A boy, no older than sixteen, with tousled brown hair and piercing green eyes shadowed by dark circles, sat cross-legged on the cold, concrete floor in front of three tombstones within the confines of an graveyard.
His features were not strikingly handsome, but there was an undeniable charm that set him apart from the average boy.
The warm, golden sunlight caressed his skin, offering a comforting contrast to the hard surface beneath him.
The serene melody of birds chirping filled the air, adding a sense of peace.
A bouquet of flowers was placed in front of each tombstone.
---------------------
Jeanne Karumi
Best mother, perfect daughter, and a kind human
---------------------
Ronald Karumi
Best father, troublesome son, and a kind human
---------------------
Lia Karumi
Perfect daughter and cutest little sister
---------------------
Leo smiled softly as he read what was written on the tombstones in front of him.
The tombstones had a simple design as he didn't have the money nor any other relatives who could help out.
His grandparents had unfortunately passed away last year.
Every day, he came here after school to spend some time with his only family...
If only that driver wasn't drunk.
If only he had persuaded them to stay home with him instead of going to a restaurant.
Perhaps if he went with them, the outcome would have been different...
Shaking his thoughts away, he stood up, being done telling them how his day went.
"...I will see you guys tomorrow again," Leo said as he started to walk away, ignoring the annoying sympathetic gazes directed towards him from other visitors.
Seeing a young teenage boy visiting the graveyard can lead to a lot of speculation after all.
"I am too tired today for work... I will just call in sick later today," Leo muttered to himself, not in the mood to work.
He was sure it would be fine since he never took a break, and the manager of the supermarket he worked for was a kind old man who felt sorry for him.
Opening his phone, he contacted his friend Nathan.
Leo: Skipping work today. Want to hang out?
Nathan: Sorry, got a basketball match today!
Nathan: Let's hang out tomorrow after school.
Leo: Sure, no worries. Good luck with your match.
Nathan: Thanks!
A sigh left his lips as he closed his phone.
"Well, I guess I can just read today instead," he said to himself, starting to walk towards his home.
It only took 20 minutes for him to walk home since it was close to the graveyard.
The apartment he lived in was quite decent in size and price, bought by his parents, where he lived with them.
"I am home..."
He said, opening the door and entering his home.
He had become used to hearing no response whenever he came back.
'Some habits never change, I guess...'
As he thought this, he closed the door and removed his shoes before going to sit on the couch.
A book was placed there that he had been reading before he had to leave for school earlier that morning.
"Great, I had to stop at the most exciting part this morning," Leo said as he picked up the book titled Path of Heroes: Battle Against the End on the front cover, showing a single boy holding a sword with both hands.
******
"Haa..."
Breathing out loud, he closed the book after reading for the past three hours.
The sun was already starting to set.
Standing up, he went to get a glass of water.
"Really, to think someone like him would die when the story is barely halfway done."
It had been a while since he had read something so fun and exciting.
It felt like he was actually part of the story and living the protagonist's life.
Though if he had a single complaint, it was that the protagonist had a harem.
He wasn't a big fan of harems, but other than that, everything was just perfect.
He couldn't wait to read the rest of the story as he hurriedly filled his glass with water.
But the moment he was about to take a sip, the glass fell from his hand, shattering on the ground with water spilling as well.
"Argh! Shit, what the hell!"
Leo held his head as he suddenly felt extremely lightheaded.
His eyes became blurry, making it difficult to see.
"What is happening, damn it? Am I dying?"
Gripping the counter tightly, he tried to stabilize himself.
"Haa...haa..."
His breathing became short and labored.
'Am I getting a heart attack? At this age!?'
Gripping his chest as he felt his heart thumping loudly, he tried to walk towards the couch where his phone was.
'I need to call an ambulance!'
The moment he tried to take another step forward, the book he left on the couch started to emit a blinding light throughout the entire apartment.
He had to tightly close his eyes as the light was blinding him, forcing him to use his hand to cover his eyes.
"What is happening now! Am I becoming delusional as well!?"
Trying to calm himself down from all the things happening, he tried to walk to the couch again.
Yet,
The moment he stepped forward again, his foot slipped because of the water on the ground, making him fall on the broken shards.
"Argh!"
He cried out in pain as he felt broken glass pieces digging into his back.
He felt the energy leaving his body, making it extremely difficult to stand up again.
Leo couldn't see the blinding light anymore; instead, all he saw was darkness with stars surrounding him everywhere.
'I must have hit my head hard...'
He could breathe easier again, and his heart had calmed down, but now his entire body was in pain.
He groaned as he did his best to push himself back up instead of laying on the ground.
His body was aching so much, yet he endured and finally managed to stand up again.
Feeling the wind caressing his cheeks and the rustling sound of leaves, he calmed down a little.
'I am not dead yet...'
'Wait...'
Finding it strange to hear the sound of wind and leaves, he opened his eyes, which had been closed the entire time.
When he finally opened them, instead of finding himself back in his apartment, he was on an old, broken street.
Looking around, he saw broken buildings, some tilting sideways, others only half-standing.
Debris was scattered everywhere, remnants of the old houses and buildings.
Tree branches and other plants covered many of the buildings, intertwining with the ruins.
It felt no different than being inside an abandoned city that hadn't been lived in for ages.
"Huh?"