What Next?

"Sir? Please sit back down" said a nurse as she pushed me back.

"What happened?" I asked

"Someone saw you lying in the street. It looked like a hit and run. They called an ambulance and brought you here" she explained

"How long was I out?" I asked

"About three days. You lost a lot of blood" she said

The nurse left. I stared at the ceiling and wondered *Was it all a dream? It wasn't real?*

I looked down at my hand and saw a silver band on my ring finger. *Mal...has to be real*

A few hours pass and the nurse comes back.

"Excuse me, but how long will I be here for?" I asked

"Not long. You have recovered much faster than the doctor expected. As soon as he does a checkup on you, you should walk free" she explained

She was about to leave when she stopped and turned back around. She hands me a book that she had when she came in.

"This is for you. The man who found you said you were holding onto this book. I thought you would want it back"

I grabbed the book and saw the title "My Story". *The book…* I flipped through the pages but they looked different. I read the first chapter. *It's not the same. This book had written down every last detail of what happened to me. From the time I had reincarnated into Hero to when I had died*

The doctor came in and I was sent out. Panicking but healthy.

I went home. It was nothing big, just a small apartment that would only fit one person. My job at a local store didn't pay much but I didn't complain since it gave me enough to pay rent and food.

I laid down on the mattress and continued to read the book. I had finally made it to the last page.

"As Mal watched his one and only love murdered in front of his very eyes he yelled. He had been alone for so long. Hero, the only light in the dark, would never shine again."

"...They make it seem as if I actually died!!!" I yelled, outraged

I heard banging on the wall from the neighbors. "Shut it! Some of us have work in the morning!"

I put the book down and thought about what I should do next. *Now that I know that everything I had gone through was real. I can't leave Mal. I need to go back. But how?*

I picked up my phone. I searched for the author online and found a number. I dialed the number but when I pressed the call button, a message came up "I'm sorry but the person who you are trying to call cannot be reached"

I dialed the number several times after that but got the same response. *What next?*

*I'll guess I can start with the bookstore. I want to know if there are any clues there. After that...I don't know*

THE NEXT DAY

I stepped into the store and headed towards the front desk.

"I was wondering whether you still carried the book "My Story"?" I asked an older man

"Ah yes. That book has become quite popular nowadays." He said

"What do you mean?" I asked

"At first people came into my bookstore outraged. They said that they loved the original story much more than...what did they call it? Oh! BL" he said

"Original?" I asked

He nodded and continued "People say that the story was completely different a few days ago. One day, the pages went blank and the next, a new story had appeared. They were so angry. They even threatened to sue. I'm not sure how any of that was my fault though"

I looked down at the older man with pity and said "I'm sorry" *I feel as if that was my fault*

He waved it off and smiled "Don't worry. It's not like it was any of your fault. I will continue. After people stopped harassing me, word got out about the magical book. Many people came from far away just to get a chance to buy one. Some were interested in the conspiracy theory behind the book and others were really big fans of it."

"That sounds so cool" I said *I'm glad that people liked to ready my sufferings*

"The author even came out with a new book. I think it's a side story." The older man said

*Side story? That's new*

I thanked the man and walked over to where the man directed me. The place where the books were supposed to be were empty. *He wasn't kidding. They really are popular.*

There was a single book next to the empty space. *This must be the side story*

I read the title "The fools story" then I read the first chapter. *This is...Sebastian's story*