Luck always seems to be against the man who depends on it.
...
"Is he the best one you could find?"
Even though my circumstances were beyond saving , I was excited to meet my alternate version—someone who was me from another world.
The idea of encountering a different version of myself felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
But just like my luck,my expectations weren't fullfiled.
"What?
You didn't like him."
At first glance,he kinda looks like my worst.
"Don't judge a book by it's cover ,Lynn"
"Sorry, I was just disappointed.
I expected someone who will be superior to me in every aspect."
"When I saw him at first, I had the impression that he was similar to you in some aspects.
That's why I decided to pick him."
"Which aspect is that?"
"You will know soon.
Why don't you wake him up ,he has been acting like he is dead for a while now."
"Huh? He's awake?"
Lynn spotted a man lying motionless, dressed in a simple white shirt and black pants, as though he would never wake up.
There was something off about him -
his foreign accent, his unfamiliar face, his body shape, and even his hair color.
He was the complete opposite of Lynn in every way, a stark reminder of the uncertainty that lingered within him.
Who was he, really?
And who was Lynn, compared to someone so utterly different?
Vahel ,is he really.....my ..?
"This was your wish ,not mine.
Don't regret your choices ,Lynn
And remember you don't even have the luxury to hesitate now.
You may have lived multiple lives, fought battles no one else could fathom, and faced abnormalities beyond the reach of any human.
But this time, choose wisely.
It's the last time."
"Negotiate with him while you can
I will wait ."
Vahel rarely made mistakes,nothing that i know of and I knew her words were always bold, never lacking conviction.
She spoke with a certainty that left little room for doubt.
But in that moment, as she turned and vanished into the void, I was left alone, unsure of what to do next, the weight of her departure settling heavily on my shoulders.
"Hey....?"
how should I start?
Lynn was reluctant.
He could see it in the way his hands trembled, the flicker of uncertainty in his eyes.
He was afraid—afraid to hand over control of his future to anyone.
He once prided himself on his independence, on making his own choices.
But now, with everything hanging by a thread, his pride seemed fragile.
He knew he had high hopes, once,
but now I could sense the desperation creeping in.
This was it—his last negotiation, the final chance to steer his fate.
If he failed here, that would be the end of it all.
No more second chances, no more escapes.
...
My mind was in daze.
I was pushed by an unknown woman and struck by a horror truck.
Maybe later, my body would be devoured by dogs—who knows?
Yet, I remained conscious, still
connected to my lifeless form.
I found myself in a place that was mysterious—strange, almost like something out of a fantasy.
All I could hear were two voices discussing something, as if they were deciding something very important.
I decided to remain silent, hoping that if I was lucky, I'd wake up in a hospital.
But instead as the time went by,
I wasn't amazed.
I knew the truth. I was dead.
I wasn't scared, because what's there after death anyway.
Instead, I decided to pretend to sleep, hoping to understand what the hell was going on around me.
Then, a voice called out to me.
I couldn't tell who it was, but it seemed hesitant, unsure about speaking to me.
I waited, holding my breath, trying to figure out if the place I had ended up in was heaven or hell.
"Hey?"
...!
"If you are awake just say "IT"
...!!
Lynn initially held his composure, offering patience as he waited for a reply, but a growing sense of frustration began to creep in.
Is he ignoring me ?
"Excuse me
Can't you just stop pretending"
....!!
The words hung in the air, vague and disjointed, and the lack of clarity felt suffocating.
His eyes narrowed, and despite the calm tone in his voice.
"Is he really dead or something?"
The question came out like an afterthought, but it carried a weight that pushed the silence deeper.
Lynn wanted to push further, to ask the questions that burned in his mind.
But he held back, swallowing the urge.
He knew he was on the receiving end, and it wasn't his place to pry.
Patience, for now, was all he could offer.
"Come on, you can't keep pretending.
I know you're awake."
Lynn stood there, heart pounding, fighting the urge to shout.
He wanted to finally speak—no more games, no more hiding. He wanted to leave the suffering behind, to break free from this endless loop.
But as he gritted his teeth and clenched his hands into fists, the silence mocked him.
The other side wasn't even trying to respond, just a cold, indifferent refusal to acknowledge him.
"I'm right here. Wake up damn it."
Lynn's voice trembled with urgency as he spoke into the stillness.
"I brought you here.
You think you're going to get answers by just lying there?
By pretending everything's fine?
No. If you want the truth, if you want to understand what's really going on, then you have to wake up."
His hands gripped the edge of the space around him, the frustration evident in every word.
Lynn thought to himself, reflecting on the years he'd spent prioritizing his pride above all else.
It had always been his shield, his strength, but now it had led him here—alone and trapped in this mess of his own making.
Lynn knew every moment mattered now. His other self, the one that could help him make sense of everything, wasn't planning on waking up anytime soon.
There was no more living left to do,
no more chances to fix things.
With a heavy sigh, he finally made the decision to set his pride aside, knowing it was the only way out of the darkness he'd built for himself.
" Hey just....I need your help .
So.....Please wake up."
.....
I could feel the desperation in his voice, the urgency lacing each word as they tried, once again, to wake me.
I could sense his impatience, but there was something more—something deeper, an unspoken plea for my attention.
But why should I listen? I'm already a dead man. What's left for me to gain from opening my eyes and facing whatever they want to say?
I've spent my life patiently listening to others, masking my own feelings, keeping them buried deep while I was alive.
Now, though, the thought of confronting whatever comes next by actually opening my eyes terrifies me.
There's a fear I can't shake, the fear of facing something far worse than the silence I've grown used to.
But the worst thing is that Dead or alive, I am still me.
The reality of it doesn't change, not in this limbo I find myself in.
A part of me was still in the mood of case taking.
I can't help but be amazed at myself.
If I could just listen to this person, hear him out and help clear whatever burden he carries, maybe,just maybe I could drift off more peacefully.
Maybe he'd finally explain what happened to me, give me the answers I never got.
He told me he brought me here, and at first, I thought he was just another voice in the dark.
But then, his pleading hit me differently, and I realized something.
He wasn't here to hurt me.
He was just someone in need someone who, perhaps, needed my help.
"Alright fine."
....
Lynn had reached his limit, but instead of shouting, he stayed silent, the weight of his frustration pressing down on him.
He just stood there, unable to say more.
But then, through the quiet, a voice called out to him—soft, unexpected, but clear.
"Okay ,Let's talk"
Lynn watched in stunned silence as his alternate self slowly opened his eyes, resembling a dead man rising from the grave.
Though he hadn't closely studied his features before, Lynn noticed the sharp contrast—shiny brown eyes and messy dark hair.
The other version of him stared back, his gaze wide with shock, as if seeing a ghost standing before him.
....
I was momentarily stunned by the person standing before me.
He and I seemed worlds apart in appearance like a brilliant star beside me,a mere LED light.
The stark contrast between us was undeniable, and I couldn't help but question how someone like him could possibly want my help.
This person stood tall and breathtakingly beautiful, exuding an almost supernatural allure.
His hair, a striking greyish shade, framed his face with an otherworldly grace, while his eyes were an unsettling pitch black—deep, hollow, and seemingly endless, like two voids that consumed light.
At first glance, he appeared nothing short of divine, every detail of his form sculpted to perfection.
His height, his features, even the aura that surrounded him seemed to radiate an ethereal beauty, impossible to ignore.
Yet, despite this celestial appearance, the expression on his face betrayed something far darker.
His eyes, despite their stunning depth, held a flicker of weariness and sorrow.
The divine exterior was in stark contrast to the troubled, almost haunted soul within.
"Feel like talking now,huh."
I could feel an invisible connection between us, a pull I couldn't quite explain.
He seemed urgent, his eyes pleading for something, yet I had to ask him to wait.
I had no damn idea about my situation, and rushing into anything felt reckless.
The seconds ticked by, and restlessness churned within me as the weight of this foreign environment settled in.
I glanced around, taking in the strange yet magnificent surroundings where everything felt so different, yet oddly serene.
It was mysterious, yet calm ,cold, yet blissfully peaceful.
The air hummed with an ethereal stillness, as if time itself had slowed. And in that moment, a quiet realization washed over me like a wave.
I had crossed to the other side.
"I have really died, huh?"
The thought lingered in my mind, but strangely, it didn't bring fear.
Maybe it was because I was already gone, but I felt no nervousness, no panic.
Just an unsettling calm, as if death was no more than a new chapter, unmarked by fear or sorrow.
"You seem to be calm for someone who just died ."
"Yeah I find it quite weird too.
But maybe it's the difference that death makes in me."
"I am sorry, i didn't mean to do that."
"So you killed me?
Dead or not,I can still clearly remember it was a woman."
"I kinda asked her to do that but I think I can justify my actions if you could listen to me."
"Justification?
I don't know what to say anymore."
"Are you fine to talk now?"
"Yeah sure,so what's your name?
So you have been calling me out for some time.
Is there anything you want from me?"
"I am Lynn... Lynn Blake"
As he stood before his alternate self, he couldn't help but wonder if this version of him even shared the same name.
They looked so different—two separate lives, two different realities.
Would the other Lynn even recognize the connection between them?
"I find it awkward to ask.
So what reason did you want me dead,Lynn?
You said you brought me here,right?"
"I am sorry,it was unexpected but
I never wanted to kill you... "
"So You killed me?
You don't even try to pretend like there was some noble reason behind it. "
"I'm sorry. I really am."
Lynn couldn't shake the doubt gnawing at him.
Normally, anyone would be furious if they were killed under such unexplained circumstances.
But this guy ,his alternate self was oddly calm. Too calm.
There was no rage, no confusion, just an unsettling stillness in his demeanor.
"Is he just that strong?"
Lynn wondered.
"Or was he simply holding it all in, burying his emotions beneath a facade of quiet restraint?"
The uncertainty gnawed at him as he studied the other man, trying to decipher what lay beneath the surface.
"Can you hear me out?"
"Sure,but first why don't we just take a walk"
Instead of bombarding me with questions like I expected, he surprised me with something entirely different.
"Why don't you show me around this place?" he asked.
His voice calm and almost casual.
I was taken aback.
How could someone be this composed, this patient, in the face of such a bizarre and unsettling situation?
It was almost as if nothing phased him.
Then, as if reading my thoughts, he added
"You need to explain to me properly about my situation if you're going to need something from me.
So let's just go for a walk."
I couldn't help but marvel at his calmness.
Did he already accept the chaos around us, or was he just better at hiding his emotions than I was?
Minutes passed, and Lynn found himself studying his alternate self more closely.
There was no denying it this man, standing beside him, was a stranger in every sense.
He remembered Vahel's words:
"Don't judge a book by its cover."
It seemed true in theory, but as Lynn observed him, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was nothing extraordinary about this man.
He didn't radiate any sort of strength or power.
In fact, he felt... completely ordinary. No aura of mana, no hint of something supernatural.
Just a normal human being, walking alongside him without a care in the world, as if he had no worries about what might come next.
It was unsettling how calm and unbothered he seemed, like the weight of the situation didn't faze him at all.
"You are quite normal."
"Huh
what did you expect anyway?"
"Are you supernatural or something?
I don't know anything about you so enlighten me,please.
After that I will do the same."
Lynn longed for something he couldn't quite put into words ,a connection, a bond, something deeper than mere companionship.
He wanted to show his pride, his strength, to this alternate version of himself.
But beneath the desire to prove himself, there was an ache.
He longed for someone who could truly understand him ,someone who saw the world through his eyes, felt his emotions as he did, and knew the weight of his thoughts even before he spoke them.
It wasn't just about sharing experiences or memories;
it was about being seen, truly seen, by someone who knew the very core of his being.
In this person, he saw the possibility of that connection,a mirror not of his physical form but of his deepest essence.
Lynn couldn't be sure, but with each step beside his person, the possibility seemed just a little more real.
Lynn felt a strange sense of emptiness wash over him, his body and mind weighed down by the fact that he was, in a sense, a dead man walking ,unable to tap into any of the abilities he once had, powerless in this strange new existence.
Still, he needed to say something, to bridge the gap between them somehow.
With a heavy breath, he turned to his alternate self.
"I can't do anything right now, but... if you want, I can show you something."
Lynn's voice was quieter than usual, tinged with an uncertainty that matched the situation.
"I can show you everything about me. Everything I've been... everything I am."
He paused, studying the other person's expression, wondering if the offer would be met with disdain or curiosity.
"Then you can show me yours too."
Lynn took a breath,he was feeling as if the walls he'd built up over years starting to crumble.
In that moment, Lynn realized something profound,he had to believe in the person walking beside him.
It wasn't just about trust anymore.
it was about an undeniable truth that lingered deep within him.
Whether this alternate self would help him or not was secondary.
What mattered now was that he had to share his life, his story, with someone for the last time.
All the years of struggle, pain, and hidden desires, the weight he had carried alone, needed to be spoken aloud.
Perhaps it would mean nothing,but
for once, he wanted to reveal the truth of who he was, to let someone else witness his raw, unfiltered self without fear of judgment or rejection.
Lynn stood there, a storm of emotions swirling inside him.
He needed to know if this person, standing before him could see through his failures, trace the fractures of his past, and offer him clarity.
where he had gone wrong, where his life had spiraled off course.
Could this version of me be the one to show me what went wrong?
Lynn thought, his chest tightening.
He had made so many mistakes, fought so many battles only to lose them in the end.
But maybe.. he was desperate, clinging to the hope that this other self could give him the insight he so desperately needed, the kind of understanding that could save him from the wreckage of his fate.
"Will i be lucky enough to still have a chance to fix it all? "
The question echoed in his mind, but he knew the answer could change everything.
If there was even the smallest glimmer of hope, it could change the course of his life or at least give him a glimpse of the redemption he had longed for.
Just when Lynn thought he had something to hope for, an unexpected response cut through his thoughts.
"No need to do that.
But instead of going through every detail, just tell me what's your chief complaint is ?"
Lynn's mind went blank.
"My...what?"