"Do the gods find this funny...?"
Azriel stared grimly at his surroundings.
He was standing in the middle of a street, cars passing through him as though he didn't exist.
Around him, towering buildings loomed, their presence familiar yet alien.
He would have thought he was back at EASC if it weren't for the brands of cars—ones he knew didn't belong to this world—driving through his body.
With a sigh, Azriel pressed his palm to his face.
"Why can't I sleep peacefully for once?"
The last thing he remembered was sitting at the meeting.
Exhaustion hit him like a wave, creeping into his bones.
He'd tried to fend it off with [Void Mind], a skill that also helped him stay alert while juggling multiple thoughts.
But it wasn't enough.
Conversations with Amon and Jasmine faded into the background, and eventually, he had to excuse himself, rushing off to a tent set aside for him.
The ruins weren't the best place to sleep, especially with the void capital still under construction.
The builders, though superhuman, were racing against time.
And if a void creature attacked, things could get messy.
But this... this wasn't normal exhaustion.
Murmuring under his breath, Azriel started walking.
He felt like a ghost, his feet passing over the sidewalk as people on their phones or in conversation drifted through him.
There was no sensation as they phased through his body.
He glanced up—the sky was clear, not cracked like he was used to.
The sun shone brightly, warm and comforting.
But something was off.
Azriel furrowed his brows.
"Shouldn't some sort of entity appear by now? Someone familiar... or maybe a version of myself?"
He scanned the crowd, but there was no one. Just him, alone.
Sighing again, he wandered the streets, weaving through the faceless people. His surroundings were unsettlingly familiar, but he couldn't place why.
The buildings, the streets... It all stirred something in him, a growing discomfort that churned in his gut like dark, murky water.
And then, he stopped.
The place in front of him—it hit him like a wave of nostalgia.
A small smile crept onto his face.
A beautiful park with trees, a small river, children laughing as they played on swings, and families picnicking on the lush, green grass.
"I haven't been here since..." His voice faltered.
"Since their deaths..."
So many memories were tied to this park. Azriel stood still, trying to process what was happening, why he was even here.
But for now, he would take advantage of it.
"There's another place close by," he muttered, deciding to leave the park behind.
As he walked, more landmarks from his past came into view.
The nostalgia clung to him like a shadow.
Azriel chuckled softly.
"It really feels like a lifetime ago..."
The memories swirled around him, bittersweet as he finally reached his destination.
But it wasn't his house. Nor was it the graveyard where his family rested.
No, it was his school.
"It must be school hours, judging by all these students..." he mused, watching them file in and out of the building, dressed in their usual clothes.
His school had never enforced a uniform rule.
Without hesitation, Azriel stepped inside.
He found himself standing in the hallway he had walked countless times, racing to class or heading home.
His eyes scanned the faces of the students and teachers, but none were familiar.
He kept walking, his footsteps growing heavier with each step. His heart felt like a weight in his chest, his fists clenched tightly.
"I have to see it... just one more time."
Ascending the stairs, he noticed the number of people around him thinning, until he was completely alone.
At the end of the hallway stood a single wooden door. A small metal plaque beside it read:
Azriel exhaled deeply, his breath shaky.
He placed his hand on the doorknob, hesitating.
"I might never get another chance..."
Gritting his teeth, he turned the knob and stepped inside.
The light from the setting sun streamed through the windows, bathing the room in a golden glow. The curtains swayed gently in the breeze.
Tink... Tink... Tink...
A familiar melody filled the room, soft and delicate.
Each note seemed to carry a weight, pulling at Azriel's chest as memories he had buried long ago surfaced.
Tink... Tink... Tink...
His eyes were drawn to the source of the music.
Brown hair. Green eyes. No older than nine.
His small hands moved effortlessly across the piano keys.
"That is amazing, Leo! You really have a sense for music!"
A much younger version of his past life.
Azriel finally understood what he was seeing.
Azriel bit his lip as he looked at the people before him.
A woman with black hair and blue eyes praised the little boy—Leo.
Leo looked at her with eyes full of wonder, almost as if stars were shining in those emeralds as he smiled brightly.
He asked excitedly, hope sparkling in his gaze. Kaya nodded and crouched down to meet his eye level.
"Yes, really! If you practice hard enough, you might even become a pianist."
His face lit up like the sun, and Azriel watched with a sad smile.
Another figure appeared.
Azriel's eyes trembled as he bit down harder on his lip.
Her brown hair flowed down to her waist, and her green eyes mirrored Leo's.
She was... as beautiful as a forgotten dream, the kind that lingers painfully long after waking.
Azriel's expression softened, heavy with sorrow as he gazed at her.
Not some void creature imitating her.
If one looked closer, they'd notice the swell in her belly.
"Mom! Did you hear that? Kaya says I could become a pianist!" Leo's voice broke the moment, full of joy as he ran to her.
Jeanne chuckled softly, warmth in her eyes as she crouched down and met his eager gaze.
"If you became one, I'd be the happiest mother on the entire planet," she said, brushing his hair gently.
Leo closed his eyes, a soft smile on his lips as he leaned into her touch.
Watching the three of them, Azriel felt his legs weaken.
His knees buckled, and he caught himself on a nearby desk, arms trembling.
He reached out with his right hand, desperate to touch her, but he knew...
"Please... just look at me one more time... Mom."
Azriel heard his own voice, but no one else did.
His expression darkened, knowing all too well what would come next. Everything started on this day, after all. Perhaps if he'd never wanted to play the piano, if Kaya and Jeanne hadn't said those words to Leo...
A dark, bitter laugh escaped Azriel's lips as he covered his mouth.
"If only I'd never tried to be a good son... I wouldn't have been such a disappointment."
He sighed, staring solemnly at the scene before him. And in the next blink—
Only the piano remained.
Azriel clenched his eyes shut, gritting his teeth.
"They weren't real anyway..."
Opening his eyes, a faint smile touched his lips as a thought crossed his mind.
"Kaya... Last I heard, she moved to another country after getting married."
She had been his music teacher, but also someone Azriel had thought of as an aunt.
Unfortunately, before the accident with his family, she left. He never got the chance to tell her what happened.
Azriel slowly walked toward the piano, his fingers brushing its smooth surface before he stood in front of it.
He pressed one of the keys softly.
A small, almost silly laugh escaped him as he pressed it again.
"It's been so long since I touched a piano... I wonder if I can still play..."
But before he could find out, his vision blurred.
His head grew light, though a calm smile lingered on his face.
"Maybe another day, huh..."
It seemed it was time to wake up.
He didn't know what was better—this, the dreamless sleep, or the nightmares.
Maybe neither was better.
He still hadn't gotten an answer as to why he was reliving a memory, or what the purpose of it was.
But... Azriel had a feeling he'd be reliving a lot of his memories from now on.
"Did you do this? My future self?"
For some reason, the image of that person with the scythe flashed in Azriel's mind.
He was certain of it.
Or at least connected to him.
Azriel quietly observed as his surroundings grew more and more blurred. Occasionally, it felt as if reality itself was shattering before his eyes.
"I wonder what it is I need to remember..."
Everything turned black.