First Life

Ah, when was the last time I had this dream? 

I was standing in front of a glass wall. All the walls in this room were made from glass, from floor to ceiling. I was looking at the black marble floors but raised my head soon. 

I looked out towards the west. All I could see were the endless roads and buildings that stretched over the horizon. The sky was gloomy as it always is during winter in New York. 

The snow hadn't fallen yet as it was still morning.

"The snow should fall this evening" I mumbled as I raised the wine glass. It contained a bubbling black liquid. I took a sip.

Coke...I miss the taste of one of my favorite beverages. 

"That's where the building we used to live in was," I said as I gestured toward a building two blocks from where we were. 

"It looks very old now brother." said a deep voice from behind me. My younger brother had just walked in from the stairs below. He was wearing a dark blue suit and pants today. 

He was well over 6 feet tall and had wide shoulders. His muscles could be barely contained by the fitted suit. 

"That was 20 years ago. The building was already over 100 years old at the time." I said with nostalgia. 

"Why did the owners never demolish it and build something better on top?" he asked, now standing beside me. 

"They were cheap. They never fixed what they didn't have to. Sure they could make more money with a new modern apartment complex but they would still have to spend millions." I explained. 

"I see. They weren't the type to think about the future."

"Yeah. It's why their grandkids are selling it off. They don't want to manage it and would prefer to get a lump sum instead." 

"There's 8 of them so splitting rent from that old building would be useless. No one wants to live in something so archaic anymore. It's better to take a bunch of money and then do whatever they want."

"Does that mean you got it?" I turned and asked my brother. 

He faced me and said "Yeah. Only 15 million. it was a steal. Here." 

He handed me a set of papers that he was holding. I took it and flipped through it.

"They wanted out quick. They didn't even negotiate for a higher price?" I asked. 

"No. Most of them need money quickly. There is a group of properties they plan to buy in Turkey." 

"Redeveplment?" I started to walk away from the windows as I headed to the stairs. He followed behind me. 

"Yup. They plan to build luxury villas as a long term investment." 

We left the rooftop lounge where we often held small gatherings and headed to the elevator. 

I pressed the button to call it as we stood there in silence. My younger brother started adjusting his black hair which had become a little messy.

Ding!

The elevator arrived and we headed in. I pressed the button for the underground garage. I took out a card from my pocket and interested it in a slot on the panel. 

I really miss my cars in most other worlds and my current one didn't have any. Cars are one of my deepest passions so not having seen one fro fro so long, even in my dreams, was depressing. 

I turned to look at my brother as I had something to ask. The ride down from the 75th floor to the 2nd basement would be long.

I stared into his clean brown eyes that contained a hint of excitement and anticipation. 

"The election?" I asked. There was no need to be specific between us, He knew what I wanted to ask as he smiled widely. 

"Yeah. I'll run." he replied. 

"Whatever you need bro. I got you." I reassured him. 

"I know." He knows that I support whatever path he wants to take. I have done my best to make sure he lives the best life possible. To live the life he wants. 

We then went quiet after as there wasn't anything else we needed to say.

"Let's meet at Mom and Dad's place tonight. I will bring the kids." I said when I reached the garage. 

"The twins?" he questioned. He was walking to a row of black Cadillac Escalades that were surrounded by tall and muscular men in suits. 

"I'll bring them too," I said while chuckling. They hadn't seen their uncle and grandparents in over a month. Now that they had a winter break, I thought it was a good time to have a small reunion. 

"Perfect. I'll let Mom know. Bye. he said while laughing in excitement. He really loved the twins. 

It was good that he didn't mention my wife. He had become more sensible in the recent months. 

I walked to my red and black McLaren 720S and unlocked it using the button on my keys. I entered it and closed the doors. I watched it from the front as the doors to the garage entrance opened. 

My brother's motorcade of 9 black SUVs drove out in succession. I waited a minute until they had all gone out to leave as well. 

Vroom! Vroom!

The loud roars of the engine purred as I reveled in joy. Man, I really missed this. 

I revved the car some more as I readied myself to race down the crowded streets of the city. if I'm lucky, I would get to see my kids today. The cute creatures of pure innocence really melted my heart. 

"Ryan...Ryan."

Her voice echoed in my ears as I knew that sadly, I wouldn't see them this time. Maybe in my next dream, I can meet them again. 

I didn't mind too much as I knew that those days were long gone. I had a new life now, with a family that was just as sweet.

'Wake up. If you don't wake up. I won't see you for a week."

I will always miss them though. I wonder how they are doing. 

...

...

...

"I told you right! This threat works every time." I heard Elina's voice as she was right next to me. 

I saw her talking to my mom and little sister who were sitting on the side of the bed. The familiar ceiling, this is my room. 

Dad was probably out dealing with whatever the cult had done. 

"How long was I out." asked, my voice clearly rough. It hurt to just say those few words. It seems my body isn't going to recover that easily. It hurt to speak. 

"It's been a whole night." my mom said as he put her hand on my forehead. The warmth and softness made me want to go back to sleep. Her purple eyes, the same as mine, looked at me with care. 

Mothers are the best. I don't think anyone can change my opinion on that. 

"Hmm." I grunted in understanding. "How is everyone else?" I asked with great difficulty. 

"Your little unit is fine." Mom didn't like talking about this kind of stuff so she only said the minimum. 

Fortunately, Elina knew that I wanted details and she would be more than willing to tell me

"All had Minor injuries. The healers took care of them and they are back in full shape." she explained. 

"Hmmm!' I grunted again. This time with disapproval. I don't think I have the energy to talk anymore. Regardless, Elina understood that I needed more. 

"Your attack didn't hurt them that much as they only got minor burns from it. Aunty's maids almost died but the commander and his crew got there in time. Lady Kalen saved them. 

As for my aunt, she is currently unconscious but the damage done to her was quite high. Nothing permanent though. She will be back to normal in about a week." 

Good. Thats good. I bought just enough time. As for what happened to the cult members and that man who brought them, I don't care. It doesn't matter to the current me if they escaped or died in my attack. 

I could feel the state of my mana core so there was nothing I could do anyway. My body was aching and my mind wanted me to rest so there was no point in doing anything. 

I trust that everyone else can handle it. This kid did his best. It was time the adults made their moves. 

"Big brother..." Risa jumped on the bed, crawled over, and sat next to my chest. 

She looked at me with those green eyes filled with concern. I didn't want to see her like this but he didn't have much more of a choice. 

"It's fine if you can't play with me. I can wait." she said softly. Despite being only 5, she understood that I was not in a good state. 

I put in some effort and managed to squeeze out a smile. I said "Don't worry, I will play with you soon. I can even teach you the way of the sword." 

Damnit! My throat was yelling at me to stop but my body won't win against my will that easily. 

"Really!" Risa was so excited that she almost jumped on me. I left her when she was merely 2 years old but before that, I spent every day spending my free time with her. She had become quite attached to me and always said she wanted to learn the sword. 

She said she wanted to be just like me when she grew up. It seems like her memory was good. She remembered that aspiration for the past three years. She also hadn't lost her attachment to me. 

She really is a good girl so I would reward her by teaching her my ways. 

"Son..." Mom didn't seem to be pleased with my promise but it was okay. Her frown wasn't scary today. She sighed when I showed no sign of taking back my words. she just nodded and continued caressing my head. 

I looked over at Elina and she seemed to have many emotions and thoughts flowing through her head. Her expression was stoic but her eyes were cloudy. 

I can tell that she wanted to say a lot to me but now was not the time. She realized I was looking at her soon enough. 

She turned away from me and looked over to Risa. 

Huh.

What was that look?

Elina had a glint in her eyes as she was looking at Risa. That look. It only happened when she had some nefarious plan cooking in her mind. 

Elina got up and adjusted her blonde hair as she stared at Risa with her enchanting blue eyes. She walked up to the little girl and picked her up. 

"Let's let your brother rest. I'll play with you for now." Elina said as she took the girl out of the room. 

"Yay! Big brother and big sis are best." Risa said as she loved playing with Elina. She was the one who took the role of playing with her when he was gone. The little girl trusted her just as much as me. 

Mom saw the glint in Elina's eyes at looked at Risa with a concerned expression. She then frowned at Elina and threw a quick glare at her. 

Elina just sighed and bowed out of my room. 

As much as my mother doesn't like Elina, she at least understands that she wouldn't do anything to harm Risa. Mom can see that Elina treats Risa like her little sister. 

Now then, with only the 2 of us here, I could finally sleep again. Maybe I will be able to continue that dream.

My immediate concerns were gone. My mother's company and warmth from her hand should be enough for a comfortable sleep. 

I closed my eyes and fell into a deep sleep within seconds. The last thing I saw was my mother's warm smile. 

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"My child. Why must you always burden yourself like this?"

My stubborn child would not answer this, even if he was awake. 

He never seemed to understand how much it hurt his mother to see him like this. 

I can only hope that he finds a girl that can put some sense into him. My husband was just as reckless as him in his younger days but I fixed him.

Whenever I see that devious little blonde girl, I know that she won't be able to retrain him enough. 

That new girl black-haired girl seems even more reckless than him. She pouted there right now, fighting the cultist while swinging her sword maniacally. 

She was smiling with a devilish look as she seemed to revel in the screams of her victims. 

That girl won't be able to retrain him either. She might even fuel him and make it worse. 

Maybe it's time I find someone fro him myself.