"....."

I looked blankly at the ceiling of the hotel room. The night lamp flickered on and off as I kept pushing the button.

My body sank deep within the bed, lying comfortably.

A full day had passed since I met that weird man named Sam.

A new morning had arrived, but I kept myself holed up in the room, lacking the strength to walk out.

"....What was that?" I mumbled to myself, feeling increasingly tired.

No matter how much I tried to understand what had happened to me, I just couldn't.

At that time I felt like my chest was burning, and a voice kept echoing in my mind.

A voice that felt distant yet close.

A voice I didn't recognize but felt like I should.

But the more I looked at that portrait, the more it gave me a familiar sense of déjà vu from the depths of my memories.

"What was that?"

I asked again, but not to myself, rather to El.

[...I don't know. I can't see what's going on in your mind.]

"And who the fuck was Sam?" I snapped, glaring at nothingness. "You told me he wasn't dangerous."

[He was just a mortal, Az. Nothing was special about him.]

"Sigh..."

....Then why?

Why does it feel like everything he did was for a purpose?

[...Or, you are just overthinking.]

"...Maybe."

I mumbled, letting out a dry chuckle as I sat back on the bed.

"I wish that portrait hadn't broken into pieces."

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I mumbled with a tired sigh.

When I tried to remove the portrait from the wall, it crumbled in my hand, turning into dust.

'It was quite an old painting.'

I mused, standing up while taking out my phone, which I had kept on silent as I wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone.

Checking the logs, I found a few missed calls.

"Hmm? Christina?"

I mumbled as I looked at her name; she was the one who had called me the most.

Rubbing my temples, I dialed her number, and after two rings, she picked up. ƒrēewebnovel.com

"Where are you?" she asked, her voice filled with concern.

"In the hotel room." I replied, my voice coming out tired.

"Are you alright?" she asked, her voice growing even more concerned. "You sound a little down."

"I am fine." I replied, "Just a little tired."

"Should I visit?" she offered.

"No, why did you call me so many times?" I asked, rubbing my face with my plam.

"Yeah, I am at the mall." She replied, her voice chirping.

"I wanted to buy some dresses for myself, so I thought I should invite you as well."

"....."

What the hell am I supposed to do?

I don't even know how to select a girl's dress.

"Hello?"

"Where are you now?" I asked, walking toward the door. "I will be there in a while."

"Sweet, I will send you the location." She replied before hanging up the phone.

I walked out of the room, feeling a bit better than yesterday.

The rest of the students were out touring the entire empire.

"Come to think of it." I mumbled, walking toward the parking area. "We will be visiting the Bridge of Dawn tomorrow at midnight."

The dim red lights of the hotel started to fade away as I looked at the bike given to me.

I checked my phone for the address Christina sent.

I sat on the bike, quickly unlocking it before moving out of the hotel.

'...Delilah.'

I thought, the wind damping in my ears as I moved toward the highway.

'....Who are you?'

***

***

The mall buzzed with people roaming around the place; the ten different floors were filled with different products for everyone's use.

Navigating through the crowd, I took the elevator to the fourth floor where Christina was shopping.

As the lift ascended, I emerged into a large women's clothing store, its walls adorned with hundreds of garments.

I scanned the shop until my eyes landed on a girl with blue hair examining a dress.

Beside her stood a raven-haired girl, engaged in conversation.

I walked toward her, and she quickly noticed me.

"You took your time," she said with a smile on her face.

"Not that late," I replied, shrugging.

But before we could talk further, a cluster of white emerged from my side, turning into a child.

"Mama!" Willis exclaimed, using my body as support to jump at the raven-haired girl.

She smiled softly, catching him before twirling him around. "How are you, Willis?" she asked.

I glanced at Christina, who had a look of jealousy on her face.

"Can I buy some clothes for him?" she asked, looking at me.

"Sure," I replied, shrugging, to which she nodded before walking out and moving to a different store.

"What's with that look?" I asked, looking at Christina, who had a weird look on her face.

"It doesn't sit well with me," she replied, glancing at me. "Your child calling someone else Mama."

"He isn't my biological child," I reasoned, looking at the different clothes.

"A child is a child, Az," she replied, tearing her gaze from me and looking at the dresses. "It's not about being biological."

"..Sure." I mumbled quietly, not wanting to argue with her.

"Did something happen?" she asked, glancing at me.

"Nothing in particular," I replied, not explaining further.

And it's not like I can explain anything to her either way.

"My father called me," she mumbled, earning my interest. "He said to stay away from you."

I chuckled softly. "He must be constantly worried that he might really become a grandpa."

"Well, I needed to threaten him," she replied, shrugging. "Or else he would have tried to break our engagement at any cost."

"....I don't understand him," I whispered softly, folding my hands.

"There was a time when he didn't even care about you, and then all of a sudden he remembered he was a father."

"Do you remember when he started caring for me?" she asked, making me turn quiet.

With a sad smile, I whispered, "When I slapped you in front of him."

"Yep, basically you made his parental love ignite back," she replied with a chuckle.

But...

....I couldn't laugh.

I did a lot of awful things to her just so she would hate me.

I even went as far as slapping her in front of everyone.

And here she is, still sticking close to me.

We both have our flaws, but she always tried to mend our relationship, while I always tried to break it.

"Hey," she whispered softly, her hand reaching out and gently stroking my cheek. "...Don't make such a sad face."

"What sad face?" I replied, shrugging with a smile on my face.

"You know, Az," she mumbled, her gaze still on me, "When you're ready, please tell me everything that happened to you."

"....."

I remained silent, keeping my gaze on her.

Her blue eyes didn't back away as she kept staring back.

"Fine," I mumbled, earning a smile from her as she nodded in agreement.

"Right, I need your help," she said, grabbing my hand and dragging me away.

"Help with what?" I asked curiously.

She smiled softly, looking back. "In finding something beautiful."