Year 2023;
The city lights shimmered on the black water below the bridge that connected Huaxi City Island and the mainland of Northern Yan.
Cars rumbled past behind a man who stood still, leaning against the rusted rail of the bridge, watching the endless stretch of sea in front of him. A chilly wind blew on his face, throwing the hood down from his head. He didn't blink.
Lin Fang stepped up onto the narrow ledge with one of his hands still gripping the rail. The other hand reached for the pendant around his neck, a simple blue crystal that caught a bit of the streetlight and sparkled, just barely.
His voice cracked in the wind. "I'm sorry, Dad," he whispered in his foggy breath. "I tried my best… but your dream is going to stay a dream."
His knuckles tightened around the pendant.
A memory flashed in his head.
Year 2001;
He was nine, sitting in the backseat that smelled like old leather. Lin Fang was busy playing a game on his handheld video game console. He had earphones covering his ears. Meanwhile, his dad was concentrated on the road, driving the vehicle at 100 kph. "Xiao Fang, your mother is bringing your sister with her this time. Are you excited about that?"
Little Fang didn't respond. He continued to play the game. "Xiao Fang… Xiao Fang…"
The father glanced to see his son. "Xiao Fang." Just as he reached out to Little Fang's earphones, the latter raised his head.
His eyes reflected the headlights, too close, too fast, and before he warned…
*Bam*
Darkness.
A breath later.
Another flash and the memory shifted.
Year 2019;
He was twenty-seven. The woman in front of him was trembling. She wouldn't meet his eyes. "I'm sorry," she said carefully, maintaining her voice low. "I tried to keep it in. Suppress it for years. But I can't anymore. I'm bi. It's time I admit it. And if you still want to stay with me… this is something you'll have to accept."
He remembered the silence that followed. How loud it was.
Then, another scene.
Year 2020;
He was a groom, watching the bride being escorted by her father. Lin Fang had a big smile again.
Another flash.
Year 2021;
It wasn't long after the wedding, barely ten months later. In a different setting, a club, late at night. He was standing in the shadows, invisible to anyone who wasn't particularly focused on him.
His wife seemed to be with someone else, someone richer. She was sitting on his lap, laughing with him as if she were enjoying his conversation.
His throat tightened.
A few months later;
A document was thrown at his face.
"Here, with this, we are done. As per the agreement, all the furniture, the house rental deposit I paid, and all of them are yours now. Even if you sell these, I highly doubt that you can turn around the situation in your store. Before I leave, let me give you one last bit of advice. Give up on the store and that stupid dream of your father's. You might be able to get your life back on track."
He didn't fight back. He just stood there.
Now, two years after his divorce, he was here.
On the edge with nothing but the sea and the night to catch him.
He shut his eyes tightly, coming back to the present.
"I'm sorry," he whispered again, this time in a softer tone.
And then he jumped.
*Splash*
Water hit him like concrete as he hit the water. His limbs slowed as he sank deeper and deeper into the sea. The world above faded into shadows.
Thoughts began to drift in, one after another, once again for the last time.
"If only I were more selfish, instead of chasing a dream that was never mine…"
"If only I had accepted Li Liu for who she was... instead of walking away like a coward."
"If only I hadn't rushed into that marriage... thinking it would fix the emptiness."
"If only...
A breath caught in his chest.
"Sigh…"
As the last bubbles slipped from his mouth, the crystal pendant against his chest flared, giving a soft, gentle light. It pulsed once. Then again.
And everything went black.
After an unknown amount of time;
With a loud gasp, Lin Fang sat up.
He blinked, looking around.
He was on a familiar-looking mattress in a bedroom with a simple cot, wardrobe, and a wooden desk in the corner with a monitor on top.
"This place… It's my old house. What's going on… I was on the bridge and…"
Before Lin Fang got to understand the situation, a sudden ring echoed in his head.
*Ding!
[Welcome back to Codex]
[A New Host detected: Lin Fang.]
[Main Quest inherited.]
[131 Eggs added to Inventory.]
Main Quest: Sell 1000 System-Provided Eggs, each at 1000 credits. (Progress: 869/1000)
Reward: Summoner System.
*
A glowing holographic screen materialized before his eyes, displaying the details voiced in his head, words appearing one after another.
Lin Fang couldn't help but rub his face. "Is this…" He looked at the glowing screen again, murmuring. "Afterlife?"