As we exit my room, the smell of eggs and freshly baked bread fills the air. For a moment, I almost forget where I am. The table is set neatly with polished silverware and warm plates filled with food that almost look like it's glowing.
My mind spirals even further, trying to comprehend what's happening.
How the fuck…? Is this a dream?
- Nia: "Are you just gonna stand there? Come on, sit!"
She says the last line while kicking my shin.
"Ow! Okay, okay."
I take a seat next to Nia, who's beaming, smiling cheek to cheek, just like she used to when we were kids. My stomach churns as I try to process it all.
- ???: "Morning, Ayden! You're finally up. I made your favorite, scrambled eggs!"
My heart sinks. I slowly turn my head toward the source of the voice.
What stands before me terrifies me more than anything I've faced thus far.
"Mom?"
I press my lips together, trying to keep steady.
Her hair is a soft brown, mid-back length like Nia's, falling gently around her face. Her eyes are amber, warm and calm, carrying the same kindness I remember.
It's haunting.
My fists clench at my sides, my breathing comes in shallow, erratic bursts, and I tumble out of my chair.
Calm down. Calm down. Calm down. Calm down.
I grip my shirt, panic clawing at me.
She rushes over to me, concern etched into her face.
- Mom: "Is something wrong?!"
The moment she speaks again, I can't keep it in anymore. The dam breaks, and tears start flowing down my face. My body shakes violently as I curl into myself. I wail, hiccuping, sobbing like a child, letting every ounce of fear, guilt, and longing escape at once.
Warm arms wrap around me, pulling me into an embrace I didn't realize I needed.
Its warm.
Her hands rub my back gently, her voice soft and steady.
- Mom: "Shh… It's okay Ayden. It's alright. You're safe. You can let it out."
I cling to her as though I'll vanish if I let go, burying my face against her chest and letting the crying consume me. Slowly, I start to calm, the sobs turning into shaky breaths.
Once I get my bearings completely, she releases me gently, and I take back my seat.
Nia clears her throat nervously, realizing she's still there.
- Nia: "Sorry… I didn't mean to hit you that hard earlier…"
I look at her and chuckle softly, amused by her innocence.
"It wasn't that."
- Nia: "It wasn't?"
I shake my head, smiling. My first real smile in years.
"I just… had a nightmare."
We fall into a cheery conversation, talking about the week, the day ahead, everything. It feels so natural, so painfully normal. For the first time in years, I feel happy.
A few minutes go by when I hear a fourth voice enter the room.
- ???: "Good morning everyone."
I look toward the doorway.
A man with bluish-gray hair steps in, making his way toward the table. His build is rounder, softened with age, and a pair of square glasses perch neatly on his nose. His eyes shimmer a pale blue, the same shade as mine.
"Dad…"
The shock isn't as intense, but my breathing still hitches regardless. I stare at him, long enough for him to notice.
- Dad: "Something wrong Ayden?"
"…No. Nothing's wrong."
The clinking of forks and knives fills the air as we eat, the soft glow of morning light washing the room in gold. For the first time in years, I feel… human. Normal.
- Dad: "So, Ayden, any big plans today?"
I hesitate. My throat tightens.
Plans? What did I have to do again?
"Uh… school, I guess."
- Nia: "Don't sound so miserable. I'll walk with you. Just like old times."
She's got a stupid grin on her face.
I force a chuckle.
"Yeah… old times."
Mom reaches over, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. Her amber eyes glimmer warmly.
- Mom: "It feels good, doesn't it? It's been a while since we've eaten all four of us together. Ayden is always so busy studying for university entrance exams."
Something about what she says puts me off.
Entrance exams?
- Dad: "You've been spacing out a lot lately, Ayden. You alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."
My fork stills over my plate. I can feel Nia's eyes on me.
"I'm fine… I just—"
Nia cuts in, poking me with her fork.
- Nia: "He's always been dramatic. You know how he is."
She follows this up with another kick to my shin from under the table. I flinch, but this time I don't mind.
Dad laughs, shaking his head.
- Dad: "He gets that from me. Always overthinking."
Mom's smile softens, but her gaze lingers on me, as if she sees straight through.
- Mom: "It doesn't matter. We're here now. And that's what counts, right?"
Her words are meant to comfort, but something about them feels off.
We're here now. But why do I feel like I'm forgetting something.
I nod, swallowing hard.
"…Yeah. That's what counts."
After breakfast, we say our goodbyes and head off to work and school. Nia and I are making our daily commute.
From what I remember, it takes roughly 20 minutes to get to school on foot from my house.
The neighbourhood hasn't changed a bit. The sun is shining through the white clouds covering the bright blue sky. Kids in pressed uniforms walk in small groups, laughing and pushing each other as they head toward the crosswalk. A couple of old men are out mowing their lawns, sweat gleaming on their foreheads as the scent of cut grass mixes with the crisp morning air. A woman waters her flowerbeds, waving to a passing jogger who tips his cap in return.
It's early autumn, so there's a nice breeze that brushes against my face as we walk. Some of the trees are also multicoloured.
I decided to wear a black t-shirt and gray sweat pants. I don't own a lot of clothes, so my wardrobe is very limited. I couldn't care less though, since I don't have a girlfriend.
I look at Nia. She isn't wearing a uniform or anything special like that either. Just casual clothing, the same as me. She's wearing an oversized cream-colored sweater and black jogging pants. Something about the colors strikes me. Almost like I've seen the same combo before.
I disregard the thought as cars rumble down the street straight past us. The roads are just as I remember them. Every crack, every faded white line is burned into my memory.
As we walk, that uneasy feeling I had in the morning mostly dissipates.
Nia speaks up, while holding her stomach.
- Nia: "Oh man! That was a good breakfast!"
"Yeah. It was."
Suddenly, she picks up her pace slightly and looks back at me, with an expression on her face I know all too well.
I already know she's going to say something stupid.
- Nia: "You walk so slow! Were your legs always this short?"
"Wow. You have a lot of nerve saying that when YOU are shorter than ME!"
- Nia: "Hey! I'm a young maiden. It's only natural I'd be short. You, on the other, should be taller by now!"
"Uh huh. Whatever you say."
- Nia: "Also, when are you gonna get a girlfriend? Mom has been bugging you about it for a while now."
"You can't rush those things Nia. That stuff takes a lot of time."
She smirks.
- Nia: "It's because you're bad at talking to girls, right?"
I jab her in the side with an elbow, to which she retaliates with a slap to the back of my head.
We continue to make small talk as we approach our campus. It's the typical campus, with multiple buildings and hundreds of students rushing to their classes.
My class should be Philosophy. I think that's on the fifth floor?
Nia stops beside me and puts her hand up, waving in the air.
- Nia: "Okay! I'll see you after school. Don't be too lonely without me!"
She says that last line smirking with her other hand over her mouth.
I flick her forehead and point in the opposite direction.
"Shut up already and go to your school. I'll see you later."
She nods and starts walking off. I do the same.
Once I've made my way to my class, I take a seat in the back row, farthest from the lecture as possible. It doesn't save me, as the teacher starts explaining the lesson for the day.
- Teacher: "Alright everyone, we'll be talking about Descartes."
I stare out the window, uninterested in any of the class. As time passes, his voice feels distant, echoing oddly in my ears. My eyes blur, the edges of the room softening like I'm underwater. I catch pieces of his words, drifting in and out of focus.
- Teacher: "…dream theory."
Dreams…
- Teacher: "…our senses deceive us…"
- Teacher: "…perhaps nothing we know is certain."
I blink, forcing my eyes open wider, but it doesn't help. My eyelids feel heavy, as though they are being weighed down. I start to slowly drift off to sleep.
The sound of my own breathing is louder than the teacher's words.
And then I hear a voice.
- ???: "Ayden."
My eyes snap wide. I look around, but no one else reacts. Students are still scribbling notes, the teacher is still lecturing.
I press a hand against my temple, shaking my head.
- ???: "You don't belong here."
The voice feels like it's inside my head. It's speaking to me.
I really must be losing my mind…
- ???: "Please, Ayden."
The voice is clearer this time. It's a woman. I don't know why, but she sounds familiar. The voice is shaking, almost like it's pleading for me to listen.
Where have I heard that voice before?
My head starts pounding as I try to recall. I grip the sides of my head to try and ease the pain.
What is this? Why does it hurt so much when I try to remember?
I rest my head on the table. My eyelids feel heavy once again, except this time, I don't fight it. Sleep consume me.
When I come to, the classroom is completely empty. The chairs are all pushed back, and the board is completely clean. Not even the teacher remains.
Those assholes didn't even bother to wake me up.
My stomach twists, a dull nausea settling in, as the sharp pain from earlier hits me again.
I push in my chair and rush out the room, clenching my head. It doesn't occur to me immediately, but the entire floor is empty. The echo of my footsteps are much louder.
I find the nearest bathroom and barely make it to the sink before my breakfast makes itself known again. I lean over and throw up, dry heaving afterward, my hands gripping the edge of the sink. I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror.
Something's off. My hair is shorter that I remember, my face looks normal, but for some reason it feels like it isn't mine.
My skin is much paler than I remember. Granted, that could also be because I threw up a second ago.
A cold sweat is dripping down my forehead.
Then I hear her again. The voice.
- ???: "You need to remember."
Remember what? Why do I feel like this?
Everything is off. Ever since I woke up this morning, I've felt like I'm in someone else's body, living another person's life.
"…Who are you? Why is this happening to me?"
- ???: "Your friends need you."
Friends? What friends?
For the longest time, I've been alone. Aside from my family, I never hung out with anyone else. Nia was the only person I could connect with. But for some reason, it's almost like I know there are people I'm forgetting.
- ???: "Your sister needs you."
"…Nia."
I whisper the name, my lips trembling. Of course I know her. I've spent all morning at her side.
But something about it feels… wrong. Like there's a splinter lodged deep in my brain.
- ???: "Remember your promise to her."
Promise?
My breath hitches. A flash of memory strikes like lightning. A small pinky rapped around mine, and a begging for me to return.
My stomach turns violently.
No… no, that's not possible. That never happened here. Did it?
The harder I try to grab the memory, the more my head pounds, splitting open under the weight of two truths. One where we never made that vow. One where breaking it destroyed me.
I grip my temples, gasping.
"I… I promised her…?"
My voice breaks into a sob.
"I promised I'd see her again… What is happening to me?!"
I exit the bathroom, sprinting down the stairs as fast as I can, nearly tumbling down several times.
Once outside, I notice the blue sky from earlier is now covered in dark, gloomy clouds, raining heavily.
I don't care though. I run through the rain, toward Ashley's school. However, I'm stopped in my tracks by something. Someone.
It's too dark to see his face. The only thing I see is his shape. A tall man with longer limbs than normal, draped in a large coat covering his figure. He's wearing a fedora.
The rain pounds against me, soaking through my shirt, plastering my hair to my face. My breaths come out ragged, steaming in the cold air. And then I hear him.
A voice, low and steady, carried by the storm itself.
- ???: "You made this so much more difficult than it has to be. If you had just forgotten everything and played along, you would have been living the perfect life."
I freeze, my teeth chattering. My heart hammers in my chest.
"Who… who are you? What is this, a dream?"
- The Dreamer: "I'm The Dreamer. Although what my name suggests… this isn't a dream."
I blink, unsure if I'm hearing him correctly. The words echo unnaturally, bouncing off the buildings around me.
"What are you talking about?"
- The Dreamer: "To be precise… this is a parallel world. A world where your parents never died. A world where you never left your sister. A perfect world."
My chest tightens, panic clawing at my stomach.
"How… is this possible?"
I gasp.
"No, this makes no sense! Why do I have these memories?! These aren't mine. I-I don't even know what's real anymore."
- The Dreamer: "I planted those memories. To guide you to a choice."
His calm voice doesn't match the urgency in the air. I take a step back, slipping in the water. My hands tremble uncontrollably.
"Why… why are you doing this? Who… what are you?!"
He raises his index finger at me, gesturing the number one.
- The Dreamer: "I'll give you a chance."
My brows knit.
"Chance?"
- The Dreamer: "I will let you take the place of the version of you who lives here. You will have a family, experience love, live a peaceful life and die happy. I'll even block out all horrible memories you might have. You will be a new person."
I stagger back, the rain soaking me to the bone. My teeth chatter, my chest heaving.
"This… This is too much. I-I don't know what—"
- The Dreamer: "I'll give you some time to think about it. But don't take too long. Chances like these… don't last forever."
A bolt of lightning flashes across the sky, illuminating him for a split second. His form might have made me uncomfortable before, but the sight I see now makes my skin crawl. A pale, white face that almost looks like a mask, staring directly at me.
"WAIT!"
When I blink, he's gone.
The rain continues to pour on me as I contemplate what I've been told.
This world… perfect life… a family…
- ???: "Ayden?! Why are you in the rain?"
I whip my head around. Nia is standing a few feet away, holding an umbrella over her head, her eyes wide with confusion. Before I can speak, she grabs my wrist, tugging me toward the school.
Inside, the building is quiet. There are no footsteps, no chatter, just the faint hum of fluorescent lights and the steady drip of rainwater sliding off my clothes and hitting the tile floor. She pulls me into an empty classroom and forces me into a chair.
Nia rummages through a cabinet and comes back with a towel, thrusting it at me.
- Nia: "Jeez. You need to be more careful. You could catch a cold."
"Sorry."
She frowns while taking a seat across from me.
- Nia: "You know, sometimes I wonder which one of us is the older sibling."
Her words hit me like a blade. It hurts. It hurts to hear her voice, see her face, to know that every memory I'm clinging to isn't even mine.
"How did you find me?"
- Nia: "I saw you outside from my class window. You were just staring at nothing. You looked like you saw a ghost!"
Staring at nothing?
"…Sorry."
She furrows her eyebrows.
- Nia: "Why do you keep apologizing? Is something bothering you? You've been weird since this morning."
I don't answer her. The classroom fills with silence yet again. The cold of my wet clothes seeps deeper into my skin, numbing me.
Nia leans on her elbow, chin in her palm, staring at me with that faintly smug smile she always wore when she was about to get on my nerves.
- Nia: "What's your type?"
I blink.
"My… what?"
- Nia: "Your type. In a girl."
"I-uh… I never thought about it."
- Nia: "Well, think about it now!"
"…Someone who is kind. They don't have to be nice outwardly, but if they treat others with respect, it's more than enough."
- Nia: "Mhm. Anything else?"
She stares at me more intensely than earlier, clearly interested.
"She has to have beautiful eyes. Someone who you can look at for days and never get tired of it."
Nia laughs, tossing her hair back.
- Nia: "You are so basic! Your standards are way too low!"
"…I don't deserve more than that."
She sits up.
- Nia: "Enough with the self loathing. Tell me what's up with you. Now."
I almost smile. I'd forgotten how stubborn she is. At least that's something even this version of her hasn't lost.
And in that moment, watching her glare at me with those familiar eyes, I realize what I already knew. This isn't my home. This isn't my sister. It's a perfect lie and I can't stay here, no matter how much it hurts. My promise to my Nia outweighs every warm memory this world is offering me. I've made my choice. I will go back to her.
Even with this thought, tears threaten my eyes. I look down at the table, my voice breaking as I speak.
"Nia. I-I'm sorry. I'm so sorry! I-I wasn't a good brother to you. I've taken you for granted and I left you behind. I'm sorry!"
She puts her arms up, waving frantically.
- Nia: "Wait up! What are you apologizing for? I don't get what you're saying. Calm down."
I swallow hard, forcing the lump down my throat as I speak between sobs.
"I-I have to go. I don't think I c-can apologize enough for everything. I don't t-think there is anything I can even do to make up for it all.
She stares at me, dumbfounded.
- Nia: "I don't really know what you're talking about, but I trust you Ayden. You don't have anything to apologize for. You're my brother. No matter how far you go, I'll welcome you home everytime.
My throat tightens. Tears sting my eyes.
"I-I'm going to have to go away a long time. I don't think we'll see each other for a while."
She smiles at me. Warm, steady and unshaken. That smile burns itself into my memory, etching deeper that anything else.
- Nia: "Then I'll wait."
Something in me snaps. I shove my chair back, the screech of metal legs on tile ringing out as I bolt for the door. Down the stairs, my feet pounding like gunfire.
I couldn't protect my Nia. I abandoned her. I am abandoning this one too.
I truly am scum.
As I rush to the exit, I don't even notice the glass panel in front of me until my shoulder smashes through it, shards raining to the ground. A sting slices across my arm. I stare down at it, at the blood mixing with the rainwater dripping off me.
And then clarity hits me.
Not pain, fear or despair.
Resolve.
I've done this before. I know the cost. But I'll pay it again.
It's the only way out.
The only way back to my Nia.
I crouch and pick up one of the jagged pieces, the edge cold and slick in my fingers. I press it to my throat, gripping it like an anchor.
"I swear… I'll find you, Nia. No matter what. I'll keep fighting. I'll come back to you. And I'll apologize hundreds of times."
Lightning cracks outside, illuminating the downpour in a blinding flash. I lift my head to the sky, my vow echoing in my heart.
And then — pain. A sharp, sudden strike. The world tilts, colors bleeding into black.
I die.
But I don't return.
——————————————————————
STATUS SCREEN
You have Faced your Past. There remains 1 more test.
Reward:
+ 1 attribute point for each stat
+ Dreamer's Dagger
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