"Do it harder!"
"Hahaha, hit with more force!"
The narrow alley echoed with laughter and the dull thuds of fists slamming into flesh.
Hidden from the main road by overflowing trash bins and rusted metal sheets, the spot was perfect for the kind of thing no one wanted to see.
Four students, all wearing the navy and grey uniform of Halworth Academy, surrounded a boy curled up on the cracked pavement.
Each of them wore smug expressions like this was nothing more than an after-school game.
The leader, a broad-shouldered teen with cropped black hair, let out a small laugh and landed another punch on the boy's back.
"Come on, Eren," said the smallest one, a redhead with pale skin and a twitch in his left eye. "Don't get soft on him."
Eren cracked his knuckles and glanced at the silent boy lying at their feet.
"He's not even making noise anymore. Boring."
"Then make him scream," muttered the third student, Mark. His thick arms looked more suited to swinging hammers than carrying books.
The fourth one, Daniel, stood off to the side. He remained silent.
Eren raised his leg. "Fine. I'll finish it."
He kicked the boy's head, harder than intended.
A sickening crack rang out, and the target's body slumped like a puppet with its strings cut.
His cheek scraped against the concrete, leaving behind a red smear.
The group froze.
"Shit," muttered Daniel.
"Did you kill him?" Mark whispered, suddenly pale.
Eren knelt down, pressing a hand to the boy's neck. "He's… I think he's—"
The boy's body jerked.
Eren yelped and scrambled back as the figure stirred and let out a groggy groan.
"Huh…? I'm alive?"
The boy—no, the young man—sat up slowly, dazed. His eyes flicked around the alley with confusion, scanning the unfamiliar surroundings.
His name, once lost in the fog of unconsciousness, came back with a breath.
Cale.
He blinked. The air smelled sour. The world felt… off.
He remembered crossing a street, an ice cream in hand, the orange lights of traffic flickering on the wet pavement.
The truck. It was coming straight at me.
He touched his chest. The injury that should've been there from the accident was missing.
A fist slammed into his stomach.
He doubled over with a painful grunt. Blood spurted from his mouth.
"Hahaha, don't worry, I'll kill you myself," said Mark, his smile twisted into something cruel.
Cale coughed, trying to breathe.
He didn't understand what was happening.
Just moments ago, he had been on Earth, shopping after dinner, then caught up in an accident.
How had he ended up in an alley, beaten half to death by strangers in matching uniforms?
"Get him!" Eren barked.
The kicks resumed.
Pain bloomed across his arms, legs, and chest.
Cale had no time to think, and understand what was happening. All he could do was curl up and hope it would stop.
Eventually, it did.
Eren, wiping sweat from his forehead, crouched again. He grabbed a handful of Cale's hair and lifted his face.
"How was it? Did you enjoy today's endurance training—"
He stopped.
Cale wasn't crying, or trembling. He wasn't afraid like he would be every day.
He was glaring.
His eyes, bloodshot and filled with raw fury, locked onto Eren's with terrifying focus.
"What the hell's with your eyes?" Eren muttered. "Lower your damn gaze—"
Cale spat.
The bloody spit struck Eren straight in the eye. It was close range. He didn't even have time to flinch.
"Aghh! You little bastard—"
Cale smashed his forehead into Eren's nose with all the force he could muster. Something cracked. Eren's scream filled the alley.
The two boys who had been holding Cale's arms hesitated in shock.
In that moment, Cale pulled free.
He lunged.
He tackled Eren to the ground and began slamming his fists into the boy's face again and again.
The violence was wild, almost feral.
Cale wasn't trained. He wasn't coordinated. But he didn't care.
"I don't know who you people are," Cale shouted between punches, "but if you think I'll just let you beat the hell out of me and laugh about it—"
A punch.
"—then you're all—"
Another punch.
"—freaking—"
One more for good measure.
"—insane!"
Blood splattered. Eren's face was a mess, barely recognizable. His body twitched beneath Cale's weight.
Daniel, the fourth student, moved in. He rushed forward and kicked Cale across the head.
Cale's body went flying, crashing against the alley wall with a thud.
His vision spun. His skull throbbed like it had split open.
What the hell was that strength? Is he even human?
He coughed and blood slipped from the side of his mouth. His limbs were shaking.
Mark and the red-haired student—Sean—rushed toward him, eyes wild.
"You're dead, freak!" Sean shouted. "How dare you hit Eren!? You're actually dead now!"
Cale forced himself to stand.
He raised his bloodied face, locking eyes with them.
There was no way he could fight given his injuries, but he didn't back down.
"You want to fight again?" he said coldly. "Brats, take a look at your friend."
The two paused.
They looked back.
Eren was lying still on the ground.
His face was broken, nose twisted, eyes swollen shut, and lips split open.
Blood pooled beneath his head.
"He's going to die," Cale said. "If you don't take him for treatment now, he won't last an hour."
A chill passed between them.
Mark hesitated, then grabbed Eren's arm. Sean helped lift him.
They didn't say a word as they fled the alley, dragging their unconscious friend behind them.
Daniel lingered for a moment longer. He stared at Cale with his ever-aloof expression. Then he turned and followed.
Silence.
Cale let out a shaky breath and sank to his knees.
"…I'm saved."
His voice trembled. He couldn't even laugh properly.
"I really thought they were going to kill me…"
Every part of his body hurt.
Breathing hurt. Moving hurt.
His hands were scraped, and his knuckles were bruised from punching.
He wasn't a fighter, not by any stretch.
On Earth, he was just a student.
He had only gone to gym sometimes, and he had never learnt martial arts.
But he understood one thing: when someone tried to hurt you for fun, if you didn't fight back, they'd attacking you.
So he had fought back.
And it had worked. The assaulters ran away with their tail between their legs.
But those kids will be back.
Their faces said it all. They weren't finished. Not by a long shot.
Still, Cale couldn't worry about that now.
The pain was too much.
He looked around. The alley was still unfamiliar.
The buildings were taller, made of concrete and dull metal. The windows were tinted black, and the light in the sky looked… wrong.
It had a slight green hue to it.
"So where the hell am I?" he muttered.
Suddenly, pain lanced through his skull.
He screamed, clutching his head.
Images burst into his mind. They showed him a life he had not lived.
The memories kept coming, blending with his own.
He gasped and fell back against the wall, breathing hard.
"I'm… not in my world anymore."
The truth hit like another punch to the gut.
He had died.
The truck had hit him. That wasn't a dream.
"I transmigrated to another world, and took over someone else's body."
Somehow, he had taken over the body of someone else.
This was a different world. A world with superhumans and monsters.