Chapter 190

Arc 16 - The Fastest Man Alive - Part 27

May 2019, London:

It was an ordinary day for Laura. Since she has recently finished her assignments, she was just wasting time, loitering around in her room, anxious about her results.*

While laying on her bed, she was scrolling through her phone, looking at random things on the internet.

She slipped her hand into a packet of crisps and picked it up.

After taking a bite of it, guilt suddenly overwhelmed her.

"At this rate I am going to be fatter than a cow…" she sighed.

But she did not stop eating.

The guilt soon began to fade away from her.

At that time, she did not know that a cosmic God was keeping her in her best shape, not because she would look better, but because he wanted to prolong her life as much as possible - perhaps he did not mean it when he infected her with these cosmic energies, but he did keep this human in her best shape.

In addition, those ugly energies did not allow for her emotions - negative emotions - to spiral out of control. Depression, stress, guilt, and other similar emotions were dissolved at a rapid speed.

As she was scrolling through her phone, suddenly she received a call. Looking at the caller ID, she answered it immediately.

"Sup, Becky," Laura said immediately after answering the incoming call.

"- Nothing but the ceiling-- Wait, since I am outside, then the sky. -"

Laura rolled her eyes to her terrible joke.

"- Fine, whatever. Anyway, come down to the cinema real quick. -"

"...Why?"

"- Stop being so lazy, sheesh. Just get down here. Okay, fine, I will come pick you up. -"

Laura groaned softly.

"Fine."

"- Oh! But wear the fanciest dress you have. Make yourself look hotter than usual. -"

With a faint intrigued smile, Laura asked, "Are you setting me up with someone?"

"- Maybe. Hopefully. I don't know. -"

Laura sighed as she finally got off the bed.

"Well, sure. Give me an hour or two then."

The call ended abruptly, and Laura went into the shower.

After a while, she came out of the shower and dried her hair.

Then she began searching around through her closet for clothes. Everything she had were casual, she found nothing that would strike something in the mind of someone else, especially someone she met for the first time.

It's not that she wasn't fashionable, but she packed most of her clothes in preparation for the long summer break which she usually spent back home with her family.

After analysing her remaining wardrobe, she picked up a black skirt and a grey top. She frowned slightly as she looked at it.

Ugh, I was going to wear this tomorrow for the class graduation party… I wanted to impress that cute Spanish guy, but I guess I have to wear it now…

She glanced at her bags and groaned once again.

Oh well, I will have to pick something from there. Oh, here I go fixing it allllll again.

With a shake of her head, she wore the clothes in her hand.

While she fixed her hair and put on some make up, Rebecca was already waiting for her in a car and kept calling her.

After a while, she finally went down and smiled wryly.

"Sorry, my phone died."

"No, it didn't!" Rebecca sounded slightly annoyed.

"Okay, okay. Sheesh."

Laura got in the back of the taxi.

"Oh, hi, Ashley."

"You should have taken one more hour," Ashley said sternly.

"Oh?" Laura tilted her head slightly as a teasing smile spread across her face. "I should go back then."

"Noo. We are gonna be late," Rebecca said hurriedly as she looked at the time.

"I don't know what's the hurry… It's not even one in the afternoon yet."

"Doesn't matter!"

The taxi ride was short, and they finally reached their destination.

While she was in the car, she noticed the back of someone who wore black jeans and a black shirt. His white hair was short yet long enough to flap in the soft breeze of summer.

For some odd reasons, her heart skipped a beat.

It was as if she knew him, as if he were someone she had forgotten.

He seems like something she lost but couldn't remember. Yet despite the blank memory, it seems as if he were the one she was searching for.

Who could it be…?

She shook her head and got out of the taxi after a moment.

The white-haired man turned around and his crimson eyes met with her black sparkling eyes.

Her long black hair flew randomly in this soft breeze as she looked him in the eye.

It seemed as if they stared into each other's eyes for an eternity.

"I am Nazar, nice to meet you," the man extended his right hand towards her.

She put away those odd feelings and shook his hand.

With a forceful soft smile, she introduced herself, "Laura Marino."

With every microsecond their hands touched, the uneasiness in her heart accelerated beyond control.

She knew the structure of this hand; she knew this skin. She knew the warmth and the feelings this hand radiated. She had touched it before, but she did not know when or where.

A terrible itch spread throughout her mind as she continued to question these odd feelings.

She couldn't help but ask a silly question with a confused smile on her face, "Have we met before?"

"No, I don't think so," he replied without hesitation.

She nodded her head, "Ah-h. I see. I thought you looked familiar for a second. My bad."

"Oh no, it's okay."

Soon after, she continued to put on her normal smile and tried not to think about this man, but once they entered the cinema, he was seated next to her.

With every passing second, the sensation next to him felt more normal and closer.

The warmth mixed with the evil cold she felt from this man felt oddly comforting.

There was something she was meant to know but doesn't remember - an itch she cannot touch no matter how hard she tries.

Laura was staring at the large screen but couldn't focus on the film. She didn't even know what film it was.

Soon after, the man beside her got up and left in hurry.

It was odd. It seemed he was worried, she could feel that, but he was not showing it on his face.

Once the man left, she scratched her forehead a little, trying to not think about any of this.

But alas, she couldn't help it.

The man returned a few minutes later, so she assumed he had gone to the bathroom. It was the obvious answer, however wrong it was.

With every passing minute, the itch at the back of her mind grew and grew, causing her to feel uneasy.

The film finally finished, and she found out it was this man's birthday today. But for some odd reasons, she knew that.

Odd….

She not knew the reason why, but she felt oddly comfortable around this man.

They went out for drinks and had lunch at a restaurant.

On the surface, it seemed no different than her usual day out with her friends, but inside, she couldn't stop thinking.

The more time she spent, the more vivid her dreams became. She could see the faces of those individuals clearly now.

She could see his face in a dream she had been seeing since she was a child.

That is… That doesn't make sense…

Her thoughts spiralled out of control as uneasiness spread throughout her body.

She smiled stiffly at Rebecca and told her she needed to leave because something important came up.

Laura left and didn't see them for a long time after that. Two days later, her results came in and she left immediately for her home.

Her long yet tiring and mentally draining summer began.

Initially, her plan was to use these few months and study as much as she could for her master's, but that ended in failure as she couldn't keep this odd man out of her dreams.

No matter how much she tried, he was always there. In her thoughts and in her dreams.

Occasionally, she would wake up in the middle of the night, sweating buckets and breathing heavily.

He is a killer… but that… that doesn't make… What?

Her summer break was spent, thinking about someone she just met once. But she couldn't shake the feeling that she might have known him in the past.

As in… she shook her head at her silly thoughts. It's not like one of those weird romantic stories where they reincarnate in the future. Yeah, yeah, that would be stupid. This is the real world, after all.

She laughed at her own thoughts.

For a short while, she began thinking he was a vampire simply because his eyes were redder than blood.

"That's so stupid."

And so, she went back to sleep.

Shortly thereafter, her summer break ended - without her achieving anything or doing something fun - and she returned to continue her studies at the university.

လလလ

September 2019:

Similarly to the prior years, she reached London in early September and settled in the student accommodation centres.

Before her classes began, she wanted to use this opportunity to prepare herself since she couldn't over the summer break.

But on the first day of her return, she came face-to-face with that man again just outside her building. She went down to get some items from the store nearby, but as soon as she stepped out of the main gate, he was standing with Harry and talking - talking nonsense as usual.

The moment her eyes fell on him, her body stiffened.

She did not know what to think or feel. This man has been haunting her dreams forever.

Laura sucked in a deep breath and smiled.

She walked down a short flight of stairs and cheerfully said, "Hi guys. Is Rebecca with you?"

While Harry and Laura had known each other for a few months now, they aren't close friends.

"Oh hi, Laura," Harry smiled and waved his hand slowly. "And yeah, she just went inside. Probably two minutes ago."

"Oh, that's great. I will catch you guys later. Bye."

Nazar, whose back was to Laura, slowly turned around. However, she was walking away.

"Kinda felt like I was being ignored…" he said slowly with a complicated smile.

"Did you say something?"

"No, nothing," he shook his head as he faced Harry once again. "Anyway, I will get going. I hope my apartment isn't fucked over by someone while I was away."

"Lucky," Harry's voice carried a hint of envy. "Let me live with you. Please?"

"No," he rejected him immediately while he waved his arms in front of him. "That's for me and my missus only."

“You don’t have any.”

“I have a few dozen,” Nazar winked.

“No, you have none. You don’t even want to get married.”

“Oh...” Nazar frowned. “Right.”

While they continued their silly conversation, Laura took an elevator and started her journey to the eleventh floor.

Why was HE here? Out of everyone…

No matter how uneasy she felt right now, when she was close to him, she was perfectly fine.

That's what I DON'T FUCKING UNDERSTAND. WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ONNN?!

She reached the eleventh floor and met up with Rebecca. After seeing an old friend, she decided to stop thinking about him and smiled cheerfully.

လလလ

Throughout September and October, she kept coming across him, and as time went by, the two of them slowly became friends.

The more time they spend together, the less she began to fear him, and the more her dreams brightened.

Those dark and bitter dreams were replaced by something more colourful.

She did not understand why, but she thought whatever their histories might be, it wasn’t all bad.

Perhaps I really did reincarnate, and he is a vampire.

Even now, she found that thought extremely silly and funny.

However, for some odd reasons, it wasn’t as silly and weird as it was back then.

လလလ

Before she knew it, nearly year had already passed since she met this man. But in the last eleven months, she had only learned extraordinarily little about this man, yet at the same time, she learned too much.

This man changed drastically from time to time, but that didn’t scare her. In fact, the more he changed, the more interested she became in this man.

Her days were usually the same, go to class and then spend the breaks with Nazar and their mutual friends. On somedays, they would even spend time after classes. They would find themselves in variety of places, from parks to cinemas, food establishments to night clubs.

With every passing day, she felt closer to this man and before long, not a single bad dream popped into her mind.

Halfway through May, after finishing her final exam, she walked to the university cafeteria. She knew Nazar would be there. In the last few weeks, she noticed that he always sits there and talks to someone she cannot see.

Eh, probably talking to someone on the phone...

As she entered the cafeteria, she noticed he was speaking to someone again.

I wonder who he always talks to… They seem awfully close.

She pouted her lips out in jealousy.

Laura realised how childish it seemed, but she did not care.

I think I…

She sucked in a deep breath.

I will do it today.

She walked close to him quietly as she let out a giggle.

Soon thereafter, she stood behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders.

"You seem stiff, want a massage?"

Nazar unlocked his phone and cut off a call.

Then he tried to turn his head around, however, Laura put her index finger on his cheek, stopping him, "Now, now."

He seems in a bit of a bad mood… Could it be…?

In the many months she spent with him, she realised something odd about him.

This man seems to have a few mental disorders such as multiple personalities as well as dissociative identity disorder.

Maybe it was something only she saw, but the difference between his personalities was staggering. While multiple personalities weren't an illness that was common, she had heard many stories that matched with his.

In addition, she realised that sometimes he doesn't know who he is, and he thinks he is someone else.

At first, she thought it was a joke, but as time went by, it became more apparent.

"You must be an angel for relieving me of my shoulder pain."

"Why, thank you. I guess I learned quite a bit in my new job."

"So, who are you?" he asked jokingly.

"You have to guess."

"Ooh, a guessing game."

"Yes."

"What's the first letter of your name?"

"L."

"Hmm. Laurie? Laurel? Loren? L'Oréal?"

Laura laughed, "What the hell? L'Oréal?"

"It might have been someone's name before becoming a brand, don't you think?"

"I mean…"

Nazar laughed.

"Anyway, what are you doing tonight?" Laura asked excitedly. "Any plans, hm?"

"Nothing extraordinary."

"Great. Wanna go with me somewhere then?"

"Will see. I had something to do later today, an appointment with someone, but if that finishes early then, sure."

"Oh…"

She seemed disappointed.

There was something important she wanted to tell him, something that has been on her mind for many months now.

Laura had many opportunities, but didn't take it, so she has come to regret that greatly.

I think I lo--

Nazar tried to turn his head around, but she stopped it again with her index finger as a soft giggle left her mouth.

Yeah, I do.

"Oh crap, I am late," she started to run." "Alright, I will see you tonight," she waved her hand and sped off to leave the cafeteria.

"See you."

She left the cafeteria and Nazar began to narrow his eyes.

In front of him, a woman with long silky red hair crossed her long beautiful legs. She placed her left elbow on the table and rested her face in her palm.

"So…" Solace’s red lips spread slowly across her white skin. "Shall we talk now?"

လလလ

Later that night, Laura waited for him, but he didn't show up.

She was disappointed but couldn't be angry about the situation.

Oh well, he did say he might not be free today...

She heaved a heavy sigh.

Laura raised her eyes slightly and looked at the sky.

In this dark sky, the stars glittered brightly, making something as boring as the night sky look extremely attractive.

In the midst of glittering stars, she saw pools of light, which she thought was new, but interesting.

What she did not know was, at the edge of the universe, Nazar and Solace were battling an extra-dimensional entity who wanted to devour this universe.

The awesome energies unleashed by these Gods created a light show which could be seen from every corner of this small universe. A beautiful light show that illuminated the darkest corners of this universe.

The light show lasted long, but Laura got bored of it and went home. Early next morning, she left for her country and her summer break began.

Similarly to the previous year, her thoughts were filled with that man. But unlike before, these dreams and thoughts were different, more vibrant, and colourful. They were fun thoughts.

လလလ

Another summer break ended, and Laura returned for her (final year) classes. This time, however, she was happy to return. She was excited to see that man again.

But then a hint of bitterness spread like oil in her body as she realised this is the last she will ever see of him. Additionally, since she was studying for her doctorate, she realised she will have even less time to spend with him.

But even then, she didn't let these negative thoughts affect her too much.

Like the year before, once she settled in, she gleefully left the building but did not see that man.

Laura clicked her tongue, but more so disappointed in herself for being stupid.

What was I expecting to happen…

With a bitter look on her face, she continued with her day.

လလလ

A few days passed and her classes officially started. Laura was the youngest person in her class, but at this point, she was used to it. She always was for the last few years.

However, seeing how most of her new classmates were far older than before, she was taken back slightly.

Is this a class for middle aged people?

People who couldn't carry out their doctorates in the past for several reasons finally returned to continue their education at one of the most prestigious universities in the world.

Oh…

Laura realised she was fortunate enough to get admitted into this university, but even more fortunate to get a scholarship at such a youthful age.

Unlike her, most people had to try for years and years to get in, but they failed.

I had it so easy….

While untrue, it was a thought that ruined her mood for the entire day.

Laura did try not to look those people in the eyes as she felt bad for them, she felt guilty, so she kept her head low.

She was expecting to see Nazar and thought that would fix her mood - even though it was a childish thought, but unfortunately for her, he wasn't here.

What the hell is wrong with me?! Once in her room, she held her head between her hands and shook it furiously. Go away!

"AHHHH!"

I hope he fucking dies.

Coincidentally, on that day, Nazar stabbed himself with a sword he had newly crafted and died. He was dead for nearly an entire day.

လလလ

Next morning came and Laura went to her class as usual. She was starting to feel an odd aura of jealousy from her classmates. The coldness in their eyes pierced her very soul.

It took them too long to get this far, so they couldn’t stand the thought that someone so young was among them.

It seems they know how and when I got in… Laura thought as a thin smile spread across her beautiful face. Oh. Wonderful.

She couldn't help herself but feel a sense of pride.

She was better than them and they knew it.

I take back what I was thinking yesterday, you guys suck.

Laura sucked in a deep breath.

With great confidence, she raised her head and sat straight with pride.

Once her classes ended, she had a soft smile on her face as she leisurely walked in the hallways while humming.

While she was walking, she came to a pause.

"Hm?" she tilted her head with a gleeful smile.

From the corner of her eyes, she had noticed a similar figure.

She took a few steps back and then turned her head around and looked into the classroom through the small window.

There she saw that man writing something on the board.

She had been around him for well over a year, but she never saw him acting this serious before.

However, Laura didn't care, so she just waltzed into the classroom.

Nazar, however, didn't notice that she had come in.

"What's that?" she asked slowly as she looked at the long whiteboard which was full of mathematical equations.

"My new theory."

"Hm?"

Laura clicked her tongue silently.

Not what I expected to see upon our reunion.

"I call it the "Big Small". I can't go into details about it now, but on Friday, I can show it to you. After a year of working on it, I think I might have it ready for the board."

"Friday… Huh, three days still remain."

"Suppose so…" his voice gradually lowered. "With the already existing theory of our quantum mechanics, this formula should be fine… but those mechanics are wrong, so it wouldn't work…"

Nazar suddenly stopped writing.

He let his hands loose and let out a heavy sigh.

"I guess I will have to solve the current quantum mechanics by tonight. If I don't, I end up losing the contract…"

From the corner of his eyes, he noticed Laura.

He seemed slightly confused, but also a little happy.

"You aren't Ms. Puff?"

"..." Laura stared at him blankly. "The what now?"

"Oh, I call her Me. Puff because she is... well… you know…"

His words and voice gradually slowly trailed off as he glanced away.

She had an idea what he was going to say, so she smiled stiffly at him.

"Oh, welcome back," he changed the subject and focused on her. "How was your break?"

"So?" Laura crossed her arms in front of her chest as a soft, thin smile spread on her face. "Who is Ms. Puff?"

"Oh. Ah. Right. Of course," Nazar momentarily found himself unable to answer her question. He glanced left then right with the corner of his eyes until he finally found an answer. "Yes. Ms. Puff - her real name being Erica Morales - is the head of physics in this uni."

"But you don't study physics."

"You are right, I don't, but I do other projects for the physics department."

“Hmm,” she narrowed her eyes slightly with great interest.

She could tell he was hiding something.

While they were talking, a woman - who seemed like in her late thirties - entered the room.

Laura turned around and immediately thought, Huh, I think I understand the Ms. Puff nickname then… Why is she built like that? Those hips and those breasts… They are big...

"Oh, if it isn't my favourite student being naughty in my absence," the woman said as she winked.

I think her breasts are fake. Laura smiled wryly at the teacher.

The teacher, who was wearing a tight grey skirt with a light pink shirt, walked towards them. In her right arm, she was holding a folder, which was resting on her generous chest.

"So, who are you, young lady?" the teacher stopped in front of Laura. She turned to her left and smiled at her.

"Oh, hi, I am Laura," Laura extended her hand as she introduced herself.

However, the teacher didn't notice that because she started to walk as soon as Laura began to introduce herself.

To not embarrass herself, Laura slowly changed the trajectory of her hand and raised it to her head. She strolled her fingers through the side of her hair, fixing it.

While she was fixing her hair, from the corner of her eyes, she noticed something different about Nazar. His face seemed far more energetic.

Hm?

She could have sworn she saw glitters - real glitters - around him.

His physical form went through a slight change as his hair increased by a centimetre and were no longer as messy as they would have been. In addition, his muscle mass seemed to have decreased just slightly to make it look a little more attractive.

Perhaps it's that personality of his…

Over the many months, she realised he has different personalities and she recognised some of them immediately.

Especially this one, which she hates. It is not much different than the usual Nazar, but he is more confident that the real Nazar.

"Nazar, I am disappointed in you."

"Well, that doesn't surprise me." While he wasn't new to the concept of disappointing others, he wondered what he had done wrong now. "But why?"

"Hmm."

She placed the folder on her desk, which was stationed at the edge of the class, and turned around to face Nazar.

The teacher placed her left hand on the table and leaned against it as she looked at Nazar.

Like usual, she had a soft smile on her face.

I really don't like that smile…

"Oh, I wonder why."

She narrowed her eyes slightly and Nazar shrugged.

"Remember, I am being transferred to the California campus on Saturday."

"I know…" Nazar's mouth gaped open as he realised something. "Right, right. I see. I promised I will do more work. I mean, I did. But… uh…"

Seeing how the teacher was displeased, his words trailed off.

"I see, that's not what you meant then."

He walked closer towards the teacher.

"But I had things to do."

"Sigh, my last summer and you ruined it for me."

"Fair enough, I did agree to go with you to… (where was it again?)... and I will. One day. Well, today. Do you want to go today?"

"It's in Antarctica!" she was not angry but baffled by this man.

"Right. Of course."

"One day then," she let out a heavy sigh as she turned around and sat at her desk.

“So,” Nazar smiled softly at her, “I can make it up to you. Maybe it won’t be as long as summer, but it will be better.”

“Oh?” she narrowed her eyes as she leaned back in her chair. The tips of her fingers touched one another in front of her chest, forming a triangle. “How?”

“Even one night is enough.”

“Mmm.”

She isn't leaving anything to the imagination, huh… That cleavage is too big.

Laura looked at her own chest, wondering if her cleavage was similar to this teacher.

Wait… with a confused look on her face, she raised her head slowly. Am I jealous of her?! NOOOO!

Inside her mind, she screamed and cursed herself.

She loved this man - for reasons which she did not know - so seeing him this close with someone like that, it brought her nothing but displeasure.

To make it worse for her, Nazar sat on the desk next to the teacher.

"They seem awfully chummy together," she said slowly in a bitter tone.

Realising that she wasn't thinking at the moment, a yelp left her mouth. She quickly covered it, hoping no one would hear it.

Since no one was paying her any attention, she let out a sigh of relief.

“Have I ever disappointed you before?”

Erica shook her head slowly.

“Mm. So, we should--”

“As fun of a date as it sounds, I can’t do that.”

“Well, that’s a bummer, isn’t it?” Nazar seemed disappointed. “I had great plans for your final week here.”

“Anyway,” Erica looked at Laura, “What brings you hear, dear?”

“Me? Oh. Nothing. I was just passing by… Sorry, is there something wrong?”

Erica narrowed her eyes as she played with her lips using a pin.

“Nazar, care to explain yourself?” she asked him slowly.

“Your majesty, I have done nothing wrong.”

She picked up a piece of blu tack and threw it at him.

“No, I am serious. She is just a friend.”

“A friend…”

“Yes,” Nazar nodded.

“Hm, well, it doesn’t matter,” she stood up. “You can use this room; I will make sure no one comes in. Take your time,” she winked at Nazar as she began to walk away.

“Just because I did it with you here often, doesn’t mean I will do it with just about anyone.”

Erica walked back without turning around and flicked his nose.

“Now, now, dearie, don’t hold yourself back.”

She placed her palm on his head and messed up his hair even further.

With her glittering eyes and seductive smile, she said, “I will be back tonight, so better clean up after yourself.”

“I told--”

“If you are free tomorrow, please come and find me here. I need to talk to you about your new theory and introduce you to your new handler.”

“I see, thank you.”

In a muffled voice she added, “If things don’t work out for you today, you know where to find me.”

Erica winked for the last time and walked away. She passed Laura and nodded at her.

Leaving the classroom, Laura and Nazar shared ambivalent glances.

Laura looked at the door as she chuckled, “Well, that was...”

While she was looking away, Nazar’s form returned to his original.

When she turned around, she realised how different he looked.

She wasn’t sure if she liked that she could tell the difference between his different personalities.

Sigh. I think my initial idea was right… He might be a vampire.

“Since you are already here,” Nazar got off the desk and walked to the back of the room. He pointed with his arms to the end and continued, “Come, let me show you something cool.”

He walked quickly to the farthest edge of the class.

"I apologize for not coming that night, something important came up."

She was taken back slightly when he said that abruptly.

Oh…? Oh that. I completely forgot about that.

"Oh, that's fine," she waved her hand in a dismissive manner.

Okay, that's good enough. I thought you were… But her...

"Hey, Nazar…" she asked nervously. She kept questioning if she wanted to know the answer to it or not.

"Yes?"

She started to walk towards the edge of the class.

I can't just ask him if he has multiple personalities… That would be…

Laura wanted to hear it from him, but she thought it would be insensitive, so she sucked in a deep breath and smiled. She didn't want to ask that question, so she asked a different one.

"Was she your girlfriend?"

"Her? No, not mine. But not really, either. When I first came here to this uni, her husband had divorced her and we kind of got along and did some stuff once in a while… But nothing serious."

Her eyes widened slightly before she bit her lip a little.

That confirms it.

"I see."

While she didn't ask a question about his other personalities, she got her answer anyway.

Laura couldn't help but feel a little sympathy towards Nazar.

He began searching through his desk and asked, "Leaving that aside, are you familiar with the M-Theory?"

"..." she stared at his back blankly. "No."

"Hm. To keep the long story short, it argues that the universe is made from eleven spatial and temporal dimensions. Some argue that it's the structure of the multiverse, but some argue it's the structure of a single universe in the multiverse."

"...Okay?" Laura wasn't sure if it had any relevance to her. Outer space and the universe weren’t a subject she cared a lot about.

"But that's wrong. A single universal construct is made from six dimensions only. But the multiverse is made of ten thousand phases - dimensions. For the record, these dimensions are not to be confused with alternate universes."

"..."

Laura squinted her eyes as she glanced left and right, wondering why he is telling her all of this.

What she did not realise was this man was answering the burning questions people had about the universe.

"Cool… I guess?"

"Are you familiar with the concept of infinity? To be precise, the concept of a lesser and greater infinity?"

"...No? I don't think my syllabus covers that part," a part of her was getting slightly frustrated with him.

"Here."

He found something on his desk and held it in his palm. He extended his palm towards Laura, who was far away, so she had to walk faster and faster to get to it.

"Take it," he smiled excitedly, almost like a child who was holding a toy.

Seeing his reaction, she clicked her tongue silently. She felt bad for being frustrated with him earlier.

"I know you do not care for space or the universe, or the infinities, but please, bear with me."

Laura looked at the small square-ish device in her hand and wondered what it really is.

"If you don't like it, I won't present this idea to the board."

"Huh?!" a squeaky voice left her mouth as she looked at him alarmingly. "You are going to do something so stupid?!"

"If it doesn't impress you, then it's not worth it."

Guilt began to overtake her as she thought about the possibility of her answer and reactions. In addition to guilt, the pressure on her at this moment was causing her knees to feel weaker.

"WHAT--"

Nazar tapped the top of the device as a light show began to brighten up the dimly light dark end of the room.

The light danced in front of Laura as if it were fairies, beautiful fairies who brought nothing but goodwill and happiness.

With every glitter and flicker of light, Laura's eyes and mouth gaped open wider and wider.

"Ah…"

The guilt and pressure vanished in an instant as joy began to cover her entire being, a joy she couldn't begin to understand.

"The concept of lesser and greater infinity is simple. Every atom of our body, our appliances, clothing, house, home, the universe, contains a universe of its own. A universe within an atom, a universe with people in it."

He wasn't sure if Laura heard any of that, but he continued to explain.

"And their atoms contain universes of their own. And so on and so on. The cycle never ends. But the same is true to us. We, humans, and our worlds, and universe, are atoms of a higher being. In turn, that being is an atom of another larger being."

In front of Laura the light slowly began to fade away.

"You are holding a multiverse in the palm of your hands and you witnessed a big bang. Small, isn't it? But that's what the concept of a lesser infinity is."

Laura, overwhelmed with what she just heard, simply stared at him. The emotions in her eyes were varying, ranging from surprise to astonishment, but also contained emotions such as confusion.

"Our multiverse has thousands of phases, each bigger than before - sans the six dimensions that make up our universe. But to lower beings, every different part of our body and universe is a different layer of their reality. Their existence. Infinite number of infinities, it sounds weird, does it not? But at the same time, it makes so much sense, does it not?"

Unlike her, he was extremely excited.

"By the way, the device you are holding is a dimensional storage device, but different. Essentially what I did was break apart the molecules of an object and sent it to the lower worlds for safekeeping and it's return created a big bang of a sort---"

When the light in front of Laura had faded away completely, hundreds of white papers flew out of this small device, which startled Laura, "Gah?!"

In a moment of fear, she let go of the device which fell to the ground, and it broke into small pieces.

Laura’s hands were shaking, and her breathing was heavy.

Her shoulders trembled slightly as a variety of emotions danced on her face.

It… Can’t… What… But if… I-- I--

She swallowed her saliva, but her dry throat won’t change.

With every passing second, her heart began to become heavier and heavier, and her eyes began to well up.

But suddenly...

"Ah…" a faint gasp escaped from her dry throat as Laura noticed something warm pressing against her.

A lot of things went into her mind, but the last thing she was expecting was a hug from this man.

The warmth of a sun was engulfing her and hear fear.

But then she realised what she had done, so she moved away immediately.

What she did was incomprehensible - at least in her mind. She couldn’t contain the negative emotions within her. She ruined years of his work, and she couldn’t bear that responsibility.

With a worried yet apologetic look on her face, she says, "I-I-I am so sorry… I-I--- Now that's…"

"That… that was a whole year's… Shit."

She held her head between her palms as she began to sweat.

Laura swallowed her thick saliva as she looked down at the device.

"I… I am so… I am--"

She felt that warm sensation around her once again.

A rough hand slowly stroked the back of her head.

A soothing voice said, "Hey, don't worry about it. It's fine."

Her face twisted up slightly as streams of tears began to fall on her red cheeks.

Why am I...

There was no reason to cry, yet she did it anyway. Laura herself did not understand the reasoning behind it. She questioned it but there was no answer.

With every stroke of her head, she began to cry slightly louder.

With every heartbeat she felt in the chest of the other person, she clenched her eyes further.

"I am sorry."

"As I said, don't worry. This is simple enough to remake. I know the schematics, so it shouldn't take more than a few hours to remake it. Piece of cake."

"..." she bit her lip.

He unwrapped his arms from around her.

She felt his hands on her shoulders, so she slowly opened her eyes.

Nazar moved his right hand and wiped her tears.

Seeing the happy smile on his face, her heart skipped a beat as she sucked in a breath.

That is...

Before she could say anything, she ran out of the classroom.

I don’t understand you, after all.

His work was destroyed, and all he did was smile. That was an inhuman reaction.

"Hmm," Nazar watched in confusion as she left the class, then the building.

"You are getting awfully chummy with her, eh?"

He looked back and saw a floating figure who had her legs crossed. Her elbow was on her thigh, and she was resting her face in her palm.

Her red hair flowed with red energy.

"I…"

"I told you, didn't I?"

Nazar sighed.

"I know, Solace."

"I don't get why you are wasting your time. Missing an opportunity."

"I…"

Nazar's head lowered as he remembered the older timeline.

He could recall everything perfectly in that world, the good, the bad, and the ugly.

He sucked in a deep breath and raised his head with confidence.

"Fine. What could go wrong?"

He smiled in a relieved manner.

"Good."

He wanted to tell Laura something, but he didn't see her for the next few days.

လလလ

1st of October, 2020:

Nazar was sitting in a small class, different than Erica's, and talking to someone.

He placed his elbow on the table and leaned his head against it.

As he was next to the window, he looked outside and sighed.

"British weather… It sucks."

"You never cared about the cold or warm, anyway."

In the window, a woman with long red hair was sitting. Like always, she had a faint thin smile on her face.

The woman couldn't be seen or heard by anyone but Nazar.

"I know… but still, it's awful."

"Leaving that aside, I need you to meet with the Empress of AER-126 for me tomorrow. I have set up a meeting with him. We need to establish trade routes to another section of the universe."

Nazar sighed.

"Fuck off. You know how to deal with those people. Don't you have a personality - such as forty-two - specially designed for such matters."

"Yeah…"

"Then stop bitching and do it."

"Alright, your highness."

"Hmph," she jerked her chin away. It was almost childlike.

Nazar laughed softly.

"What?" Solace looked at him from the corner of her eyes.

"Nothing."

"Tch. Anyway, any news from your girlfriend?"

"Not my girlfriend, but no, nothing yet. I hope she doesn't feel bad about breaking something so simple. I mean it took me a swipe of my hand to restore it."

"Maybe you should tell her the truth."

"Hmm," Nazar pursed his lips as he thought about her suggestion. "I… Don't know if she is ready to know about the old world. I don't think anyone is. Or should they know about it. That world was… terrible."

"Of course."

Solace pressed her back against the window and looked at the ceiling.

To her, that old world is a memory she had gained from Nazar, she didn't survive its destruction. She was nothing but a robot. And she still is.

"What if…"

"It won't," Nazar replied sternly. "It won't happen again."

Solace nodded with pursed lips.

"Anyway," she stood up next to Nazar and smiled thinly. "Call your girlfriend."

"She hasn't been picking up my calls."

"You are getting ghosted."

"She is not my girlfriend," Nazar said in a faint angry voice.

"Yeah, sure. Of course. But if she came here just now and kissed you. What would you do?"

"I don't know, probably kiss her back?"

"That's it?! I CAN SEE YOUR THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS!" Solace laughed. “Come on, admit it.”

Nazar sighed loudly.

"I wouldn't mind getting sandwiched between Laura's boobs, thighs or her ass. That would be heavenly. There are a lot of things I would--"

"Umm…" from behind him, he hears a familiar voice which caused his body to stiffen.

Solace snickered.

Nazar slowly turned his head around and saw a beautiful woman in a beautiful black with glasses. In front of her, she was playing with her palms slowly.

On her face, she had a stiff smile.

Her face was flushed red, but Nazar did not notice that.

Nazar slowly got up as he tried to think of a way to change the current topic.

At that moment, Laura hurriedly said, "I am sorry about the other day. I truly am."

She was speaking so fast; it was as if she wanted to run away immediately.

He cleared his throat and said, "A-about the other d-day, I fixed it. A-ctually… Uh…" he was trying not make eye contact with her. "Yeah, um, right. I wanted to show you something even better than last time. A molecular converter and matter creation device that allowed me to repair it very quickly."

He started looking into his bag while Laura's smile became stiffer and stiffer.

She looked down as she tried to regain her posture, but her body felt like it was shrinking into itself.

Just what the hell did I hear?!?! Her stiff mouth started to shake as her face burned redder and redder.

"Shit. Where did I leave it?" Nazar muttered to himself.

He glanced back and saw Solace laughing.

This bitch… he clicked his tongue.

Solace waved her hand as she slowly vanished into the wind.

Nazar looked around in his bag while Laura's face continued to grow redder. From her lips, an odd inaudible voice escaped.

She slowly raised her head, perhaps to see if he had found what he was looking for. But once she looked up, their eyes met at once.

The moment their eyes full of lust met, Nazar sighed and slowly said, "This is awkward."

Immediately after, he took his bag and started to walk away.

As he was about to pass Laura, a hand reached out to him and touched his arm, stopping him.

Laura, who was looking down with a red face while holding onto his sleeve, slowly said, "Do you want a taste of heaven?"

At first, Nazar did not understand. It took him a few seconds to digest what she had told him.

Without hesitation, he asked, "How much?"

Laura's embarrassment faded away immediately as did the awkward atmosphere between them.

She slapped his arm angrily - albeit sarcastic, "What do you take me for?!"

Nazar laughed.

A hint of redness spread over her face once again as she looked into his eyes.

"You can be really annoying sometimes," she said slowly as she looked away.

"I know."

Nazar looked at the door and then to Laura.

Seeing how there was no one around, the bag from his shoulder dropped as he placed his hand on her cheek.

"Wait…" Laura worriedly looked at the door, which was closed, but part of it was made of glass so they could be seen. "Here?"

Nazar did not say anything but leaned forward.

Despite being worried, she closed her eyes and kissed him on the lips.

As their lips locked, their tongues touched. The hot fluids in their mouths were exchanged, causing their breathing to become erratic.

Laura's hands moved and started to unbutton his shirt.

Nazar moved his head away slightly for a moment and said, "Are you…"

She nodded with her lips pursed.

"Then we might as well move to a corner."

Laura's heart was beating extremely fast, both out of excitement and out of fear. She worried they might get found out, but that thrill made her experience even better than she could hope for.

A long time passed and the two of them finished. Laura left immediately after, leaving this place quickly while Nazar began to hum happily.

After a few minutes, he left the classroom and saw his two (idiotic) friends.

"Why do you have lipstick all over your face?" Chris asked.

"You really forgot about that teacher after two days, huh?"

The corner of Nazar's lips curled to the side and formed a thin smile.

He walked past them happily.

လလလ

For the next few days, whenever and wherever the two met, they couldn't keep off each other.

They slept with each other almost each day, and it was fun. But at the end of the day, Laura felt something amiss.

One night as Nazar was changing while she laid naked on her bed, she moaned slowly and said, "You free tomorrow?"

"Not sure. I was meant to do something with someone. Why?"

"Mm, nothing."

Nazar nodded and left her room.

While she laid there, her happiness slowly faded away and was replaced by a bitter feeling.

She cowered in her bed as she bit on her thumb.

"Ahhh," she sighed heavily, knowing this was all empty. Empty happiness and excitement that she can only experience for a little bit.

Laura wasn't sure if she was the only one out of the two who wanted this to be more than just a few minutes of excitement.

Maybe he has a girlfriend?

Her eyes widened slowly as she sat up abruptly. As soon as she sat up, she sandwiched her face between her palms with force.

"Let's not go there."

She hated that idea for various reasons. Laura hated the idea of cheating, and she did not want to be the cause of a conflict between two people.

To not think about that, she went to the shower and took a cold shower in the middle of October, which she obviously regretted the day after when she found herself coughing.

Unlike normal humans, her cough went away awfully quickly, and she won't know why for many months to come.

လလလ

31st of October 2020, London:

Their lives continued the same for days. The process was the same each day, and every day, the bitterness in her heart grew.

But she wanted to change that today, the day she entered this world twenty-one years ago.

She went out with her friends to a restaurant then q pub and had their fun, and while she was out there, she came across a familiar figure.

She left her friends - who obviously encouraged her - and left the pub with Nazar.

Nazar's home was nearby so they went there.

While they were undertaking their usual activity, Nazar suddenly stopped and asked, "Will you be my girlfriend?"

At first Laura thought she misheard, so she asked again.

He repeated his question and immediately after, she choked in surprise. The way he asked her was extremely weird by her standards, so she was taken back slightly.

"WHAT?!"

"Yeah. I can see that we got a bit of a spark between us, and thought, maybe you know… Well, if you don't--"

Before he could complete his sentence, a set of warm lips were pressed against his.

He got his answer, and in his heart, he was happy after a long time. He felt like he had achieved true happiness - even if for a little while

"Yes!"

လလလ

The next two weeks passed slowly but happily for them.

However, Laura began to feel something amiss. As if she were beginning to forget certain things about this man.

Since their exams were nearing, the time they spent together was extraordinarily little compared to before.

They were busy in their own worlds and did not get to spend any time together. Even when Christmas break came in, they couldn't because of the coming exams.

The two of them wanted to do so much together, but couldn't for external reasons, despite living in the same house. She had moved to his apartment because she preferred the quiet and warm atmosphere here than the loud one in her accommodations.

Her exams ended at the end of January, so she had a little free time before grinding for her exams and assessments in April and May.

In February, they did everything they wanted to do during Christmas, but Nazar began to feel distant. She couldn't tell how or why, but she felt that something was amiss with him.

And then…

In March, she stopped seeing him.

He didn't come home anymore.

Laura would occasionally see him at university, and they would talk, but she realised that he might not remember her.

Even worse, some days she felt like he didn't even know himself.

Could it be…

She knew about his multiple personalities, so she thought the real one had lost control.

While she had no definitive proof about his multiple personalities, she knew he had them.

So, she decided to give him his space. And she could not waste time worrying about him when her exams were right around the corner. Years of arduous work, and it was finally coming to an end, so she couldn't afford to leave her studies aside.

And after March, she did not even see him for a long time to come.

လလလ

22nd May 2021:

She had regained her memories of the old world recently, which took her quite a bit of time to adjust to.

While he didn't turn out to be a vampire, he turned out to be something else - something far more powerful and frightening.

It all makes sense… He lost his memories, didn't he?

Laura knew him in the old world, and she knew how he had lost his memories when he was young. In addition, she also knew that when he returns from death, he sometimes forgets certain things.

Knowing what he had gone through, it saddened her.

But she did not show that on her face, instead she spent a normal night with her friends.

But it all went sideways when she saw an angel. And then… Nazar returned with a virus in his body.

She took him home and figured it was time to stop hiding that she remembers the old world. She told him that she remembers, he was more terrified than surprised.

And on that day, she found out he had cheated on her. In anger and disappointment, she left his home.

While at work, she thought a lot about what she learned today.

Laura knew about his multiple personalities and now his memory loss.

So, there is no need to be angry at him, right? He did say it wasn't him…

She clicked her tongue loudly.

The entire day, she could not focus on her work, but she didn't care because she was leaving this job soon anyway. But these few hours of work gave her enough time to think about what happened and took everything into consideration.

It made her feel better knowing it wasn't the real Nazar who did all of that.

But at the same time, it wasn't something she could forget and forgive so easily.

"Ah."

She realised something.

Well, I was only going to be together with him until my uni was over, and that's done. I will be leaving in a few weeks anyway. Yeah. Yeah, that's right.

She sucked in a deep breath and exhaled loudly.

Yeah.

She decided to forgive and forget what happened and spend the remaining few days with him happily.

But…

Those few days became a few weeks, a few weeks became a whole year.

Spending an eternity in a psychic plane, her love for him grew, and so did his. He loved her so much that he changed his opinion on marriage and asked her to marry him.

They are going to get married and live happily ever after. And have a child, grow old and she would pass away, but she would die knowing she lived a fulfilling life.

No, to be precise, they were.

Now… he is dead.

She felt his soul die, and felt his mind evaporate into a trillion pieces.

"Huh…?" with a horrified look on her face, she stared at the wall opposite her.

She felt him die earlier, but she was unfazed because she knew he will return. This time, however, was different.

He truly died, leaving her behind, all alone in this never-ending universe.

The Celestials came to Earth, and they were about to destroy it, but she didn't care. She didn't care at all.

Nothing mattered to her.

She covered her mouth with her hand as it welled up.

God was dead, the true God of all, and the end of the universe was coming ever closer, but she did not know or cared.

Why…

From the universe, she asked. But it did not reply.

It did not give her an answer.

Because even the universe doesn't know. Even the multiverse doesn't know.

Her answers reached the ears of the cosmos, but they did not reply for they did not know the answer either.

No one did.

How did an unkillable God die?

Laura's house was moved out of this dimension by Emily, but she did not realise that.

Laura, thinking she was still on earth, buried her head in her knees and cried her heart out.