A Dream? Illusion? Trick? Or Just A Memory?

Knock—!

"France! Why are you so loud?! It's still early! Thankfully, I was the one passing by. Who knows if it was the others," A female voice, which sounded like an old lady, said in a regretful tone as she sighed.

It was a voice I seldom hear.

Still looking at my disheveled hair with tired eyes and a slightly moody face, a body that is somehow muscular due to regular exercise, and a quite handsome face, I threw a gasp before answering, "I-I'll take that in mind Ms. Landlord,"

The old lady humped as she answered that didn't sound like a threat, "You better be!"

Her footsteps receded as she return back to her apartment and the room descended into silence.

"No way… it's actually a dream?"

I looked at the calendar placed on my apartment door and saw that today's date was January 21, 2026. I was re-reading the book Unyielding Hero and I knew I was in the last part of the novel, stopping myself from reading right before I slept.

Remembering something important, I looked at the bed and saw the book just right beside my pillow. There wasn't special anything about it and is just the same as the books on my bookshelf.

I quickly moved into the balcony and smelt the same polluted air due to the gas and factories mixing from everywhere. Regretting my decision, I head back inside.

"I actually died… Yes, if it was a dream, I wouldn't have felt that intense feelings. Oh fuck, then, what the hell is this? Is this heaven? A glimpse of my past self before I become accepted by the dear Lord? I'm not actually a believer so I might actually go to hell… Fuck!

Even though I knew I shouldn't draw conclusions for now, I can't just help it.

What if I was really back? If I am really and absolutely back, then how do I explain what I've encountered? All those people in the novel, the smell of money, the dangers lurking, the devil itself… Are those only imaginations?"

I was momentarily unable to perceive more thoughts regarding this matter, in fact, if I tried to tell my experience to the people I knew, they will really think that I'd become crazy.

Picking up my phone which had fallen on the ground, I sat down on my bed, and nervously checked for the time says 8:19 am, Monday. A day had just passed for me.

Swiping my hand, I began searching for the news and seeing if this reality is real. The news, online websites, forums, apps, games, and many more things are the same with slight alterations since there's a new movie that had been released or games that had been introduced.

I let out the greatest relieved sigh from my mouth. I'm still doubting if this was real but right now, I'm half sure.

"Okay…"

This time, I plan on communicating with my neighbors which I have never done. Though I wasn't much of an extrovert, it would appear suspicious if I started acting that way hence I decided to buy a few delicacies from a few shops and let them wrap as some sort of gifts.

Since Christmas just ended last month, it wouldn't be bad for them to receive some, albeit late, it's just having the goodwill of having nice neighbors such as themselves.

Everything was arranged in just an hour.

Going out of my apartment, I did everything I had planned in mind and began giving the gifts to the neighbors with a smile on my face that didn't look suspicious and anger-trigger action.

In just an hour, convincing myself that this was real had raised to 75% and there was one more need to do to determine that this was real. To walk outside and see the view myself!

Since it was Monday and there was work, I will just make an excuse that I was sick and tomorrow, then continue my life as if nothing happened.

"Yes!"

Clenching my first tightly, I raised it and shouted vigorously.

'I already did my part in that world and it was up to Isaac to do his role. It seemed everything was arranged just for this to happen, no?'

…

Beep—! Beep—!

Busy roads, busty cars, the smell of smoke coming out from gas, people going inside and out of the buildings, someone trying to sell their products, some plastics, and trash flying from everywhere…

Yes, this is the world I know!

"Hell yeah!"

I was so delighted that I almost punch the people passing by. Without further ado, I walked towards the vending store and nearby shops and began tasting the food they could offer.

It doesn't matter if I wasted money here. They could be reimbursed when I received my salary at the end of the month. Besides, I have some leftovers from my refrigerator and iced products that could make me survive until the end of the month.

'Adding the rent from ms landlord… the water, electricity, necessities, savings when something bad happened, yep, I can enjoy myself today!'

My food shopping began.

…

"Yeah, I'm finally free!"

Shouting my freedom while standing on a highway bridge, the people that heard me give me weird looks before just passing by, thinking that it was just another play or related to being a lunatic.

I walked through the edge of the bridge and admire the view on my front while watching the cars with a satisfied expression.

I didn't even know watching the cars would be so fun.

Sucking the food into my mouth, I stick them before swiping my phone to see if there's any more news to see. The time was 12nn and it was rush hour in some places.

"I should probably get back and throw the book on my bed," Muttering slightly, I was about to stuff my phone into my pockets when suddenly, a collision of two cars was heard from below.

"Weewo! Weewo!"

Alarms of those cars resounded as nearby people began to gather around to help. My eyes darted toward it as a weird look flashed on my face.

Crash—!

The cars on the road soon crashed with each other producing half-chaos that left everyone confused. In just a minute, screams echoed through the streets and the bridge itself.

"Kiyahhh! What is that?!"

Stopping my quivering hands from shaking as I watched the cars banging into each other, a person shouted while standing on the same bridge as I am, pointing something above the clouds.

Those who heard it, those who weren't, everyone had their attention on the clouds.

"What in the world is that?!"

Terror and distress were plastered on their faces.

I wasn't different. Just as I thought everything was going well, the image of reality on our front makes us cower in fear.

Tak—!

My phone in my left hand had fallen due to the non-stop shaking.

'This is not real—'

"Roar!"

A huge vortex that almost eat the clouds had mysteriously appeared. Monsters and unimaginable creatures emerged as they flew, fell, swarmed, and annihilate the places they landed on.

'Don't look,'

"Ah…"

Also at that moment, I heard a hushed voice inside my head.

The reality I saw started to crack as if I was in a broken mirror watching what was happening, before a thread pulled me back to the edge of the bridge, falling in it, and soon disappearing into nothingness.

The glass reality broke, replacing a new world.

In this world, different colors mixed up as if I was in space, complementing each other, and they didn't look ugly. Just a few meters away from me was a normal house that didn't exclude any pressure from the people looking at it.

But for me, the normal ones here are the most dangerous ones.

"Omen! You again?! Just what did you show me?!"

I'm having issues with this devil already and after this was already unforgivable. If I saw him again, I would really punch him.

"Easy now,"

The voice which I had heard earlier resonated once more and the door of the house opened, revealing a face that even brought me a greater shock.

"Noelle?"

It was the real Noelle!

His emotionless face and his strong physique are clearly depicted, completely identical to the one I have transmigrated into but much lower in terms of age, the immense experience clearly emanated with a few scars left and right, the one I saw vividly at the time I lost on thought between Valen and Isaac's battle, was in my front!

"Hello, France," Noelle smiled gently, "I know you have questions, a lot of them. Why don't you enter inside?"

…

"Are you the reaper, Noelle—erm, senior?" I simply asked this question after Noelle led me to what seemed to be a dining area but I could see no food or utensil there.

This is just a house with no things at all except this table, well also the chair.

"Reaper?" Noelle slightly tilts his head, "Uh, no, I'm not that guy. I'm not a human, devil, or creature. I just… exist,"

"Oh…" Quickly snapping my thoughts, I asked another with a respectful tone, "Senior, what did I see just now? Is it just a passing memory when I go to heaven? The last dream before I die? A trick by the demon of detrimental? Or just an illusion?"

Noelle who looked at me with a questionable look shakes his head. By the looks of it, he began thinking of an explanation for what happened to me. In just a minute, he opened his mouth.

"Neither of those things you mentioned happened to you. For an instance, you are not dead in that world.

"What you saw out there, with your two eyes… well, I think you already know it since you've read my… well, I guess I could call it, a book,"

Huh?

A thought instantly appeared in my mind and I was about to ask for confirmation when Noelle spoke on my behalf.

"Yes, it's the Anomalies," Noelle paused, "And everything you saw is real,"