There was a cemetery in the middle of open fields. Rough stones stood among the tall grass. Some lean to the side. Others are worn smooth from years of wind and rain. Dirt paths weave through, just simple trails. Wildflowers grow here and there.
Khael sat down in front of one of the stones. The stone had a faded name that was barely readable. He remained still and silent, simply staring at it.
Felix stood beside him. Silent. Hands in his pockets.
"I'll be heading back, sir." He pulled his hands free and took a step back. "The store's empty." Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away.
Nine years?
Khael counted his fingers.
"That means I was eight…" he muttered.
…
"HOW DOES THAT MAKE SENSE?" he yelled and pulled his hair.
…
"I clearly remember you saying goodbye three years ago. Three years! What is this nine year bullshit?"
…
"Did he lie?"
He looked at the tombstone. Even though it was blurred, he could tell that the date was nine years ago.
"So what now, ma?" he asked while looking at the tombstone. "I'm back…but what now? I had so many plans. Go to the city with you, eat, travel and tell you the stories all day…"
…
"Why is everything different?"
Somehow, he didn't feel sad. No anger. No surprise. Nothing but emptiness. He lay on his back on the ground, gazing up at the clouds, his thoughts blank. The sky appeared to be far away. He simply lay there in the silence.
"Just what the hell is happening…"
After about an hour, he got up and took a one last look at the tombstone.
"Alright, ma," he whispered. "Guess I'll be going now…"
…
"Rest well." He brushed his hand over the stone gently. Then he turned and walked away.
He made his way to the city's only ATM. Currently, all he needed was money, which he didn't give much thought to. He made a lot at the time given that he held a higher position in the military.
He entered his bank details, but it showed error.
Invalid Account Number. The account number entered does not match any existing accounts. Please check the number and try again, or contact your bank for assistance.
"HUH?"
He tried again.
Invalid Account Number. The account number entered does not match any existing accounts. Please check the number and try again, or contact your bank for assistance.
"What do you mean?!!"
He double-checked everything to make sure it was okay.
Invalid Account Number. The account number entered does not match any existing accounts. Please check the number and try again, or contact your bank for assistance.
"You-"
He stopped and took a deep breath.
Calm down. It's just a machine.
He entered every detail slowly. Then triple checked everything.
Invalid Account Number. The account number entered does not match any existing accounts. Please check the number and try again, or contact your bank for assistance.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" He yelled out. "You son of a- ARE YOU KIDDING ME?"
Khael stomped his foot in frustration. There was a payphone near. Luckily he picked up a coin earlier from the stores register box, like the old days. He slipped it in the slot and dialed the bank number.
The line clicked.
"Hello?" a calm voice answered.
Khael gritted his teeth. "I need to check on an account."
"Certainly, sir," the voice said. "May I have the account number?"
"0001-4004-2007."
There was a long pause, longer than Khael liked. "I'm sorry, sir, but we don't have an account with that number."
"What?" Khael's voice grew louder. "I've had this account for years."
"I understand, sir, but there is no record of that number in our system. Are you sure it's correct?"
"It's 0001-4004-2007," Khael repeated, slower, more forcefully this time.
The voice on the other end hesitated. "I'm sorry, sir, but there is no account here matching that number. Are you sure it's with this bank?"
Khael's fist clenched. "This is the only bank I've ever used."
"I understand your frustration, sir. Could you provide your full name so I can search the records?"
Khael's eyes narrowed. He felt a tightening in his chest. "Khael Vane."
There was a long pause.
"Sorry sir, but I don't see any account under that name. Are you sure the name is correct?"
"YES!"
"I'm afraid I can't find any record of that name, sir. I would suggest double-checking the number or your details. Is there any chance the account is under a different name?"
Khael's grip on the phone tightened. "No. It's Khael Vane. That's my name."
"Unfortunately, sir, I'm unable to find any record–"
Khael cut the line.
He dialed another number. The line clicked and voice picked up on the other end.
"Military Personnel Records. State your identification and purpose."
"Khael Vane. ID 3410-63-24. I need to check my records."
"One moment."
"…"
"Sir, I'm sorry, but there's no one in our system with that ID. Are you sure you're with the current registry?"
"Yes," Khael snapped. "I'm still serving. Check it again. I have records."
The voice on the line hesitated. "I'll verify with another department, sir, but as of now… there's nothing here."
"I'm not some ghost soldier. Find someone who knows what they're doing and get them to call me back."
"Yes, sir." The line clicked dead.
After a while, the payphone rang.
"…" He picked up but didn't say anything.
"Is this… the individual who placed an inquiry about an ID number earlier?"
"That's correct."
The voice hesitated. "Sir, after conducting a full search, I must inform you that we were unable to locate any record of that name—Khael Vane—under our system."
"Hahahahahahh, nice joke,"
"Sir, we've looked through our records carefully, including national and military databases, and we cannot find anyone by the name of Khael Vane. No one in the country has that name listed. Are you certain that is your full name?"
"Are you-are you kidding me?"
"I'm sorry, sir, but I'm afraid there's nothing. No such person exits with that name."
The line clicked as the person ended the call. The words rang in Khael's mind as he stood there holding the phone. He put it back in its place and sat beside the road with his back against the wall.
*No such person exists with that name, huh?*
The town slowly came to life. People began appearing here and there. Some dressed in formal clothes, heading to their offices, while others simply wandered, minding their own business.
First, ma, and now me too? Do I sound like a ghost to them?
…
Wait, am I even alive?
He quickly looked over his body. He was alive. But when he remembered the several broken ribs he had, yet felt no pain, doubt crept in again.
An old woman was coming his way. He quickly stood up and ran to her.
"Hey, can you see me?"
The old woman froze, clearly startled. She fixed her glasses and narrowed her eyes to look closely.
"I can see you… You look like a kid…"
"That's not accurate, but thank you."
As the woman walked a bit farther away from Khael, he ran his fingers through his hair and pulled them in frustration.
"What the hell is going on? Everything would've made sense if I was dead… Even the old lady can see me."
Khael wandered through the small town with nothing in mind, eventually finding himself back at the little bridge over the narrow river. Sitting down, he absentmindedly tossed a rock at some fish below. It missed.
He'd once been an avid reader, devouring every book and story he could find in the tiny local library. But it didn't take long for him to work through the whole collection, and with nothing new to read, his interest had slowly faded. Still, with all the half-baked theories he'd pieced together from old stories, he'd come up with a few ideas about what could be happening to him.
The town was filled with old folks, which led him to wonder if this could be some kind of time travel. But that didn't make sense—Felix was here, and he'd grown a little over the past three years.
His next thought was regression. But that was nonsense.
Then came the idea of an isekai… Wait, isn't that the same thing?
Or maybe it was all a hallucination. Also, nonsense.
Or maybe he was living in some kind of simulation. Bullshit.
"Man, none of these makes sense," He looked up, watching the sky shift to yellow as the sun began to set. Khael stayed there, lost in thought, staring at the water.
"It's getting late, sir. Maybe you should head back," a voice spoke from behind. It was Felix, holding a bag of groceries.
"I don't have a place to go back to," Khael said softly, tossing another rock into the water. "I don't know what's going on with my life anymore."
"Where are you planning to stay tonight?"
"Probably a bench. They're pretty comfortable…"
Khael looked at Felix, letting the silence drag out until it became awkward.
"What?"
"Aren't you going to say those magic words, 'Spend the night at my place'? We've known each other long enough," Khael said, laying it on thick.
"You're as shameless as ever, sir."
"Shame isn't a thing when you're poor,"
"I would, but my room's barely big enough for me, let alone the two of us."
"Why's that? With all the money you're making at that job, I bet your boss throws in a little extra just for that pretty face. You should be able to afford a decent place."
"I knew you'd say that, but I barely have anything left after paying down the debt."
Khael raised an eyebrow. "You're still paying that off? Just how much did your parents take?"
"I don't know. The lender never gave me a number."
"And you didn't ask?"
"I did. Every time, he just says it's 'a lot.'"
"He's squeezing every cent out of you. Can't you see that?"
"I don't have a choice."
Khael sighed and tossed another rock into the steam. "You're pathetic"
He got up and brushed the dust off his cloths. "Who is this guy anyway? Let's go and have a little talk with him."