Chapter 2: Back to the Past

Evan awoke in total darkness. He felt as though he had just woken from a long dream, and his body felt strange—like he had just risen from a very deep sleep. Slowly, he lifted his head and looked around. This place wasn’t a basement; it was his dark bedroom.

What happened? Evan wondered to himself. He was certain he had died in the basement of their home.

“Am I dreaming?” Evan muttered. He was confused, doubting what was real and what was a figment of his imagination.

“Evan?!”

Evan turned around immediately. His mother’s scream still echoed clearly in his ears and memory.

“Brother?!”

This time, it was his younger sister Lily’s cry.

Evan covered his ears and eyes, trying to banish all the sounds from his head.

“Go away!” Evan shouted.

The pain he felt was unlike anything he had experienced before; the pain of being shot made his breathing heavy.

“No!!” Evan felt like he was going crazy. He had been killed at the age of 17. He was certain of that, but why was he now in his dark bedroom?

Click

“Evan?! What’s happening?!” Maria opened Evan’s bedroom door and approached him, who was hiding under the blanket. “Evan?!” Maria pulled the blanket off Evan and hugged him. “Evan?! Wake up, Evan! Open your eyes!”

Evan didn’t dare to open his eyes. He knew it was his mother’s voice, but he was afraid that if he opened his eyes, he would return to the nightmare.

“What’s happening?”

Maria looked over at Daniel, who had also entered the room. “I don’t know. It seems like Evan had a bad dream.”

Daniel turned on the dim light in Evan’s room and sat beside him. “Hey? Open your eyes.”

Evan shook his head vigorously. “No! Get out of here!”

Daniel and Maria exchanged glances.

“Evan? It’s Mom, sweetie. You don’t need to worry, Mom is here.” Maria didn’t know what Evan’s nightmare was about, but she was sure it must have been very bad for Evan to react like this.

Feeling his mother’s warm touch, Evan burst into tears. He cried out all the suffocating fear that filled his head.

Maria and Daniel didn’t ask further questions. They let Evan cry, allowing him to calm down.

After Evan’s tears subsided, Maria asked, “What happened?”

Now, Evan dared to look at his parents. He was sure his mother’s touch was real. But the pain he felt when he was shot was also so real. Even the hatred and resentment he carried in his heart were still there.

“Did you have a bad dream?” Maria asked.

Evan nodded. “Yes, Mom. A very bad dream.”

Maria smiled as she stroked Evan’s hair. “Is it because you’re sleeping alone for the first time?”

Evan frowned. Since he was eight years old, Evan had learned to sleep alone. Now he was 17. How could this be the first time he was sleeping alone?

“You need to rest, dear. Tomorrow we need to go to the doctor for your check-up.”

The words from his father made Evan look at his mother’s stomach. Evan was shocked. His world seemed to be spinning back to the past. He couldn’t speak. The reality that had just greeted him made him look at his small fingers.

What’s happening? Evan was increasingly confused.

“Mom?” When Evan called his mother, his voice also sounded like a child’s voice.

“What’s wrong, Evan?” Maria asked.

Evan seemed hesitant. There were many things he wanted to ask about this very strange situation.

“Do you want Dad to stay with you tonight?” Daniel asked, drawing Evan’s attention.

Evan looked at his father. His father still had a firm and friendly face, but he didn’t look like the last time Evan saw him at the dinner table. To Evan, his father looked younger now.

Evan kept all his questions to himself. There were many things that confused him. Even after Daniel and Maria left him, Evan remained awake, staring at his reflection in the mirror. The image of Evan now was that of an 8-year-old boy.

Evan touched his face and body for a long time, trying to make sure it was all real. What exactly was happening to him? Was he reborn, or had he returned to the past, like in the fantasy novels he often read?

“It’s impossible,” Evan shook his head, thinking such a thing couldn’t happen in real life.

So what was happening to him? Was this a flashback before his death?

In the fantasy novels he often read, people gained powers or used information they already knew from the past to become strong. Could Evan now do something similar?

Evan still remembered many important events that occurred between the ages of 8 and 17. Events significant enough to change the city of Arcadia and the fate of several people in the city.

“Will a screen also appear if I say ‘system’?” Evan wondered aloud. He felt silly thinking like that. He had mentioned the word ‘system’ but nothing happened. “I really don’t know what’s happening.”

After thinking for a while, Evan went back to bed and lay down. He stared at the ceiling of his room and then said something quietly in his heart.

As Evan closed his eyes, a strange notification sound suddenly echoed loudly in his ears. Evan’s eyes opened again, and at that moment, he saw a blue-background screen floating right above him.

Welcome, Player Evan Theodore Walker.

***