Chapter 1

"Good morning mama, papa. Today, I'm 24. Woohoo, right? Nothing much has happened since yesterday. As always, I'm still alone, with no friends and no lover...sorry I haven't found someone to give you both grandkids yet, but I'll try my best. I hope you both are doing well, wherever you are, and don't worry about me, I'm still standing strong."

A young man looked sadly at a black and white photo of a family of three framed and propped on a cabinet top as he celebrated his 24th birthday.

It has been 17 years since his mother and 6 years since his father had left for the afterlife. And he dearly missed them every single day after their death. The young man's mother had a rare untreatable terminal illness ever since she was young, which had made her weaker than most. She could have lived till at least 50 if she hadn't had him. Giving birth to him just weakened her further and shortened her already short lifespan. After holding on for seven years after his birth, she finally passed away at the ripe age of 35. His father, having been heartbroken by his wife's death, had his health deteriorating as the years passed, only passing away when his son was 18 after making sure that his young boy could live and manage his life independently without both his parents there for him.

Tears trickled down the young man's face as he blew the candles on the cake in front of him. Today was supposed to be a happy occasion for him, it was his birthday after all, but all he felt at the moment was a bitter sense of loneliness and a longing stuck in his heart. He was lost, just living life on autopilot, and day after day, he questioned the purpose of his existence, but there was never an answer.

"All right! I'm done with this pity party! Let's get some fresh air to clear my mind."

The young man abruptly stood up while frantically wiping the tears off his face. Wearing his coat, the young man picked up his wallet and left his house.

Outside the apartment complex he lived in was the usual scenery of a busy city street. The only change was the clumps of dirty snow dotted along the streets. It was the winter season and the snow was piling up these past few days. It was a pity that he had moved to the city for work. Winter would've made for the most amazing views back in the countryside where he used to live. Seeing the gorgeous snowy mountains and snow-covered trees outside of his old home everytime winter came never ceased to take his breath away.

Walking past rows and rows of brick buildings, the young man reached a riverside. It was his favourite pastime to walk along the river and enjoy the view of the clear blue waters. He didn't know why, but there was just something very calming in doing so.

As the young man leaned on the cold steel railings on the riverside, his mind blissfully cleared. The snowflakes falling in front of him, resembling tiny falling stars, and onto the partially frozen river was all he could see. Nothing could faze him at that moment, not the cold winter breeze brushing his cheeks and neither the snowflakes falling onto his face.

Oblivious to the young man, behind him, something paranormal was happening. The space behind him was distorting, warping and twisting, as if it was a glitch, or a bug, in the world. Nobody noticed it, or maybe they just couldn't, and some would even unconsciously skirt around the space when they came too close to it.

Turning around, the young man, unexpectedly, noticed the distortion. Letting out a small yelp, the young man froze on the spot from the weird sight in front of him. The people walking around him glanced at him strangely for a moment before going about their day, but the young man was blind to it all as the only thing he could see at the moment was the deformed space. He could feel the space calling for him, telling him to go to it. The feeling of home was so clearly felt from the space that he couldn't help but get so attracted by it. Slowly, as if entranced, the young man walked to the space. As he reached the space, a bright light flashed, before disappearing and bringing him with it.

The people on the streets weren't deterred at all by what had just happened, as if they were blind to it all. The memories of the young man in their minds slowly faded, disappearing into oblivion. It was as if the young man was never by the riverside in the first place, as if he had never existed in the first place. All that was left of the young man's existence was a black and white photo of a family of three, slowly floating down and onto the dirty city streets.