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Lying sprawled on a thorny mat in the corner of a dim underground garage, faintly illuminated by a tiny oil lamp, Xylen's flickering eyes abruptly snapped open, seemingly to take in the sight before him for a second before;
"This…"
A single word escaped his lips, his expression freezing in utter disbelief as if he had just encountered a real-life ghost.
Xylen couldn't trust his eyes, staring blankly at the worried face of a young woman who was currently gazing at him with concern, her hand frozen mid-motion from dabbing his face with a cold cloth, clearly never expecting him to suddenly open his eyes.
Xylen's shock wasn't due to the lady's astonishingly stunning features. Instead, it was because this face was one he hadn't seen in three years, except in photographs—his sister, Aurelia.
Technically, Aurelia wasn't his sister per se, as they weren't blood-related.
Instead, she was the daughter of his nanny, the only person he had (once) left in this world who genuinely cared for him since his mother and nanny perished in a plane crash while on their way to seek treatment for his rare condition.
Xylen was born with an incurable, unidentified disease that had rendered him unable to use his legs or hands since he was born.
Because of this, he had spent his entire life confined to a wheelchair, utterly dependent on others for everything except moving his head and controlling his eyes, mouth, nose, and ears.
….
Being her only child, his mother had dedicated her entire life, from the day he was born to the day she took her final breath to finding a cure for his condition, and this was why she had left the town without hesitation upon hearing a rumor about the miraculous doctor residing abroad who might be able to heal him, taking his nanny with him, with the hope of convincing the doctor together.
Tragically, however, the two were caught in a catastrophic plane crash that claimed their lives on the way, and since then, his sister from another family, who had been left to care for him since they left had stepped in, nurturing him with compassion and devotion as though they were bound by blood when his own relatives had forsaken him.
She had become his hands, legs, and body from then on, prioritizing his needs above all else even though she wasn't paid and had lost her only family—her mother because of him.
But unfortunately, she had died under mysterious circumstances seventeen years after his mother, and according to autopsy, something which Xylen had ignorantly believed and accepted for years, though constantly filled with questions about, she had passed away due to ingesting a toxic substance when in reality…
Xylen's eyes reddened abruptly, appearing as though he was on the verge of weeping, never expecting that the last image before his soul departed would be her. But just then:
"Brother, please, you're scaring me. Is your fever worsening this much?"
A soft, innocent voice called out with concern, Aurelia's eyes welling with tears.
As soon as Xylen, who was filled with emotions right now heard her, however, it felt like a bolt of lightning coursed through him.
His jaw dropped to the ground and he stared at Aurelia in complete bewilderment, unable to believe his eyes.
"You… you can talk?" he stuttered, leaving Aurelia visibly startled.
She blinked at Xylen for a moment in a stupor, his question taking her by surprise before frowning.
Then as though realizing why Xylen was asking nonsense, she gently placed her small hand on his forehead, her frowning deepening in the next second.
"His temperature has already normalized. Then why does it seem like his condition has deteriorated?" she muttered in worry, failing to notice the intensified dazed and disbelief look on Xylen's face.
'That's her voice. That's… that's definitely her warmth too!' He screamed in his mind, and with this, the tempest began to brew within Xylen.
While he had been thunderstruck by Aurelia's sudden appearance just now, he had assumed it was nothing more than the vision of a beloved figure before his soul was taken by the black-and-white impermanence. Yet now…
Although it had been three years since he heard her voice and felt her hand's warmth, how could he fail to recognize it? Not even in a million years.
Xylen's heart began to pound hysterically against his chest as though it was trying to escape when suddenly;
Wait.
He paused abruptly, his breathing hitching as he glanced around him, finally noticing his environment.
'This… this place…' His heart skipped a beat. 'This… this scent…'
Could he fail to recognize this too?
Obviously not.
This was the place he had lived together with Aurelia years after his mother's demise and although he hadn't been back since the day he had left, he'd be able to recognize it even on his deathbed.
Before he knew it, Xylen's body started trembling, beads of sweat forming rapidly on his skin.
Seeing this, Aurelia's gaze sharpened, her expression shifting dramatically.
"Bro… brother, are you all right?" She called out urgently, rushing to Xylen in concern.
"What's happening to you? Why are you shaking and sweating so much?" she asked frantically, nearly breaking into sobs.
"This isn't the time to be seriously ill, please, brother. The little money I have left can barely buy us cow's blood for tonight's meal, let alone a doctor. Please don't let your condition worsen!"
She wept bitterly. Yet, the more lifelike her behavior and voice grew, the more violently Xylen trembled. Because a chilling realization was dawning on him—he had just returned to the past.
Although this reasoning was just too farfetched, what other explanation could he give?
Thinking this, Xylen swallowed hard and refocused his gaze on Aurelia, trying his best not to be too excited.
"What… what day is it?" he finally asked, needing to confirm his suspicion.
Upon hearing him, however, the alarmed Aurelia froze momentarily, staring at him in bewilderment.
Eventually, however;
"24th of May, 2100," she replied matter-of-factly, and at that, Xylen's heart seemed to stop functioning completely, unable to beat for what felt like an eternity, almost scaring Aurelia further before finally:
"I… I've gone back seven years," he murmured excitedly, his voice hoarse and badly trembling with excitement.