling him down like it was just another chore.

"Dae. Come here."

He came. Slowly. Carefully. Like walking into a trap he could already feel tightening.

The three strangers turned toward him, eyes studying, scanning, dissecting. He felt like an animal on display.

The woman stepped forward. Her presence was electric. Cold and commanding.

She held out a black cube.

No latch. No seams. No visible way to open it.

But it… hummed. Softly. Like a machine pretending to be asleep.

"Put your hand in," she said.

"What is this?" Dae asked, throat dry.

"You'll see."

He looked at his parents.

His mother nodded, flat. His father didn't even look up from his phone.

Something inside him cracked.

No panic. No protest. Just a cold, empty knowing.

They didn't care.

.......

Dae stepped forward.

The box shimmered. A perfect hole opened up in the center..liquid, smooth, unnatural.

He hesitated.

Then slid his hand inside.

The sensation hit instantly.

Not cold. Timeless. Like touching the beginning of something that didn't want to be remembered.

His fingers brushed something.

He grabbed it.

And pulled.

It was a ring.

Smooth. Black. Featureless.

But it pulsed.

A heartbeat.

A life.

Light hit it and it shimmered. Not gold. Not silver.

Something older. Deeper. Alive.

The woman's eyes widened just a bit.

The men exchanged a glance.

"He really is the one," one whispered.

Dae's chest tightened. "What do you mean? What is this?"

The woman finally smiled.

"It has a name," she said. "Kairoth."

...…

The name echoed in his bones.

Kairoth.

Dae turned the ring in his fingers, already feeling like he shouldn't be holding it. Like it was watching him.

Then something worse happened.

The briefcase opened.

Inside?

Money.

Neat stacks of it. Beside them: gold bars…real ones. Heavy. Quiet.

Dae stared.

His parents didn't.

His mother looked at the briefcase like it was a promotion.

His father finally set his phone down.

"He's yours now," she said.

No one laughed.

Because it wasn't a joke.

They had sold him.

.......

"I didn't agree to this!" Dae snapped.

But the woman just stepped closer.

She leaned in.

And whispered~

"You won't remember anyway."

The man by the door flicked something small into the room.

A bead.

Glass-like.

It hit the ground. pop.

Smoke. White. Silent. Fast.

Dae stumbled back.

His vision blurred. His limbs turned to water.

The last thing he saw was his mother…

…reaching for the gold.

........

Outside, the sky had changed.

A ship hovered in midair, if you could call it that. It floated like it didn't belong to gravity.

Curved metal. Panels that moved like they were alive. Light flickered from its veins. The air around it shimmered like heat over a summer road.

It looked more like a creature than a craft.

Like a god someone forgot to worship.

The woman guided Dae up the ramp.

He couldn't feel his legs. Couldn't feel anything.

He still held the ring.

Inside, the ship was colder. Not freezing, but clean. Like even bacteria weren't allowed here.

The walls responded to their movement.

Colors changed. Lights bent. The floor was soft, but not soft. The kind of texture dreams were made of.

They walked in silence.

Through halls that curved.

Through doors that opened without sound.

Through memories that hadn't happened yet.

........

They stopped in a small chamber.

One seat.

Metallic. Sleek. Waiting.

Dae sat.

His wrists were gently secured.

No pain.

But no freedom.

The woman looked at him one last time.

"You'll forget this," she said. "It's a side effect. Or a design. Depends who you ask."

"Forget what?" he whispered.

"This. Us. The betrayal. Your name. The people who gave you up."

He blinked.

"…An?" he asked.

A beat.

She didn't answer.

She stepped back.

And the ship moved.

......

No countdown. No announcement.

Just light.

Blinding.

The sky folded inward.

Space twisted. Time cracked.

The world~vanished.

Stars bled into galaxies.

The Earth was gone.

And Dae..

..was gone with it.

......

He woke up with a gasp.

His body felt like it had been unzipped and resealed.

The woman was there.

"We're here," she said.

His wrists were free.

His memory… wasn't.

He looked around, eyes wide.

Where were they?

.......

And then he saw it.

A dome.

Huge. Glass. Covering what looked like a hidden city underwater.

Buildings shimmered with bioluminescent light. Trees glowed. Walkways floated. Above the dome, real ocean swirled.

Fish darted past. A whale drifted by, slow and ancient.

Dae's knees went weak.

They were underwater.

No city he knew. No map could find this.

This wasn't Earth.

Or if it was, it had been rewritten.

...…..

They walked.

Through a reception area that looked like an art museum and a sci-fi set had a baby. People passed by ~ kids, teens, maybe older.

Some were laughing. Some crying.

Some looked broken.

Like him.

A voice called out:

"Dae."

He turned.

A man in a long coat stood beside a mirrored door.

"This way."

.......

Inside: mirrors.

Everywhere.

Floor. Walls. Even ceiling.

He saw himself, fractured into a hundred angles. Hollow eyes. Pale skin. Lost boy.

"Name?" the man asked.

"Dae."

"Place of origin?"

He hesitated. "I… don't remember."

The man nodded. "Expected."

A soft circle lit up beneath him.

"Place your hands here."

Dae obeyed.

The floor pulsed.

Symbols spun in the air~DNA charts, strange glyphs, lines of unreadable code.

"Healthy," the man said. "Strong signature."

A tray rose beside him. Drinks. Each glowing a different color. No labels.

"Pick one," the man said. "Trust your instinct."

Dae reached.

His hand hovered…

Then grabbed the one that shimmered like liquid crystal.

He drank.

...…

Pain.

Not outside. Inside.

His body twisted.

Bones shrank. Skin warped. Vision blurred.

He fell.

Screamed.

Then silence.

He stood.

He was shorter. Younger.

His face… different.

"What… did you do to me?"

The man smiled.

"We've brought you back to your root self. The one you were before the world corrupted you."

Before Dae could answer, she appeared again.

The woman.

Her eyes softer now.

She leaned close.

"I told you," she whispered, "you wouldn't remember."

...….

{To Be Continued}

Next: Chapter 4 – Twenty Unknowns

-><-

He woke up in a room full of strangers, powers no one could explain, and one rule no one dared to break—survive, or disappear like the ones before.

-><-