"Hey, sis! When do you think the plane will land?" he exclaimed to somebody on the other side of the phone.

"What's with this niceness? It's grossing me out! Cut it, bro!" a feminine voice joked playfully.

"Never mind then. Find somebody else to pick you up when you arrive!" he said in a sorrow while holding the frame of his family photo.

"Sam... I know that they're gone, but you need to stop thinking about it. Let them rest in peace. Let's sell their old house! I know, I know, but it's for your own good. You need to move away from the past!"

Sam stood there silently, shedding a tear as he gazed at the family photo. The woman's voice echoed in the background, "Hello? Are you there, Sam?"

Quickly wiping his tears, he replied, "Yeah, I'm here, just..." Sam couldn't even finish his sentence as he got lost in thought again.

A heavy sigh came from the phone. "Sam, I know. Let's attend their funeral after I arrive. Sound good?" The woman's voice was cheerful making Sam a little bit optimistic.

"Yeah," Sam said, wiping away another tear. "Do you believe they are happy?" His tone was also cheerful.

"Sam! You know..." She didn't even finish her words before Sam interrupted.

"Sorry, sis. I just have this heavy feeling about it." Sam slowly put the family photo away and walked toward the kitchen to make himself dinner.

"It's not your fault. Plus, the plane is scheduled to land tomorrow, so be ready! I'm boarding now. Talk to you after I land!"

As the call ended, Sam quickly made himself dinner and sat down to watch TV in the living room.

The next morning, waking up groggily from the couch, Sam hurried through his routine, eating breakfast, brushing his teeth, and taking a shower.

As Sam arrived at the airport to wait for his sister, he remained there from dawn to dusk. But she never showed up. He tried calling her, but there was no response.

Feeling nauseous, he made his way to a set of chairs near the departure station and sat down.

The nausea worsened, accompanied by an overwhelming sense of danger. Looking up at a nearby screen, only to see breaking news about a plane crash.

His mind began to race, frantically denying the possibility that it was the same plane his sister was on. But as the names of the passengers were announced one by one, his heart pounded with fear.

Finally, after all the names had been called, Sam let out a sigh of relief. His sister's name wasn't on the list.

Slowly getting up, Sam made his way home. After arriving, he tried calling her a few more times, but there was still no answer.

Sam's thoughts ran rampant, racing through countless possibilities.

"Maybe her phone is just out of battery. Or maybe it's in airplane mode. Yeah that's it her phone is either airplane mode or battery out." he told himself.

But the lingering nausea refused to fade. No matter how much he tried to convince himself that everything was fine, a deep sense of fear lingered at him. His mind kept circling back to the news of the plane crash.

Forcing himself to sleep, Sam took a sleeping pill and washed it down with alcohol, desperate to drift off quickly.

Soon, everything around him began to blur as the combined effects of the pill and alcohol hit him hard. It wasn't long before he fell into a deep, restless sleep.

After what felt like an endless nightmare, Sam finally woke up. Groggy and disoriented, he glanced at the clock. It was nearing 12 pm.

After waking up he quickly runned of to the toilet to vomit. He was holding his head in pain. He remembered he didn't eat yesterday that was why he had a

Looking at his phone he had received 8 missing calls from an unknown number during 2 am - 5 am. Not knowingly he called the number back.

After just a few seconds, the unknown number picked up the call.

"Hello. I'm from IATA, short for the International Air Transport Association. We are deeply sorry to inform you of this, but it appears your sister switched her plane ticket with someone who boarded the flight that crashed. I am truly sorry for your loss. Words cannot express the sorrow and heartbreak of losing a loved one in such a tragic way."

Sadness overwhelmed Sam in the worst way imaginable.

If I hadn't acted like that... if I hadn't made her worry... she would have been alright. It's my fault. It's my fault. IT'S MY FAULT!

His thoughts spiraled out of control as guilt consumed him entirely.

---

A man stood outside Sam's house, knocking on the door.

"Sir Sam? Are you home? The boss is worried about you since you haven't been to work for two weeks. He sent me to check on you. You know, I'm your work partner. Sam?"

After knocking a little harder, the door creaked open.

Huh? He didn't lock the door? the man thought, hesitating for a moment before stepping inside.

"The boss said I should at least help him if he's sick or injured. He told me not to worry about work, he'll cover for us," the man muttered to himself as he cautiously entered the house.

"Sir, are you there?"

After searching through Sam's house, the man froze in terror as he stumbled upon Sam's lifeless body hanging from the ceiling.

Panic surged through him as he fumbled for his phone, immediately dialing for an ambulance. Once he made the call, he quickly phoned his boss.

"Boss... I'm so sorry. Sam... he's taken his own life. I already called for an ambulance."

On the other end of the phone, the boss let out a heavy sigh. "Ishan, you did the right thing. I'll be coming over shortly. Take the rest of the month off, I think it's best for you to recover from such a shocking experience."

"Understood, sir," Ishan said before leaving as his boss arrived at the scene.

Soon after, the cops arrived along with the ambulance.

"Are you the one who called the ambulance?" one of the officers asked.

"Yes, I did," the man replied calmly.

The cops questioned him further. "What was your relationship with the deceased?"

"Childhood friend and his current boss," he answered, his voice flat and devoid of emotion.

His stoic demeanor raised suspicion among the officers.

"What's your name?" one of them asked, watching him closely.

"William Connor," he replied, his tone steady, showing no outward sign of grief.

"Okay William we need you come to the station to be questioned further is that possible for you?"

"I will comply without any problem officers."

"Okay, William, we need you to come to the station for further questioning. Is that possible for you?"

"I will comply without any problems, officers," William replied calmly.

After a few more questions, they sent William away and began thoroughly investigating Sam's case. Occasionally, they called William for clarification, but despite their suspicions, nothing implicated him. Everything William said was verified as true.

While going through Sam's phone, they noticed the unknown number he had contacted. They decided to call it. Fortunately, the IATA worker who had spoken with Sam answered.

"Hello, IATA agent speaking," the voice on the other end said without hesitation.

"Hello, this is Head Officer Dean. Can you check who recently communicated with this number?"

"Let me check that for you," the agent replied. After a few minutes, he confirmed, "It looks like I was the one who spoke with this number. How can I assist you?"

"I need detailed information about what you discussed during that call," Officer Dean requested firmly.

The IATA agent hesitated, his tone becoming cautious. "I'm sorry, officer, but that would be a direct violation of privacy law."

"You don't understand!" Officer Dean's voice grew sharp, his tone edging on a shout. "The owner of this number has passed away. We need to know what happened!"

There was a moment of silence before the IATA agent sighed. "...I understand."

Reluctantly, the agent detailed everything from the conversation he had with Sam, providing the officers with a clearer picture of the tragic events.

The next day, the police called William to inform him of what they had learned, as he was the closest person to Sam and his family.

After following those days William was always at Sam's family grave visiting it daily.

"Sam, I'm sorry for everything! As your only friend, I should have been there!" William said, his voice heavy with sadness as he stood by Sam's memorial.

Ishan gently placed a hand on William's shoulder. "Boss, I'm sorry for disturbing you, but I'll be heading back to the office now."

He hesitated, unsure of what more to say, this was the first time he had ever seen his boss in such a vulnerable state.

To Ishan, William had always been stoic yet positive, an outgoing leader who stood apart from other bosses. Unlike his previous workplaces, where managers kept their distance, William was different.

Ishan always thought of a boss as someone who simply overlooked workers, rarely getting involved. But William wasn't like that, he worked alongside his employees, helping them whenever.

After Ishan left, William was alone. Lighting up a cigarette, he took a few puffs and muttered to himself, "What will I do without you here, Sam?"

The only people who visited Sam's grave were William and Ishan—no one else showed up. None of Sam's cousins or extended family made an appearance.

William took it upon himself to pray at each of their tombstones. For Sam's mother and sister, he placed a bouquet of flowers with care. For Sam and his father, he left a bottle of alcohol a gesture that carried a deep meaning only he understood.

After spending hours talking to Sam's grave, William finished his seventh cigarette, whispered a final goodbye, and made his way to work. It was close to midnight when he arrived.

To his surprise, the office lights were still on. As he got closer, he saw Ishan hard at work, handling both Sam's tasks and William's for the day.

William gently placed a hand on Ishan's shoulder.

Startled, Ishan turned around and saw his boss. "Boss? What are you doing here? It's already midnight. You should go home and rest."

William gave him a knowing look. "I think you should go home. Your family is waiting for you. Don't worry—I'll finish the rest."

Ishan paused, moved by his boss's words. He didn't try to argue. "Thank you, sir," he said sincerely before packing up and leaving.

William lit another cigarette, taking long puffs as he opened his desk drawer. Inside was a paper labeled William's Will for Sam. Without hesitation, he set it aflame, watching the edges curl and blacken until it turned to ash.

As smoke filled the air, he muttered to himself, lost in thought. "This company was our dream, Sam. Without you... it's lost its meaning." He took a deep drag from his cigarette and exhaled slowly. "I just hope this decision will be worth it."

Pulling out a fresh sheet of paper, William began writing his resignation. After finishing, he reached for another blank page and carefully wrote down who would take over the company in his absence.

---

In silence, Sam sat, holding a family photo just minutes before taking his own life. Gently, he stroked the faces in the picture, a bittersweet smile on his lips.

"I hope to meet all of you in the afterlife," he whispered, his voice heavy with sorrow.

He carefully placed a will addressed to the only two people he considered as last of his family: William and Ishan.

After taking his final breath, Sam's soul lingered, unable to move on. He watched as William stood before his grave, talking to the cold stone marker that bore his name.

A/N: I had banged my head multiple times to make it good to my standards. 7 people rated it 6-8/10.

I'm thinking of isekaing them or not, give me a good idea on what kind of witchery?