It was already early in the evening.
The nightmare still clung to me like a shadow. Even though my eyes were open, I could still feel the suffocating darkness, still hear the voices of the past whispering in my ears.
I slowly opened my eyes, gripping the blanket tightly. My body trembled slightly as I tried to shake off the lingering fear.
As I glanced around, taking in my surroundings, I froze.
There were two people sleeping beside my bed.
"Father…? Mother…?" I whispered.
But no—these weren't them. These were my new parents in this life.
A strange thought ran through my mind:
Will they end up like the ones from my past life? Will they turn cruel too?
I stared at them in silence, unable to stop the fear rising in my chest.
"…Father? Mother?" I called out with a shaky voice, hoping to wake them.
But something felt off.
I looked around again, and only then did I realize…
This was their room.
"Wait… why am I here? What happened?" I muttered to myself, confused.
Before I could make sense of it, my father stirred beside me.
"Cain… are you awake? How do you feel? Are you still in pain?" he asked with panic in his voice, pulling me into a tight hug.
"…"
So warm...
This… This is the first time I've ever felt something like this.
I stayed frozen, unsure how to react.
"I'm so glad you're okay. We were really worried, you know?" he said softly. "Don't scare us like that again, alright?"
My heart stopped.
No one had ever said something like that to me before.
"Monica! Cain's awake!" my father called out, shaking my mom gently.
She jolted awake, eyes wide, and rushed to my side.
"Cain! Are you alright? Are you still hurting anywhere?" she asked, brushing the hair from my forehead.
"I… I'm fine, Mother. Don't worry."
They're worried… about me?
"If anything feels wrong, please tell us," my father added with concern.
"Yes, Father," I replied.
"Let's go. I'll prepare dinner," my mother said with a smile. "You need to eat something and rest."
Together, they helped me out of the bed and guided me to the dining room.
Even as I sat down, the lingering confusion in my head wouldn't leave. My thoughts were messy, pieces of something I couldn't remember were still swirling.
"What really happened to you, Cain?" my father asked gently. "Don't worry, we're not angry. Just tell us the truth."
I tried to recall what happened, but the moment I focused—
"GRAAAAHHH—!!"
A sharp scream escaped my lips.
My head felt like it was splitting apart. A wave of pain surged through my skull like it was about to explode.
"Cain?! Cain!"
"Hang on—Cain!"
Their worried voices echoed around me, but I couldn't respond. Everything went black for a moment.
And then, just like that… the pain vanished.
I gasped for air, drenched in cold sweat. My chest rose and fell rapidly.
"Cain, are you okay now?" my mother asked, placing a hand on my cheek.
"…I'm fine, Mom," I muttered weakly.
"Let's not talk about this anymore tonight," she said, glancing at my father. "He needs to eat and rest. We're leaving early tomorrow."
"You're right," my father replied, though his eyes still held a trace of worry… and something else. A hint of sadness?
After dinner, Too tired to think, I staggered into my room and threw myself straight onto the bed.
I didn't notice the patch of mismatched wooden boards near the far corner of the room—
hastily repaired, uneven in texture, clearly different from the rest of the wall.
The damage had already been fixed while I was unconscious.
But the cause...
remained buried somewhere in the fog of my missing memories.
I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.