[Music Recommendation: "Dreamy Shards" by Yasunori Mitsuda (Chrono Cross OST)-available in Youtube or Spotify] ~ Please listen to it in a loop while you read this part to experience the utmost beauty of this chapter ~

Tick… Tock… Tick… Tock…

I’m not entirely sure what happened… but suddenly, I’m hearing the sound of a ticking clock—not just one, but lots of them, all around me.

“Ugh,” I groaned, trying to open my eyes but I couldn’t.

I felt myself lying down. Weird. Why do I still “feel” something? I’m supposed to be dead. Was this what the afterlife feels like? Hearing and feeling but not moving? I felt like a tied up ghost.

Then, a warm hand caressed my cheeks. How odd. Even if I couldn’t see who it was, I somehow knew it belonged to a woman. How kind and loving her touch was.

“You’ve suffered so much,” she said. It seems my guess was correct. “This time, please make sure to be happy.”

Hm? Make sure to be happy? This time? What did she mean by that? Not being able to talk or move was hard. I wanted to ask so many things. But before my thoughts materialized, my body felt heavy, and my consciousness slowly drifted once again.

…

…

…

…

…

“...-ra.”

A faint whisper.

“...-nara.”

It’s getting louder.

“Senara! Wake up!”

Hmm, I know that voice.

“The teacher is calling you!”

Huh? Teacher? Am I dreaming? I tried to move my arms—to my surprise, they did. Slowly, I opened my eyes next. The light was a bit blinding but once my vision adjusted, I saw Hora in front of me, in her high school uniform. Turns out, I was sleeping on a desk so I got up and smiled at her.

Was it just me or Hora seemed to look a lot younger? No. She did look too young. 14? 15? 16? Yes, that’s how she looked when she was around that age—very slim, around 5’5 in height, perfect v-shaped face, tall nose bridge, bright blue eyes like the clear morning sky, and a really pretty, wavy, honey blonde hair that extends to her waist. She’s a real beauty. If only she listened to me and became an actress, she’d definitely be popular.

“Why are you wearing your high school uniform, Hora? Are you cosplaying?” I chuckled, asking her about a thought I was really curious about. What a great dream. I never imagined she liked cosplaying. She loved to dress up, but this was a different level in more ways than one.

“Had a nice dream, Ms. Senara Lee?” a stern voice coming from behind snapped me out of my thoughts. I immediately jolted upon hearing it, so I turned around to see who it was. I could have sworn he sounded like -

“Sir Greg!” I wasn’t able to stop myself and bursted out. ‘Why is he in my dream?’ Hora’s definitely okay to be in my dream, but my old teacher in high school? What the heck is going on?’

“Ha-ha-ha-ha!” Everyone in the room laughed out loud.

It was only then that I noticed I was inside a familiar-looking classroom. A large chalkboard at the front, five rows of tables and desks carefully aligned in front of it, shoe racks and some cabinets at the sides. And those two doors at the opposite corner of the room, large windows covered by thick curtains on a sunny day except my area—I sat near the window at the far end corner. I always opened the curtains despite the heat. I loved the blazing sun—well, except maybe, when it's too hot and it's already scorching my skin. But on a clear spring day like this one, I loved how it felt warm on my skin.

The room wasn’t the only thing that looked familiar. Even the faces of the students inside the classroom were all too familiar to me—they were my classmates when I was younger—though I already forgot what the names of some of them were. My memory wasn’t my best asset. You could tell me your name a dozen times, but unless I spend my days with you daily for perhaps a year or so, I would easily forget them as soon as we stopped meeting. I would remember your face, but not the name. Or maybe I was just too busy to even hangout with anyone to remember them? I’m not sure.

“Are you fully awake now, Ms. Senara Lee?” my teacher asked again.

“Y-yes, sir!” I found myself instantly replying, even if I’m still a bit confused about the whole situation. “I’m sorry I fell asleep.”

He sighed and tapped my shoulders after. Then, he whispered in a way only I would hear. “I know your mom and dad are having troubles right now, but please make sure you still take care of yourself. I hope everything becomes okay soon.”

Ahh… he’s really kind. I knew this entire scene. It happened before, when I was 16 and still in high school. And those words of kindness were one of the things I treasured, probably why I still remember Sir Greg’s name. He was one of those one-in-a-million amazing teachers who really care for their studens.

My heart stung and throbbed. Tears started to build up in my eyes—I tried to hold them, of course. I didn’t want to cry in the middle of class, so I simply bowed my head and lowered down my eyes.

‘Why is this scene repeating? Is this some sort of thing in the afterlife?’

Then, I remembered the wish I made before I died.

“If only I could go back in time… I’ll make sure to live my life for my sake and not somebody else’s.”

Along with that kind voice I heard a few moments ago.

“This time, please make sure to be happy.”

I never believed in fairytales or magic, or anything alike. The harsh reality of the world crushed all those for me.

But… Could it be? Did I… travel back in time?