"That was enough"
"Although I became a completely different person in a completely different world."
"Although I lost everything from the previous world."
"The current me… no, we, could confidently say we were happy."
*
*
*
Tears rolled down Jayce's cheeks as he laid his eyes upon the ending lines of the novel he had been reading for the past month. He wiped the tears away as he reminisced about the past. It took a year of constant all-nighters and a hiatus from the author for this journey to finally come to an end. After everything, all he could say was that the ride was definitely worth every second he had spent.
Sighing, Jayce flopped onto his bed, staring blankly at the dirty, yellow ceiling, his eyes tracing the edges of his room. His bedroom was just a measly 100 square feet that barely held enough space to move around even with the bare minimum amount of furniture.
What could he do, though? It was the best they could afford.
'What do I read now?'
He turned to the old digital clock on the nearby nightstand.
7:18 p.m.
His eyes then wandered towards the blank papers on his desk.
Homework had piled up from the weeks of neglect.
'Should I do my homework?'
Jayce contemplated for less than a split second before shaking his head in disbelief. He hadn't done any homework for over a month. What's another day gonna do?
Instead, Jayce opted to browse the internet for another novel to read. Picking up his old-fashioned smartphone, he pressed on the browser app.
Nowadays, people would've just used their hologram phones or, if they were rich, used the hologram chip implanted into their brains. Jayce, however, could not afford such luxuries. He had barely scraped together enough money for the old-school phone. Yet, he bought it, believing the purchase would make him more productive. The results were not as he imagine.
Jayce lay on his bed, browsing the forums for a few minutes before his grumbling stomach interrupted his concentration. He tried to ignore it, but the growling persisted.
Groaning, he got up from the comfort of his bed and left his room.
Jayce lived alone with his sister in a three-room apartment, which only included a bedroom, bathroom, and living room with a small section used as the kitchen. It was the bare minimum, but the best they could afford with the money they scrapped together.
Entering the living room, Jayce heard the crinkle of a plastic wrapper.
"The lazy beast has awakened." Rain glanced up and scrunched her nose in disgust. "You look horrible."
Turning his head, Jayce's gaze found his 13-year-old sister sitting on the floor, munching on a Pocky stick. A sitting table was propped on the floor where her notebook and school supplies sat on top of it.
Due to their living conditions as well as Rain's refusal to share a room, they had converted half of the living room into a suitable living space for her. And due to her persistence for privacy, a large blanket was hung from the ceiling, acting as a curtain.
"Like you're one to talk." He jeered back. "You're not exactly a pretty sight either."
Rain scoffed but couldn't find the words to deny it.
Rain had not grown up in the most ideal places. She was malnourished, causing her short and scrawny figure. The clothes she wore hung off her body as they were hand-me-downs. The only thing going for her was her long black hair that flowed lusciously without a single fray or tangle.
"What are you looking at?" She scorned.
Jayce ignored her comments and opened the refrigerator door, scouring for leftovers. Unfortunately for him, all that lay before him was an empty refrigerator.
Tsk!
He was always greeted with an empty fridge whenever he opened it. He didn't know why he still bothered to check it.
Swallowing down his annoyance, he walked off into the bathroom to relieve himself. After flushing the toilet and washing his hands, Jayce took a quick glance at himself in the mirror, remembering Rain's harsh words.
A scrawny, pale, pimple-ridden face stared back at him. The long, black, greasy hair that sat on top of his head covered his eyes, hiding the dark bags that hung under. His body was malnourished and void of any muscle. He looked exactly as his sister said: horrible.
Sighing, Jayce re-entered his room and put on the jacket that was sprawled messily on his chair and grabbed the wallet lying on his table.
Jayce then entered the makeshift foyer and began to put on the running shoes that were neatly organized on the shoe rack.
'Must've been Rain.'
"And where are you going?"
'Speak of the devil.' He cursed in his head.
Growing a little annoyed, Jayce replied, "I'm heading out to grab some food and supplies. Why?"
"Nothing." She took a deep sigh. "Just make sure to not overspend again."
"That's obvious."
She eyed the phone that was in his hand and glared at him, clearly not believing a word he said.
"We have living expenses as well as Mom's hospital bills to pay."
"Yeah, I know, I know."
"Then act like it! It doesn't seem like you know, now does it? Actions speak louder than words, idiot."
"Relax, Rain." Jayce tried to shut up his sister, but this only angered her further.
"Relax? Am I the only one who's worried!" Rain clenched her fists tightly. "Mom has been in a coma for 3 years, and Dad's out of the country living God knows where, doing God knows what just to provide for us!"
"Don't worry, we have enough money in Dad's bank account to cover 6 months. We have a lot of money left." He tried to reason.
"That's barely anything! First, it's your manga and then it's a phone. What, next it's going to be a whole computer? You don't even make money, so why are you spending it so easily?"
"Okay, okay. Fine. I understand. I won't buy anything expensive. Sheesh." Jayce finally admitted defeat. He was too tired to continue on.
It was silent before Rain sighed heavily and returned to the living room.
Jayce also took a second to catch his breath before turning his attention back to his half-tied shoelaces. With everything in order, he opened the door, revealing the outside world. Before stepping out completely, he could hear his sister whispering from the living room.
"Hey Jayce? I'm sorry. I've just really stressed with everything that's happening… Just promise to be quick and come back home safely."
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." He muttered to himself, taking a step into the outside world and locking the doors.
Outside, he felt the cool autumn breeze on his face. The fresh wind was a nice change compared to the stuffy air of his room. He approached the right side of the building and descended the stairs, each step creaking under his foot. At the bottom, he turned to face the run-down-looking apartment building.
Jayce, Rain, and their dad had begun living here due to not being able to afford the cost of an actual house. They had to sell their old house as well as most of their belongings just to survive. It wasn't until their dad had left overseas for a job that things stabilized and they could live a somewhat normal life in the cheap apartment building.
Jayce could still remember having to sell the PlayStation he had spent a good part of his childhood playing on. His mom had bought it for him for his 10th birthday, but now it was probably in the hands of another person if not recycled. It left a bad taste in his mouth remembering the past, so he quickly began his walk to the market.
Although Jayce was 17, he didn't have his driver's license nor a car. Obviously, the latter was the result of not having enough money to afford one. Jayce was left with no choice but to walk.
Now that he thought about it, his birthday was coming up. He wondered what he should do for it.
Fortunately, his journey wasn't a long one, as the nearest market was only a twenty-minute walk away.
Exiting the dirty alleyway, Jayce entered the main street that was bustling with pedestrians. Businessmen and civilians roamed the streets alike, each having their own life to attend to.
"Babe, let's try that one!"
"I told you I would have the documents ready by Monday!"
"Sorry, did you wait long?"
"Mom, I don't want pizza. Can't we get hamburgers instead?"
"Dude, I hard carried you that game. Bow down to me."
It was loud, chaotic, and humbling. There was so much happening in this city. It really put into perspective how little importance he had in the grand scheme of things. He was just a small cog in this giant machine called society. Whether he did his job or not didn't matter.
As Jayce almost arrived, something caught his eye, and he immediately hid in the side alley.
"Ack. I totally bombed that test."
"Yeah, me too. I wish I had studied more."
"I probably failed too."
"Don't lie to us, Krone! Are you making fun of us!"
"No, I'm being serious! I struggled with the questions on the back side...…"
"…."
Only when the group of high school girls turned the corner did Jayce release the breath he had been unknowingly holding. He had almost run into people from his school, and that would have been a tragedy.
Jayce brushed off the disturbance and returned to his arranged path. It wasn't long before, like countless times before, he arrived in front of the market.
He took a quick scan of the interior store before deeming it safe and grabbing a basket.
'Don't buy anything expensive,' he reminded himself. He felt that if he bought anything expensive this time, his sister's pestering would get even worse.
After grabbing himself a shopping basket, he went aisle to aisle, placing whatever he thought necessary into the basket. He also made sure to get the products that were on sale.
His streak of accountability abruptly ended after passing the junk food aisle. The next two minutes were filled with intense deliberation as he mulled over his current situation. Finally, he placed two bags of chips and a package of cookies into the basket.
'As long as Rain doesn't find out, it'll be fine.'
Jayce's second moment of deliberation came quickly as he stood facing a cart full of bouquets. Having already broken his promise, Jayce had an easier time deciding whether to buy them.
After grabbing the bouquet of flowers, Jayce went to the cashier to pay for all the items. He placed his basket on the conveyor and waited patiently for his turn.
"Hello. Will this be all for today?" He had finally arrived in front of the cashier.
With slight hesitation, he pulled out a coupon from his wallet.
"Actually…, this coupon, I was wondering if I can use it for this." He said stumbling over his words.
"Of course. Let me check." She responded to him with a bright smile. His heart fluttered slightly. Of course, he knew this was just her doing her job.
"Oh, looks like the coupon has already expired."
"Ah." Jayce said weakly. "Then I guess that will be all then."
"That will be $71.91."
Jayce's eyes bulged. After Rain's outburst, he was being extra sensitive to money. He knew that this was a lot of money to spend. He probably shouldn't buy all that junk food.
"Um, excuse me…, this…. I… don't want it…" Jayce attempted to ask to get rid of the junk food, but perhaps he didn't get his point across because the cashier just gave him a confused look.
"…Never mind." Jayce blushed in shame.
Jayce swiped his debit card and paid for all the items.
"Thank you for shopping. We look forward to seeing you next time!"
Jayce nodded as he sheepishly grabbed his groceries and left the market. However, instead of walking back home, he called for a taxi. In a matter of minutes, Jayce was climbing into the passenger seat of a cab.
"Good evening. Where would you like to go, sir?"
"Angel's Care Hospital, please."
"Of course. We'll be on our way immediately."
Jayce pulled out his phone to continue reading his novel, only to remember he had already finished it.
Sighing in disappointment, he reminisced about the novel.
A story where an author falls into the universe of his own writing. It had characters with a surprising amount of depth, detail, and care. Its action scenes were always jam-packed with intensity that kept its reader at the edge of their seat. The plot was always fun, entertaining, and never grew stale. It was a beautifully made novel that spawned a mythical world with it.
A mythical world that Jayce wished he could be a part of. If only he was the one who had fallen into that world, all his problems would be solved. Money wouldn't be a problem. His mom and dad would be at home. His sister would never go hungry. He would be successful. He would have a warm and happy family to return to.
All these thoughts were useless though. Jayce wasn't delusional enough to actually believe that any of this existed. There was no such thing as transmigration or reincarnation. All this only existed in the world of fiction.
Still, that didn't stop him from imagining the different what-if scenarios.
"Sir, we've arrived." Jayce was awakened from his thoughts by the taxi driver.
"Ah. Thank you." He grabbed his groceries and stepped out of the taxi.
He checked the time again.
8:09 p.m.
He still had time.
Jace had only just entered the hospital, but the lady at the front desk noticed him immediately.
"Oh, Mr. Kriel, welcome back." She greeted. "Are you here to see her again?"
Jayce nodded and then went through the regular visiting procedures. Before long, he was heading up the elevator. The nurse who accompanied him made small talk, which he tried his best to respond to, but it ended up being a silent trip after. Finally, they arrived at their destination.
"We're here." The nurse stood before a room. "I'll leave you two alone now."
Jayce walked into the room and saw her frail body lying on the bed, unmoving except for the slight breaths she took.
"Hey, Mom. I'm back." Jayce spoke softly to her, even though he knew she couldn't respond. It was a little over 3 years ago that she had gotten into that accident.
"It's been a while since I came to visit you, so I bought you some flowers. It seems like the last flowers have already gone bad." Jayce grabbed the nearby vase on the bedside table and dumped the rotten flowers in the trash. He refilled the vase with fresh water before placing the newly bought bouquet into the vase.
"There." He placed the vase neatly onto the table again. "Mom, how have you been? I've been doing pretty well since I last visited. Rain has also been doing great. She's really excelling in school, and I… I'm doing the same as I always have."
His mom breathed in slowly as he spoke about the past few weeks with her. He held her hand in his. It was warm. It gave him hope that she would wake up one day.
"Recently, Rain has begun scolding me. I've been spending money irresponsibly, I guess. Though you don't have to worry. Rain and I are still as close as always. You also don't have to worry about money. Dad has been sending more than enough money for your hospital bills and for our living expenses."
His ramblings went on. A part of him knew that there was little chance of her hearing him and even less of a chance of her responding, but Jace wanted to believe. He wanted to imagine that he was actually speaking to his mother and that she would scold him for being irresponsible or that she would comfort him, saying it's not his fault.
"I don't want to worry you, but," Jace clenched his hands as he said this. "Dad hasn't been in contact recently. He usually sends a letter and money every month, but it's been 4 days past the usual time. I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little scared, but I don't want to worry Rain too much. She needs to focus on her studies so that she can live a good life and eventually have a family of her own."
Jayce felt a tinge of pain in his heart as he clenched his fists. He didn't know when, but soon there would be a day when Rain would no longer need to rely on Jayce, and Jayce would no longer have to care for Rain. Through all the arguments, hatred, and foul language that they threw at each other, he still loved her and hoped that she would still love him.
Even though it was heart-wrenching, Jace earnestly prayed that they would survive to have a day like that.
Maybe it was a bit childish, but it was times like these that he desperately tried to lose himself in his wishful imagination. If he was in a novel, his father wouldn't be out of the country. He would be staying at home while Jayce fought monsters. They would be able to make money by selling monster parts. He would've already obtained a mythical cure-all artifact and healed his mother. He would have the warm and secure home that he always imagined.
But reality was cruel. There was no such thing as a cure-all artifact. The only thing he could rely on was modern medicine. He had to rely on his dad, who was tirelessly working himself in another country. It was unfair.
Jayce shook his head clear as he realized he was going on a weird tangent again . He breathed out, refocusing his mind.
"Anyways, Mom, don't worry too much. I'm sure Dad is alright. Dad has always been a strong person. So please don't worry and just wake up soon." Jayce finished speaking and just sat by his mother's side in silence, relishing in the moment.
Knock knock!
"Mr. Kriel, your time is almost up."
"Well, Mom, I'll have to get going now." Jayce got up from his chair and opened the exit. "The next time I come to visit, I'll make sure to bring Rain. I promise."
With that, he left his mother's hospital room. Waiting outside was the nurse who had led him back down. Jayce thanked them before leaving the Angel's Care Hospital.
Jayce called another taxi.
"Where to?"
"Westside Beach." Westside Beach was obviously not where the apartment complex was located, but Jace often found himself coming here after visiting his mother.
He would go there just to listen to the sounds of waves crashing and to watch the stars shimmering in the sky. It was soothing.
It wasn't long before they arrived.
"Now, I don't want to dig into your personal business, kid, but do be careful out there." The taxi man warned. "The docks are slippery, and the waters are icy cold at these times."
Jayce nodded his head, not paying too much attention to him. Although he couldn't swim, the shore was nearby, so Jayce believed he would be able to get to safety quite easily, and he had never once fallen in before.
Still Jayce thanked the taxi driver for advice and paid him. Afterwards, he grabbed the groceries and stepped out of the taxi.
The empty beach spread out before him, lit up by the faraway street lamps and moonlight. Down by the bay, he saw the familiar shack that had used to sell snacks for any beachgoer. It was now boarded up. The wooden dock lay right next to it, hovering a few inches above the ocean's surface.
Jayce took in a deep breath. The aroma of the beach was the same as always. The salty smell engulfed him, sending him straight into a wave of nostalgia. He remembered a simpler time when he was just eight years old, and Rain was only three.
Back then, his family hadn't been torn apart, and he wasn't who he was now. They had gone to the beach to celebrate Jayce as he had achieved top of his class as well as winning first place in the district's spelling bee. They had celebrated with a nice barbecue and a big, juicy watermelon.
Back then, he was a prodigy. He was more intelligent and had a larger grasp of reality than other kids his age. His future seemed so bright that there wasn't a shadow of a doubt about his success.
Jayce thought that this was natural and that he would always be special and be top of his class. And he would be right for the next ten years. He was rank one and achieved the best grades throughout elementary and middle school. But things changed when high school came around.
It was in high school when he was faced with the truth. He wasn't anything special. It became apparent when kids who were actually talented and intelligent were in the class. It wasn't even a competition. Out of all the people, Jayce was last place. He was no longer sat at the top of his class but sank to the bottom of a new food chain.
Even then, things began to change more. There was only so far that his natural-born intelligence could get him and he lacked the essential thing that would lead him further. Jayce lacked effort.
All of his life, he was called a prodigy. He never had to try hard. Math, English, science, he excelled at all of it. But high school was different from middle or elementary school. He couldn't just pass because he was smart or because he put in some time. He actually had to study for tests, take hours out of his day to do homework, and dedicate the weekends to doing school work.
It all sounded simple but Jayce couldn't do it. It was too different from what he was used to. Jace didn't know how to try and put effort into work. He didn't have the passion that the other kids had.
It wasn't long before even the kids who he thought were inferior to him started to surpass him. The platform that he stood atop of was unexpectedly fragile and unsteady. Once it collapsed, he couldn't climb back up. Eventually, Jayce gave up. He didn't bother putting even the minimal amount of effort. He ran away from his troubles. He started investing hours of his days to just reading, loafing, and YouTube. Anything to not have to face reality.
The world didn't stop for anyone, however. Time continued to pass even as Jayce ran away. His life continued to fall apart as both parents became absent from his life. Whatever was left of his grades took a nosedive, and Jayce began distancing himself from friends. Finally, Jayce was a senior in high school. He was still failing all of his classes and was not even on track to graduate. He was a failure.
Tears had begun streaming down his eyes. No matter how much he tried to run away, life had still managed to grab him and drag him back into his self-created hell.
Waves were still crashing in the background as Jayce found himself on the docks, sitting at the edge. By now, the moon was high up in the night sky. The stars quietly illuminated the world without a care in the world. As he grew more aware of his surroundings, he quickly wiped away the tears that had formed around his eyes.
"Shit." Jayce weakly chuckled to himself. "I didn't know I was so emotional. What's up with me today?"
His phone screen blinded him as he checked for the time.
9:50 p.m.
Jayce sighed and picked himself off the ground.
Suddenly, a wave of dizziness crashed into him, and his legs grew unsteady. Time seemed to freeze all around him as he tried to understand what was happening. The world seemed to have been flipped on its side, and the water came directly into view.
Yet, Jayce stared at sparkling water as rays from the moon reflected off it.
'It's beautiful—'
SPLASH!
Jayce had fallen into the ocean.
Immediately, the freezing cold water engulfed his body, and salt water began to enter his lungs. Panic began to settle in as a burning sensation started to attack him, and he began flailing his arms and legs erratically.
'Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!'
His head would surface for a second only to sink once again under the waves. His clothes, clinging to his skin, felt like heavy weights.
Jayce kept on struggling, but his arms and legs grew tired quickly. Whether it was due to never exercising or improper form, it didn't matter.
He could no longer tell what was up and what was down. What direction was the shore? He had no idea.
Every time his head broke the surface, another wave would come crashing down, throwing him into disarray.
His eyes hurt, his nose burned, and his chest felt like it was going to burst. With each stroke, the pain only grew worse.
He tried to reach for the wooden beams of the dock, but his current condition didn't allow him to. It seemed like he had already drifted too far away from it.
Jayce felt himself sink down into the water and tried desperately to claw his way to the surface of the water, yet with each passing moment, the surface was getting harder and harder to get to.
Finally, Jayce couldn't keep his body afloat any longer, and his head dipped into the seawater.
Jayce clutched his throat as he began intaking dangerous amounts of seawater.
It was the worst pain he had ever felt.
His body began to sink deeper and deeper within the ocean as he no longer had the energy to claw his way out. It wasn't long before his consciousness began to dimmer.
As he sank into the dark abyss of the ocean, Jace's life began to flash before his eyes.
'So this is how my life ends.'
Jayce accepted his fate.
'I shouldn't have fought with Rain. If I had known that was going to be our last moments together…'
It was too late for regrets.
'Dad, Mom, Rain, I'm sorry.'