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Goodbye, World.
Arid_Landscape
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Status
• Serial ○ Pause ○ Completed
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'Goodbye...and this time, it's for real.'
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[Cancel] [Completed]
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[ 23:59:56.67 Dec 31, 2024]
-Blink. Blink.
[ 23:59:57.93 Dec 31, 2024]
'3'
[ 23:59:58.72 Dec 31, 2024]
'2'
[ 23:59:59.39 Dec 31, 2024]
'1'
[00:00:00.00 Jan 1, 2025]
-Click.
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[00:00:00.00 Jan 1, 2024]
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[00:00:00.00 Jan 1, 2023]
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[00:00:00.00 Jan 1, 2022]
-Blink. Blink.
'Huh?'
[00:00:00.00 Jan 1, 2021]
It appears my phone had decided to act up again. Well, at least I was finally able to bring an end to the novel I had been writing over the last 2 years.
-Fuu...
A turbid breath escaped through my cracked lips.
-Shuffle.
Shifting my body around to get rid of the stiffness my body was overcome with after hunching over for several hours on end, I tried to find a more comfortable sitting position.
'I guess it's time...'
I thought to myself as I tucked my hands into the hems of the woolen sweater. Since it would be best for me if I did not make my parents wait any further, I began preparing myself mentally for what was to happen next.
-Cough. Cough.
-Achoo!
'Ugh...this stupid...'
Cursing out the cold I assumed I had caught from the flight a few weeks back, I began making my way towards the door of the bedroom.
'I hope this doesn't hurt as much as I expect it to...'
Coming over to my parent's place for the holidays as a surprise had been a great idea in my head for god knows what reason- unfortunately, I had not been greeted by their euphoric faces; although, my sister did break down in tears for being able to, at long last, see the face of this incompetent brother.
However, everything seemed to be going downhill since then.
Most of my electronics had decided against cooperating with me, the clothes I had brought along had miraculously become drenched, even my suitcase had begun creaking.
Worst of all, this cold had been lingering ever since I had stepped foot in this house, leaving me bedridden for the past week with a fever that had persisted over 100°F, only showing signs of letting up an hour or so ago.
Now I would have to drag my battered body over just to satisfy my parents' spontaneous urge to celebrate the New Year on the roof with our neighbors.
-Sigh.
'Well, let's get this over with already...'
-Creak.
'Hmm...?'
Abruptly, a feeling of uneasiness swarmed the back of my head as I slowly turned the doorknob.
It was quiet.
Not the eerie kind, since I could clearly hear the 'Moonlight Sonata' my sister had been blasting in her room since dinner, but, a strange kind of quiet, the one I knew could not exist in this household- where bickering was the defining feature even if it was during a celebration.
'Did they go up already...?'
Holding my fragile body against the frame of the door, I dazedly looked at the scene before me, my mind going blank.
A long table stood in the center of the dimly illuminated room, covered with a lustrous black cloth, lined with golden thread weaved into intricate patterns, along with mahogany chairs, silverware, and plates filled to the brim with exquisite dishes, that seemed to me, to comprise mainly of western cuisine.
The windows were draped with maroon curtains, blocking out the outer world, making the candles atop the archaic candle stands the only source of light.
Having lived in this apartment for several years during my teens, I could confidently claim that I knew this place as well as I did the back of my hand, yet the sight I was met with when I came out from my room was one that I had no recollection of.
"Oh, my~? What do we have here?"
Dragging me out of my thoughts was a coquettish voice, finally bringing to my attention the silhouette seated at the head of the table.
-Blink. Blink.
What met my sight were a pair of glistening feline eyes, reflected upon which were the wavering flames of the candles and the image of a young boy seated across from them, at the other end of the table.
-Shudder.
Chills ran down my spine when the realization hit me that the young boy reflected in those eyes was me. Why? Because I did not even notice when I had lost control of my body, walked over to the table and had taken a seat.
"Boy, would you like to see a magic trick?"
Immediately after the words rang out, the world in front of me was drained of all color, and a deck of cards flew into my sight, spreading out in a fan shape.
"Pick a card."
By this point, my brain had already given up on trying to comprehend the situation and was overheating, my breathing had become ragged, whilst a constant ringing sound had begun echoing in the confines of my skull.
So when she asked me to make a choice with that alluring voice of hers, all I could do was comply.
Black spots were clouding my vision, and I was overtaken by severe vertigo. As if I was rolling downhill in a barrel, my world spun rapidly, with nausea evoking in me an urge to spill out the contents of my gut, nevertheless, my hand reached out towards the card at the very edge.
[00:00:00.00 Jan 1, 2020]
"Wonderful choice~! Now let the magic begin!"
Was the last thing I heard before the world truly turned black.
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"Hey! Wake up!"
-Pinch.
-Blink. Blink.
"..."
'Is it just me or have I been blinking way too much recently?'
"Get up already if you're awake, we're gonna be late otherwise."
-Blink. Blink.
'Yup, definitely been blinking more than usual.'
"I'm up," I mumbled while sitting upright.
"Good."
The small figure left the room, or should I say, stomped out of the room, leaving behind only a single word.
"...ugh."
Rubbing my aching cheeks which were being tinted red, I held onto my throbbing head with the other hand.
'What a weird dream that was...'
Looking around, I was relieved to find that I was still in my own room.
-Yawn.
'I must've fallen asleep after updating the status of my novel...'
Stretching to get rid of the drowsiness and accumulated fatigue from staying in bed for too long, I made my way towards the bathroom.
"Breakfast's ready, come down when you've finished brushing!"
A slightly irritated voice called out to me from down the hall attached to my bedroom.
"Yeah! Just a minute!"
-Shaa.
-Splash. Splash.
-Huu.
Looking at my reflection in the mirror all sorts of thoughts began running through my head. However the most prominent had to be about how little my parents seemed to care even though I had just recently recovered from such a prolonged malady.
Yet, my thoughts couldn't linger on that topic for long, as I was soon left bewildered by the image that was formed in the mirror in front of me.
Staring back at me was the same dull indifferent azure eyes, the same sharp jawline, the same disheveled white hair, the same chapped lips, nothing seemed out of ordinary, yet in my eyes, a jarring contrast formed with how I usually viewed myself. And that could be attributed to one defining feature which I had carried since my teenage or the lack thereof that is.
The scar was gone.
The one to which I had vowed my life. The one to which I promised to continue living even after the tragedy had taken everything away from me.
To my surprise, however, another event occurred that would redefine my life as it was forever, one that came in one of the simplest forms, a card.
Floating in front of my reflection was a simple playing card, yet it radiated an aura of impending doom, and as it slowly rotated to reveal its face, the aura seemed to become denser.
Looking at the hooded figure in the card holding up what seemed to be a stick, and the table that lay to its side, atop which resided a sword, a pentacle, a wand, and a cup, I subconsciously read out the words inscribed at the bottom.
"The Magician"