Live a new life

Devon woke up, but he didn't open his eyes. He hesitated for a while, trying to compose himself for the new setting. He slowly reclined his body on the queen-sized mattress.

When he was ready to open his eyes, a colorful world greeted him, largely contrasting with the empty blackness he was used to.

He savored his surroundings until Devon found he was isolated in a large white room. It was filled with machines that were attached to him.

'If a stranger saw his state, they would surely think that he was a victim of a mad experiment.

He was skeptical of the cold metals connected to his body. His brain told him that he only had one in his hand when he first woke up. However, his attention was piqued by another peculiarity. In the corner of the room, there was a mountain of stuffed toys, books, and anything that could entertain someone.

He must have truly anticipated the awakening of this body. Unfortunately, a different Devon woke up.

He was immersed in deep thoughts when a lamp entered his sight. It reminded him of, "The sun!" 

His head swiftly turned my head towards the window, but, unfortunately, no light was seen. It was already dark outside.

A shame.

Thoughtlessly gazing at the view outside, he realized it was not completely as dark. Subtle white, blue, or red dots shrouded the sky. It was as if glitter were sprinkled on the canvas. He never knew darkness could be this cozy, especially with the full moon adorning the lonely evening. The sight mesmerized him to a daze. 

Devon hadn't gotten enough of the day. But knowing that tomorrow would come, he tossed away his apprehension and replaced it with anticipation.

After getting enough of the scenery, he proceeded to his next mission. The frail man combed everywhere to find anything that could identify him, something that could provide him with details about his new container.

However, his hand accidentally touched the black circle adorning his right wrist, which he thought was a tattoo.

He felt a weird cold sensation, seeping from his fingers. Suddenly, a transparent tab materialized in front of his face.

He almost fell from the bed in shock. He hurriedly shook his hands, thinking that it would be detached in that way. Sadly, his efforts were wasted because it never distanced away from him, not even an inch.

"What scientific novelty is this?"

His fingers gradually approached the floating screen and predicted it would just pass through its surface. However, his fingertips detected a domain that induced him the feeling of being in contact with a tangible matter.

In fascination, he repeatedly tapped the tab. It continuously displayed weird shapes, which he was unable to comprehend. He tried to find any patterns, hoping he could discover a clue regarding its content.

A noisy buzz suddenly rendered him speechless.

A load of information from the original owner was injected into his brain and the unfamiliar symbols slowly converted to words he could read.

This process took a lot of his energy.

He took his time, before taking advantage of the phenomenon. He read the content, which comprised data about a person.

Following his assumptions, he was called Devon, a 20-year-old man, who lives in Camati-07. The file emphasized that he was registered as 07 in the records.

He browsed through the other files and learned that his body had been in a state of coma since he was 10 years old. Devon's body was chronically weak and almost gave in. However, he could not ascertain his exact health condition. Other than the basic data, he found no other information about Devon.

Experiencing the technological advancements, Devon became more convinced that a long, long time must have passed and that everything had developed around him, not that he clearly remembered something about his past self.

His memories were always brief and incomplete, but he would always fondly cherish them.

His clumsy hand accidentally clicked the wrong button and saw an illustration of a ferocious beast, a species he had never seen before.

The beast looked like a massive bull, but its horns were dangerously sharp. Its black body contained a swirl of neon insignia. It looked majestic but also bloodthirsty.

In the picture, people were interacting with it, so it must be tamed. "I guess, it was the evolved creatures of this world."

He exited the image and went back to Devon's personal information. Seeing another picture on the right corner of the tab, he excitedly clicked on it. He thought he would see another beast, yet he saw a young kid instead.

It's an image of a pretty kid, who neither looked like a man nor a woman. He's perfectly on the borderline and possesses an androgynous type of beauty.

He whispered, "This must have been 'me' when I was 10."

Uniquely, this kid has white glossy hair, eyebrows, and lashes. With the light striking the hair, it illuminated the surroundings, brightening the picture. He looks ethereal, like a beloved prince of an ice kingdom.

It suits his crystal-like blue eyes as if staring at the sea under the morning light, fair smooth skin, natural pink plump cheeks, and strawberry-red lips, pouting as if complaining about something.

But his eyes, his eyes, were filled with laughter and brilliance of life. His features made the perfect combination of cold and warm.

He looks, "Lovely."

A smile escaped from Devon's lips with a hint of sadness. Unfortunately, this kid must be in an eternal slumber because he was here now, dwelling in the kid's body. Devon silently vowed to live his remaining days in fun and leisure.

He slid his fingers through the picture. 

Devon believed that guilt should be the last feeling I should have. It would be thoughtless for the kid, who gave me this life. This was a gift; hence, he will hold onto it.

Like in the picture, he would try to radiate his energy and preserve his aura within me. But he could not truly become the little Devon. He looks like the epitome of light, which brightens everything. Whereas my core radiates the darkness, even my heart contains impurities.

Taking glimpse at his face, "Devon must be loved by the God of Beauty."

But the kid's breathtaking face also made him aware that he had seemed to forget what he looked like. Or more appropriately, he has no memory of his appearance.

He sighed, "I guess, I was stuck in the darkness, enough to forget my identity."

Ironically, he was blessed with a great memory. Yet he has no recollection of the most significant moments of his life. With this gap, he was determined to hone his mental ability. He had the thought in mind that if he escaped one day, he would need it.

Training his mind helped him stay in touch with reality, while the vague memories became his strength to survive.

So from now on, "I am Devon Lee, but also not."

His reflections were disrupted when the door banged open. A man in white rushed in shakily held my hands and looked me straight in the eyes. His eyes immediately caught Devon's attention. It looked exactly like his.

"Devon!" He hurried towards him, but his steps suddenly stopped, seemingly trying to compose himself. After a while, he whispered, "Devi, good morning."

The stranger's smiling eyes gazed at him, without minding his tears which threatened to fall. Devon was influenced by the radiating happiness and slowly smiled, making his dimples appear. 

"Good morning." He weakly responded. 

Devon's exhausted state did not hinder him from seeing the sincerity spilling from the man's eyes. He realized little Devon was loved, which sparked a hint of gloom in his joyful heart.

He whispered, "I'm sorry, mister."

The man must be the one who took care of his body for all these years. His limbs may be thin, but not atrophied--a sign that his body was not neglected. It was taken care of.

The man did not shy from pouring out the bottled-up emotions in his heart and bawled like a child, which astounded Devon. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

The man hugged Devon tightly, as tears soaked his shoulders. The grip was painful, but also warm, which reminded him that he was now alive.

His tears started flowing out as well, letting his sadness overwhelm him, knowing that someone would quell his sorrow.

Devon shakily raised his arms to embrace him back. He tried his best to comfort the man who showered him with love.

In his heart, he said, "Don't worry, Devon, I will take care of him in your place."

They stayed up all night in that position. The man slowly patted his back, lulling him back to sleep.

He felt himself slowly sinking to slumber in his warm arms.

This time he wasn't scared of closing his eyes because he knew that the darkness would be temporary from now on.