1. I’m a Cat
I was running like mad through the filthy streets. My heart was pounding as if it would burst, but I couldn’t stop. Because there were people chasing me, trying to kill me.
The footsteps of the children pursuing me echoed relentlessly and cruelly.
“Catch it! Kill it!”
“Unlucky black cat…!”
Hearing those shouts, I just kept running. I wanted to beg for my life, but all that came out of my mouth were desperate cries.
Before I was a cat, I was a human. My name when I was human was Yoon Mia. Well, it was something like that, but it doesn’t matter anymore. I died and was reincarnated as a cat. Wait, is reincarnation the right word?
One day, I was hit by a car. After losing consciousness, when I opened my eyes, I was in the body of a cat. I thought I had been reincarnated as a cat, but the surroundings were strange. The streets looked like something out of a Western fantasy novel, with people dressed in unfamiliar clothes.
Had I been transmigrated into another world? I used to read novels with that kind of plot. I’d even secretly hoped that something like that might happen to me, but… I never expected to be transmigrated as a cat!
If I had to be transmigrated as a cat, I wish it had been as a well-bred cat in a rich family! But no, I was transmigrated as a black cat on the streets. It was hard to find food, and no one loved me. Moreover, I was persecuted as a black that brought bad luck.
Even now, it is the same. To the local children, I was nothing more than a toy to be roughly handled. Their innocent voices shouting to catch and kill me painfully pierced my ears.
As I was desperately running away, a stone flew by and narrowly missed me. Laughter echoed from behind.
“Ah, so close! I could’ve killed it!”
“Whoever hits it gets candy!”
Tears threatened to spill over my eyes. Why had I ended up in this situation?
Not wanting to die from a stone, I ran with all my might. Just as I managed to escape to the main road, something flew and struck my leg. With pain, I rolled on the ground.
The sound of the kids’ footsteps and laughter grew closer. It was like the sound of the Grim Reaper approaching.
Ah, am I going to die like this? Maybe dying would be better than living like this. In my next life, I hope to be born into a better situation.
Just as I was about to close my eyes, a shadow loomed over me. Miraculously, the kids’ footsteps stopped.
“Hey, hey. Let’s go.”
“Aw, what a shame…”
I heard the kids’ disappointed voices.
What was happening?
Dazed, I opened my eyes to see someone dressed in quite luxurious clothing standing before me.
A noble?
It was a man who looked to be in his 30s with a rather cold expression.
“…A kitten?”
The kids seemed to have stopped approaching when they saw the man standing in front of me. The man stared at me for a moment before grabbing the scruff of my neck and lifting me up.
Huh? What’s going on?
I was left dangling in confusion as the man carried me to a carriage. As I nervously wondered what was happening, the carriage soon arrived at a large mansion.
“We’ve arrived, Marquis Dias.” The coachman said as he opened the door.
Marquis? This man is a marquis?
The man grabbed me again and carried me inside. The interior of the mansion was as splendid as its exterior. Only then did I feel a bit relieved.
Wow! Am I being adopted into this house? Am I finally going to live the happy life of a house cat…? My heart started to race.
Just then, someone came down from the second floor. It was a young boy who looked about seven or eight years old. His face, framed by silver hair that seemed to be made of moonlight, was noble and pretty. However, his silver-gray eyes held no emotion. He looked so detached that it was hard to think of him as just a child, making me feel more uneasy than thinking he was cute.
“Here, raise it.”
The man threw me to the ground. Because of my injured leg, I couldn’t land properly and rolled around.
Something didn’t feel right…
The child quietly watched and then held me in his arms.
“Isaac, do you like it?”
“Yes, I like it.”
Isaac? Considering the man was called Marquis Dias earlier, does that mean his full name is Isaac Dias? It sounded familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it.
Just then, a notification window appeared before my eyes.
[Welcome to the world of ‘Night of Fear’.]
‘Night of Fear’, Isaac Dias.
That’s when the names clicked in my mind.
‘Night of Fear’ was the last game I played before I died. Isaac Dias was the villain in that game.
As soon as I realized where I was, a scene came to mind. A flashback scene from when the villain was revealed. It was about how the Dias family had been cursed for a long time and how Isaac Dias, the son of that family, had gone mad.
In the narration, a young Isaac appeared, holding a sharp dagger. In one hand, he was gripping the scruff of a black cat. Isaac killed the cat by stabbing it with the dagger… And the name on that cat’s tag was ‘Mia.’
“What will you name it?”
At the man’s question, Isaac looked up at him.
A sense of foreboding crept up my spine.
Isaac spoke with a blank expression. “I’ll name it Mia.”
At the name Mia, my mind went blank. Then Isaac’s eyes met mine.
“Mia.”
Yes, I realized it clearly now. I had been transmigrated as the cat in the horror game ‘Night of Fear.’ The cat that dies in a brief flashback scene.
* * *
I’m doomed, truly and utterly doomed.
I was huddled in a corner, cursing my cursed fate. I thought I was finally done with street life, but now I’ve ended up in a house where I’m destined to die!
Ha, what should I do? No matter how hard life on the streets was, I didn’t want to die.
When exactly would I die? Today? Tomorrow?
The game didn’t provide precise information, so I couldn’t gauge it. After all, it was just a few seconds of footage!
My only option was to escape from this house as soon as possible. However, I could barely walk because of my injured leg.
How should I escape? What if I die tonight?
While I was lost in such thoughts, someone entered the room. It was Isaac. A chill ran down my spine, and my hair stood on end.
Is he here to kill me…?
Those silver-gray eyes looked down at me emotionlessly. Then Isaac grabbed me by the scruff of my neck.
What is he going to do to me…?
As I trembled, Isaac took me somewhere else. He brought me into the bathroom and handed me over to a maid.
“Wash it.”
“Yes, Milord.”
What’s going on? While I was bewildered, Isaac left the room.
The maid frowned as soon as she received me. “Ugh, the smell…”
She started scrubbing me in a basin. The water turned black in an instant. Her sharp voice complained about how dirty I was.
Ugh, I’m injured! That hurts…!
I squealed, but the more I did, the rougher the maid’s hands became.
“Stop crying so disgustingly!”
After barely finishing the bath, the maid wrung me out like laundry and dried me mercilessly. My leg still aches a bit, but after the bath, I smelled of fragrant soap.
The maid grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and took me outside. Isaac was sitting on the sofa, reading a book.
“Milord, I’ve finished washing it.”
“Alright. Give it to me.”
I was handed over to Isaac, now clean and fresh. Though I was small, Isaac was also quite a small child.
As I was held, I could hear the quiet beating of his heart. In contrast, my heart was pounding as if it would burst.
It was scary. And terrifying. Even though he was still a small child, he was going to kill me.
“Leave.”
“Yes, Milord.”
My body began to tremble uncontrollably. Just then, as the maid was leaving, I saw the door open.
If I want to escape, now’s my chance!
I urgently wriggled out of his arms and ran toward the door. However, my injured leg throbbed, and I could barely walk. Still, I thought I might be able to escape.
Just as I was about to slip out the door, it slammed shut right in front of me. I almost got caught in it.
A chill ran down my spine as a sinister aura filled the air. When I looked up, I saw a pair of silver-gray, glowing eyes staring down at me from the shadows.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
