Lala- Lala-
Hnm- Hnm-
A soft, soothing lody floated through the air, blending seamlessly with the solemn atmosphere.
The choir of the church poured their hearts into every note, their voices rich and harmonious, carrying the weight of both sorrow and celebration.
The skies, veiled by a canopy of gray clouds, seed to grieve alongside us.
Yet, despite the dimness, gentle rays of light pierced through, casting an ethereal glow upon the scene.
It was as if the heavens themselves had opened to bless this mont.
Before , the prayers over my wife's grave continued, their words laced with reverence and grace.
The now-aged saintess knelt in solemn devotion, her trembling hands clasped tightly together as she whispered her sacred blessings.
Beside her, dirt was carefully being poured onto the grave, layer by layer, sealing the final chapter of a life well-lived.
Though Liyana had once been destined to embody destruction-the very incarnation of chaos itself—who could have ever foreseen this?
The woman who had been feared by many, who had once carried the weight of inevitable ruin, was now revered with the highest honor, her soul guided gently into the heavens.
"Oh goddess," the saintess intoned, her voice trembling yet resolute, "may her soul rest eternally by your side. May her wishes, unspoken and known, be granted, and may her happiness be infinite, as she has gifted happiness to others in this life and beyond."
Her prayers echoed softly, resonating in the still air.
They carried a profound warmth, wrapping around like an embrace.
I knew the customs well-tradition forbade from standing so close to the prayers. Yet, no one dared to reprimand .
No one uttered a word of protest.
They all understood: this was my final goodbye, my last mont with the woman who had been my everything.
Thump.
A faint, painful rhythm beat within my chest, a cruel reminder of the void her absence had left behind.
The years we shared together now felt like fleeting monts, as though ti had played a cruel trick on us.
And yet, the mories were as vivid and fresh as if they had just happened yesterday.
I could still hear her laughter, see her radiant smile, and feel the warmth of her hand in mine.
She had been my wife, my love, my partner through the life I never expected to live in this forgotten reality.
The one who had transford a fragnted, broken world into sothing whole and beautiful.
Even now, as I stood near her final resting place, it all felt surreal.
A part of still struggled to accept it, to comprehend the weight of this loss.
But as I looked at the grave, adorned with flowers she had loved so much, I felt a quiet resolve settle within .
I had truly lived my life here, sharing my joys, my struggles, and my soul with her.
Although everything felt like it had ended, a quiet sense of satisfaction settled within , resolving itself naturally as if it had been woven into the fabric of our lives.
"Darling~ take your ti before joining , okay?"
Those were her last words, spoken in the softest, most loving tone as she drew her final breath with by her side.
Words ant to comfort, words filled with care and tenderness-but to , they were nothing short of cruel.
They were a goodbye wrapped in love, a departure I wasn't ready to accept.
"I love you, darling~"
Her sweet voice lingered, echoing inside , refusing to fade.
It was as if the universe was intent on replaying our happiest monts, as though her love had left an indelible imprint on my soul.
mories, vivid and untad, surged through my mind, overwhelming my heart.
The good tis, the almost inconsequential bad, the hardships, and the ease-we had shared it all.
I rembered the first ti we t, the spark of sothing unfamiliar yet comforting.
The way our hearts blossod into sothing profound.
Our hesitant yet heartfelt confessions. The vows we exchanged, our defiance against a fate that seed determined to tear us apart.
I thought of the tis we embraced our mistakes, shouldered responsibilities together, and faced the consequences of our actions hand in hand.
I rembered our wedding, our first child, and the mont we beca a family. Every milestone, every fleeting glance, every word we spoke-all of it ca rushing back.
Years upon years of love, laughter, and even the quiet monts of simply existing in each
other's presence.
We never let go.
We never tired of one another.
As the mories cascaded through , I tucked the final flower into its place, resting it gently
against the soil that now held her.
"I love you too, dear..."
Those were the only words I could manage, heavy with emotion yet simple in their truth.
Closing my eyes, I clasped my hands together in prayer.
I prayed for her peace, for her happiness, and for her journey ahead.
I prayed that, wherever she was now, she would feel the sa love she had given ,
boundless and eternal.
And as the gentle breeze whispered through the trees and the flowers swayed softly under the
dim light of the sky, I let myself hope.
Hope that, one day, when my ti ca, I would see her again.
....
The world was dim yet bright—a contradiction, but one that sohow made perfect sense.
That was how I rembered it to be, a blend of light and shadow, hope and despair.
But as my eyes fluttered open, that strange harmony shattered.
The brightness disappeared, swallowed by an all-encompassing darkness.
No light greeted , only the murky reflection of my face in the stagnant, muddied waters
beneath .
[Did you enjoy it?]
A voice, distant yet familiar, resonated through the void.
I turned sharply, my breath catching as I faced him—or rather, myself.
[That unthinkable reality... Did you enjoy it?]
The figure spoke again, his tone steady, almost lifeless.
It was like staring into a mirror of my past-a younger version of , his features untouched
by the years that had weighed down my own.
His eyes were a sharp, piercing blue, identical to mine, yet they carried a wisdom and regret
that even I hadn't yet fully grasped.
His gaze bore into , apathetic on the surface, but beneath that cold exterior, I could see it.
A glimr of sothing deeper: pain, longing, and a sorrow I knew too well.
As I studied him, I was pulled to look back at the water below.
The reflection staring back at felt foreign and unrecognizable.
The aged face I saw was worn with years of love, loss, and mories-a life fully lived.
How could I have forgotten?
That life, those monts of happiness, the love I had shared with her-it wasn't real.
It was a fabrication, a fleeting illusion spun from the threads of what could have been.
The face in the water began to shift.
The wrinkles smoothed, the wear of ti faded, and what was left was the reflection of my youthful self-the one who had started this journey.
And yet, as the years of mories unraveled in my mind, unpacking one by one, they felt no
less real.
Every mont of joy, every tear shed, every word spoken-those mories clung to ,
etching themselves into my very soul.
I stared at my younger self standing before , his expression unchanged.
The weight of those years pressed down on my younger heart, filling it with emotions I could
barely comprehend.
"You... you are ..."
The words slipped out naturally, almost instinctively, as my fists clenched and mana began to
condense around .
A storm of questions brewed in my mind, each one clawing for attention as I stared at the figure before . He wasn't just a reflection or an illusion.
Was he the source-the origin of all the distorted and fragnted realities I had seen....?
Was he the reason I experienced those mories?
And for what purpose?
Who was he, really?
And then it hit that voice.
[See through that you break the tutorial...]
I had wondered why it felt so familiar.
Now, I finally had my answer.
Yet even with this revelation, the most pressing question lood heavily within .
"Why did you show that...?"
He looked at without emotion, his gaze cold and detached, as though my obvious
animosity and suspicion didn't bother him in the slightest.
[You are enraged....] he said plainly, his voice calm and asured, [Strange... even though I showed you the most beautiful reality you've ever faced.]
He paused, his apathetic stare cutting into like a blade. [But I do understand where your emotions are coming from. After all... what's left now but the bitter taste of regret?] My teeth clenched as his words struck a nerve.
[Even though you've succeeded in your first life,] he continued, his voice steady but heavy with sothing I couldn't quite place, [how co everything failed afterward?] "What are you talking about-?" I started, but he interrupted , his tone sharper now.
[Reality often dances to the tune of the unexpected, and fate... fate always finds a way to tangle itself, to twist and choke in its desperation to fulfill the providence it has written.] He stepped closer, his presence oppressive, yet oddly familiar. [Cheating your way out of it is nothing more than a fleeting dream, Riley. A fancy delusion.]
His words hung in the air, heavy and suffocating, yet they resonated deeply, as if echoing a
truth I had long refused to acknowledge.
[Rember that.]
"Huh?" CRACKLE !!!
Suddenly, the world around fractured.
Thin lines of light began to seep through the cracks, distorting the space between us.
The darkness quivered, and the distorted reality we stood in began to collapse, the distance
between and him warping uncontrollably.
[It would seem this is the limit for now...]
I wanted to ask more-so much more.
The questions burned in my mind, desperate to escape.
Yet, when I opened my mouth, no words ca.
My voice felt like it had been stolen, silenced by so unseen force.
Before I could even process the futility of speaking, he raised his hand.
With a quick, almost casual motion, he flicked my forehead.
The force wasn't violent, but it carried a strange power that resonated deep within .
It felt like being shoved-not physically, but as if my very existence was being pushed.
The cracks of light expanded, growing into blinding fissures, swallowing the shadows.
I was propelled backward, away from him, away from the suffocating darkness.
As the light consud my vision, I caught one last glimpse of him.
His gaze, as cold and detached as ever, now held a faint, fleeting trace of sothing else-
sothing deeper.
A twinge of sadness, perhaps?
Or was it resolve?
Before I could linger on it, the world shattered completely.
And then-
I woke up.
User Comments
0 comments from readers