Prologue-3

"Pfft," Rose let out a small chuckle after hearing about Alex's dreams. 

He was apparently dreaming about the world being destroyed or something. 

It seems she was worried for nothing, thinking he was maybe reliving trauma from that day like he used to do in the past. 

But she was glad that it wasn't anything serious. 

"Why are you laughing?" Alex asked in annoyance. 

Rose smiled seeing his annoyed expression, which just looked cute in her eyes as she said. 

"Nothing. I was laughing at myself for getting worried," Rose explained. 

Hearing this, Alex got confused at why his sister wasn't taking him seriously, but before his confusion could grow, Rose spoke. 

"Stop reading so many fantasy novels and manga; they are affecting your dreams and making it hard for you to distinguish between real and fake," Rose explained. 

"Ah!" Alex exclaimed, finally understanding why she wasn't taking him seriously. 

Ever since the incident, Alex has pretty much spent all of his free time reading fantasy novels and manga for the sense of escapism they provide. 

Allowing him to forget about everything and experience a story without needing to think much about it. 

Over time, he had come to self-insert himself inside the main characters of this novel, imagining himself being able to walk, make friends, have parents, and do all the other things he couldn't do due to his crippled body and weird personality. 

Recently, he was really engrossed in a novel called "Necromancer of the Tower," which featured the main character using his undead-related powers to clear the tower. 

The thing that he really liked about this novel was how much time the author spent on each character and how lively all of the of the characters felt. 

It didn't even feel like he was just reading a novel, but rather that he was watching actual humans live their lives. 

He was still only at chapter 80, but just from the way the story was going, as long as the author didn't mess up in the future, this was sure to be one of his all-time favourite stories. 

Thinking about it, maybe his sister was right; he was becoming too dependent on escapism and over-engrossing himself in fictional works instead of focusing on the real world like he should be. 

After a few seconds of silence, Alex finally spoke. 

"Thanks sis I think you're right. I'll try to stop reading and watching fiction for a while and see if it helps."

Rose smiled upon hearing this, glad that her brother was able to understand what she meant without her needing to spell it out for him. 

Finally, having known the cause of his fall earlier and seeing him heed her advice, she decided to stand up and leave. 

As fun as it was to spend time with her little brother, she still had to go to her shift to pay the bills. 

After that, she had to do her two other shifts before she could rest for the day. 

Rose was currently doing 4 jobs from Monday to Friday and 3 different jobs on Saturday and Sunday. 

Meaning, in total, she was doing seven jobs. 

She had barely managed to complete high school and never got to go to college despite always wanting to go and being smart enough to get a scholarship. 

Sadly, life didn't care about what she wanted, and she couldn't juggle college life with all the part-time jobs she needed to do to pay the medical bills of her brother. 

It forced her to make a choice, and she chose the life of her brother. 

It was a choice she never regretted, and she would gladly make the same choice no matter how many more chances she's given. 

Just when Rose was about to finally leave, she was once again stopped by Alex's voice. 

"Hey, sis, I've always wanted to say something to you."

"Thanks for everything."

"If not for you, I'm not even sure where I would've been," Alex said with his face facing away from Rose, as he was too embarrassed to look her in the eyes while saying this. 

Alex didn't know why he was saying this now, but something told him that he would forever regret it if he didn't say it now. 

Hearing this, Rose smiled as she spoke. 

"We're family; there's no need for you to thank me." 

Alex also smiled, grateful to have a big sister like her, and after that, there was silence for a few moments before she finally broke it. 

"Well, enough chitchat. I'm getting late for my shift. See you later."

"Sure, bye, sis. See you later."

After saying this, Rose finally managed to leave for her job without being interrupted. 

However, what she didn't know yet was that this was the last time she'd ever be able to see her brother. 

Seeing her leave, Alex finally relaxed on his bed.

Alex was happy to have finally been able to thank Rose for everything she had done over the years. 

There was a lot more he wanted to say to her, and he also wanted to apologise for her being such a burden. 

But he could tell she was in a hurry, so he decided to not take any more of her time and let her go. 

A part of it was also because he was having trouble speaking and was barely able to hide it in front of her. 

For some reason, he was feeling really tired, and his eyelids were heavy, so he decided to just sleep. 

Unfortunately for him, once he closed his eyes, he never got to open them again as his vital signs displayed on a monitor beside his bed started dropping. 

On March 15, 2024, Alex White died at the age of 16.

The cause of his death was brain cancer, which randomly spread in his body despite the doctors estimations and killed him. 

While his life may have ended, his real journey hasn't even started yet. 

**

AN: 

The prologue is finally over. I kind of feel bad for Rose; she'll be devastated after learning about her brother, but it is what it is. 

It is time for the story to begin in the next chapter. 

Also, this is just a reminder, but make sure to join our discord, and if you like this story, your power stones and votes would be much appreciated. 

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