Assad froze mid-sentence, his heart racing and for a brief moment, everything around him blurred, and a sharp, searing pain shot through his head, like knives scraping against his skull.

  He staggered, pressing his hand against his temple as static crackled in his ears.

  Pixia's playful grin vanished instantly. "Hey!"

  Shuren nearly dropped her cigarette as she leaned in closer.

  "Assad?"

  With his eyes squeezed shut and teeth clenched, Assad felt a rush of fragmented images flood his mind. He saw flashes of blood on the ground, a hand reaching out, and voices that felt familiar yet distant. A scream echoed, followed by a shadow.

  As quickly as it had come, the pain faded away, and his body relaxed as if nothing had happened. He straightened up slowly, shaking his head to clear it.

  Pixia's golden eyes narrowed, having caught that brief flicker of pain, that hint of something off about him.

  "You good?" Shuren asked, her voice laced with suspicion

  .

  "Yeah, just a headache."Assad replied, his tone flat and unnaturally calm.

  Pixia leaned back in her chair, a sly smile creeping onto her lips. But her eyes were still fixed on him, sharp with curiosity.

  "A headache, huh? Didn't look like just that to me."

  Assad chose to ignore her.

  Shuren exhaled a cloud of smoke through her nose, her gaze piercing.

  "...If you're hiding something, it'll come out eventually. Kurayamiya has a knack for bringing secrets to light."

  The atmosphere in the room thickened, heavy with unspoken tension.

  Then Pixia broke the tension with a clap of her hands and a teasing tone, "Wow! All this drama on your first night? You rookies really know how to keep me entertained." She winked.

  Inside, Assad's thoughts were a whirlwind.

  'That pain… What the hell was that? Those images too, were they memories, or something else trying to invade my mind?'

  When he finally spoke, Assad's voice was calm.

  "Anyway what stabbed me wasn't a knife. It was… a syringe."

  The room fell silent, no one said a word. Assad tilted his head, puzzled.

  "...What's wrong? Why are you both staring at me like that?"

  Shuren's cigarette burned down between her fingers, forgotten. Her eyes were fixed on Assad as if she were seeing him for the first time.

  Her voice dropped to a low, deliberate tone, "Are you sure? You're saying it was a syringe that stabbed you?"

  Assad nodded slowly. "Yeah. I'm sure."

  For the first time since he walked in, Pixia's playful smirk vanished. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the desk, her eyes narrowed.

  "What color… was the liquid inside?"

  Assad blinked, trying to dig into his memory. His voice was steady, but unease crept into his words.

  "I didn't see it clearly. But… it looked red and black."

  Pixia froze. Shuren's jaw tightened. Neither of them spoke. The silence that followed was suffocating, heavy with something Assad couldn't quite grasp. He frowned, his silver eyes narrowing.

  "...What? What's so bad about that?"

  Pixia turned to Assad with a smile that was a bit too bright, trying to hide her unease.

  "Well, rookie, looks like you've got yourself one hell of a story etched into your chest."

  Assad didn't miss the fear lurking beneath her grin.

  'Why does it feel like they know something I don't?'

  Shuren let out a thin plume of smoke, her voice slicing through the stillness. "I'll be taking him to the boss now."

  Pixia leaned back, tossing her magazine aside. Her smile was faint, but her eyes were sharp. "Yeah, that's for the best."

  As Assad and Shuren began to walk away, Shuren shot Pixia with a subtle side-eye. Pixia noticed immediately, the unspoken tension hanging in the air.

  Her playful demeanor flickered for a moment, and she gave a small, almost imperceptible nod in response. The two stepped into the dimly lit hallway, their footsteps softly echoing against the wooden floor.

  It was quiet, way too quiet. Even Assad could feel the weight of the heavy air pressing down on them. Shuren's presence felt colder than before, her gaze fixed straight ahead, the cigarette in her hand burning low.

  Assad glanced sideways, trying to shatter the suffocating silence.

  "So… is it always this warm inside? Not what I expected from a place called an 'agency.'"

  Shuren didn't reply.

  Assad frowned, trying again, this time softer. "You smoke a lot. Doesn't it ever—"

  "Quiet."

  Her tone was sharp and icy, cutting through the air. Assad fell silent, his silver eyes narrowing slightly.

  He considered snapping back but thought better of it. Instead, he trailed behind her, his thoughts buzzing louder than the silence surrounding them. Eventually, they reached a heavy wooden door. Shuren knocked on it, firm and steady.

  She knocked again. Still nothing.

  Her brow furrowed slightly, but she remained silent. With a sharp exhale, she turned and started walking again, gesturing for Assad to follow.

  "Forget it. The boss isn't here. You'll see her another time."

  They continued down the corridor until Shuren stopped at another door. She kicked it open with her foot, revealing a small, plain room.

  The room was simple with a bed, one window, and another door must be the bathroom.By the looks of it , if a person wanted this room to be pretty you have to decorate it yourself.

  "You'll stay here tonight," Shuren said flatly. "Don't wander."

  Assad stepped inside, he glanced back, his silver eyes carefully tracking her movements. Shuren hung in the doorway for just a moment, their eyes locking hers icy and unreadable before she finally closed the door, leaving him enveloped in silence

  .

  Assad sank onto the bed, his gaze fixed on the ceiling. Thoughts raced through his mind.

  'That syringe… the swirling red and black liquid… their reactions…'

  Sleep was going to be a tough battle tonight.

  The next day Assad wakes up after a long night of trying to sleep, but the actions of last night still haunt his mind.

  'It's not even been a full day since my transmigration and I have already been involved in so much drama. I need a break.'

  He gets off his bed still thinking about the faces that Pixia and Shuren made after he told them that he got stabbed with a syringe.

  To him those reactions were unnatural; they did not make sense at all to him.

  'Still I also have to need the information about people who can turn from animals to humans with a drug. This world is totally complicated, and does not make sense at all. But my actual goal is to find a way back home. I can't stay in this world for long.'

  He looks only to see a new set of clothing for him at a table next to the window, mind rushing about who might have brought these for him, he goes to the bathroom and takes a shower.

  This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

  Toon gives a fair check on Assad's body he has a good body for street fights and also is covered by tattoo's but only ten percent of his body.

  He then spots a specific tattoo on both of his shoulders.

  "What's this tattoo? 64 what does that mean?" he whispered to himself.

  He also sees another tattoo on his left arm by just looking at it, giving him shock as for how huge it is. Looks like a dragon and scorpion combination and it reaches to his neck.

  'Maybe that has to do something with Assad's past. But still getting that much ink on your body at only eighteen is crazy'

  He gets out of the shower and wears the clothes. Assad looks at himself in the mirror and sees that these clothes are like for a person who lives in a Chinatown sort of place. But he has to admit he does look good in those clothes.

  As Assad is about to walk out he sees a note fall.

  GO TO THE FAMILY HALL AT THE CENTER OF THE BUILDING YOU WILL MEET US THERE SHUREN

  'She really is caring for a rookie like me.'

  Assad folds the note and puts it in his pocket and walks out the door. He starts going to the center where he was told.

  On the way the place is just beautiful with fancy paintings, decorations and everything else.

  'This place does look like a Chinatown inside as well.'

  He hears talking in one of the rooms and thinks it might be the family hall so he goes there and sees 10 people sitting at a table waiting for their food, including Shuren, Taura, Lokei, Sévon, Pixia and others.

  They all spot Assad in the hallway looking at them and it's silent for a second until everyone starts talking again. Assad walks inside and the room is more decorated than the rest of the building. He looks for a seat but they are all taken.

  "Assad."

  Assad looks for the person who called him Shuren.

  "Here, sit here."

  "Yea thanks."

  Assad takes his seat next to Shuren. She then stands up and makes everyone quiet down.

  "Today we welcome a new part of the sweepers, a new partner of our squad and our family so say your greetings to Assad here."

  Taura smirked as she leaned back in her chair, twirling her chopsticks between her fingers.

  "Well, well… look who made it through the night! I honestly didn't think you'd still be here when I woke up."

  She leaned in closer, squinting at him with a playful glint in her eye.

  "Don't take this the wrong way, but you kinda remind me of those lost tourists who wander into Kurayamiya and end up getting robbed.

  The table erupted in laughter, but Taura's smile softened just a bit.

  "But hey… if you stick around long enough, you might just start to look like one of us."

  Tasia slapped the table with a flourish, almost spilling her tea in the process.

  "Ohhh! New blood in the family, huh? Finally, someone I can boss around!Just kidding! No one listens to me anyway." She chuckled at her own joke, then shot a wink at Assad.

  She tilted her head, her grin wide, "But seriously, welcome! Here, everyone's got to pull their weight… and everyone's got to eat. If you can do both, you'll fit right in. And if you can't…"

  She tapped her chopsticks together like they were swords, then laughed again. "We'll still like you. Maybe."

  Pixia's voice sliced through the laughter, smooth and measured. She rested her chin on her hand, her eyes fixed on Assad, wearing that same unreadable smirk from the night before.

  "Hm… so the stray cat has found a spot at our table." Her gaze lingered on him just a moment too long, as if she were analyzing every flicker of his expression.

  "Funny how fate keeps bringing you our way, isn't it?"

  Assad felt a shiver at her words, though she followed up with a light chuckle.

  "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll find a way to prove yourself… one way or another."

  Lokei didn't even try to hide his irritation, clicking his tongue as he crossed his arms.

  "Tch. I don't get what all the fuss is about. Just another outsider brought in without earning their place." He poked at his food, not bothering to look at Assad. "Yesterday was enough to show what he's made of."

  The mood in the room shifted slightly, but Shuren shot him a warning glance. Lokei let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair.

  "…But whatever. If Shuren thinks you're worth keeping around, I'll keep my opinions to myself. Just don't expect me to be friendly."

  While the others laughed and argued, Sévon remained still. He quietly sipped his tea, his keen eyes scanning each face at the table. Finally, when the chatter died down, his deep voice broke the silence.

  "…Welcome."

  It was brief, almost too brief, but there was a certain weight to his words that wasn't mocking or dismissive. It felt like a phrase meant only for those he deemed worthy of his attention.

  Assad couldn't quite tell if it was a blessing or a warning, but it made him sit up a little straighter.

  The table buzzed with life dishes clattering, laughter bursting forth, and the soft hiss of steam escaping from still-warm plates. The aroma of roasted meats and spiced broth filled the air, mingling with the sweet scent of freshly baked bread.

  This wasn't the kind of breakfast Assad was accustomed to; it was a whole different flavor, a different vibe.

  He sat quietly, letting the lively scene envelop him. Across the table, Sévon slid a piece of bread onto Pixia's plate without uttering a word.

  She didn't say thank you, but her smirk spoke volumes; it was an old routine, something they didn't need to voice. Meanwhile, Tasia leaned over three seats just to heap more food onto Lokei's plate, completely ignoring his annoyed groan.

  "You'll eat it and thank me later," she said with a grin, giving his shoulder a friendly pat before piling another serving onto Taura's plate.

  Everywhere Assad looked, there were these little gestures rough around the edges but so genuine. The playful teasing, the half-serious debates, the casual sharing of food was chaotic, loud, and… warm. This was all new to him.

  Meals had always been quiet, just a means to fuel his body, nothing more. But here, the laughter made the food taste richer, and the chatter added a unique sweetness to the air.

  Assad lowered his gaze to his plate, his fingers tightening slightly around his fork. He didn't say much or contribute to the noise, but inside, he felt something unfamiliar stirring.

  A gentle warmth, almost unsettling in its softness.

  'So this is what it feels like…to have a family in another world'

  He allowed himself the tiniest smile, so brief that no one at the table noticed. The soft atmosphere went on for a while until one voice startled everyone.

  "Man this is some bull, how are we celebrating a mere rookie who hasn't been even on a single mission."