Chapter Four

Chapter Four - Faye

"If I could, I would do it alone"

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The distant sounds of kids playing reached my ears, a clear indication that I shouldn't keep my eyes closed. I needed to wake up, but an unseen force seemed to resist. Despite my attempts, my eyes remained shut. A voice echoed in my head, trying to convey a crucial message:

"The immortal—"

It paused, and I felt my arm instinctively rising as if reaching for the voice. I knew it was impractical, yet a deep fear gripped me that if I didn't grasp it, the message would vanish forever.

"—is going to die."

The words struck me with disbelief. The immortal, destined to die? How could that be? The concept of immortality clashed with the notion of death. Before I could delve into more questions, I found myself abruptly back in reality. Ry and Eli, the two kids, were now gazing at me with evident concern, their expressions mirroring the unease that lingered within me.

The weight of the revelation about the immortal's impending demise pressed upon me. The thought of an eternity of reincarnation without his presence filled me with dread. My hands trembled, seeking solace in the nervous act of nibbling my fingernails. My toes curled involuntarily as I lay there, eyes fixated on the ceiling, my breathing the only audible sound in the room.

Suddenly, Ry and Eli, the two kids, chimed in unison, "What's wrong, big sister Faye?" Their innocent voices cut through the whirlwind of my thoughts, grounding me in the present moment.

As I faced the innocent gazes of Ry and Eli, I hastily dismissed their concerns with a sheepish grin, "No-nothing, I'm fine. Just a nightmare, that's all." My feeble attempt at reassurance hung in the air, knowing well that it couldn't completely mask the turmoil within.

Deep inside, a resolute determination flared up. The notion of the immortal's demise, especially after enduring nearly a millennium of suffering, was unfathomable. Even if it meant sacrificing myself to undergo another cycle of reincarnation, I refused to let the immortal meet an untimely end.

Glancing at the clock, I registered the time: 10 AM. Realizing I was already late for school, a familiar occurrence, I decided to turn this tardiness into an opportunity. Today, I would skip class and embark on my own investigation.

"Hey, thanks for taking care of me today, but I gotta head to class now," I announced, patting both Ry and Eli on the head.

Before I could leave, they grasped my pants, their expressions filled with concern.

"Be careful," Ry urged.

"Don't get hurt," Eli added.

I smiled, squatting down to their level, wrapping each of them in a warm hug. "For you guys, I would never get hurt."

It was a lie, but a harmless one, meant to reassure them. These children couldn't comprehend the tumult within my mind. I longed for freedom from a world that had shown me its dark facets. I couldn't be happy; I had witnessed too much, and in this vast world, I was just one in a billion.