“Rheaaa...”

That was the last thing I heard before everything began to fall apart. I was out with my friends.

It was supposed to be a normal day. Nothing special. Just laughter and small talk.

Then..

Sen came from behind.

I didn’t even have time to react before the knife was already buried deep inside me.

My body froze.

My friends were shouting my name, their voices shaking, panicked, but everything sounded far away, like I was already drifting somewhere else.

Strangely...

My mind didn’t go to Sen.

Not even for a second.

I didn’t ask why.

I didn’t have the time.

Instead...

It went to him.

My Master.

My online Master. My teacher. The one who spent two years guiding me in a game, yet taught me so much about real life.

I adored him.

He was my favorite person.

Even as everything faded...

I kept thinking about him.

Only him.

I miss him...

—

Cold.

That was the first thing I felt.

So cold.

My body trembled. The warmth was gone. The pain was gone.

There was nothing left.

Just cold, and silence.

White.

Endless white.

My thoughts felt slow, heavy.

“Am I in heaven?”

It had to be, right?

Heaven should be white.

Hell wouldn’t be this quiet.

...right?

—

No.

Something was wrong. I looked down and froze. These weren’t hands. They were paws. Small. Covered in soft fur.

My breath turned uneven.

“No... this has to be a dream..."

I stumbled back, my whole body shaking.

A nearby window caught my attention. I rushed toward it and forced myself to look.

A small puppy stared back at me.

Tiny.

Fragile.

Not human.

“...No.”

My chest tightened.

“That’s not me....”

But it was.

I could feel it.

The ground under my paws. The strange balance of this tiny body. The way my ears reacted to every little sound.

“I’m...a puppy...?”

Panic hit all at once.

I turned and ran.

“I need to wake up...I need to wake up...”

I tried to scream,

But only a weak, broken sound came out.

I kept running until my legs gave out.

Snow covered everything.

Cold. Endless. Unforgiving.

“I’m...tired...”

My body trembled as I curled slightly, trying to hold onto what little warmth I had left.

Then, it hit me.

I died.

Sen stabbed me from behind.

And now...

I was reborn as a puppy.

“...Why...?”

My thoughts struggled, but slowly... a memory surfaced.

That day.

When Sen kept threatening me, I talked to him.

To my Master.

“Master... if one day something happens to me... and I die...”

I remembered laughing softly back then.

“I want to be something near you... maybe a puppy. A small, cute puppy. I can stay by your side...”

I said it playfully. But I meant it.

I never thought it would actually happen.

I still remember his reply.

Firm. Immediate.

“No. I don’t have a pet, and I won’t get one.”

A short pause.

“Don’t joke about dying.”

—

“...You really said that...”

A weak sound left my throat.

“Then what am I supposed to do now?”

My vision blurred.

The cold seeped deeper into my tiny body.

“Master...”

I couldn’t say the words.

Only a faint, trembling sound came out.

“I just wanted...to be near you...”

I used to be a mess without his guidance.

I used to talk to him every day.

I would cry, whine, complain... even beg for his attention.

And he was always there.

My place to lean on.

My place to hide.

But now—

I’m a puppy.

What is chatting?

What is complaining?

I can’t even speak.

A weak sound escaped my throat, and it only made my chest tighten.

Why is life so cruel to me?

My body trembled, the cold biting deeper into my fur.

Life...

The thought suddenly stopped me.

If I was brought here, into this body, into this place,

Does that mean...

He’s here too?

My heart started beating faster.

Master...

But then another thought hit me just as quickly.

What if he’s not?

What am I supposed to do then?

Fly?

Take a plane?

I don’t even know where I am.

What country is this?

My thoughts kept spinning, one after another, until my head felt heavy.

Then,

Voices.

Close.

Real.

I lifted my head weakly, my ears twitching.

A car had stopped nearby.

Inside, a woman and a child were talking.

The child suddenly pointed at me, eyes wide.

“Mom, look! A puppy! I want it!”

My body stiffened.

Panic and relief came at the same time.

Panic... what if I get taken in?

What if I’m trapped inside a house, warm and safe, but unable to leave?

What if I can’t find him anymore?

...

Relief... because I was found.

maybe I would be taken in.

A warm place.

Food.

Safety.

My body trembled harder as the cold crept in.

Stay.

Take it.

You need it.

But,

Is that why I’m here?

For warmth?

For food?

No.

My chest tightened.

I shook my head weakly.

No.

I came here for him.

I can’t give up... not just because I’m hungry... not just because I’m cold.

I slowly lifted my head and looked at the woman.

She was holding her phone, recording me.

Her daughter was crying beside her, tugging at her sleeve.

“Mom, please... please, I want the puppy!”

My heart wavered.

Just for a second.

Warmth.

Safety.

A place to stay.

…

Run.

The word echoed in my mind.

Run.

Or I will never find him.

My legs trembled as I forced myself to stand.

Run.

Before I get too weak.

Before I change my mind.

Before I choose comfort over him.

—

I turned,

And ran.

It felt more like dragging my body across the snow.

Each step was heavy. Slow. Painful.

My paws sank into the cold ground as my breathing grew uneven.

Why... why did I say that?

A weak, broken thought slipped through my mind.

Why did I say I wanted to be a puppy?

Why not a bird?

Or something strong like a dragon?

…

But I knew why.

Because a puppy stays.

Because a puppy is loyal.

Because a puppy never leaves its master.

“I really am stupid”

A faint sound came out, barely even a whine.

Behind me, I heard the woman’s voice.

“Don’t run, sweetie!”

The child’s crying grew louder.

But I didn’t stop.

I couldn’t.

I need to save myself.

I will choose my owner.

Not fate.

Not anyone else.

Him.

Only him.

The more I ran, the weaker I became.

My legs shook.

My vision blurred.

Hunger twisted painfully in my stomach.

Cold crept deeper into my bones.

Then,

A turn.

At the corner of the street.

I forced my body toward it and slipped behind the block, hiding from view.

My legs finally gave out.

I collapsed into the snow, my body trembling uncontrollably.

“Master...”

My voice didn’t come out.

Only a weak, broken sound.

Tears blurred my vision.

Please...

Please help me...

I need you...

I must have fallen asleep or maybe fainted.

When I opened my eyes again, everything felt heavy. My body didn’t want to move. Even breathing came slow and uneven.

Voices drifted into my ears.

Faint at first then clearer.

Two men walked past me, their footsteps steady against the cold ground. They were talking about something, but I couldn’t focus on the words. I lifted my head slightly, trying to see them.

Not him.

of course not.

A small, bitter thought crossed my mind.

What was I expecting?

That Master would just pass by me... like this?

I lowered my head again.

I don’t even dare to expect that kind of luck.

—

My stomach twisted.

Not hunger anymore.

Pain.

A deep, dull ache that made my body tense.

I need to eat, something... anything...

Bread... maybe something sweet, anything warm.

I’m still me.

Rhea.

Just... in a puppy’s body.

—

I forced myself to move.

One step.

Then another.

My legs trembled, but I kept going.

Then,

A smell.

Warm. Soft. Familiar.

Bread.

My head lifted slightly as I followed it, almost instinctively.

Across the street, a small shop glowed with warm light.

I stared at it for a second.

Then ran.

For a brief moment, I forgot everything.

The cold. The pain.

Even what I had become.

I just ran toward warmth.

—

The glass door stood in front of me.

Closed.

I pushed it with my small body.

Nothing.

I tried again.

It moved slightly, but not enough.

Not enough for me to get in.

Frustration tightened in my chest.

Why is everything so hard?

I stepped back, then pushed again with what little strength I had left...

—

The door suddenly opened.

Not because of me.

From behind.

A girl stepped in, pushing it open.

I didn’t hesitate.

I slipped inside before it could close again.

—

Warm air wrapped around me instantly.

The smell of bread grew stronger.

My body relaxed just a little.

Just a little...

—

Then my eyes found it.

The shelves.

Rows of bread, neatly arranged.

So close.

A soft sound escaped my throat before I could stop it.

I stepped closer.

My stomach twisted painfully.

I need it.

—

I bent my legs and tried to jump.

My body barely lifted.

Then dropped.

Not even close.

I tried again.

Nothing.

Too weak.

“...just a little...”

A faint, broken sound slipped out.

Why can’t I even do this?

—

I didn’t notice it at first.

The way the air shifted.

The quiet change around me.

Until...

“Look! This cutie is trying to get the bread on its own!”

A high-pitched voice rang out.

“Oh my God... whose puppy is this?”

More voices followed.

Closer.

Surrounding me.

—

I froze for a second.

People.

They were looking at me.

Not the bread.

Me.

—

I didn’t care.

I couldn’t care.

My eyes stayed locked on the shelf.

On the bread.

I need to eat.

That’s all that matters.

—

One of them stepped closer.

A woman.

She crouched slightly, her voice soft.

“Poor baby”

She looked at me more carefully.

“She’s hungry.”

Finally.

Someone understood.

“I’ll buy one for you,” she said gently, reaching for the shelf. “But you’ll be mine, okay?”

Mine.

The word hit me, but my stomach twisted harder.

I didn’t have the strength to refuse.

—

She took a large piece of bread and lowered it toward me.

Warm.

Soft.

So close.

I hesitated for only a second.

Then,

I bit into it.

One bite.

Then another.

I didn’t think. I just ate.

Half of it was gone before I realized it.

Warmth spread slightly through my body.

Just enough to breathe again.

—

Then,

Hands.

She lifted me.

“Time to go home, cutie.”

—

No.

Panic hit instantly.

I struggled, my small paws pushing weakly against her.

Please... no...

I can’t go with you...

A broken sound escaped my throat.

—

“She’s so cute!”

“Let me hold her!”

Another person reached toward me.

“They must have run away, someone’s pet.”

—

No.

I need to stop this.

Now.

—

I twisted with what little strength I had left

And slipped from her arms.

I hit the ground hard, pain shooting through my body.

But I didn’t stop.

I ran.

—

The door.

I rushed toward it.

Pushed

It didn’t move.

No...!

—

The door opened.

A little boy held it.

“Here you go, puppy,” he said happily. “Come to my mommy’s car!”

—

Yes... thank you...

But no.

—

I ran past him, back into the cold.

—

The street.

A car rushed by... too close.

Wind slammed into me as I stumbled.

Pain shot through my leg.

I think... I’m bleeding...

But I didn’t stop.

—

Footsteps behind me.

Voices.

“Hey! It’s running away!”

“Catch it!”

Two teenagers chased after me.

—

Why won’t they stop...?

I’m not yours...

I won’t be anyone’s...

—

I ran.

For my life.

For my choice.

For him.

—

My legs began to fail.

Each step hurt more than the last.

My breathing broke apart.

I can’t

I can’t run anymore

—

Then

Someone ahead.

A man walking quickly.

Tall. Steady.

I don’t have a choice

—

I forced my body forward and rushed toward him.

My paws hit his foot as I pressed close, barking with everything I had left.

Help me...

Please...

—

He didn’t look at me.

Not even once.

But

He stopped.

—

Silence.

—

The teenagers slowed.

Looked at him.

Then at each other.

They shrugged.

And left.

—

They stopped.

—

Relief hit me all at once.

My body trembled as I stayed near him.

Safe

For now

—

He moved again.

Continuing his walk like nothing had happened.

—

But...

He glanced down.

Just for a moment.

—

My heart stopped.

—

Master!

—

I knew.

Even if I had never seen him in person.

Even if everything had changed

I knew.

It was him.

My Master.

—

I tried to move.

To follow.

To call him

But my body was too slow.

Too weak.

—

Three seconds.

That’s all it took.

Three seconds too late.

—

He was already far ahead.

Walking fast.

Not looking back.

—

I barked.

Again.

And again.

Please...!

It’s me...!

—

He didn’t turn.

—

He crossed the street.

Turned the corner

And disappeared.

—

No...

—

My legs gave out.

The world spun.

—

I was so close.

So close...

—

“Master....”

A broken sound slipped out as I collapsed onto the cold ground.

Don’t go...

Please...