Pastwhispers: Transmigrated Into Regression Story

The store's door chimed as Ryo entered. He felt the cool atmosphere as he entered the store, leaving the heat from outside behind. . The store was nearly empty, expect for a couple of elderly customers browsing the shelves. He glanced at the clock—still a few minutes before his shift started.

"Yo, Ryo! You're early for once," a voice called from behind the counter.

Ryo looked up to see his coworker, Kenji, who was grinning at him. Kenji was a few years older than him, the most laid-back person around, and somehow never got in trouble despite slacking off half the time. He leaned against the register, lazily spinning a pen between his fingers.

"Yeah, yeah," Ryo muttered, slipping behind the counter. "Had a weird morning, couldn't sleep much."

Kenji raised an eyebrow. "Weird how? Like… ghosts?" He wiggled his fingers dramatically.

"Not ghosts. Just a dream," Ryo said, rubbing his temple. "Felt real, though."

Kenji smirked. "Ooooh, was it a spicy dream? Someone I know?"

Ryo shot him a deadpan look. "It was about a guy getting executed."

Kenji blinked. "…Okay, never mind. That's a whole different level of messed up."

Ryo sighed. "Forget it."

Shaking off the lingering unease from the dream, he pulled out his phone during a lull in customers. As always, he scrolled through his usual bookmarked web novels, looking for something to pass the time.

Then—his fingers froze.

He stared at the screen.

One of the stories he had been reading, Heaven's Wrath, had been updated. But it wasn't just a new chapter—several of the older ones had been edited.

A strange feeling twisted in his gut. He clicked on the earlier chapters, skimming through the text.

The discrepancies were slight. An unchanged sentence , a few lines of dialogue from a minor character altered . But then he saw it—

A name.

Caius Veyne.

His blood ran ice cold.

That name, The same name from his dream. But more importantly—

It hadn't been in the novel before.

He was sure of it. He had read these chapters before, and that name had never been mentioned. And yet, there it was, woven seamlessly into the story as if it had always belonged.

His grip tightened on his phone.

"What the hell…?" he whispered.

"Dude, you okay?" Kenji's voice snapped him out of it.

Ryo quickly locked his phone. "Yeah. Just… thought I saw something weird."

Kenji shrugged. "You always get weird when you read those fantasy novels. Maybe it's messing with your head."

"Yeah… maybe."

But deep down, Ryo wasn't convinced.

His dream. The name. The edits to the novel.

None of it felt like a coincidence.

And for the first time, he had a sinking feeling that something far bigger than he could understand was starting to unfold.

His shift dragged on, but Ryo couldn't shake the unease creeping up his spine. Every time he rang up a customer, stocked a shelf, or listened to Kenji's random chatter, his mind drifted back to Heaven's Wrath.

What did the author change? And why?

The memory of his dream replayed in his head, over and over again. Caius Veyne—he had seen that name on a plaque, right before the sword came down. And now, here it was, suddenly appearing in the novel.

"Yo, break time. Go eat something before you start looking like a ghost."

Kenji's voice jolted him back to reality. Ryo glanced at the clock. He had been so lost in thought he didn't even realize an hour had passed.

"…Yeah. I'll be back in a bit."

He stepped out of the store and into the small alley behind it. Taking a deep breath, he pulled out his phone again. He needed answers.

Navigating to the novel's comment section, he scrolled through the discussions. Most people were talking about the latest chapter, debating theories, and hyping up the protagonist's recent battle. No one seemed to have noticed the edits.

Frustrated, he scrolled back up and clicked on the author's profile. There was a new post.

[Author's Note – Minor Edits to Earlier Chapters]

Hey everyone! Just a small update—I've gone back and tweaked some of the earlier chapters to make certain story elements more cohesive. Nothing major, just some minor character adjustments and world-building improvements. Hope you all enjoy!

Ryo's fingers hovered over the screen.

Something about this didn't sit right.

He clicked on the author's name, hoping to find more information. Their last login was today. But their bio, which he remembered being filled with random jokes and anime references, was now blank.

A chill ran down his spine.

He stared at the name Caius Veyne in the chapter again. His gut told him to stop thinking about it, to just let it go.

But he couldn't.

Not when everything felt so wrong.

Not when he felt like he was missing something important.

His phone buzzed. A message from his mom.

Mom: Ryo, are you coming home for dinner? You didn't look well this morning. I made your favorite.

Ryo exhaled slowly, forcing himself to reply.

Me: Yeah, I'll be home soon.

For now, he had to push it aside.But later…

Later, he was going to figure out what was happening. No matter what it took.

The sun was beginning to set by the time Ryo headed home. The streets were quiet, the soft hum of distant traffic filling the air. He kept his hands in his pockets, mind still swirling with unanswered questions.

Then, as he reached the crosswalk near his neighborhood, something caught his eye.

Across the street, sitting perfectly still on the sidewalk, was a cat.

A red cat.

Its fur was an unusual, deep shade of crimson, almost blending into the evening light. But what unsettled Ryo the most were its eyes—a sharp, piercing amber that locked onto his gaze, unblinking.

A car passed by, momentarily blocking his view.

When it was gone, so was the cat.

Ryo stopped in his tracks, heart pounding. He scanned the area, but there was no trace of it. No sign that it had ever been there.

His fingers curled into fists.

First the dream. Then the novel. Now this?

Something was seriously wrong.

Little did he know that this was only the beginning.