Unevitable | Ryeji |

Chapter 26: Veil of Past

Yeji's pov:

Everything is dark. I'm floating, weightless, in a void where time doesn't seem to exist. Then, slowly, a light starts to break through the darkness, and I see myself as a child, standing in a park that feels both familiar and distant.

There are two boys with me, playing not far away. One has a warm smile that makes me feel safe, while the other is quieter, his expression more guarded. But I know them-I'm sure of it. Their laughter rings in my ears, and a sense of belonging washes over me. I want to call out to them, but my voice is lost in the stillness.

As I try to move closer, the scene begins to blur, like a memory slipping through my fingers. Panic surges in my chest. I reach out, desperate to hold onto them, to remember who they are and why they feel so important. But the harder I try, the more they fade, their faces becoming shadowy and indistinct.

No, don't go-I need to remember.

But it's too late. The vision slips away entirely, leaving me alone in the darkness once more. My heart pounds in my chest, and a sense of loss grips me. Those boys... they mean something. Something I've forgotten. Something I need to remember.

But the answers remain just out of reach, lingering at the edge of my consciousness as I drift further into the void.

The darkness pulls me in again, but this time, it doesn't feel as suffocating. The void around me starts to shift, and soon I find myself back in that familiar park. The air is warm, the sun casting a golden glow over everything. The two boys are there again, but this time, they're closer, and I can see them more clearly.

I watch as they talk to each other, their voices faint at first but growing louder as I focus on them.

"Do you think she'll remember us?" the boy with the warm smile asks, glancing over at the quieter one.

The quieter boy looks down, scuffing his shoe against the ground. "I don't know. It's been a long time."

"She has to," the first boy says with a hint of urgency in his voice. "She can't forget."

I want to step forward, to tell them I'm here, that I can hear them. But my feet feel heavy, as if they're rooted to the ground. The scene seems to flicker, the colors and shapes wavering like a mirage.

"Do you think we'll see her again?" the quieter boy asks, his voice tinged with sadness.

The other boy looks at him, his expression softening. "We will. We just have to wait."

"Wait for what?" I want to ask, but the words catch in my throat. The boys turn their heads as if they sense me, their gazes locking onto mine. For a brief moment, I see recognition in their eyes, a connection that sends a jolt through me.

But before I can say anything, before I can ask who they are, the vision begins to dissolve again, the park and the boys fading into the darkness. I try to hold onto them, to keep them with me, but they slip away like shadows in the night.

"No, don't leave!" I scream internally, but it's too late. The void closes in once more, and I'm left alone, the echoes of their voices lingering in my mind.

Who are they? Why do they feel so familiar? The questions whirl in my head, but the answers remain elusive, hidden somewhere deep in the recesses of my memory, just out of reach.

The darkness surrounds me once more, but this time, it's different. There's a warmth in the air, almost stifling, and a faint crackling sound fills my ears. As the void clears, I find myself standing in a house-a house I know all too well. My old house. The one that caught fire all those years ago.