I just stared at the notification in the mirror's reflection. Turning my head to look directly at it, I couldn't help but feel confused.
Memory Fragment?
What did this mean? Was it a piece of my childhood, a memory refresher? That would be welcome, but something told me there was more to it.
The window loomed behind me with the same cryptic message that offered little clarity.
Never mind. I can figure things out later... or so I thought. As I left the washroom, the screen flashed directly in front of me.
No longer behind me, but right in front...
I wanted to evade it, to make it disappear with a thought, but I couldn't. I was no longer in the school. Instead, I found myself in the neighborhood where I was born—the same one I lived in for the first seventeen years of my life, the one I had to leave when everything fell apart.
What the hell is going on?
"System?" I thought, trying to manifest the screen again, hoping to get some information on my current location or what was happening, but there was nothing.
My frustration grew, but I forced myself to stay calm. I needed to figure out what was happening—and fast.
I began to survey my surroundings more carefully. It was the same neighborhood, but not near our house. I was closer to the playground where Aiden and I used to play...
The neighborhood was eerily familiar, yet something felt off. The houses were the same, modest, and lined with well-worn fences, but the air felt heavier, almost like a dream that was too vivid to be real.
The streets were quiet, more so than they should have been for this time of day.
No children were playing outside, no cars driving by, no distant hum of life in the background.
I was alone…
The playground itself was old, with a rusted swing set that creaked with the faintest breeze.
It was winter… the snow cascading lightly down from the sky but I felt nothing of it's relentless cold.
I felt perfect, even while wearing little against the cold.
Strange.
I hesitated, my feet rooted to the ground as I scanned the playground for any sign of life. The snowflakes fell more rapidly now…
Crack—
A sharp crack echoed across the empty playground like a twig snapping…
Hmm…
Whatever was going on, I felt my feet rooted on the ground, it all started to get too real.
But what did I have to fear?
Death?
I was dead.
I died already.
What did I have left to fear?
…
…
…
Against my better judgment, I stepped forward, my boots crunching softly against the snow-covered pavement.
Scrunch. Scrunch.
I continued to get closer to the source of the sound while the world around me was empty, only the neighborhood without a single sigh of life.
As I approached the playground, the noise… it was louder this time… closer
My stomach tightened.
Even in the cold, I felt the dampness of sweat trickling down my back.
The once-gentle snowfall quickly transformed into a flurry, thick and relentless, blurring my surroundings.
The playground vanished from sight, replaced by an overwhelming whiteness that consumed everything.
I was stuck in a world of white.
I could barely see my own nose through the dense curtain of snow.
Trapped in this field of white, the cold, which I had momentarily forgotten, returned cruelly, seeping into my bones as if mocking me.
A shiver ran through me.
I strained my eyes, peering through the thickening veil of white… it was impossible to see anything.
Scrunch. Scrunch.
I advanced foreward, not letting the cold push me back.
I moved closer, each step growing heavier as if the snow was pulling me down.
My legs felt as heavy as metal, almost impossible to raise from the ground.
"Huff… Huff…"
I struggled to breathe.
Each breath became more labored as I forced myself forward.
The sound of my own breathing echoed in my ears, mingling with the relentless crunch of snow beneath my feet.
I didn't know what was going on or why was this happening… but I no longer cared.
Scrunch. Scrunch.
I stepped forward, one step.
Scrunch.
Then another.
Scrunch.
And another.
Aimlessly advancing in the cold.
I tried to warm my hands with my breath, but the cold hit me as soon as I opened my mouth.
But I can't stop.
Another step.
Scrunch.
Then another.
…
Even a single step became tormenting.
No… I won't stop.
I can't stop.
I will leave this place, whatever this is.
I need to come up with something.
…
Memory fragment, this is just a fragment of my memories…
But I didn't remember anything like this.
This cold, it was lethal…
I would have remembered.
Swoosh—
A strong gust of piercing cold wind hit me from the front, sending me topple behind.
It was cold, so cold.
I fell to the ground with my back, the only thing I saw was the white sky that seemed to consume me whole.
My eyelids grew heavy…
It was cold…
So cold.
Then… I closed my eyes.
…
I was going to die again.
In a world that I don't remember…
Where I have not yet met my wife, did not have my children…
So be it.
I don't care.
Not like life can get any worse.
"Pfttt…" I felt like laughing… but I couldn't…
Well, who cares.
I no longer care.
Nothing matters anymore…
I was just waiting for my death… but it never came.
The painful cold that suffocated me disappeared.
I opened my eyes.
…
What?
The harsh cold had vanished, replaced by a mild, almost warm air.
I blinked, finding myself surrounded by vibrant shades of orange, red, and gold.
Fallen leaves crunched beneath me as I sat up, the sky above clear and blue. The snow was gone, replaced by the earthy scent of autumn.
The playground now stood in the warm, soft light of an early fall afternoon.
And then… I saw a small child in the same playground, with exaggerated movements dancing in the playground while humming a familiar tune.
[Singing +0.3%]
[Dancing +0.4%]
Huh?
The system was present again while I was staring at the child notifications flashing in front of me again.
[Singing +0.1%]
[Dancing +0.07%]
[Singing +0.2%]
[Dancing +0.5%]
[Singing +0.1%]
[Dancing +0.02%]
They continued to flash up in front of me, bombarding me with tier presence.
Then, the scene around me shifted again.
The vibrant autumn colors blurred, melting into a bright, golden hue. The air grew warmer, filled with the scent of blooming flowers and freshly cut grass.
Sunlight bathed the playground, where the trees were lush with green leaves. The once crisp air was now heavy with the warmth of summer.
Time was passing… backward?
The notifications continued to bombard me while I felt a dull ache hit my head and the scenery shifted again.
The golden summer hues faded, giving way to a palette of deep oranges, reds, and browns. The air-cooled, carrying the earthy scent of fallen leaves.
The sunlight softened, casting long shadows across the playground, where the trees were now shedding their vibrant leaves… the ground was filled with vibrant red, orange eand yellow leaves.
The warmth of summer was replaced by the crisp chill of fall.
Only one thing was the same.
The child in the playground.