Chapter - 3
Caged
***
The morning sun filtered through the curtains, casting golden streaks across the room, Yuri stretched, rolling his shoulders as he swung his legs off the bed, his mind still buzzed with remnants of last night's thoughts, but today, he had one goal and that was to test his limits
Even if his stats were at rock bottom compared to his old self, his body still carried the instincts honed from a century of war
Tying his shoelaces, he stepped outside, inhaling the crisp morning air, his house was in a quiet part of town, not too far from the school, and the roads were empty save for a few early risers heading to work
He started with a light jog, adjusting to the rhythm of his younger body
'Slow, but it'll do'
It was weak compared to his old body and his pace was slow, probably even slower than a goblin, cementing the fact that he had to start from scratch once more
After fifteen minutes, Yuri picked up the pace, pushing into a full sprint, his agility was still lacking, but his movements remained sharp, precise, his breath stayed steady, unlike a normal high schooler who'd be wheezing by now
'At least stamina isn't an issue, probably due to my title's effect'
Reaching an empty park, he moved onto calisthenics, push-ups, squats, planks, following the basics of his past training routine, back then, his morning routine involved mana-infused gravity resistance and sparring sessions with his friend ,now though he had to make due with what he got
He stood up, rolling his shoulders
'Stats might be low, but my foundation can still be fixed'
He opened his system interface, scanning his status again
[Status]
[Name: Yuri Bright]
[Level-1]
[Exp-0%]
[Race: Human]
[Titles - (12)]
(+20% Strength, +50% Dexterity)
[Stats]
[Skills - (1265)]
'The best way to get stronger… is through leveling up.'
If Earth followed Magrath's system, that meant killing monsters, completing quests, or some other means to gain experience
He closed his menu, staring at the distant skyline
'...Kill terrorists, hunt animals maybe, no that would be outright cruel to those innocent animals'
"I'll think about it later"
For now, school awaited
***
" Deep down in Louisiana close to New Orleans
Way back up in the woods among the evergreens
There stood a log cabin made of earth and wood
Where lived a country boy named Johnny B. Goode
Who never ever learned to read or write so well
But he could play a guitar just like a-ringin' a bell
Go, go
Go Johnny, go, go
Go Johnny, go, go
Go Johnny, go, go
Go Johnny, go, go
Johnny B Goode ...."
I put the mic down, looking at Jacob who seemed to be in deep thought
"So what's your thought on that?"
I asked
"Not bad but, tell me Yuri are you still depressed?"
"Eh? No"
"Then where's your spirit man? Your vocals are good but where's the enthusiasm and soul, you sound like a veteran being forced to sing a nursery rhyme!"
Yuri blinked, slightly taken aback by Jacob's blunt criticism, taking his words into consideration,his friend wasn't wrong, his performance had been technically fine, but his heart wasn't in it
"I don't know, man"
Yuri admitted, running a hand through his hair
"I guess I just don't feel... connected to it?"
Jacob sighed, shaking his head
"Music isn't just about hitting the right notes, It's about expressing a feeling through the melody y'know? "
Yuri lifted his brows a bit shocked at Jacob's insight on music
"That's quite deep"
Jacob groaned
"You're just oddly unempathetic today is all"
Yuri smirked slightly but didn't argue any further, Jacob was right after all, singing a song in his friend's garage after school like this
Yeah, it felt much too surreal, clearly, that was the root of the problem in itself, the fact that he still hadn't grounded himself here yet
'It'll be bad if, things like this keep happening, I can't let the past hold me back anyway since I'm young once more n—'
SNAP!
Interrupting his thoughts, Jacob snapped his fingers in front of his face
"Hey, earth to Yuri, you zoning out again?"
"Sorry I was just thinking, expression of somthing right?"
Yuri asked to which Jacob nodded
"Yes, you already have what it takes Yuri, don't try to sound good, just sing the song whole heartedly, only then will you do a song justice"
Yuri stared, swallowing what his supposedly fellow 15 year old friend said
'I thought Jacob was just a kid but (smiled) it seems like being in a younger body has made me the kid here, very well'
"I'll work on it, just give me a second to feel it, what was the next song?"
'If my friend is this serious about this then it's my duty to try my utmost as well'
Jacob replied, his tone softened a bit at the sight of Yuri's serious face
" It's 'She's out of my Life' by MJ, an emotional ballad, and I'll tell ou now, this song, if you sing it with just your voice it won't sound go-"
He paused, puzzled bythe sight of Yuri seemingly concentrating , taking a deep breath as he closed his eyeS, Jacob also noticed the subtle change in the atmosphere around his friend
'He's trying, finally'
With such thoughts he waited for Yuri's signal, his hand ready to play the guitar at any moment
Yuri took a slow breath, his fingers tightening slightly around the microphone, Jacob's words echoed in his mind
'Music isn't just about hitting the right notes, it's about expressing a feeling'
That was something he hadn't done in a long, long time
Expressing himself
He closed his eyes, searching through the vast ocean of his memories, one that would best fit the theme of this song
And then, he found it
A moment he had locked away, a memory he never like to relive
The day she died
Laying in his arms in their room as she grew weak
Her once radiant golden eyes had dulled, her breath shallow as she weakly reached for his face
"Yuri…"
Her voice was barely above a whisper
"Save your strength, don't talk"
He had pleaded, his own voice shaking, him, a man who had never once faltered in the face of death
She only smiled, her fingers brushing against his cheek
"We knew this was coming, don't make…such a face now"
Yuri felt his heart cracking as if it was being tightly gripped from within, and then, snapping him out of his cloudwd grief, Seria's fingers tighten on his wrist telling him the words she told him and their children every day for the last time
"I love you"
And then, she was gone
The warmth in his arms faded, replaced with a hollowness that he, even now could never erase
"Seria?"
***
The memory crashed into him with full force, drowning out everything else, his hand shaking slightly from heartache , but he didn't suppress the pain like he used to
Instead, this time he embraced it
"Alright"
He exhaled, his voice barely above a whisper, he looked at Jacob, who was already waiting with his guitar
"Start playing"
Jacob nodded, strumming the first soft chords of She's Out of My Life
Yuri let the melody wash over him, sinking into the song's melancholic rhythm, and when he finally opened his mouth to sing, his voice carried something it hadn't before
Raw, unfiltered emotion
"She's out of my life…"
It was quiet, almost fragile, yet filled with a weight that made Jacob's fingers falter on the strings for a brief second
" And I don't know whether to laugh or cry…"
The pain, the regret, the helplessness—it all bled into his voice, weaving into every note, every syllable making sure that this time, he wasn't just singing a song but expressing the grief he felt as best as he could
"I don't know whether to LIve or die,
And it cuts like a knife ....
....She's out of my life..."
Jacob stared, transfixed
This wasn't just some high schooler singing a ballad
This was the voice of a man who had lost everything
By the time Yuri reached the final lines, the air in the garage felt heavier, as if the room itself had been drawn into his grief
The last note faded into silence
Jacob swallowed, unable to find the right words
"…Dude"
He finally managed
"What the hell was that?"
Yuri let out a breath, running a hand through his hair
"Just… an expression"
Jacob blinked, still shaken
"Well… damn {Did he like Melissa that much?}, no disrespect to the king of pop but, that was the best version of that song I've ever heard"
Yuri chuckled softly, though there was no humor in it
"Guess I finally put my...soul into it"
Jacob smirked
"Yeah, and nearly made me cry in the process...You okay man?"
Yuri didn't answer for a moment before eventually smiling
"I'm fine now, let's continue"
***
Walking back alone, Yuri glanced at the darkening sky outside
Recalling his memories and singing, for a brief moment, it had made him forget everything else except the feeling, 'Grief and loneliness,' That he expressed using the song
"Love really is as much of a pain as it is a blessing isn't it?"
He asked the air while looking at the evening sky
End of chapter