Part-1
It started like any other day—ordinary, uneventful. My friends and I walked to school, same as always. Classes resumed, the routine settling in as it usually did. Our homeroom teacher was at it again, ranting about how hard life was, her words drifting in one ear and out the other. Nothing seemed out of place, not during the first period, not the second, not even through lunch. A faint itch tugged at my thoughts, too slippery to grab hold of.
It hit me suddenly, like a forgotten dream clawing its way to the surface.
Bella. My girlfriend.
She wasn't there.
How could I have forgotten her? How could an entire day pass before I noticed her absence? The pit in my stomach grew as if some invisible force had been keeping me from realizing it sooner. And now, it was too late.
I asked the teachers, desperate for answers. "Where's Bella? She's not in class today." But the look on their faces—blank, confused—sent chills down my spine.
"Bella? Who's Bella?" they asked, as though I was the one out of my mind.
At first, I laughed it off, thinking they were messing with me. But when I turned to my friends, the ones I'd spent all of yesterday with, they gave me that same blank look, their concern creeping in.
"You're imagining things, man. You don't have a girlfriend."
Imagining? No. No, this wasn't right. Bella was real. We were together, had been for months. We spent every day with each other. How could they forget?
My lungs clawed for air as I sprinted to her house, heart hammering like it'd break free. She had to be there, waiting for me like always. But when I knocked on the door, her mother—no, this couldn't be real—her mother looked at me like I was a stranger.
"Bella?" she repeated, her face twisting in confusion. "I don't have a daughter. Are you sure you're not mistaken, young man?"
I stumbled back, the words repeating over and over in my mind. *This isn't real. It can't be real.*
I stumbled down the street, her name spilling out of me—Bella, over and over—like it could anchor her to existence.
The world tilted, the pavement unsteady beneath me, like reality had slipped a gear. I couldn't breathe. I needed to find her.
Nothing fit. Nothing made sense anymore.
Everything was wrong.
Then, a memory struck me. Her voice, soft but so certain, echoed in my mind.
*"If I ever go missing, come find me. There's a place only you , I and Anna knows . It's special, a spot I'll return to no matter where I am—even if I'm on the other side of the world."*
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Part-2
You know, I've always admired stars. Scattered across the sky, unnoticed compared to the moon, they still shine steady and bright. That was Anna to me—a constant light, always in the background, steady and noble.
Anna and I… we both loved the same guy back in middle school. She actually told him first, can you believe that? Worked up the courage and just confessed. But he turned her down, right there on the spot, and then… he turned to me and asked me out. I remember feeling… thrilled. And guilty, maybe, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't like it. I mean, who wouldn't? Anna was always the prettier one, the smarter one, the girl everyone adored. And then, somehow, he chose me. It was like, for the first time, I'd stepped out of her shadow.
I thought I'd finally won something, like I'd grabbed this little slice of happiness. But looking back… maybe I paid too high a price.
Things started to shift between us. Not because Anna got bitter or anything, no. I mean, that would almost be easier to explain, right? But no, Anna wasn't like that. She was still the same—kind, warm, and unfailingly supportive. Maybe that's what scared me the most, though. I couldn't handle that she wasn't even hurt. That's when I started pushing her away, before she could ever do it to me.
I'd cling to him right where she could see, daring her to care. Thought it'd make me feel secure. And every single time, she'd just look at me and smile, like she was genuinely happy for me. That smile never changed, always that warm, gentle Anna smile, like she'd never even noticed I was trying to hurt her. It was infuriating. I convinced myself she was smiling at him, not me. So I kept pushing.
I dragged her into everything—picking outfits, tagging along on dates, even deciding what I'd wear the night I gave myself to him. I wanted to feel like I had something over her, just once. But she never complained. Never flinched. She just kept being there, like some silent star in the background, shining, even while I was tearing her down.
But stars die, too. I didn't see it happening, not until it was too late. And then, one day, that light just… burned out. Her smile faded, and her eyes lost that warmth. The last look she gave me—it's burned in my mind. Hurt, disappointment, maybe even love, twisted up in ways I can barely stand to remember.
That was the last time I saw her. She left for high school in another city. I thought I'd reach out, but I never did. I was too scared. Until last week, when I finally asked around. Her parents said they didn't know where she was. Her phone was disconnected. I kept looking… and that's when I found out. She'd been gone for two years. A suicide, in her first year of high school.
And here I am. Still here, while my star faded away. You think that makes me the villain, don't you? But I wonder… maybe I killed her.
So thank you—truly—for giving me a chance to reach her again.
""Yea, verily, 'tis a boon to lend aid! Lady Bella."."
"Yes you too, Mr...umm?¿"
""Ah, how rude of me! Mine kin be called Unholdaz þewaz! I pray thee, refer to us as such!""
"No no , your name!"
""Ah, 'tis difficult to give thee my true name! *creak* Yet, thou mayst call me Tīmô wiþrú waldaʀ.""
"Too long Timo I will call you Timo !"
""As thou wishest. But if thou must shorten my name, I wouldst prefer Walder!""
*glare*
" So MR.Timo as per the contract ! I will get to be reincarnated as the same world as MY Anna ! But I have to find her myself ?"
""Yea, 'tis true! I can promise thou art born of noble lineage, of great wealth! And thou, along with Mistress Anna, dost hail from the same realm! Yet, alas, I can do no more!""
" Hey ! You also said her face won't change!¿"
""Ah, indeed! But thou must know, when thou and she cross the river Vaitarna back to the land of the living, there is a price to be paid. Some memories shall be lost. Whether thou shalt remember her, that be a matter most uncertain.""
"Enough with the nonsense—get to it!"
""As thou commandest, I shall swiftly begin the preparations! Ah, it seems another doth approach! Be warned, mine inhuman form may strike fear into the hearts of men. Not all possess thy courage, Lady Bella!""
"Yes I can guess that!"
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Part-3
I found Bella at last, but those eyes—once so warm—cut through me with such contempt I barely recognized her.
"Why did you come here ? " Her voice stayed calm, almost too natural.
"Why? You ask why ? You are Missing for 3 days do you get it ! Nobody remembers you and-"
"So why did you come ."
"Bella....?"
"Ah, I suppose I owe you an explanation—but I'd rather not bother.
Okay here it goes , I am going to see Anna ! So could you leave me for a sec!"
"Huh? But that woman just-"
*Crecth crunch*
In that moment I saw something so horrible that I pray nobody witness! My legs gave way as I watched Bella's body being torn apart. The scream died in my throat, trapped by the weight of my disbelief. How could this be happening? The love of my life, reduced to nothing but a grotesque meal for a creature that shouldn't exist. A creature so dark it seemed to devour light itself—a grotesque fusion of bat and octopus, its form twisting reality like a living nightmare. I stumbled forward, but the monster's eyes... they were smiling at me, mocking my helplessness. I didn't even have time to scream.
I lunged at the thing, its vile presence churning my stomach.
Then everything went blank....
My last memory before I reincarnated in this new world!