Leo slowly opened her eyes, vision hazy and unfocused.
A faint yellow glow flickered in the blur—it seemed to be coming from a dim fire bulb.
When her sight finally cleared, she realized she was in a small, suffocating room. The floor was littered with soil and dried cut hay, the air heavy with dust. The iron door was firmly locked.
"Huh!? Where am I…? What is this place!?"
Leo's panicked voice trembled, her eyes wide with nervous fear.
"Oh no…" she muttered weakly, noticing her wrists bound by black iron chains. A cold, heavy collar pressed against her neck.
"What the hell is this…? Who did this to me…?" Her voice quivered, almost breaking.
She tried to stand, but her injured leg gave way, nearly collapsing her back onto the floor. Groaning, she sat down again, body trembling.
"Anyone here!?... Please, help me!!" Leo cried out, desperation echoing in the room. A violent cough shook her chest.
"Uh…ah, I can't talk anymore… I… need water…" she thought faintly, yawning from exhaustion.
Suddenly—
CLANG!
The iron door creaked open.
Startled, Leo snapped her gaze to it. A tall man stepped through, his stare sharp and unwavering.
"Huh? Who is that guy…?" Leo thought nervously.
The man, Battler, walked closer step by step.
Leo forced herself upright, wobbling. "Don't come closer! Who are you!—Ugh, agh!" A cough cut her words short.
Seeing this, Battler smiled faintly.
"Hmph… don't worry, girl. You're safe. The boss wants to see you now," he said casually.
"Boss…? You guys are… Mafia gan—" Leo's words faltered as her body gave in, collapsing back to the ground.
"Agh… my body feels weaker… What the hell did they do to me…?" she thought bitterly, eyes locked on Battler.
"Uh, sorry, sorry." Battler suddenly panicked, pulling out a water bottle as he crouched beside her.
"Here, water. Water is life. You need this now." He held the bottle toward her.
"Th… then cut these chains! I can't even hold it!" Leo snapped, rage burning in her eyes.
"Hehe, I'll give the water to your mouth." Battler smirked wickedly as he sat close.
"You… bastard…" Leo hissed.
"Hey, you should thank me. I'm a kind person," Battler whispered against her ear, his breath brushing her skin.
Leo's eyes widened in shock and fear.
After forcing down some water, she glared at him weakly.
Battler stood, his smirk never fading. "I am Thales Battler, right hand of our Boss. Pleasure to meet you." His sharp gaze cut into her, his expression cruel.
"Now, come with me. Don't make the Boss wait too long."
"Why did you capture me like this!? Leave me alone! Let me go!!" Leo shouted, voice breaking with fury.
Battler didn't respond. Instead, he seized the chain at her neck and yanked it harshly.
"Agh…!" Leo choked, staggering.
"Just come with me. Do as I say, girl," Battler commanded coldly, his eyes like blades.
"You…!!" Leo gritted her teeth, fury swelling inside her.
With no choice, she stood, dragging her injured leg, and followed Battler into the unknown.
As Leo trailed behind Battler, her body felt almost frozen, barely moving as if her very bones refused to obey. The room was crowded with gang members—men and women alike—each staring at her with icy, unblinking eyes.
So… this is the Mafia gang, Leo thought, her gaze darting across the room, trying to take in every shadowed figure.
Battler led the way up the stairs, his movements calm and deliberate. Leo followed, a knot of unease tightening in her chest. At the top, a massive door loomed before them, crowned with a terrifying dragon skull.
Her stomach churned. That boss… he might be insanely strong, she thought, her palms growing clammy.
Battler stepped closer, placing a hand on the door. "Come with me, and also be careful. Our boss is… dangerous," he warned, his expression sharp, unyielding.
"Uh… um, okay, fine," Leo replied, her voice barely a whisper.
The door creaked open, revealing a room that seemed carved from darkness and authority. Black-and-white striped walls towered around them, the floor draped in a deep red carpet that gleamed under dim lights. On either side, five imposing gang members stood like statues, their presence radiating lethal precision.
"Huhh!? Th… that ca… can't be…" Leo's voice faltered, caught in her throat. Her eyes widened in sheer shock, trembling as if the room itself had trapped her in a vise of fear.
At the center, atop a throne-like chair of red and black, sat the figure she had been searching for—Leo Julius Eros.
He radiated an aura of unshakable dominance. Golden eyes, sharp and piercing, blazed from beneath a wavy, deep brown mullet. A black coat streaked with gold draped over him, the faint scar on his left cheek adding a cruel touch to his already terrifying visage. His stare… it was absolute, cutting through everything.
By his side, a girl stood silently—a striking figure with a long red bun, eyes like burning embers, clad in red-and-black adventurer attire. A long katana rested on her back, her gaze sharp, unflinching, a predator waiting for a sign.
Uhh… it can't be… that means the Mafia is me… in that timeline? Leo froze, her mind spinning, throat dry, heart hammering against her ribs.
"So… this is the girl you were talking about, Battler," the gang boss Leo Julius Eros said, his voice cold, measured, slicing through the tension like a blade.
"Yes, my boss," Battler replied, bowing slightly, a mask of respect covering any trace of fear.
The gang boss's gaze fell on Leo. Silent. Sharp. Piercing straight into her soul.
Huh? Did he know I'm his other version? Maybe I should… tell him the truth, Leo thought, her lips trembling. "Um… I actually…"
But before she could finish, the air in the room seemed to thicken. The boss rose from his throne, his presence expanding, suffocating, leaving no room for hesitation.
"Tell me… who you are exactly, woman," he demanded, his voice cold, lethal, like steel scraping stone—madness barely restrained beneath control.
A hush fell over the room the moment Gang Boss Leo Julius Eros fixed his blade-sharp gaze on her.
Leo's legs went jelly. Her breaths came shallow and quick; sweat prickled down her neck. "I… uh—" Her voice fractured and died on the air as she stared up at the man who wore the name she'd stolen like a brand.
Battler leaned in, his whisper a cold blade against her ear. "Tell the boss. He hates wasting time."
The words were a shove. Leo's face flickered with panic and then, desperately, with resolve.
"It's time to say now!"
Leo thought with a serious face.
"I… I am Leo Julius Eros! From another timeline—please, believe me!" She cried, clutching at her chest as if her heartbeat could prove the truth.
"HAHAHAHAH!!!"
The room erupted. Laughter rolled like thunder: low, mocking, merciless. Faces that had been still for the boss's arrival split into grins. Battler's eyes widened — shock, or maybe a spark of something worse — while the red-haired adventurer's jaw clenched so hard her teeth showed. Fury coiled in her like a spring.
"I'll—" the red-haired girl growled, katana rising in a flash. "I'll kill you for this joke—"
The Gang Boss raised a single finger, slow and scolding. The red blade faltered under that tiny motion and the girl dropped back as if scalded. "Huh? Okay… boss." Her voice trembled but obedience snapped into place.
Leo watched, hope flaring stupid and bright. Did he believe me? The question hung in the charged air.
The boss came forward. Up close, his expression was a sculpture: unreadable, cold. "So," he said, voice low and even, "you mean to say you are me—from another timeline?"
"Yes!" Leo's answer was a sob she tried to hide. "I am Leo Julius Eros. I— I was cursed for my sins. That's why I'm like this." Her hands trembled; she tried to make the story sound like confession and truth both.
The boss studied her, pupils narrowing to knives. A humorless smirk curved his mouth. "Hmph."
Laughter died in the room; the mood hardened to ice.
" Your joke level—beyond anything," he announced, as if reading the verdict aloud. Then, with surgical cruelty: "Die, bitch. Go to hell."
The words hit like a fist. Leo's skin went cold; blood drained from her face. "No… no, please—believe me! I am Leo—" Her plea choked off as the boss's hand moved with terrifying speed.
A punch hollowed her gut. Pain exploded behind her ribs. "Aghh—!" She crumpled, collapsing to the floor, body racked with tremors. Coughing, she spat a bright bloom of blood onto the wooden planks.
"Take her to the torture room," the boss ordered, each syllable a sentence. "Torture her for two days. Then I'll think whether she speaks the truth."
"Yes, my boss," Battler said, voice polite as a blade. He scooped Leo up over his shoulder with practised calm, the movement as casual as a shrug.
The boss turned to the red-haired girl. "Elizabeth — torture that girl brutally."
"Of course, boss. I'll do my best to please you." Elizabeth bowed, a vicious little oath pressed to her chest.
The boss's face twisted with disgust. "I can't believe this is from my other timeline. My Pride can't accept this nonsense! Punish her brutally but make sure don't kill her."
"Understood, Boss!" The gang chorused like a single organism.
From Battler's shoulder, Leo's thoughts skittered, half-formed and feverish. Pride…? So this is the Pride one…? Her lids fluttered; the world narrowed to a drip of light and then nothing. Darkness closed in as consciousness slipped away.