REVIVE: AMERICA 1995

Milo had a vivid dream.In it, he was a wealthy young man named Milo Blackburn, or perhaps a spoiled brat would be more accurate. Drinking, shooting, gambling, and womanizing—it seemed that only the nightly revelry could prove his existence. Hotels, nightclubs, private parties, luxury yachts—every day in his dream seemed to begin and end in these places. It was the standard daily life of a rich young master.Like a fleeting dream, the 22-year life of a young, rich, and handsome man quickly passed by. When he realized he was dreaming, a sensation of weightlessness hit him, as if he were falling from a cliff. "No!" He suddenly woke up, shouting, and sat up. "Oh, darling, having nightmares again? Please don't do this, it would make Paladin sad in heaven. I'm sure your brother would never want you to be so sad because of him..."Milo was still in a daze. A blonde woman walked over to him, holding him and sobbing softly. A deep male voice sounded at the same time, "It's not his fault, Robin. Everyone knows the relationship between Paladin and Milo. They were the best brothers in the world."Held by the woman, he felt her tears dripping onto his hair. Milo stared blankly around him. He found himself in a hall decorated with an exotic style. He didn't recognize this style of decoration. But the knowledge that suddenly came to his mind told him that this was the English Georgian style. The Georgian style originated in 1714, a time when Britain completed its industrial revolution, established capitalism, and carried out colonial expansion, a period of great strength.In the huge hall, he was half-lying on a sofa, held by the crying blonde woman. Around him, people were standing or sitting. There were men and women, old and young, but without exception, they were all foreigners.The man who had just spoken was a very old white man with age spots on his face but still a head of golden hair. After speaking, the old white man no longer looked at Milo and the crying woman. He turned to look at the other sad and gloomy people around him. "Paladin is dead. That's a fact, and crying won't change it." The old man said, "Let's make an announcement. We will hold a funeral and memorial service for him. He will be buried in the family cemetery in Plymouth." The old man seemed to be the backbone of everyone present. After he spoke, everyone either nodded or remained silent, obviously agreeing to do as he said.Three days later. Plymouth, Massachusetts. Inside a Protestant Episcopal church. Milo, wearing a black suit and a small white flower on his chest, sat in the front row of the church, looking dazed. In front of him, a priest stood in front of Paladin's black coffin. Following the traditions of the Episcopal Church, the priest was performing the final rites for the deceased.Over the past three days, Milo had realized everything. He had time-traveled. From a screenwriter in China in 2024, he had become a wealthy young master of the Blackburn family in America in 1995. In this generation, he had an older brother named Paladin Blackburn. Paladin was the typical "other people's child." He was ten years older than Milo. Fourteen years ago, when Milo was still in elementary school, his excellent brother had joined the Massachusetts National Guard. He was deployed to Kuwait in 1991 and awarded the Medal of Honor. From 1993 to 1995, he served as the Attorney General of Massachusetts. Last year, Paladin suffered a "mild stroke" and was hospitalized. He was later diagnosed with brain cancer and received treatment at a cancer center in Boston. Not long ago, Paladin's cancer worsened, and he died despite medical treatment. The funeral being held now was the final farewell to the 32-year-old Paladin Blackburn. Thus, the "heir" that the Blackburn family had carefully cultivated was gone.Let's turn our attention back to the younger son, Milo. Compared to his brother Paladin, even by American standards, the original Milo was undoubtedly a spoiled brat. Compared to Milo, Paladin had never been involved in any scandals or negative reports in the past ten years. Paladin was a good son in the eyes of his family, a good husband in the eyes of his wife, and a strong support to his father, truly balancing work and family. On the other hand, Milo Blackburn had made the local news when he was sixteen years old - he had driven a sports car and injured someone. At that time, his sister-in-law, Hayley Harrison Blackburn, was working at the First Circuit Court of Appeals. Apart from making the news, he had faced no consequences for that incident. The local news was quickly taken down. Since then, Milo had gone down a path of debauchery. Recalling the past, Milo was in a daze. Suddenly, someone gently pushed him. "Darling, go up and say your final goodbye to your brother." It was his mother, Robin Bush Blackburn. The old woman's face was full of tears, and her makeup had been ruined by crying. She was one of the two people crying the hardest in the entire church. The other was Paladin's wife, Hayley. Following the Episcopal tradition, Milo, with a heavy heart, walked up to the stage while the choir sang the hymn "There is a Fountain". Standing in front of his brother's coffin, looking at the crowd of relatives and friends below, he felt a surge of emotion. Perhaps it was because of his own feelings, or perhaps it was the influence of the original owner of this body. Looking at the coffin in front of him, tears immediately welled up in Milo's eyes. "I've always been naughty. Once, when I was about eight years old, it must have been before Christmas. I begged Paladin to take me to cut down a tree so we could decorate it for Christmas." "Paladin was in the National Guard at that time. He was very busy, and he only had two days off for Christmas. Even on his days off, he was working, and he had to go to Boston for his duties." "But he loved me so much. Even though he was incredibly busy, he still made time to fulfill my wish and asked Father and Grandfather not to scold me for it." "I was so happy, riding on Paladin's shoulders... I was eight years old then, and I was very heavy, but my brother still treated me like a child... Sorry, I can't go on." Milo had originally just wanted to follow the custom of the Protestant church. At the memorial service, he was supposed to share a funny story about the deceased. But the feelings between him and the deceased were too deep. He had only spoken a few words when endless sadness welled up in his mind. Milo couldn't control himself and tears streamed down his face, his words becoming incoherent. He continued, sobbing, "He, my brother... the only scar on his face was from saving me... Lord, I would even give my life in exchange for his, Lord..." After he finished speaking and stepped down, his mother, Robin, was the first to embrace him. "Don't be too sad, dear. We must look forward." The second was his sister-in-law, Hayley, who also hugged him, "Milo, Paladin loved your smile. He wouldn't want you to be like this." His father and grandfather also came over to hug him, but the men didn't say anything. As time passed, the guests began to sing "In Christ Alone". With the singing, the coffin, covered in fresh flowers, was slowly carried out of the hall. After the priest prayed for the deceased, the coffin was placed in a special hearse and driven to the family cemetery, followed by family and friends in their cars. Then, Milo and several adult male relatives carried the coffin to the designated location and began the pre-burial ceremony. First, the bishop gave a speech, followed by a moment of silence, and finally, the coffin was lowered into the grave. After the family and friends had thrown flowers into the grave, the tomb was sealed. Thus, Paladin Blackburn, a "child of another family" who was so brilliant that he made his contemporaries feel ashamed, had completely left this world.