I slowly opened my eyes to find myself in a white room. I was lying on a bed with medical equipment connected to me.
'Am I… in a hospital?'
A sharp headache struck my mind as I tried to remember what had happened.
I heard footsteps approaching. My mother entered, her eyes red — it looked like she had cried a lot. When she saw me awake, she rushed over and hugged me tightly.
"Nox, thank God you're alright! I was about to die from worrying about you. The doctor said you're fine, but you've been unconscious for a whole day!"
She was trembling violently as she hugged me. Her anxious voice revealed how terrified she'd been.
"Mom… I'm sorry. I don't remember anything."
I said painfully, still feeling the headache that made it hard to focus.
My mother ended the hug and wiped her tears.
"You collapsed when you told us your heart was hurting. We thought you were going to die."
She shivered as she explained what had happened. She looked truly terrified by the thought of losing her only son.
'It seems I had a panic attack… My body must've gone into shock after seeing my parents again. That's natural, I guess — people can experience shock when facing something their mind refuses to accept. I lived my whole life believing they were dead, but now their reappearance has shattered everything. The dead should stay dead, because their "return" brings more problems than their death ever did.'
"I'm sorry for worrying you, Mom. I guess I'm still unwell… I promise it won't happen again."
I said, trying to reassure her. She looked at me with concern and bit her lip in frustration, angry that she couldn't help her son.
My father entered with the doctor. He sighed in relief when he saw me awake, then nodded, signaling we'd talk later. The doctor spoke.
"How do you feel?"
"I'm fine, doctor."
"Hmm… it seems you were under a lot of stress, which caused a seizure. We'll run some additional tests, but for now, try not to strain yourself."
The doctor left, leaving me with my parents. My father approached and gently placed his hand on my head, patting it softly. He always did that — I even inherited the habit from him and started patting Elena's head the same way.
"I'm glad you're okay, son. Once we confirm you're healthy, we'll leave this place. So don't be afraid."
I smiled at my father's words.
"I understand, Dad. Don't worry — I'm not a child afraid of hospitals anymore."
"Oh? Says the boy who used to cry every time he went to the clinic," Mom teased from the side, making me blush.
"W-well, that was when I was really little!"
I stammered, trying to hide my embarrassment, but they both laughed. Seeing them relax finally made me feel at ease — it had hurt to see them so worried.
Later, the doctor came back, did some tests, and said I was fine. So I left the hospital with my parents.
Now, I was sitting in the car on our way home. It was a simple car; my father was driving while my mother sat beside him, occasionally turning to check on me.
I sat behind my father, resting my head against the window, quietly watching the road.
'What am I supposed to do now? Should I escape from these dreams? But that would mean abandoning my parents… and this peaceful life. Why? Do I really have to go back to the reality filled with pain?'
My father's voice interrupted my thoughts.
"nox, let's go on a picnic tomorrow. We could all use a break."
My mother smiled happily, adding cheerfully,
"That's wonderful! Let's all go together — I'll make something delicious. What do you think, dear?"
She looked at me hopefully. My father had clearly suggested it to ease the tension.
It was hard to refuse, especially since I was the cause of their worry. I smiled faintly and agreed.
"That sounds great. Let's go tomorrow."
The moment I agreed, my parents seemed relieved. We began talking about where we'd go and what we'd do.
When we got home, I apologized and told them I wanted to sleep. They understood.
Once inside my room, I locked the door and lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling as I sank into my thoughts.
'I know this is wrong. They're not my real parents — just illusions caused by that strange fog. But… it's so hard to reject this. What am I supposed to do? Should I act like the protagonist in these kinds of situations?'
'The best way to break the illusion is to destroy it — by killing the people inside it. That means… I'd have to kill my parents. That would end the dream, but…'
"It's impossible for me to do that."
I whispered quietly, turning over and closing my eyes to sleep.
The next morning, I woke up to the sound of knocking.
"nox, wake up, dear! Breakfast is almost ready!"
My mother's voice came from behind the door. I rubbed my eyes and replied,
"I'm awake. I'll be down soon."
"Alright, don't take too long!"
She went back to the kitchen. I yawned and stretched my body.
'I slept so deeply… I wonder how many years it's been since I slept like that.'
I stood up and made my bed, then went to the bathroom and washed my face. Looking into the mirror, I noticed my eyes were still completely black. Apparently, neither my family nor the doctor had noticed — which meant this really was just an illusion.
I went to the kitchen, where my mother was cooking and my father was reading a book about ancient history, as usual.
"Good morning."
"Good morning, dear~"
"Morning, son."
We greeted each other naturally, and I sat beside my father, waiting for breakfast.
He closed his book and looked at me.
"How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine. No need to worry."
I answered with a small smile. I tried to smile often — I'd always been a cheerful kid, and I didn't want my parents to worry about my change in attitude.
"That's good. Tell us if you feel tired, alright?"
I nodded. My mother then brought the food — fried eggs with some meat, various cheeses, and honey.
"Make sure to eat everything, dear. You need to regain your strength, especially since you didn't eat much yesterday."
She sat across from me, and we began eating, chatting casually.
After breakfast, we prepared for the trip. We planned to visit a nearby park. There weren't many recreational spots left, especially after the Abyss invasion — and even fewer in my country, which wasn't in great condition to begin with.
"Alright, let's go," my father said, starting the car.
We were all smiling happily, ready to enjoy our day together — until…
"What?!!"
My father shouted in shock as he slammed the brakes.
'What the hell…'
We all stared ahead in horror. A wall of dark fog blocked the road.
"What… is that?"
I asked, confused. There shouldn't be any corrupted creatures or anything like that inside the city.
Before anyone could answer, the fog stirred — and dark spears shot out toward us.
"Damn it, mov—"
Before I could finish, the spears pierced through the front seats, impaling both my parents through their hearts.
"Huh?"
I stared in disbelief. They'd been alive just moments ago — but now they were dead before I could even comprehend what had happened.
"What does this even mean?! We were just laughing together—damn it! Damn it all!"
I screamed, tears streaming down my face. I looked at the fog with hatred. It trembled again, launching another spear toward me.
"?!!"
Before I could react, pain exploded in my chest. I looked down — a spear had pierced through my heart and out my back.
"How…?"
I choked, vomiting blood as my tears mixed with it.
Coldness spread through my body. My vision dimmed. I looked toward the fog one last time, my voice fading as I closed my eyes.
'This fog… why does it feel so familiar?'
Those were my final thoughts before I died.
The fog moved slowly toward our corpses, devouring them. Then it spread, swallowing the entire world.
…
"Where am I?"
I slowly opened my eyes again — to find myself in a familiar room.
"Huh? What does this mean? Why am I back in my room again?"
Before I could process anything, someone entered — it was my mother.
"nox, you're finally awake…?!"
She froze mid-sentence, staring at me in confusion.
"What's wrong, dear? You're sweating so much! Is your fever back? Should we take you to the hospital?"
She grabbed me, checking my body in panic. Her words barely registered — I was drenched in sweat, breathing heavily.
I clutched my chest in agony as my heart pounded violently.
'I… I've returned to the beginning!'
The realization struck like lightning. I fell to the ground, vomiting violently.
"nox!! Are you okay?! What's happening? Wait, I'll call your father!"
My mother shouted in terror as she ran out.
I lay on the floor, clutching my chest, writhing in pain.
'What does this mean? Why is this happening to me? This is supposed to be a happy illusion… so why…?'
Rage, sorrow, and despair welled up inside me.
'That fog… what the hell is it?'
...