Chapter 01
Blink.
I forced my heavy eyelids open. My mind was hazy, as if I could fall asleep at any moment.
A sharp ringing filled my ears, and my vision was so clouded I could barely see.
What just happened?
Slowly, I retraced the events.
We had been on our way to the academy entrance ceremony for my much younger sibling. It was rare for the whole family—usually too busy to gather together—to ride in the same carriage. Worried about being late, we decided to take a shortcut.
Yes, it was right when my mischievous second brother, Isaac, had joked about how my pet cat, Rev, seemed to have gotten fat lately.
Then, the carriage had shaken violently. Isaac had grabbed my arm—
—and hurled me outside with all his strength.
As far as I remembered, that was the last moment.
Gradually, my blurred vision began to clear. My entire body screamed in agony from rolling across the ground.
I was just about to rise when—
Step, step.
Footsteps.
Immediately, I forced my body limp and held my breath. Instinct screamed that if I let anyone know I was alive, I would die.
“…Are they all dead?”
The words made my heart plummet.
The strangers prowled the area briefly before sounding satisfied.
“His chest is pierced.”
“The rest must’ve been pulverized inside the carriage.”
“Let’s head back.”
Their voices faded with their footsteps.
I lay there for what felt like an eternity, terrified they might return and notice me breathing.
Only much later did I finally push myself up. Twice I collapsed back onto the ground before managing it. My ankle throbbed sharply—I must have twisted it in the fall.
Limping forward a few steps, I finally saw through the lifting fog.
“……”
Words failed me.
The carriage was destroyed beyond recognition, smashed into pieces. The tree it had struck was snapped in half, leaning forward like a broken spear.
Worse was the blood pooling thick on the ground.
Among the shattered fragments of wood, a hand jutted out. Calloused palms revealed it as Isaac’s.
He had been crushed under the wreckage—the same Isaac who had thrown me out to save me.
There was no sign at all of my eldest brother, who had sat inside. Across from me, Yulia had—
My eyes found her not far away.
She had been thrown forward in the crash, and might have survived like me—had she been luckier. But she wasn’t. A tree branch had pierced straight through her chest.
It was then I realized fully: I was the only one left alive.
In a place soaked in death, I stayed frozen in silence. Despair surged through me. A guttural cry slipped out between my clenched teeth.
“Yulia… Ed-brother… Isaac…!”
I called their names in vain. The only answer was the eerie rustle of wind through branches.
“Please… say something.”
Curling up on the ground, I clawed at the dirt until my fingertips burned raw. None of it mattered.
“Please…”
My voice dwindled to nothing.
The life I thought eternal had been shattered in an instant.
I buried my face in my hands. This had to be a nightmare. How could it be real? A cruel, tasteless joke.
But the sharp ache rising from deep inside my chest told me the truth. This was reality.
“……”
And in that moment, staring at their bloodied corpses, I understood what I could do.
My hesitation was brief. My decision was instant.
Wiping my tear-streaked cheeks with my sleeve, I slowly opened and closed my eyes.
Then I called to my long-time partner.
“Rev.”
—Yaaawn~. Huh? We already there…? Mmh?
The mangled corpse of a cat beneath the carriage suddenly stirred and stood.
—What the hell! I just groomed my fur, now look at this mess!
Rev didn’t seem to care his hind legs were mangled pulp. Shaking the dust off with irritation, only then did he seem to notice something had gone wrong.
—Tch. Humans sure do die easily, don’t they.
He prodded Isaac’s body with a twisted paw.
“Rev. Help me.”
—Young contractor, what is it you wish of me?
His voice was dry and rasping.
“I’m going to bring them all back. As zombies.”
Applause!
“Then, with this, the entrance ceremony of Bellond National Academy is concluded!”
The children, unable to hide their boredom, leapt from their seats as soon as it ended. They rushed toward the smiling families waiting for them.
Hand in hand, they streamed out of the hall.
All except one boy, who remained in his seat.
His name was Andrea Walker.
The youngest son of Duke Walker, Andrea had been glancing about since the start of the ceremony, but his family hadn’t shown up. His heart sank further with each passing minute.
They promised they’d all be here…
That very morning, they had said though they couldn’t leave together, they’d arrive before the ceremony ended.
Andrea tapped the chair leg with his shoe, pouty and dejected. He could understand—they were all ten years older than him, busy with adult lives—but it still hurt.
“Is that the Walker boy…?”
“I heard a child from the Walker dukedom enrolled this year.”
“Then that must be him.”
The whispers were nothing new. Andrea was used to the sidelong glances. With his big, tear-filled eyes and trembling lips, he looked like a doll—too cute to ignore.
Then, the hall’s doors opened.
Everyone turned.
A shadow fell over Andrea, who was still sulking.
He looked up slowly—
—to see a familiar smiling face.
“Our little baby brother. Who told you to sit here being so cute, huh?”
“Isaac!”
“There you are. Sorry we’re late—something came up on the way.”
“The carriage broke down, so we had to send for another in the nearest town.”
Andrea shot to his feet, overjoyed. He nearly threw himself into Isaac’s arms, then stopped, frowning.
“Wait—your glasses?”
“Didn’t wear them today. Wanted to look good. Why, do I look weird?”
“You look scary without them. You should always wear them!”
“Oh-ho, is that so? You’re being mean to your big brother.”
Laughing, Isaac scooped Andrea up easily, like he weighed nothing.
“Put me down! I’m not a baby!”
“You’re only eleven. Still just a kid.”
“Am not!”
Andrea squirmed so fiercely that Isaac had to set him down again.
“Ed, Yulia, Emily!” Andrea looked up at each of his siblings in turn, grinning.
“The best! I’m so happy!”
“What about me?”
“You’re always teasing me!”
Isaac reached as if to pick him up again—
“Enough.”
Edmund stopped him with a brief grip on his wrist. Just a glance was enough for the sharp Isaac to read his elder brother’s will.
“Fine, fine. You coddle him too much.”
Isaac raised his hands and stepped back in mock surrender.
Andrea then frowned at Yulia.
“Are you sick?”
“She just got carsick. She’ll be fine soon.” Emily slid slightly in front of her, shielding her from his view.
Which left Andrea staring at the black cat in Emily’s arms.
“Oh! Rev came too!”
“Of course. He wanted to celebrate with you.”
Emily lifted the cat with a smile. Andrea’s face lit up instantly.
“Thanks, Rev!”
Andrea ruffled his fur so roughly that Rev jerked away in disgust, tail lashing angrily.
“Congratulations again on your entrance,” Emily said warmly.
Andrea beamed. “Yeah!”
That smile could make the whole world’s worries vanish.
Click.
Outside Andrea’s room, Edmund closed the door gently.
“Is he asleep?” Isaac whispered.
A nod was the only answer.
“Good. Now we can finally talk.”
Isaac’s eyes glinted dangerously in the dim light. Without his glasses, his gaze was sharp and menacing, his usual smile nowhere to be found.
“Emily Walker. Just what have you done?”
All their eyes turned to me.
Where should I even begin? When I first discovered this power? When our parents found out? When I forged my contract with Rev?
Memories flashed by in an instant. But I knew the simplest answer.
“To put it plainly… right now, we’re something like zombies.”
