Pastwhispers: Transmigrated Into Regression Story

"Ryo! You're finally home. Wash up and come eat."

"I know, I know."

His father sat at the dining table, flipping through a newspaper like he did every night. He barely acknowledged Ryo's arrival, offering only a small grunt of acknowledgment. His mother, on the other hand, watched him carefully as he sat down.

"You look a bit off," she said, placing a bowl of rice in front of him. " Is everything okay?"

"Had a weird dream. That's all."

His mother frowned. "A nightmare ?"

Ryo hesitated. "yeah… Something like that."

"Well, eat up. A good meal will help you."

He forced himself to nod, picking up his chopsticks. The warmth of the food grounded him, easing the tension in his chest. But the more he attempted to concentrate on the present, his mind kept wandering back to the novel.

His father cleared his throat. "Kenji came by earlier. Said you left work early today."

Ryo froze mid-bite. "…Yeah, I wasn't feeling great."

His father set down his newspaper and glanced at him. "You're not coming down with something, are you?"

"I don't think so."

His mother sighed, wiping her hands on her apron before sitting down beside him. "You've been acting strange lately, Ryo. Distracted, zoning out. Is something bothering you?"

Ryo swallowed a spoonful of miso soup before shaking his head. "Just… thinking about something. Nothing serious."

"Work?"

"Not really."

His mother exchanged a glance with his father before turning back to him. "You know you can talk to us, right ?"

"I know." He forced a small smile. "I'm fine, Mom, Really."

She didn't look convinced but didn't push further. Instead, she sighed. "Alright. But if something's wrong, don't keep it to yourself. "

" I won't. "

Dinner continued in relative silence, only interrupted by the occasional clink of chopsticks against bowls. Once he finished eating, Ryo stood up and stretched. "I'll be in my room."

His father grunted in acknowledgment, while his mother called after him, "Get some rest, okay?"

Ryo gave a half-hearted wave as he made his way down the hall. Once inside his room, he powered on his laptop. He hesitated for only a moment before typing into the novel's comment section:

[User: RyoH] Hey, did anyone else notice the name Caius Veyne being added to earlier chapters? I swear it wasn't there before.

He hit send and leaned back, waiting. The minutes ticked by. Then—

A reply.

[User: ShadowScript] Who's Caius Veyne? I don't remember that name.

Ryo's stomach dropped. He quickly scrolled through the chapters again, searching for where he had seen the name. But—

It was gone.

Every instance of Caius Veyne had disappeared from the novel.

His hands trembled slightly as he refreshed the page, but nothing changed. The edits were gone. The novel was exactly how it had been before. Like he had imagined everything.

But he hadn't. He was sure of it.

A notification popped up. Another comment from ShadowScript:

[User: ShadowScript] You okay, man? Maybe you misremembered?

Ryo swallowed hard, fingers hovering over the keyboard. What could he even say? No, I saw it, but now it's gone? That would just make him sound insane.

His gaze flickered to the clock. Midnight.

His head ached. Maybe he really was just exhausted. Maybe Kenji was right—he had been reading too many fantasy novels lately.

Shaking his head, he closed his laptop and climbed into bed.

 ************

The next morning , Ryo woke up feeling strangely groggy , as if he hadn't truly rested. His mind was still caught in the web of last night's confusion, but he forced himself to push it aside as he got ready for the day.

Breakfast was quiet. His father had already left for work, and his mother was busy cleaning up the kitchen. She glanced at him as he sat down at the table, her brows furrowed.

"You look pale," she noted. "Did you sleep alright?"

Ryo hesitated before nodding. "Yeah. Just… a bit tired."

His mother sighed, placing a plate of toast and eggs in front of him. "You should take it easy today. If you're feeling sick, don't push yourself."

"I'll be fine, Mom." He offered a small smile, though it barely reached his eyes.

She didn't seem convinced but didn't push further. "Alright. Just promise me you'll take care of yourself."

"I will."

As he ate, his thoughts drifted back to the novel. He had checked again this morning—still no trace of Caius Veyne. No edits, no changes. As if the name had never existed in the first place. But he knew what he saw.

After breakfast, he retreated to his room, shutting the door behind him. If something was happening to Heaven's Wrath, he needed to understand everything about it. He grabbed his phone, opened the novel, and started rereading from the very beginning.

Hours passed as he skimmed through the contents, devouring every detail he could. He memorized key characters, their arcs, the rise and fall of kingdoms, betrayals, alliances, and—most importantly—the villains.

Caius Veyne.

Though his name had vanished from earlier chapters, Ryo distinctly remembered that Caius had been an early antagonist, someone who met a brutal end after failing to stand against the protagonist's party. His role had been minor but crucial—someone who unknowingly set major events into motion before dying.

**********

And yet, his name was missing.

Was it possible that the author had removed him completely? Or worse—rewritten him?

His pulse quickened. If the novel was changing, then he needed to learn everything before it was too late. If something or someone was revising the novel, then what was preventing them from altering something greater?

That night, the nightmares commenced.

Ryo found himself standing in the middle of a battlefield, blood soaking into the earth beneath his feet. Bodies lay across the ground, the stench of iron thick in the air. Screams echoed around him, and when he turned, he saw a man—a warrior clad in tattered armor, his face covered in dirt and fatigue.

Caius Veyne.

Ryo watched through his eyes as he fought against impossible odds, his sword clashing against enemies who would soon claim his life. Pain seared through his body—wounds opening, breath growing ragged. And then—

Darkness.

Ryo sat up, covered in a cold sweat, his heart pounding against his chest. The visions seared into his mind, too real to be dreams.

And it didn't end there.

For an entire week, the visions continued, each night revealing another fragment of Caius's life. He saw a young noble being cast aside, training in the shadows, desperately trying to carve a place for himself in a world that had already abandoned him. He felt the weight of betrayal, the sting of failure, the desperate struggle for survival.

And every night, the dreams ended the same way—with death.

Even during the day, fleeting hallucinations plagued Ryo's vision. A sword glinting in the corner of his eye, the phantom scent of blood, the feeling of a blade digging into his skin. The boundaries between himself and Caius were thinning, his mind a battlefield of memories that weren't his own.

Was he losing himself? Or was something or someone forcing him to remember?