past memories 4

When I asked him about my mother's identity and how he died, Ariel clenched his fist and slightly bit his lip.

"Xzson... I don't want to talk about those things," Ariel said, avoiding my questions as his expression turned tense.

"But why? Why won't you tell me? I need to know who my mother and father are... Who killed you?" I shouted at him, trying to force him to answer, but he refused to utter a single word.

"I can't. It's for your own good! You should stay away from that woman at any cost!" Ariel replied with a serious look.

I was speechless to see him become so tense. My urge to know about my mom escalated after he said to stay away from her at any cost.

"Dad, you are dead," I asked in a faint, dim voice.

"Yes, I'm dead, my son," Ariel said in grief, looking down with tears in his eyes.

"If you are dead, then how are you here and talking with me?" This idea suddenly made me think, if he is dead, how can he talk to me?

"Before I died, I used a heavenly-grade item called a 'soul beacon.' With that item, someone's soul could meet any person in space, even if they are in another world, for a temporary time," Ariel explained with a helpless expression.

"It was my wish to see my child before my death, but my future was already decided. That item helped my remaining soul in space to meet my kin in their hard times, before they gave up on life, so that I could appear to help them stand up!" As he finished his words, he sighed and showed a masquerade smile while looking at me to lighten the atmosphere.

I stared at him stiffly after his explanation. I couldn't believe that he had gone this far as a father to meet me when I was about to give up. This made me realize how much he loves me.

"Dad, you went this far only just to meet—" My voice cut short as we both felt a sharp pain in our heads. The darkness surrounding us started to fade away, and the gravity beneath me increased over time.

"Son, I don't have much time. This illusion world is consuming your soul. If you don't escape now, you will be stuck here," he said, holding my shoulder while his other hand clung to my unconscious body to prevent it from disappearing into the dark.

But my body suddenly trembled, and a vision of Shaitan, Mom, and that dark-skinned man flashed in my eyes. I had killed many people after coming into this world—Tojoner, who tried to kill me, Sendra's disciples, Alaric, and more. They all tried to kill me, but I took their lives without showing any fear or reluctance.

However, when I remembered the people from my previous world, I became fearful and begged to be left alone.

"But I can't go back. I can't fight them. I'm weak against them. They will make fun of me and laugh at me again," I spoke, refusing to go back and face them. I was scared that they would again treat me like an object and question me, "Why are you standing if you are nothing?"

"Who can't you fight back against?" he asked with fierce and strong hostility in his aura.

"The people from my world. I am helpless against them, and no one is there to help me. I'm alone against them—"

"No, you are not!" Ariel abruptly interrupted me before I could complete my phrase.

"You are not alone anymore, and neither are you in your previous world!" Ariel said, comforting me.

"Those memories are from your previous life! They no longer hold any importance to you. You can't give up only because of that past; you have an entire new life waiting for you to live," Ariel said, each word making me listen carefully. I realized what he was saying. Those memories no longer mattered, and I didn't have to care for them anymore.

"My son, Xzson, you are being held back because of your previous life. You can't live two lives, or your dark past will hold you back forever." He placed his warm hand over my chest, and all my fear and hesitation faded from my mind.

"My son, choose now and decide which life you want to live," he said, moving his hand toward my jaw, looking at me tenderly as he waited for my response.

"I-I," I stammered, feeling conflicted about my future. It was a decision I needed to make wisely. I couldn't mess up at this moment or make a bad decision; this choice would determine my future. This opportunity was not something everyone got, even if they achieved great feats or committed unforgivable sins.

I looked at my body and saw my wrinkled school uniform, my hands with traces of cuts and wounds, my disheveled hair, and my stressed body reaching its limit from enduring the suffering of my memories from the previous world.

I looked at Ariel with a defeated, sad face and eventually sighed as I smiled. With determination in my eyes, I resolutely spoke, "Dad, I have decided. I will leave my past behind and live my life in this world peacefully as your son."

A contented smile appeared on his face as he nodded at my satisfying answer. He brought my other body closer to mine and pushed it toward me. My soul instantly transferred into his son's body. I opened my ocean-blue eyes and saw that I had returned to Ariel's son's body.

"Now leave your past behind and live your new life, my son," he said.

I looked behind me and saw my old body falling into the abyss until it finally disappeared in the dark. I felt sad, and my heart ached to see my old body disappear like that, but I turned away. A moment later, I felt a huge burden lift from my shoulders, and I sensed a sigh of relief. The mana flow inside my body had become stable, and I could feel my strength improving.

"My mana flow has improved! I can feel it in my body," I said, moving around and looking at Ariel, who watched over me like a parent watching over their infant.

"You look exactly like me, Xzson. I wish we could live together with our family, and my sister would probably never let you out of her sight... Oh, I forgot to mention this before! If you ever get lost, go to our family, the Sylveris, and find my sister; she will always help you," Ariel said as he hugged me tightly, tears falling from his eyes. He was satisfied, his only wish fulfilled in meeting his kin before he left this world. He continued to hug me until the gravity became intense, and Ariel's body started to fade.

"Dad, what's happening?" I held his arm tightly as I saw him disappearing.

"I told you before, I can only be here for a short period. My remaining soul is about to disappear forever; after this, I won't ever be able to meet you again and will be completely gone from the world," he spoke with teary eyes and a fake smile. I could see he didn't want to leave me alone and wished to stay.

"Dad, is there any way to bring you back? There should be a way," I asked desperately, trying to keep hold of his body from fading away.

"Son, I'm already dead. I can't come back. It's the world's principle; if someone is dead, we can't bring them back."

He patted my head while chuckling as I clenched my fist, a helpless expression on my face. Even though I had never seen him or spent my life with him, I desperately wanted to save him from vanishing.

"Son, it's about time for our final departure. Before that, please give my message to my parents: 'I love you all, especially my sister.' And remember to stay away from your mother. I can't tell you her identity now for your own good," he spoke with a tender voice. Finally, his body disappeared from my vision. I stiffly soared in the air where Ariel had been, tears leaving my eyes.

"Dad," I called his name without any hesitation and wiped my tears.

"Live well, my son, Xzson Sylveris," his voice echoed in my ears one last time, and I found myself surrounded by my classmates and Shaitan.