The sun was setting when Jacob found himself standing in the middle of the cobblestone street, the familiar chill of a late autumn evening wrapping around him like a forgotten memory. The air was thick with the scent of burning wood and the distant murmur of voices long silenced. He shivered, not from the cold, but from the recognition of a time he had thought was lost to him forever.

He remembered the narrow alleyways, the way the buildings leaned into each other as if sharing secrets. Shadows stretched long and thin, creeping across the ground like dark fingers reaching for something just out of grasp. Jacob's eyes traced the lines of the architecture, unchanged yet different, worn by years he had not lived but knew intimately.

There, by the fountain, was where he had stolen his first kiss from a girl whose name he could barely recall. Her laughter echoed faintly in his mind, mingling with the distant chime of a clock tower that had since been silenced by progress. He felt the weight of lost moments press against his chest, each breath heavy with the ghosts of what once was.

The marketplace was quieter now, devoid of the bustling energy he remembered. Stalls stood empty, their awnings tattered and swaying gently in the breeze. He recalled the vibrant colours of fabrics, the smell of fresh bread mingling with the earthy aroma of herbs. It was a symphony of life that had played endlessly in his youth, now reduced to a sombre dirge of abandonment.

He walked past the old schoolhouse, its windows dark and lifeless. Jacob's fingers brushed against the rough stone walls, feeling the etchings of time beneath his fingertips. This was where he had learned to dream, to hope for a future that now seemed as distant as the stars. The memories of whispered conversations and shared ambitions were ghosts that lingered in the corners, haunting him with their permanence.

Jacob's footsteps echoed in the silence, each step a reminder of the passage of time, of the years that had slipped through his fingers like sand. The faces of those he had known, friends and enemies alike, flashed before his eyes, their features sharp and clear against the backdrop of a past he could not escape. They were spectres of another life, one he had thought buried but now felt acutely alive.

The darkness was creeping in, swallowing the last vestiges of daylight. Jacob stood still, listening to the sounds of the night, the whisper of the wind, the rustle of leaves. He was a stranger in a time that was both familiar and foreign, a traveller lost in the labyrinth of his own history. The past was a shadow he could not outrun, a presence that loomed over him with every breath.

Jacob closed his eyes, the weight of memory pressing down on him, a constant reminder of what had been and what could never be again. The past was a dark mirror, reflecting the fragments of a life lived in echoes and whispers. And in that reflection, he saw himself, a man out of time, forever haunted by the spectre of what once was.

Still he wasn't able to give up, based on instinct he moved towards the place he used to call his house. Looking at the familiar place, he used to come here with his family.

Now he was back here to spend some time before starting his college life.

Suddenly like a shock all the memories which weren't there before came, the pain from the memory overload was more than he can handle, before he could even make a sound, he fell.

Like some dream memories started running in front of his Eve.

:::

The night sky was a storm of swirling shadows and flickering lightning as Jacob faced his enemies in the ancient courtyard. The air crackled with arcane energy, the ground beneath his feet humming with power. His cloak billowed, soaked by the relentless rain, but his grip on his enchanted sword remained steady.

They came at him in a wave, dark figures cloaked in malevolent magic. Jacob's eyes narrowed, and he channelled his own energy into the blade, which glowed with a fierce, ethereal light. The first enemy struck, a flash of steel aimed at his heart. Jacob parried with a force that sent sparks flying, the air shimmering where their weapons met.

With a swift incantation, Jacob unleashed a burst of energy that sent his attacker sprawling. Another foe hurled a fireball at him, but he countered with a shield of pure light, absorbing the impact and redirecting it back. The explosion lit up the courtyard, casting grotesque shadows as the man screamed and fell.

Jacob's movements were a dance of deadly grace, each strike a testament to years of rigorous training. He wove through his opponents, cutting them down with precision and power. His sword sang as it cleaved through dark spells and flesh alike, each motion guided by the whispers of ancient spirits.

Then, from the edge of the chaos, a figure emerged, cloaked in darkness but unmistakably familiar. Isaac stepped forward, his eyes burning with a mix of rage and sorrow. In his hand, he wielded a sword that mirrored Jacob's, a twin artifact of their shared lineage.

"Jacob," Isaac's voice was a thunderclap, cutting through the din of battle. "This is where it ends."

Jacob's heart clenched, the reality of facing his brother a weight heavier than any blade.

"Isaac, we can still stop this. We can still be brothers."

But Isaac's resolve was unyielding. He raised his sword, which crackled with dark energy, and charged. Their swords clashed, a burst of light and darkness as powerful as a storm's fury. They moved with supernatural speed, their battle a blur of arcane energy and raw emotion.

"We can never be the same, life gives us choice, I want something bigger!"

"Won't you give me that"

Jacob summoned a vortex of wind, sending it crashing toward Isaac, who countered with a barrier of shadow. The forces collided, shaking the very foundations of the courtyard. Jacob's mind raced, every strike against his brother tearing at his soul. He saw flashes of their childhood, moments of shared joy and unspoken bonds, now twisted into this violent confrontation.

Isaac's blade sliced through the air, charged with a dark spell that Jacob barely dodged. The edge nicked his arm, and pain flared, searing through his body. Jacob retaliated with a torrent of water, spiralling around his sword, striking with the force of a raging river. Isaac staggered but quickly regained his footing, his expression hardening.

With a roar, Isaac unleashed a wave of darkness, enveloping Jacob. Shadows clawed at his flesh, draining his strength. Desperate, Jacob chanted an incantation, calling forth a burst of light that shattered the darkness, but the effort left him weakened, his breath coming in ragged gasps.

Isaac took advantage, his next strike imbued with the full fury of his power. The blow caught Jacob off guard, the enchanted blade piercing his defences and sinking deep into his side. Agony exploded within him, his vision blurring as he dropped to his knees.

"Why, Isaac?" Jacob gasped, his voice barely a whisper amidst the storm.

Isaac knelt beside him, his face a mask of torment.

"You left me no choice, brother. The darkness consumed us both."

" I want more, I want what you have, It should belong to me!!"

As life ebbed from Jacob's body, the storm above seemed to mirror his fading consciousness, the lightning dimming, the thunder growing distant. The courtyard grew quiet, save for the steady fall of rain. Jacob's last vision was of Isaac, tears mingling with the rain, his face etched with sorrow and regret. The world faded to black, and Jacob's journey ended in the embrace of darkness.

Jacob's eyes fluttered open, his vision swimming with unfamiliar shapes and colours. The pain from the fight was gone, replaced by a strange numbness that spread through his entire body. He tried to move, but his limbs felt heavy, as if they were no longer his own.

He was back in the house, the floor he just fall on.

"Future!, this time I am not going to forgive anyone!"

A voice echoed in his mind, cold and foreign. "Finally awake, are we?"