Whoosh!
A strong yet warm wind caressed Basil's face. It's gentleness reminded him of someone's warmth. A smell of spring assaulted his nose, bringing him a sense of nostalgia.
Rustle!
Sounds of rustling grass filled surrounding, painting a clear picture of wind swaying grasses and flowers in his mind. He knew where he was, even without opening his eyes.
"Flowerbed, huh?"
He knew he had died—he was sure he had died. This place could either be afterlife or just him reminiscing of old memory. Or worse, it could be an Bewitchment that was casted by the seven people who had forced him to kill himself.
However, he was pretty sure the latter wasn't the case, because ...
"Sil.. are you sleeping?"
He could hear a very familiar voice coming from his side; he knew who this voice belonged to. Despite having heard the exact same voice which had stimulated his disgust a few moments prior, he didn't feel any repulsion from the voice he had just heard.
"I'm just enjoying the scenery. Why don't you lie down too?"
A calm answer; he didn't even open his eyes. The words were casually spoken, yet he knew he had uttered those words before.
'So, I'm just reminiscing a memory then.'
A soft smile adorned his undoubtedly attractive face. However inwardly, he felt bitter with the situation.
'Just how? Is this what happens after you die? Or maybe, this is hell? Is this how the so-called God punishes me? If so, this Lord is disappointed. It doesn't even give me any form suffering!'
Overbearing!
Just as usual, Basil acted like Basil.
He was about to continue on his soliloquy about how meek the "punishment" he got, when suddenly—
Poke!
"You are thinking about something unnecessary, aren't you?"
—a finger poked his cheek.
It belonged to a beautiful purple-haired woman whom Basil knew very well; the purple-haired woman squinted her eyes at Basil to get an answer out of him.
"No. You aren't even a Mentalist. How can you read my mind?"
"I know you well—I can see it from your face."
Just like that, a very familiar conversation flowed. However, Basil gently frowned his face, as if finding the situation unsatisfactory.
The reason?
'Ridiculous! What can she tell from my perfectly controlled facial expression? ... Oh, right. It should be the plot. It's just a memory.'
Nodding his head inwardly, he accepted the bewildering event that was currently unfolding.
'Then, at this point, she will be...'
Just as he was about to recall what would happen next. The purple-haired woman lied on her side, facing his direction.
"What were you thinking about, Sil?"
Whoosh!
The strong yet warm wind once again swept over them. This time, the rustle wasn't only heard from the surrounding, but also from the above; it was highly likely a tree.
Then, as if proving his thought was correct, something fell on his face.
"Ah, look! The Apple Blossom fell on your face! Fufufu..."
A melodious laugh resounded from her. It was a laugh that he had missed and yearned for long. Unconsciously, he bit his lower lip.
Just as the purple-haired woman was about to remove the Apple Blossom from his face, he lied on his side, and faced his body toward her.
Gently opening his eyes, myriads of emotions swirled in his eyes when they were fully opened. His gaze was so intense, the purple-haired woman was momentarily taken aback.
"What—What happened? Did I somehow disturb you?"
A genuine concern could be felt from her tone; unfortunately, she took it as something else.
Basil wasn't bothered; it had also happened in the past. Though, at that time what he had thought had been different than what he was thinking currently.
Deciding to get off of the "script" for a bit, he said softly, "I was thinking about you."
"O-Oh... I see." The purple-haired woman was flustered.
Seeing that brought a gentle smile to his face. Although she regained her composure in the next moment, it was enough for him. It wasn't a common occurrence to see her like that.
Overwhelmed with emotion, he didn't even register the fact that she had reacted differently from his memory. He asked instead, "How are you these days?"
"I ... am fine. Why do you ask?"
"Just wanted to make sure."
Basil just stared at the purple-haired woman silently; a gentle smile was forever etched on his face. If anyone were to see the current him, they would be flabbergasted. Basil had never made that face in front of anyone.
In turn, the purple-haired woman was curiously staring at him. Basil was normally a very attentive man. However, at this moment he chose to ignore everything, and enjoy the moment.
He didn't even register her curious stare, and how different things had happened from the past. He didn't care. He had died; it was all over—or so he had thought.
After who knows how long had passed, he sighed forlornly. "Huuh... Sorry about that." Lying on his back, he gazed at the sky.
The purple-haired woman, likewise, followed him, and quickly covered the distance between them. "Fufufu.. it's okay since it was me. But, I believe another women would take that gaze differently."
Her sight wasn't on the sky; it was fully on Basil. She could see it from the side: the forlornness his face was showing. It was gently enveloped by the sunshine, giving him an otherworldly look.
The flowers surrounding them—countless of Purple Hyacinths gently swayed in the wind; it was a flowerbed, the place where they laid their body upon.
A strange combination of Apple Blossom and Hyacinth was made. It was only possible because the world wasn't bound by any reality.
"I think... it's not that bad dying on a flowerbed." A gentle voice full of defeat unconsciously escaped Basil's mouth.
"Do you think it's the end?"
"I do. Once you're dead, it's the end for you. I don't think you can do anything after death," He answered offhandedly.
This conversation didn't happen in the past; in the past, he had asked how she would like to die. It was different now, but unfortunately he didn't register the fact yet.
"Then, let me ask you. Do YOU think it's the end?"
The purple-haired woman was no longer lying on his side. She was already on top of him, looking at his eyes deeply. A strange feeling filled his chest: a sense of incongruence quickly overwhelmed him.
His forlorn look was instantly wiped off his face; a serious look took over his face. The melancholic gaze was gone; a calculative, and cautious glare took its place.
"Is this afterlife? Where am I? Heaven?"
At Basil's question, the purple-haired woman blinked her eyes, and stared at Basil disbelievingly. She moved her body away from him, then sat beside him—still facing his direction.
"I can't believe you have so much confidence in yourself going to Heaven." A helpless smile adorned her face as she shook her head. "As for your question, no, it isn't Heaven."
"Then, it must be somewhere else." He nodded his head.
A genuine curiosity took over her as she looked at him with a wondering look. "Why don't you think it's Hell?" Basil snorted lightly. "Hmph! Someone like you shouldn't be found in hell. God's standard must be flawed if someone like you go to hell."
Admirable certainty! His confidence in her was truly incredible. He was by no means unreasonable, but for some things he was unreasonably stubborn.
Seemingly understanding his meaning, the purple-haired woman shook her head with a helpless smile. "I thank you for your confidence in me, but I am not who you think I am."
"Hm. I know that already."
Instant acceptance!
The purple-haired woman was dumbfounded. For someone who had acted reasonably, he was pretty unreasonable.
Just then, he had looked at her as if he was looking at his long lost lover. But now, he was looking at her as if someone treating his elder.
"I guess you have already figured out who I am?" She asked unsurely.
"No, I don't know who you are."
"Then, how do you know I am not someone you know?"
Basil pointed his eyes. "The gaze."
"Hm?" The purple-haired woman looked at him curiously.
Basil didn't explain himself immediately. Instead, he raised his body, and sat himself straight. Staring at her straight in the eyes, he said, "That gaze doesn't belong to someone who has merely lived for thirty years—that gaze doesn't belong to human."
A bitter smile was immediately etched on his face. "I knew it by the time you looked at me like that. I can see the vastness, and immeasurable depth inside. Believe me when it comes to people, I can measure how shallow they are; you are by no means shallow."
"I see."
The purple-haired woman nodded her head lightly. Looking at him silently for a moment, she then opened her mouth; her time to explain things had come.
"This place called Dreamland. It's an independent domain that isn't bound by the law of the world—the realm between life and death. Normally, you can't enter this place freely; you have to fulfill a certain condition to be able to enter it. Such as—"
"External interference."
She didn't have to finish her words, since Basil had completed them for her. Once again, she was made speechless.
"Yes ... That's right. However, if your soul is too strong, you can forcefully make your way inside; a strong soul can maintain its conscience even after death. That is how one could end up in Dreamland."
"Does that mean I belong to the former category?"
"Yes and no ..." She shook her head. "Your soul is strong enough to enter Dreamland."
"What happens to people who enter Dreamland?"
"They are reincarnated."
At the answer, a sigh of disappointment escaped Basil's mouth. The purple-haired woman, who saw that, twitched her lips.
"Reincarnation is not a bad thing. You can choose what you want to be reincarnated to."
"Doesn't sound appealing to me," he said in distaste. "Rather than reincarnating, better spending my life in eternal rest. It's wiser than repeating the things I have done."
The purple-haired woman waved her hand mildly. "Don't worry about that. You won't remember a thing about your last life."
"That's exactly my concern: doing something you have done while not knowing it."
"You aren't repeating the same thing, though. Your life will be different; you will be met with people you haven't met."
Basil shook his head as if the purple-haired woman didn't get what he meant. Sighing lightly, he explained his view on the matter.
"Supposed that I died, and then reincarnated. I do live once again, but haven't I lived the same life before? The outcome might be different, but I will still do the same thing again—living."
Turning his neutral gaze to the purple-haired woman, he said, "Correct me if I'm wrong."
The purple-haired woman kept her silence. Contrary to what he had expected, she had a faint smile on her face.
"Look around you!" She gestured at the flowers surrounding them. She put her hand on her chest, then said, "Look at me! What do you see?"
A simple question, yet Basil's answer didn't come immediately. He knew the answer, yet he was reluctant to say it.
He moved his gaze at his surrounding. Purple Hyacinths covered most of the ground; behind him was an Apple Blossom tree.
The fallen flowers decorated the ground, giving a sense of incongruence yet harmonious sight to behold. Lastly, his gaze fell on the purple-haired woman.
Deeply looking at her in the eyes, he emotionally muttered, "Regrets."
A short answer. Just a word, but it conveyed his feelings well. He had felt myriads of emotions when he had seen her, but the strongest feeling he had gotten had been regret; it was something he couldn't admit easily.
He had no face to face her—he was ashamed. He had promised her one thing: to live without regrets. How funny fate works, she became the very reason of his regret.
"Hm. I can see that." The purple haired woman nodded her head, then smiled at him. "Don't you think you want to undo your regret?"
"No, I don't."
"What are you—"
She was bewildered by Basil's blunt answer, but he wasn't done yet.
"I don't want to undo it; it is just an act to repeat the inevitable. I want to erase it!"
The more he spoke, the more passionate he became. He was quickly overtaken by emotion; his heated gaze was directed at her. Both sides became silent, until the purple-haired woman finally opened her mouth.
"What is the offer?"
Unfortunately, she didn't manage to say anything just yet: she was beaten once again by him.
She was dumbfounded; she was annoyed, and pissed. He had ruined the mood she had painstakingly built!
Although she felt that way, she was professional enough to not show it on her face. Sighing lightly, she motioned her hand. "Huuh... Come!"
Luckily this time, Basil was obedient enough to follow her instruction. Wordlessly approaching her, he stood in front of her, and stared right into her eyes. It was quite a comical sight, since it looked like a staredown.
It couldn't be helped, she was merely as tall as his chest after all. Annoyed once again, she just extended her hand and touched his forehead ... Or that what she meant to do.
Basil had purposefully leaned his head backward, making it hard for her to reach his forehead due to their height difference.
"You! Give me your forehead!" An embarrassed voice came out of her.
He smirked, then lowered his head. Finally, he could feel the hand touching his forehead. He could feel it clearly.
'Ah, it is different. It's not her,' he mused in his mind.
A sigh of disappointment unconsciously leaked out of him. As if reading his thought, the purple-haired woman snorted.
"Hmph! Enjoy your trip!"
That was the last thing he heard, before a blinding light encapsulated him. Once again, he felt weightlessness.