A terrifying thought took over Olivier's heart at that moment. He was sure this would be his last day on the earth.
The coldness of the barrel that was holding Olivier hostage was showing no signs of moving away or even shaking.
"Oh, I was not aware that someone was still in here except my target. Or maybe, you are my target?"
Olivier's panicking brain managed to catch a few major points.
First, the person standing behind him was a male. And from the voice Olivier heard, he also sounded like an adult. The height of the gun was aimed at his back so Olivier only had a voice to guess things about this 'would-be' killer.
"Hey, I asked you a question. Are you my target or now?"
The man asked once more. But this time, his gun pressed harder against Olivier's back. It was a threatening motion that made Olivier's brain shut off.
"I do not know what you are talking about. Target? Me? You must be mistaken. I do not know anything about it."
Olivier had a sad and disappointing life thus far, but he still wanted to live his life. He did not want to die at the hands of an unknown man. Especially not before he had seen another championship win.
But the man behind him seemed to not believe Olivier. He twisted Olivier's arm until it was on a level with the killer's eyes and then the killer somehow rolled up Olivier's sleeve with one hand.
"Ah, so you are my target. I was getting a little worried there because you did not answer me. Now I see that I had nothing to worry about."
The man finally let Olivier go and Olivier rubbed his wrist. It was not only red but swollen. It was a miracle it had not broken when he was grabbed so tightly.
"Hey, what do you think you are doing to me? Do you know how precious this wrist of mine is? What if you have injured it or something-"
Olivier started to complain, only to realize where he was and what kind of person he was screaming at.
His mouth went shut when he finally got a good look at his 'would-be' killer. It might have been the fear, or it might have been the circumstances, but all Olivier remembered was seeing a black face without any features.
"Well, time for you to go to sleep. I hope you have a nice and fulfilling night ahead."
Olivier did not want to fall asleep but he could not bring himself to resist the charming voice either. It was like something was pulling his consciousness down with every audible word.
No matter how much Olivier tried to struggle, he could not fight against what was happening.
"I wish you the best of luck. It is not often that humans get a second chance at life. Much less a case like yours. But just because it is not common, do not think you are lucky. Your misery has just begun."
Those words rang like a bad omen around Olivier's mind. The world shackled him and caused his consciousness to not wake up.
So naturally, he did not notice it when his body was picked up and set down on the central bench of a park.
Olivier only noticed something was wrong once he woke up and sat down. His center of gravity was all messed up and he almost wobbled.
He tried to catch himself by gripping the bench side but his hand missed and his chin hit the table hard. For some reason, his eye-to-hand coordination was feeling off.
'What the hell is wrong with me? Did I drink last night? Was I so heartbroken over our loss that I drank my night away? Man, Max is going to tear me a new one for this.'
Olivier rubbed his eyes to get the remainder of his sleep out. But as soon as his hand touched his eyes, Olivier realized what was wrong and why he had been feeling off.
The shape and texture of his hand felt different. His hand was no longer hard and overworked from pressing buttons. The phantom pains and lingering aches in its joints were gone as well.
But the biggest factor that screamed that something had happened was the size of his hand.
Olivier's hands used to be large compared to others. It had allowed him to reach easily and comfortably difficult-to-press key combos with ease.
But now his hand felt much smaller and slimmer than before. It also looked younger.
"Young man, you should go home now. For a young teenager like you to be in this park so early in the morning without anything with you. Tsk, do not tell me that you ran away from home."
An old lady suddenly grabbed Olivier's shoulder and turned him around. He was made to face the old lady and her displeasure.
"Huh? A young man? But I am well in my-"
Olivier stopped speaking once the sound of his voice hit him. It sounded young and wrong coming out of his mouth.
"Excuse me, grandma. But how old do I look right now? I mean, if you must guess my age, how old would you say I am currently?"
Olivier asked while looking toward the old lady in front of him. The elderly looked taken aback and looked at Olivier with a face full of pity.
Her eyes also seemed to be cursing at invisible enemies but Olivier decided not to ask her anything more.
"Ah yes, hmmm. If I must guess, I would say you are around 12 years old. And no twelve years old should be out and about without parental guidance. Now, give me your address and I will take you back to your home."
Olivier was in a tight spot now.
Did he even have a home anymore? He did use to have one he had inherited from his parents but it had never seemed 'right' for Olivier to stay there because of his uncle and his family.
His uncle was not a bad person, but he had never been the best as well. His indifference had been the reason Olivier had been able to move away almost 15 years ago.
But his current apartment was not a place Olivier could take this old lady to as well. It was within the 'Winded Gliding Guild's' perimeters. And no outsider would be allowed entry.
'I do not think I have my phone with me as well. I should consider myself 'lucky' for remembering Max's phone number. I will need to call him as soon as I get a way to physically do so.'
Olivier made this promise to himself for later. For now, he had an annoying old lady to deal with.
"I know you are worried about me, old lady, but I am going to be alright. This is not the first night I spend outside like this and this will not be my last as well."
Olivier tried to get this older lady to go away. He did not want to cause any unnecessary trouble for his original self.
He was not an important or famous figure in the Esport world but he was someone known. It would not take long for a curious paparazzi to look at him and find out a ridiculous connection to his past self.
'So please lady, look at me and pass away. Do not pay unnecessary attention to me.'
But rarely did someone's earnest wishes come true. So why would Olivier be such an 'exceptional' person with such an 'exceptional' earnestly to be granted such a wish?
The old lady did not go away. She looked even more determined to interfere in Olivier's life.
"I will not leave you alone young man. I can see how wrongly your parents have raised you until now. I will not only send you home personally to ensure your safety but also have a stern talk with your parents about your upbringing."
Olivier could have been sassy here and given the elder lady's attitude to offending her. But after years of dealing with stubborn teenagers, stubborn kids, and even more stubborn elderly, Olivier had gained sacred knowledge.
The more you tried to stop and oppose these people, the more they will likely push back against you. There was no winning against them.
It was better to let them think they had the upper hand while you distracted them from the main problem.
"My parents are not home right now so if it is alright with you, you can take me to my uncle's house. He lives nearby but I am not sure if he would be happy to see me."
Olivier did not like his uncle and he was sure his uncle felt a mutual dislike for him. But in this case, Olivier had no one else to turn to.
As expected, the elder lady did not look happy after hearing Olivier's words. Her expression was judgmental and worried at the same time. But she also did not want to spend more time than necessary on this kid.
In the end, she agreed to accompany Olivier back to his uncle's home rather than his own.
......…
As it turned out, Olivier's uncle did not live far away from his place. He was surprised to see that his ancestral home had suffered no damage.
Even the giant front gates of his family estate looked to be the same as in his memory. It was a mesmerizing and terrifying feeling at the same time.
He could see that the old lady looked worried now. She had not expected Olivier's uncle to be such a rich bastard. It complicated a lot of that old lady's plans.
But she refused to get intimidated by the look of money in front of her. For all she knew, this kid was the son of a servant here and not the actual master. She might be worried for nothing.
So, with a heavy heart and unknown fears coursing through her body, the old lady rang the bell.
There was no answer for a solid minute before a well-dressed attendant opened the door.
Olivier was sure he recognized the face in front of him but the actual name of this person was eluding him. He only knew that this elderly man was someone who had served his family for generations.
"May I help you out miss? I am not sure why you felt the need to come here."
The old butler looked uncomfortable to see Olivier and it was understandable why. Olivier looked exactly like his childhood self right now. And this butler was someone who had taken care of Olivier in that time frame.
Naturally, the butler would have recognized Olivier even if he did not want to.
"Help me out? Of course, you need to help me out. This kid said that his 'uncle' lived here. And since his parents are not home right now, I had to bring him here."
The old lady sounded justified in her reasoning. She was not willing to hear anything against what she had done.
The old butler looked from that lady to Olivier's younger self and back to the lady.
Olivier could see it in the butler's eyes - he was going to deny all relations with Olivier to this lady.
And as much as Olivier wanted to see this happen, he also wanted to not be with the old lady anymore. Her obsession to see him 'safe and sound' was beginning to annoy him a little.
'What was the name again? I remember this butler's name but I cannot say it. Ah yes, finally. I do remember what it was now.'
"Mister Adolf, I am sorry but my father is busy. Can I stay here for a little while? I promise not to be a hindrance."
Olivier tried to act like he used to in his childhood. Adolf used to have a soft spot for him back then. So maybe it would work out in the future as well?
The butler looked a little worried but he ultimately decided to take Olivier in.
"Alright, the kid can stay for now. We will contact his father later and tell him he is here. You can go now."
The butler replied to the old lady but she did not look satisfied for some reason.