《Time Turner》


 0. Prologue

    Someone was screaming...


    Several people laughing crazily...


    BANG!! The gunfire echoed throughout the building...


    Explosions and masses of fire illuminated the night sky...


    Even so, he could still hear his comrade''s weakening voice...


    "Ugh... A-Alfi... Go... Run away from here... I-I beg you..." A moan of pain echoed in his ears, the stench of blood piercing his nose. Dark, solemn eyes stared at him, begging, as he took one last breath before he stopped gasping for air entirely.


    The light of life in those eyes then disappeared, leaving them staring blankly at the young man who crouched down beside the body.


    Go?


    Where? Where could he go without them?


    It should not be like this. No matter what happens, they were supposed to be together. Always...


    They all left him... no... it was not like that, he was the one who failed to protect them.


    It was his fault. His fault. His fault. Never theirs.


    Now he''s alone... Why? Why did this happen? Whywhywhywhywhywhywhywhy-?!


    WHY DID THIS HAPPEN TO ME?!


    Then, footsteps and a laugh were heard. "Finally, we meet."


    ***


    He felt his body as if sinking, there was no footing under his feet, yet he did not feel any water around him. Everything is dark, not a single bit of light to see. Despite all this, he felt calm, even when he should be panicking. "This place is safe," he thought. Then, a fragment of memory suddenly came back to him.


    ***


    "Yo-You... Traitor!" A young man that looks no older than twenty, hollered with difficulty before he finally coughed up blood. A bullet was lodged in his chest on the left side, making him gasp in pain every time he breathed in.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    His wounded body leaned heavily against the wall. The people he loved, those who protected him till the end, their bodies were now covered in their blood that pooled on the floor underneath them.


    Pale white skin, eyes blank without the light of life, blue lips dyed with the beautiful red color of blood, a chest that was no longer thumping... They are gone- They are just asleep!


    His brown eyes glared sharply towards the man who has taken away his happiness and the life of his beloved. He was surrounded by the traitor''s men. A chuckle broke the silence of the night as the traitor approached him. The gun that has taken the lives of the people he cares for was pointed to his forehead.


    "Hahaha... Alfizar~ Alfizar~ I''m not a traitor... I just took back what should have been mine." He said with a ghoulish smile. The traitor stared down at him, then the traitor crouched down to Alfizar to look deeply into his eyes. "If only your father gave me all that should have been mine, then you would get to live like any ordinary people... and I don''t have to dirty my hands with his filthy blood."


    Alfizar gritted his teeth, furious... looking at the traitor''s face that was so close to him, Alfizar did not waste his chance to spit at him. The traitor shut his eyes and sighed, seemingly calm. One of his men wiped off the saliva from the traitor''s face with a handkerchief.


    The traitor let out a small laugh again before he stopped and suddenly smacked Alfizar''s head with his gun. BAM!! Alfizar''s face was turned to the left by the blow, his brown hair shadowing his eyes as fresh blood flowed down his right forehead. The traitor grabbed a handful of his brown hair and pulled it backward.


    With much difficulty, Alfizar gripped the traitor''s hand, then channeled his remaining energy and Aura to his palms, as he unknowingly managed to use his own life force to strengthen them.


    A crack was heard followed by a scream of pain from the man he loathed the most. He managed to crack the traitor''s wrist. A twisted smile bloomed on his face, but that smile was short lived.


    Someone yanked him up, and by the time he could register what had happened, he was already sent flying from a brutal kick that unquestionably cracked a few ribs of his. He crashed against the wooden crates that were used to store things.


    He struggled to sit up as he keeps coughing up blood. The traitor and his men quickly advanced towards him, probably to beat him up again, then give him a slow death. But he won''t let the traitor have the pleasure of killing him. His hands creep up to his neck, then he braced himself.


    Crack!


    He died from his own hands.


    ***


    Tears rolled down Alfizar''s face from his eyes, wetting his cheeks. Now he remembers what had happened before. He failed, failed to protect those he cares for, failed to protect his family, failed to protect everyone around him.


    They all lost their lives for him. For this useless self! He sobbed again. Then the tip of his toes has finally reached a footing. Just like with a calm water surface, the moment his toes touch the surface, small waves were created then spread around him along with the light that began to light up his surroundings.


    Now, no matter how far his eyes looked towards the distance, the only thing that was visible was the blue sky that were filled with clouds, with the water surface as the ground where he stood, reflecting the sky above. His body now feels light, very different when compared to the moment before his death, with every inch of his body hurt.


    Something felt heavy in the breast pocket of his white shirt. He pulled it out of his pocket, an antique pocket watch he''d got almost four years ago. It still works pretty well, it''s only a minute before it''s precisely at XII. The needle that shows the seconds of time keeps ticking to the Roman numeral of twelve. When the time showed that it was exactly at XII, the needle no longer moved.


    DONG~! The sound echoed everywhere; above, a crack in the sky appeared and everything collapsed upon Alfizar. Everything went dark before he could even scream.

 1. Waking up

    A 16-year-old boy walked down a small alleyway of his quiet neighborhood, deserted by its inhabitants. This was his last day in the Zeyllish country, Zeylland, before they had to move again to hide. He walks while looking around, burning the scenery into his memory.


    He doesn''t know when he can come back to this place. They''ve been here for about a year, and now they have to move again, just when he had started to feel comfortable.


    The weather was so cold that day. He was wearing a thick brown coat to protect his body from the unforgiving cold temperature, and a red scarf wrapped around his neck that slightly covered his mouth and nose.


    If on a typical cold day, he would prefer to relax at home with a glass of hot chocolate and warm himself in front of the fireplace. But today was his last day in Zeylland, there was no way he could just stay at home.


    His footsteps stopped when he saw a shabby, old-fashioned shop that he had never seen before. It had been a year since he lived here, but he had never seen it the store.


    The store looked like it was about to collapse anytime. Driven by his curiosity, he walked towards the old store. The bell on the door rang when the door was opened by him. The interior of the store was so much warmer than the streets. "Good evening," said the boy while closing the door.


    "Welcome, young lad," replied an old man who emerged from behind a pile of goods. The old man looked like he was around seventy years old, almost all of his hair turned white. The old man was wearing many layers of long-sleeved old clothes, making him look shabby.


    "I didn''t expect there will be a visitor coming with today''s horrendous weather. It''s been awhile since the last time, I have got a customer." The old man then chuckled while he dusted a few things that look antique.


    The boy smiled sheepishly at the old man and said, "Today is my last day here, my family and I have to move tomorrow."


    "Oh? Try to look around then, is there anything that catches your eye?" The old man smiled at him then began to move a few things around.


    Then, the boy started looking around; all the things in this place looked old and antique, but nothing caught his attention. He is not a fan of antiquities. Instead, he prefers high-tech things. He came here out of curiosity and planned to leave soon after, but an object hanging on the wall caught his attention.


    "Ah... you have good eyes there, I really love that pocket watch. Unfortunately, the pocket watch is not working anymore," said the old man regretfully. The boy took a closer look and touched the pocket watch, then he instantly pulled his hand back as if his fingers were burned.


    Actually, he felt his fingers being electrocuted as he touched the watch and he felt a tug in his heart. When he looked at the watch again, the pocket watch is actually working.


    "If you like it so much, take it... consider it as a gift from me, as a remembrance... Oh! as an amulet maybe." The old man joked and laugh loudly. "After all, that watch is broken, no one wants to buy damaged goods, right?" said the old man again with a laugh that was not as loud as before and shook his head as if it was a funny thing.


    The boy picked up the watch. It was actually working; the silver colored pocket watch has Roman numeral dials on it. It looks old and slightly damaged; the chain was not really long either. The boy then looked at the old man with a look of confusion.


    "But this watch is working," he said hesitantly. The old man stopped laughing and looked at the boy "Really? Give it to me."


    The old man''s eyebrows furrowed, after examining the watch, the old man let out a regretful sigh. "You are such a lucky young lad, I have told you that I''d give it to you, and I can''t take back my own words. You have to take care of it. Take it, and go home now before it gets any colder." The old man said as he takes hold of the boy''s hand and put the pocket watch in his hands, then he began to push the young lad towards the door.


    "Shoo Shoo~ go... It''s time for me to close the shop" The old man said as he quickly closed the door in front of the boy''s face. It was obvious that the old man afraid that he would accidentally give the boy any more goods.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    The boy was speechless and a bit offended, but the old man really gave him the watch. So, he just shrugged and walked back home.


    ***


    ... ep ...


    ... be ...


    ... eep ...


    ... Beep ... Beep ... Beep ...


    The beeping sound of an ECG machine pulls Alfizar''s consciousness to the surface. It sounded faint, and he could barely hear it with his pounding headache. His body feels weak and heavy, but also warm at the same time.


    He feels so weak, as if he had not moved at all for a long time, to the point that his body feels stiff. He could feel an air being blown into his nose, he took a deep breath slowly to fill his lungs- "Ugh... Cough! Cough!" His throat was very dry; his vision was blurry, but he could make out the white ceiling and maybe a closed window from the corner of his eyes.


    ''Where is this?'' He blinked his eyes to clear his vision, he turned his head to look at the window, despite his stiff neck. The curtains were drawn and tied, the windows look homey. From the look of it, it was either dawn or dusk. Light blue wall... looks nothing like a hospital. ''What had happened?'' He doesn''t remember getting hurt, the last thing he remembers was-


    The crackling sound of the door pulls Alfizar out of his train of thought. He turned his head to where the sound came from, there is a figure standing in front of the door looking at Alfizar with his eyes widened in disbelief then turn into joy. The figure was about 180 cm tall, black hair slightly past the earlobe, black eyes were staring at Alfizar with a surprised and happy look.


    His well-built body was covered by a white shirt and gray cardigan. This young man is Henry Rozar, the only son of his late father''s secretary, who was actually his distant maternal relative, but still a family member nonetheless.


    But in his eyes, Henry is his brother, a precious family member. Alfizar was startled by his own thought.


    "Thank God! You''re awake!" A smile spread across his face, as he swiftly approached Alfizar''s hospital bed. The scar that should have been on his right eyebrow now disappeared... Scar? ''What scar?'' His face looks the same as he remembers, but... he felt it was wrong... Henry''s face looks... brighter? No... Younger? But this is the very same face he always looked at every day, before today. The black eyes that were filled with joy now turned into a worried look. "Alfi? Are you alright?"


    "Water- Cough! Cough!" His voice sounded raspy. Henry wasted no time to pour him a glass of water and helped him drink it with a straw. "Drink slowly, don''t choke."


    "How do you feel? Tell me, where does it hurt?" Henry asked in worry as he put down the glass on the table beside the ECG machine. Then he pushed some button to adjust the hospital bed and assisted Alfizar half-sit up comfortably.


    "My body''s hurt all over," Alfizar said. His neck feels looser. "What had happened?"


    "You don''t remember? Tell me the last thing you remember." Henry took a chair near the bed and sat down on it.


    "I... I remember going out for a stroll around our house area because we are going to move the next day." Having just woken up make his head a bit muddled, just remembering the last event already gave him a headache, he massages his own temple to ease the pain.


    "That''s right... You were out, but you didn''t come back home for dinner. We got worried, so we began to look for you, and we found you under the ruins of an old house after searching for over 26 hours," Henry said with a grim expression.


    It''s turns out that they looked for him for hours... When they found him, his condition wasn''t good. Now that he said it, Alfizar finally noticed the bandages on his body and the cast his left leg was in. He really doesn''t remember anything like that at all. Then he realized something.


    "Wait a sec... Old house? That old shop? How is that old man?" He asked in panic.


    Henry looked at him with an odd look in his eyes, then shook his head, "It''s not a shop, but an old abandoned house. You are the only victim there." Henry chalked it up as ''He just woke up from a coma this is normal.''


    "So... How long did I sleep? And where is this?" Did not want to be considered weird, he then asked something else.


    "Ah, you were unconscious for over a month. After a week at Zeylland Hospital, we decided to move anyway. So, we are here as planned, this is your room." Henry said with a toothy grin.


    It was a shock for Alfizar to be comatose for over a month. He already knew that they are going to move to Rulid city, the capital of Reapdawn Country. But to move while in a comatose state... How much trouble had he brought to his family? He sighs internally, then his eyes drifted back to his casted leg.


    "Ah, about your leg. You see, when we found you, you were almost buried to death by the ruins of that abandoned house, and some of the debris got your bone cracked." Henry smiled to reassure him. "Don''t worry, a month has passed and the doctor said your bone is healing nicely. It won''t be long before you are up and running again. At least you still have your leg here, be glad it wasn''t amputated." Henry laughed at his own joke.


    "It''s not funny, Henry." If only he has the strength, he would definitely chop off the head of this so-called brother of his.


    "Where is Uncle Zio and Aurin?"


    "They are out doing grocery. Should be home anytime now. Why don''t you rest while I ask the cook to make something to fill your stomach?" Henry said while rearrange the hospital bed for Alfizar to lay down. Then he left with an "I''ll be back soon" He smiled and closed the door.


    He drifted off while waiting. That was when he was assaulted by an unwelcomed nightmare.

 2. Dream

    ***


    "I''ll be back before you know it, you don''t have to worry... I''ll be fine, I promise" Henry smiled trying to convince Alfizar. Alfizar sighed from behind the desk, the office chair he sat on was turned away from Henry, he gazed out of the window.


    "I''m not worried about you, remember what you just promised me... bring along a few more men with you." Alfizar''s confident words betrayed his own feelings. Henry looked at Alfizar sadly.


    "Right, I''ll be back soon," he said before he left the room.


    Four days have passed peacefully. But that was not the case for Alfizar. Four days have passed and there was still no news from Henry, even his whereabouts were unknown. The worry almost drove him crazy, he had lost so much of his friends and family. He can''t afford to lose any more of them!


    Being torn by anxiety, Alfizar couldn''t bring himself concentrate on the files in front of him anymore, instead of waited restlessly for the men he had ordered to look for Henry. The young man was unsettled from all the stress, he gripped his pen tightly then threw it towards the wall where the dart board hanging. Bullseyes.


    He was so happy when his men came to him, claiming that they might have a lead as to where Henry was. Yet, when they arrived at that place, he found nothing; rage almost blinded him as he dragged his informant to him by his collar.


    "You are one of the best hackers in the country! How could you get deceived by that traitor?!" He yelled at the young promising hacker that has been following him for a few years. He could see the fear in the young hacker''s eyes.


    "B-boss! I''m sorry! I promise this won''t happen anymore!" As he regains control over his emotion, Alfizar lets go of the poor young hacker. The feeling of guilt almost consumes his heart as he muttered a word of apology. He will make sure to compensate him later. It''s unbecoming of him to act that way.


    ___"...a-..? ...Wa-...up!..."__


    Bang! A loud bang from the double doors of his office made Alfizar jumped in surprise, a week have passed since Henry went to do his mission, and until now he has not received any news from him or his men. One of his informants stood there with a pale complexion and gasping "Boss!" The following words from the informant''s mouth led Alfizar out of his office with a series of orders.


    __"...fiz-...?!" "Hen-! He''s...no-.... res-...!"__


    Too late... they are too late... it took almost an hour to reach this place, where Henry had sent his signal. When they arrived at the warehouse that isn''t far from the port, Alfizar wasted no time and began to order his men to break into the warehouse. With his men dispersed, it didn''t take a long time to find Henry. The smell of blood and gunpowder assaulted his nose. Corpse. Bodies everywhere. The trace of battle was clearly visible.


    Skins torn open by the broken bone inside, there was also a corpse with a smashed head and limbs bent in an awkward angle; probably fell down from a high place. Bodies with severed limbs lying around; a few with their stomach destroyed, the insides out on the ground.


    The ones who did the job were obviously psychopaths; a group of people who took pleasure by severing the bodies of their target.


    __"...wak-...up...!"__


    Blood is everywhere. "He''s over there!" Alfizar''s men direct him to one of the big boxes. One of his men opened the box for him. It''s Henry; his chest no longer moved to breath, pale scarred skin that almost looks gray because there was no blood flowing beneath it, blank eye staring at the space while the left one has no eye, only an empty socket with dried traces of blood flowed down, mouth open as if he''s screaming in a silence, his cheek severed giving Alfizar a clear view of the exposed bloody jaw bone and teeth.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Someone gave him a piece of paper which he received it with trembling hands. He read the message on it.


    As if he''s losing his strength, his legs gave in, he fell on his knees staring at the body lying stiff in a pool of blood bloodBlOoD blOod red bLOoD B l O o D WHY!!??


    ***


    "Alfi! Wake up!" As Alfizar became aware of his surroundings, he could feel his cheek stinged in pain. A middle age man with a calm face that looked forced, looked like he just injected something into Alfizar''s IV line.


    He saw Henry''s frantic face, restraining a fifteen years old girl and pulled her farther from him. He could guess what had happened; it was obvious who had slapped him to wake him up from his nightmare.


    No... it was not a nightmare, that nightmare was too real to be a simple dream. Memory? But something like that never happened before, and Henry is still here, right in front of him.


    Alfizar moved his sight away from Henry; he can''t bear to look at Henry''s face. That face was shadowed by the horrible image of a corpse; one with empty eye socket, bloody face, severed cheek, bloody jaw bone, pale, death, blood, Henry, death-


    "BROTHER!"


    Alfizar was breathless; a cold sweat streaming down his face, the beeping sound of the ECG machine rang loudly along with his heartbeat. When they saw that he has regained consciousness, Henry''s hands that were previously on the girl''s arms, restraining her, were now on him.


    Henry''s left hand moved closer to Alfizar''s face, he jerked back as if he fears the touch. Henry''s hand stopped approaching Alfizar then he pulled it back, his eyebrows furrowed at Alfizar''s gestures. His behavior was like two years ago when he just lost his parents in ''that'' incident.


    "Brother! You made me so worried! We can''t wake you up! I''m sorry, but I have to hit you just now!" The girl said with a regretful face as she held onto his hands. Her brown hair was lighter than her brother, her waist long hair was usually tied into a half ponytail. She''s Aurina, Alfizar''s little sister.


    Another occupant in that room was Zio Rozar, Henry''s uncle who double as their family''s personal doctor. Just like Henry, he has both black hair and eyes, but he is a bit fat, not muscular at all.


    After he was sure that Alfizar is fine, Henry''s hand brushed away the hair that was dampened by the sweat backward, his body was clearly still stiff. Henry arranged the bed so he could half-sat again.


    "Do you want to talk about that nightmare?" Henry asked him, he acted as if he was the eldest sibling when he was only a distant family, but he has been taking care of him and Aurina for years. Alfizar shook his head.


    "Can you keep this down?" Zio warned, "You need to recover your strength." He offered Alfizar a bowl of soup.


    "I''ll try." Alfizar nodded his head.


    "I can feed myself, Aurin," he said when Aurina tried to feed him.


    "Shut up! I will take care of you. You want to feed yourself when even sitting is tough for you, nonsense." Aurina said then mumbled the last part.


    When they left him alone to rest, he can''t help but feel like there was something wrong with this whole situation and that version of himself... as if he was losing his grip on reality and his sanity.


    Another scene flashed through his mind.


    ***


    This time, Alfizar was standing in a graveyard, in front of someone''s grave; he put down the flowers he brought with him, Dahlias and Zinnias flowers. "I''m sorry, I couldn''t save you, I have failed you, betrayed your trust in me..." Then he gritted his teeth as he couldn''t hold his tears back.


    "It has been two years, I miss you..." His mouth moved to say the name of someone who was buried underneath, but no sound came out of his mouth.


    Alfizar knelt near the tombstone, he caressed the tombstone as if he was touching someone''s face instead of the cold hard stone. He then looked at the words carved in the tombstone


    [Here lies ___________


    The girl who was taken from her remaining family


    Now together with her parents in the heavens


    Stood strong until the very end of her life


    Leaving this world for the next great adventure in the next life


    May she find peace in the afterlife]

 3. Deja Vu

    Staring at his own reflection in the mirror left him more confused. His face looked a bit different as if that face wasn''t his; it looked like him alright, but it felt unfamiliar.


    ''Shouldn''t I more mature?'' He scrutinized the juvenile face closely, yet at the same time, he realized that he is 16, and the face he saw is befitting of his age. Despite that, he can''t get rid of the uncanny feeling that boggles his mind.


    He was sitting in a wheelchair; his head wrapped in bandages. He won''t be needing the wheelchair anymore after a little over a week. The only reason he sat on it was because of his casted leg, but the doctor, none other than Zio said they were going to get rid of it tomorrow.


    His body is feeling a little weak due to his injury, but nothing a little training can''t fix. Also, the other reason as to why he felt so weak was he didn''t move his body for a little over a month.


    It doesn''t matter; as long as he could channel his Aura or inner energy to accelerate his recovery, he would be good to begin some muscle training. But, there was something that made him feels unsettled. He suddenly recalled about the old man who gave him the pocket watch that he found on the nightstand.


    Aurina said that, when they found him, he held onto that pocket watch tightly. He looked at the pocket watch that he believed came from the non-existent old man.


    The question is, he was so sure that he had left that place after the old man pushed him out. But how come that old man and the store disappeared? And why was he found under the shop''s ruin? Thinking too much about the bizarre incident left him with a headache.


    Knock! Knock! Knock! Then, the door opened.


    "Brother? Are you done?" Aurina''s head popped in from the door. "Let''s have breakfast with everyone! Afterward, I will show you around the house." Then, she stepped in to take hold of the wheelchair''s handle, before pushing his wheelchair without waiting for his answer.


    "You are not going to school?" Alfizar asked curiously. From what he saw, their new home clearly big, he could guess just by looking at the wide hallway. The design is just how he liked it; modern. From the open windows, he could see the beautiful garden outside; it''s going to be his favorite place later.


    "No, I will take a day off from school. Just for today, though," Aurina said as she continued to push the wheelchair.


    While in the dining room, Henry put an envelope in front of him.


    The feeling of D¨¦j¨¤ vu hit him.


    "Whoah! You''ve done it?"


    "What is this?" Alfizar asked before he opened it. He tried to ignore that odd yet familiar feeling, but the peculiar sensation kept on bugging him.


    "Of course! Who do you think you are talking to? This is your new school, Goldenfalion International Private Education Center. You and Aurin are ????going there next week."


    "This is the enrolment documents from your new school, you might want to take a look before anything else. Goldenfalion International Private Education Center. Aurin goes there too. You can go once you are up to it."


    He pulled out the school documents and a glass device that will serve as his student Identification Card with a name Alfizar Leonore above it.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    "I''m going next Monday." Alfizar declared with his eyes still glued to the document.


    """What?!""" The voices of disagreement were loud.


    "But you just woke up!" Henry said in surprise.


    "Brother, don''t rush it! Why don''t you stay at home and recover first?" Aurina said, trying to persuade her brother.


    "Don''t push yourself! You need to recover for about a month!" Zio said almost shouting. He slammed his hand on the table to make his point across.


    "But if I don''t go to school, I''m going to fail the grade this year." Alfizar frowned then he mumbled, "Where is my pride as a big brother if I have to repeat a grade with my younger sister." Only then did he begin to eat the porridge.


    "This is why I said to not give him the envelope yet!" Zio said as he smacks Henry upside the head. Knowing Alfizar''s stubborn nature, there is no other way but to give in to him.


    Henry clutched his head in pain while protested that it was not his fault if Alfizar was such a stubborn kid.


    While eating his porridge, Alfizar''s thought wanders back to the Deja Vu''s feeling a few moments ago. He was certain that the ''Henry'' from his mind said the school''s name right after ''Alfizar'' tore up the envelope excitedly to read the document, but what really happened was the opposite.


    People said that deja vu happens because our brain made a mistake, then we felt something that happened had occurred in the past, bringing along a sense of familiarity but we don''t remember it.


    But what he had just experienced was something entirely different. The scene from his mind was not in the dining room but in the living room. The room in the vision looked like they have just moved in; the place looked completely unorganized, a stark contrast to this neat orderly home of his. There is no way he could see the future, right?


    Even if it is the future, it looked different from the one he went through the next moment. But then again, there is always something that feels weird since he woke up from the coma.


    After breakfast, Aurina began to push his wheelchair to show him around. Their new home has two floors with a contemporary and modern architecture. There was an elevator that Aurina said saved her, Henry and Zio from a lot of trouble and wasting time from climbing the stairs with bunches of boxes when they moved in.


    Listening to her only made the twisted guilt bloomed in his chest again. He didn''t help when they moved in. Although he knew there was nothing he could do about it, the guilty feeling won''t disappear.


    There were three workers in their home; a cook, a gardener, and a maid. But none of the workers lived with them. They come in the morning and go home at 7 pm.


    The garden is quite big. So, since he had finally gotten rid of the cast on his left leg by annoying Zio to the extent that he removed it earlier than planned, he would have someone to help him walk around the garden for his rehab session.


    Usually, it would be Henry who supports him. Just like today, Henry held his arms to support his weight, pulled him up from his wheelchair and guided him to walk around the garden.


    Four days have passed since he woke up from the coma, and today was the third day of his rehabilitation. Though it was quite tough at first, it''s better now.


    Although he still can''t walk by himself, but he was sure that he could do it with more hard work. Sure, he might be a bit thin now, but he can fix that by eating more. He swore that he will work his body back into shape! Build up more muscles!


    "Slowly," Henry said as he guided him back to sat in his wheelchair. "Are you tired?" Henry asked as he gave him a bottle of water. Alfizar nods his head then began to drink the water. "I know you want to go to school tomorrow, but why don''t you reconsider it? Let''s wait for another week perhaps?"


    "Then by next week, you would say ''Let''s wait for another week~!'' don''t take me for a fool! I have known you for many years! What would you do if I failed this year?" Alfizar said with a frown.


    "Bribe the headmaster?" Henry grinned at him brilliantly.


    "You-! Argh! Whatever! You are impossible! I''m still going tomorrow." Alfizar gave up talking some sense into him. Actually, the fear of failing this year was not Alfizar''s only reason. The past few days, he kept having the feeling of an impending crisis. And sometimes, it''s often accompanied by something like a memory-but not.


    He swore that the pseudo-memories daydream had never happened. But because of those daydreams, he could almost predict what going to be said by the other party. Those memories-like-daydreams however were not a future vision because in the vision, he was not bound to a wheelchair. Like... the accident had never happened to him in the daydream.


    Alfizar gets a feeling that he was going crazy. If he told Zio, he would say "That is because you just have woken up from the coma. It''s normal to have a messed-up memory and some hallucination."

 4. Commit suicide?

    The next thing that disturbed him the most was... He kept getting a nightmare. Usually, it was about a gunfight or the death of the people he cared for in the dream. He couldn''t see their faces, but the pain of losing them was too real that he kept got woken up by Aurina, Henry or Zio with him in tears.


    It was humiliating to be in that state in front of them, but Zio said, "It was normal for a coma survivor patient to be emotional." Oh boy... this is bad, he began to believe in Zio.


    His family, as he thought of them that way, began to get worried about his lack of sleep. So Zio gave him a sleeping pill last night. They may not know, but he ended up with a Sleep Paralysis upon waked up. At least he didn''t wake them up with his cry unintentionally. And now the nightmare began to decrease.


    There was one night after his family left him to continue to sleep after got woken up by another dream, he got a dream of school life. He remembered that dream as clear as the day. He saw the school layout and remembered it pretty well, he has never been to that school before, so it was impossible for him to know the school layout. But he was going to prove it tomorrow.


    Henry began to push his wheelchair around through the garden. They passed many flower beds that were planted by the gardener. "Uncle Zio going to drive us there tomorrow" then he pushed his wheelchair into their house.


    "You just transfer into the university, but you choose the Combat and Defense Club as an extracurricular activity, can''t you choose a more normal club?" Alfizar blurted out. Henry was about two years older than Alfizar, who is sixteen and being transferred in as a second year in the high school section.


    After he heard what Alfizar said, Henry was so surprised that he stopped walking and turned Alfizar around to face him.


    "Hey! How do you know? I haven''t told anyone yet!" In the memories-but-not, Henry did not get the chance to tell them, but they discovered it unintentionally when they go to the Combat Tournament to waste their time. And that tournament has not happened yet!


    Oh no, he forgot that one little detailed. If he kept this up, they would get suspicious. He dived too deep into those daydreams to the point he mixed things from daydreams into the reality.


    "I-I have my way of course!" Alfizar said stammered.


    "Unbelievable. You haven''t gone out of the house, nor did I have my friends over. Tell me how do you know about it. I''m threatening you!"


    ''What kind of people said that they are threatening instead of actually threatening the victim!'' Alfizar thought exasperatedly. "I''m not going to tell you!"


    "Tell what?" A voice popped out behind them. When they turned their head to look at the owner of the voice, Zio was standing there receiving a mug of coffee from the maid. His reading glasses was on his head, and his other hand holding something like a tablet.


    There''s no doubt he was reading the data from his experiment. Maybe he just came out from his bedroom that is actually his personal lab. None of them know what he actually experimenting on.


    "Tell him how I kno-HMMM!" Henry''s hand in a blink of an eye was already on Alfizar''s mouth. Alfizar began to get angry and scolded Henry wordlessly in a muffled voice.


    "Ah! There is nothing really! I''m going to prepare the bathtub for Alfi to take a bath. Later!" Henry quickly pushed the wheelchair to the Elevator going to Alfizar''s bedroom, with one of his hand still on Alfizar''s mouth, and Alfizar''s hands on his tried to pull his hands away.


    Zio merely raised an eyebrow at Henry''s behavior, "Youngsters." He muttered as he shook his head then proceed to his room.


    "Don''t tell them! I''m planning to tell you all if I win a tournament!" Henry hissed at him. Felt annoyed with Henry''s treatment, Alfizar bit Henry''s palm. "GaaaAAAAAH!!!" Then Alfizar let go of Henry''s hand. He immediately made a spitting sound, without spat any saliva.


    "Ptui!" But he instantly regrets it.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    "Ptui!" He spat a faceless man. Twisted feelings of satisfaction bloom in his chest.


    BAM!! A gun''s handle slammed into his head. Satisfaction turned into rage.


    Someone yanked him, he crashed into boxes. PAIN! He won''t let that traitor have the pleasure of killing him!


    He will do it! He couldn''t breathe, he suffocates himself.


    Crack!!


    He ended his own lives.


    "OUUCHH!!! Why did you bite me!!!" Henry shouted at Alfizar. They were already in the elevator, but Henry hasn''t pushed any button yet. Then he noticed something amiss, Alfizar''s eyes were wide, seeing something that Henry couldn''t see, his palms tightly gripped his shirt fabric and neck, his breathing was halted as if he forgot how to exhale. His face got red then turned pale with the lack of oxygen, and the cold sweat on his pale face made Henry got more panic.


    "Alfi! Alfi!" Henry kneels in front of shooked him out of whatever state Alfizar was in. Alfizar''s face was pale, his body stiff, eyes began to roll back as he was about to lose his consciousness. He yanked Alfizar''s hand that unconsciously trying to suffocate himself away. He put his palms on either side of Alfizar''s head, trying to make him focus.


    "Alfi! Look at me! Relax!" Henry said as he looked at Alfizar''s complexion that began to regain his healthy color although a bit pale. Henry looked at him in concern. After he was sure that Alfizar was fine, he stood up to and said, "Let''s get you to your room so you can rest." Then they began to proceed to Alfizar''s room.


    The hospital bed was still there, they have not change it with an actual bed yet. Henry helped Alfizar move his body to the bed.


    "What was that?" Henry voiced out the question in his head. There''s nothing wrong before, then Alfizar suddenly can''t breathe. He was worried. What will happen if he wasn''t there before?


    "I choked" Now Henry almost choke himself by the unexpected answer. Alfizar praised himself for his quick thinking.


    "C-choke? That happened because you ''choked''?"


    "Don''t look at me like that, your voice is surprisingly loud that you surprised me. It''s not my fault that I choked! It''s YOUR fault!" Bless him for the brilliant unreasonable reason. Henry feels offended when the blame shifted to him. Henry crossed his arms over his chest. He raised one of his eyebrows. His demeanor clearly saying ''I''m offended!''


    "Excuse me, you kid! How come it becomes ''my'' fault? If you didn''t bite my hand, I won''t screamed!"


    "If you didn''t put your hand on my mouth, I won''t bite you!"


    Henry was about to throw another argument to defend himself, but he stopped himself when Alfizar talks in a small voice.


    "Don''t tell Aurina, or Uncle Zio" Alfizar practically let his body fall on the bed. He looked tired and frustrated. ''Is it my fault?'' Henry thought to himself.


    "Why?"


    "It''s humiliating"


    Even if he talked to Henry now, Henry could tell that his mind not entirely there. It''s obvious his mind has wondered. In the end, Henry nods then he sighs.


    "You are not goi-" Henry didn''t manage to finish his words as Alfizar said,


    "I''m still going" This so-called-brother of his. Such a sneaky man. He still tried to prevent him from going to school. He was lucky that Aurina currently was out to buy some school supplies for him. While Zio was probably back in his room doing whatever experiment he was doing. Or else, another argument about him going to school would happen once again.


    Henry gritted his teeth annoyed at his stubbornness, "Then I''m going to ask the teachers to keep their eyes on you." He said then left the room. He failed the mission Zio gave to him. He better prepares his head from the smack he was going to get from Zio tonight.


    "Call me if you need me." The door slammed closed. Henry totally forgot to ask about how Alfizar knew of his extracurricular activity at school.


    After being left alone, Alfizar stared at the ceiling. Now that he was alone, he could finally think of his last... daydream.


    ''What was that?'' He asked himself. It was a short... daydream... just like usual, but it caught him off guard. He was so surprised that he made Henry worried. What kind of vision was it? He can''t take notice of too many details as he only saw three things.


    He spat on someone''s face, but he still can''t see their face, that someone hit his head with a gun, and his neck... Alfizar rubbed his neck, there was a faint of ghostly pain. Along with those three things, he could still feel the fear, anger, and determination. Until just now, his daydream was quite peaceful as long as he didn''t count the nightmare.


    The thought made him even more confused, he was planning to prove his theory tomorrow. But if every single daydream-vision he saw actually happened although a bit different, isn''t that mean something going to happen to him in the future? Although it sounds ridiculous, it was possible that the vision just now is actually him in the future is an actor in acting. Alfizar had a feeling that he began to get delusional. "It was normal for the coma survivor patient to be a bit delusional" Zio''s voice popped up in his head. Alfizar groaned.


    A realization hit him hard, if that was the real future, was he going to die?


    Did he commit suicide? But why?

 5. Goldenfalion International Private Education Center

    It was seven in the morning when Aurina woke him up. By lunch and dinner yesterday, they managed to act as if nothing had happened in front of Aurina and Zio. The rest of the day was quite uneventful. Though he didn''t notice the worried glance Zio and Henry kept shot at him. Henry was fine with not telling Aurina, but Zio? He felt it was plain stupid.


    Alfizar looked at himself in the mirror, his school does not require them to wear a uniform. They could wear anything they want as long as it was polite and didn''t expose too much skin. But they were required to wear a badge that will help the teacher to know that they are a student from the same school, and they have to always bring the device that he received from Henry a few days ago.


    It was not only a student identification device but also where they save the data of everything related to school, only his school have this kind of technology, they called it USID Card, the short name for USB Identification Card.


    They never had the need of a book, as it was the only thing they need at school. The badge design was quite simple, just a GIPEC word. Goldenfalion International Private Education Center or also known as GIPEC was a school with four section in it. Elementary, middle, high school, and University. Every section has a different badge color, red for elementary school, blue for middle school, silver for high school, and golden color for University.


    The current technology allowed the government to slowly decrease the used of woods for unnecessary needs. All the trees that have been felled will be planted with new trees, the governments doing their best to avoid the same disasters that had happened years ago from occurring again.


    While having breakfast, all of them was staring at Zio, he looks... neat. As if he was going to a job interview.


    "Did you get a job, Uncle Zio?" Aurina asked.


    "I did, as a doctor. I will drive you three to school, then pick you up after clubs time. Just to remind you Alfi, as usual in public, I''m not your Uncle Zio, I''m your father, this time our family''s name is Leonore." Zio looked at Alfizar seriously. Alfizar nods his head.


    It''s been two years since they keep changing their family name. And now it was Leonore. Apparently, they change their name to deceive people who mean harm to Alfizar and Aurina. Zio and Henry suspected that the accident that killed his father and mother was not just an ordinary accident, but premeditated murder.


    After breakfast, it was already eight am. They get in the car. Henry helped him up and climbed into the car while Zio put his wheelchair in the car trunk. If his leg didn''t cause him some pain while walking, he won''t take it with him anymore. But he would be good in a few days. And then, he was going to burn the cursed thing to ashes. That wheelchair makes him feel like an invalid.


    The car was big enough for six people, with black color. There is no steering wheel, it was being folded in the dashboard as people prefer auto drive because it was much safer. Zio touches a few commands at the car''s touchscreen in front of him. Then, the car begins to move.


    Along the way, tall buildings were visible, trees are planted along the road. It was very difficult to find plants and trees twenty years ago all over the world. But then all the world''s leaders began ordering the planting of trees to green the earth again. All vehicles in the world also no longer use oil as fuel but use electricity. Nuclear that was formerly used for war, now used as a power plant. The safety was assured. It took twenty years to reach the present state of the world.


    After thirty minutes on the way, finally, their car passed through the big gate that reads Welcome to GIPEC. Then they crossed a large bridge connecting the Rulid city and the artificial island of GIPEC. Then Zio dropped them off at the car park. After helping Alfizar settle in his wheelchair, Aurina apologize because she had to leave quickly saying that she promised to meet a teacher.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    "I will see you later brother!" She quickly gave him a peck on his cheek then run.


    "Hey! I''m the older one here!" Alfizar shouts at her back, his face red with embarrassment.


    "Only by one year!!!" She shouts back at him, then she began to walk along with some girls that maybe were her friends. Alfizar groaned into his palms while Henry secretly laughs from his behind him.


    "Okay, I don''t care about who is older between you two. This is the phone you asked for, call me if you need me." Zio said as he gave him a black smartphone.


    "It''s about time you buy me a new one," Alfizar said. His old one has broken because of that incident a month ago. It was the newest type of phone.


    "Henry go bring your brother to the teacher''s office," Zio said as he gets in the car.


    "Yes, Dad," Henry said as he pushed the wheelchair while snickering. They always keep up the act in public. Although it was sometimes unnecessary, they often used it to tease each other. Along the way, Alfizar received a few curious stares, but many students lost interest immediately.


    It''s not rare to found a student in a wheelchair or using a walking stick at this school. Though many of them were because of injury since GIPEC have many abnormal clubs such as combat club, many students get injured because of those kinds of activity. There is also a few disabled students who go to GIPEC purely because of their academic achievement.


    Take about ten minutes to reach the teacher''s office. The automatic glass door opened as they step into the room. Henry''s eyes scanned the high school teacher''s office, then he spots the one he was looking for. There were so many teachers walked around carrying Laptops, there were also many desks which were neatly arranged.


    "Mrs.Aritha," Henry called out to her with a grin. "We are here!" He waved at her when she looked around to found the owner of the voice, the moment their eyes met she smiled brilliantly.


    "Hello Henry, so this is your little brother you talked about before?" Mrs.Aritha asked. She looks like she''s in her early thirty. Her blonde hair was neatly tied into a high ponytail. She wears a tight black suit and a high heel.


    "Yeah, I need to go to university section now, before I''m late. I will leave him in your care Mrs.Aritha." Henry said asked for leave.


    "Sure, don''t worry about him. He will make friends in no time!" She said positively. Then Henry left.


    "Hello Mrs.Aritha, my name is Alfizar Leonore, as you know, I''m Henry''s brother. I will be in your care." Alfizar slightly bowed his head respectfully.


    "Hello Alfizar, I will be your homeroom teacher from now on." Mrs.Aritha said as she goes back to her desk to retrieve a tablet. "tell me your email address, I will send you your schedule later," and so Alfizar told her his email address. "Let''s get going to the class now before the bell rings, can you hold this for me, I will push your wheelchair." She hands him her tablet.


    "Actually, ma''am. I can wheel myself just fine."


    "With that thin arm? We will be late by then." She said then casually wheel him to the class.


    ***


    "My name is Alfizar Leonore, I hope I can get along with everyone." Alfizar introduces himself in front of the class. The class was quite big, there were even air conditioners. Well, the entire part of the school has it. There were 34 students in this class. One desk was used by two people, but there was 2 empty seat as there were students that have the desk all for themselves.


    "If any of you have questions, ask him later. You may go to your seat there, Alfizar." She pointed at the far corner of the class. And so he does as she told him to. Actually, there was no chair there, ... yet. Since he was in a wheelchair now, he could get his own chair later.


    "Yo! I''m Vianzo, The Class Representative. The girl over there, the one with her hair black braided and wearing a glasses, her name is Frida Vonzuck, she is also the class rep." His seatmate said as he pointed to a girl who seats in front of the teacher''s desk. As if she knew that Vianzo talked about her, she turned around and waved at Alfizar with a smile, then she turned back again as Mrs.Aritha began the morning class.


    He didn''t tell Alfizar his last name, Alfizar notice. There were only two possibilities, he was an orphan or disowned by his family. Vianzo had a dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. His body looked like the athletic type. "If you need any help in the future look for me." He smiled.

 6. Academics star killer

    "Thank you, I will surely look for you if I need any help," Alfizar said. He took out his USID Card, he stuck the glass device to its port on the table. The formerly dark surface of the table lights up becoming a full touchscreen table. One side of the table flat surface risen up. The surface of the table becomes tilted, making it easier for Alfiando to see the screen.


    [Hello, Alfizar Leonore!] Was written on the screen.


    [Menu:]


    [Start The Lessons] [My Grade]


    [My e-Books] [Homework]


    And there were many more options in it. But because the class already started, he quickly chose


    [Start The Lessons].


    The display screen changes to match the big screen in front of the class. He can see the teacher''s short profile in the top corner of the screen.


    [The development of modern civilization]


    [In 260 after the great world war, the world''s heat reaches the highest temperature, the rate of drought-related death continues to rise. The average temperature reaches 45 degrees Celsius. And the highest temperature almost reached 60 degrees. Scientist managed to make a tool to maintain ice in the north and south poles not to melt too much, so as not to drown the land. Almost all the land was barren with no plants.


    World leaders were working together, ultimately with the cooperation of many parties, after twenty years the temperature finally goes down. Now the temperature is quite cool, the average world temperature is about 35 degrees, and the highest temperature is close to 45. But that number continues to decline every year with the number of trees and forests growing. The government was now taking strict action to protect the environment. Oil was not used as fuel anymore. Nuclear now used as a power plant. The safety was assured.


    Plastic waste that can not be recycled was melted and then made into bricks, the company that takes over the project claims that the resulting plastic brick is much harder and lighter than traditional bricks, the price also cheaper. After three years, the plastic brick was the main ingredient in making the house all over the world. Without eliminating people''s livelihoods in many countries, the company opened branches around the world.


    The same company also helped research for the safety of nuclear use as a power plant, and the pioneer company of smart cars. After so many achievements, this company was initially engaged in technology and weaponry.


    Because of the worldwide crisis, The Kings and The Presidents of many countries stop any grudge they had to another country and stopped the war then began to work together in order to save the world. After five years of hard worked, the world began to cool down by a lot, but the scientists still did not turn off the machines that maintained the ice in the north and south. Tornados often formed because of the hot temperature and the cold artificial air from the poles. But they can''t turn off the machines and risk the lands to sank under the sea in just a few years because the ice would melt real quick. Then the tornados threat began to reduce after a few years the world cooldown.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    A miscalculation happened. The hottest part of the earth had cool down, and the machines somehow made the ice zone in the north and south widened. This caused a weather disaster. Snows began to fall and cover the world, while countries near the ice zone got a blizzard. The machines power source was cut down as no people could get closed to it. After the incident, the world''s weather began to get normal. But it''s no longer like in the past, even now, the weather could take a sudden turn in just a week. Summer now, winter next week. It''s no longer bother the citizen.


    There was no more war, only the military strengthening in case of an attack.]


    After the lessons it was noon, Vianzo accompanies him to the school''s cafeteria, although it looked more like a restaurant. The food here was free for the students, but only one meal per day. They were free to choose what they want to eat. When they wanted to leave the class, quite a lot of classmates want to talk with Alfizar. He was saved by Vianzo though, "What are you guys crowding him for?! Do you want to molest him?!" It was quite embarrassing for Alfizar.


    "Here." The old lady gave him his USID Card back after scanning it to make sure he had not come here to eat today, they need to wait a few minutes for their order to be delivered to their table. Both of them began to look for an empty seat. But, because it was a lunchtime, the cafeteria was crowded with people.


    "That guy sat alone, what if we joined him?" Alfizar point at a boy who was eating alone. All the table in the cafeteria were full of people. Only that table has one person sat there. Alfizar was expecting Vianzo to agree and push his wheelchair to that table. Instead, Vianzo chuckles nervously and push his wheelchair toward another table that was crowded with a few of their classmate, leaving Alfizar in confusion.


    "Vianz! New kid!" Called a dark skin youth upon seeing the both of them approaching their table.


    "Razi..." Vianzo greeted back. "Can you guys make a little space for me to sit on?" Then Vianzo forcefully push their classmates to make space for him.


    "Rachzi Ruchaze." He suddenly introduces himself. His long silver hair was tied into a low ponytail.


    "Just call him Razi, everyone did." Another youth said he has tanned skin, green eyes, and a really short black hair that is almost bald. "I''m Frans. Frans Surzas."


    "Dioz Hanson, call me Dioz. One of the student council president''s candidate." A blonde haired youth said cooly. He had a really deep blue colored eyes. His hair was not too long, and not too short either. His skin was a healthy white, but a bit tanned.


    Alfizar shooks their hands, "Alfizar Leonore." He reintroduces himself.


    "About that guy over there, Alfi." Vianzo began, all of them turned to look at him. "In the future, you have to stay away from him." He said with a grim voice.


    "Huh? Why?" Alfizar asked.


    "His name is Harloz Sweinzrev, there is a lot of bad rumors about him. Hence! That is the reason he sat alone!" Frans said dramatically, his voice was a bit too loud that a few students turned their heads to their table. The person that was being discussed seemed to notice the content of their conversation. He suddenly stood up and left his unfinished lunch.


    Dioz smacked Frans head. "Ouch!! What was that for?!"


    "Brilliant Bro! He heard you." Rachzi said with a concerned look. "You have to be careful from now on, you hear me?"


    Alfizar was at lost. "What rumors?"


    Dioz looked at him, "You are new here, so no wonder you don''t know. There is a rumor that he is an Academic''s star killer."


    "What? He is a murderer?! How come I don''t know?!"