Chapter 1: Huh?

Silence. The whole world was silent as I focused on my goal. The sound of the crowd faded into the background as I took steady breaths to calm myself. I looked at my teammates cheering for the one swimming in the water.

"Let's go, Shawn! Go! Go! GO!"

It's time.

I was walking up to the starting block when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around and saw my teammate and friend, Ryan Smith.

"You got this man. You're our anchor man, so you got this. Bring it home."

I nodded as I couldn't help, but grin. Maybe the excitement was getting to me.

"He's right, Jay."

I turned around and saw Eric. He was panting since he had just finished his swim before passing the spot to Shawn who was currently swimming his third lap.

"You got this. We trained for this. We travelled the world for this, man!

Eric gripped my shoulders,

"Bring it home, man! Let's bring the fucking gold home, man!" the teen shouted.

I simply patted his shoulder and nodded with a determined expression. Climbing the block, I held out my hands and waited for Shawn to arrive. I could hear the cheers for Shawn, but also the cheers for the other countries.

"Let's go, Shawn!"

"Let's go! Let's go!"

Eric and Ryan slapped the platform to hype Shawn up. Me? I waited. The crowd faded into the background once more. There was just me and my goal. There were no friends, no family, and no crowd. Just me, myself, and I. My feet gripped the starting block as adrenaline coursed through my veins. My vision tunnelled toward the wall on the opposite side of the 50-meter pool. Shawn was getting closer and closer.

And as soon as he entered my range, I swung my arms back in a circle before bringing them forth giving myself propulsion at the same time as Shawn slammed the wall.

"GOOO!" All three teammates shouted.

*SPLOOSHH*

Like an arrow, I dove straight into the water. As soon as my whole body came into the water, I burst into motion. I began doing butterfly kicks underwater toward the surface.

One!

Two!

One!

Two!

*GASP*

My head broke the surface, and I took a breath, before swinging my right forward in freestyle. One arm after the other, my arms were like motors as they turned without stopping and my legs continued to kick the water without hesitation.

*GASP*

As I took another breath, I could see another swimmer on my left and right by my side. Pushing my body, my arms swung even faster, and my kicks became even harder. I pulled and pulled at the water to propel myself forward.

My body began to burn as the lactic acid began to show its effect, but I could care less.

I had something to do.

I looked forward and saw the wall fast approaching. Looking underwater to my left and right, almost all of the other swimmers were side to side.

As soon as I passed the five-meter mark of the lanes, I prepared myself. I timed my stroke and… flip!

I flipped forward and planted my feet on the wall, before giving a powerful push. I could feel the resistance of the water as I butterfly-kicked once more and broke the surface of the water again. This was the second and last lap. As I took my breath, I could see the large chronometer display.

5:49:00

5:50:05

5:51:26

The time continued to tick, and I pushed forward. The other swimmers were right by my side as they too were giving their last-ditch of effort. It was close. They are close. I was right by their side and there was not much distance left.

5:57:78

5:59:00

I was toe to toe with the swimmer beside me. I could almost see his expression of struggle every time he took a breath. The other wall came, and I flipped once more.

The burn was getting stronger and stronger, but I couldn't care less. I had a gold medal to bring home just like Eric said.

The other swimmer from the Chinese team was keeping pace with me and I with him. At this point, there were only two of us. All the other swimmers were right behind us, but I shouldn't get careless.

Flip! Push!

6:28:77

6:29:30

There were now 50 meters left, I gave all my energy to all my limbs. At this point, I didn't even care about my technique, I only care about my speed.

47 meters.

36 meters.

25 meters.

15 meters.

There were now fifteen meters left. The Chinese swimmer was right beside me. At this point, it was just a game of who touched the wall first.

"AAARRRGHHH!"

I couldn't help but scream in a last-ditch effort. My last stroke for the men's 4x200-meter freestyle relay in the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. My arm shot forward and…

*BAM*

I smashed the wall.

"YEAAAHHHHHHHH!"

My teammates began to shout and yell in happiness. Seeing their reaction, I quickly turned the display

1- USA, 6:57:98 WR

2- CHINA, 6:58:77

3- ROMANIA, 7:00:01

Seeing the display, I couldn't help it. I screamed in joy as I smashed the water. World record! We beat the world record!

The audience also shot up and began to cheer at the display. With my grin reaching my eyes, I slowly got up from the water and looked at my teammates who grabbed me and we all hugged each other. We shouted and cheered. I couldn't help it. I too shouted along with them. We won the 4x200 meters men's freestyle relay in the Olympic games. For a swimmer, this was one of the highest achievements we could get: a gold medal and a world record.

Jay turned around and looked at the audience, there he saw his mother, Meera Patel and his older sister, Sonia Patel, holding a large USA flag banner as they cheered for him along with the other USA fans. I waved at them as they waved back. Even from afar, I could see his mother's tears of joy as the latter hugged her daughter. I'm not going to lie; it made me tear up too. This was my dream since I was a little boy and, today, I just fulfilled it. It was then the officials guided us to a resting area all the while congratulating us.

Everything seemed like a blur, and, before long, we were standing on a large podium. Everyone on the podium, even the Romanian and Chinese swimmers were grinning even if the latter lost to his team by less than a second. In swimming, a few milliseconds can change entire outcomes. A duo of men came in front of the podium. One of them was holding a platter with four medals of bronze, silver and gold each. They started giving the bronze to the Romanian team.

Suddenly, a sharp pain assaulted my head.

The hell? A headache out of nowhere?

Shaking my head, It's probably due to exhaustion. I've had similar headaches when I trained too long or too hard. I continued to look forward as I saw the man was now over to the Chinese team as he handed out their silver medal.

The pain returned once more. It was more intense, but I ignored it. I was too excited about my medal. The same went for Shawn. Ryan and Eric.

"Congratulations. You've earned it," The man said after giving my teammates their medals.

"Thank you, sir," I replied as I lowered my head for him to put the medal around my neck.

The man then gave me a handshake and he left.

"We will now rise for the national anthem." The announcer said.

In front of us, three flags were raised with the US flag being the highest.

The US national began to play and I placed my hand near my heart to listen. The whole stadium was quiet as the anthem continued to play.

*Throb*

"Hiss." I couldn't help, but hiss when my headache returned once again even stronger than before.

Luckily, my teammates didn't hear me.

Now, something was wrong. I was used to headaches even migraines. They were not new. But usually, they were in a constant degree of pain for a short while before disappearing. This one was getting more and more intense. And fast. I looked forward toward the flag to forget the pain as the anthem continued.

Finally, the national anthem ended, and everyone began to clap and cheer. My teammates turned and I was about to wrap my arms around them when Eric looked at me concerned.

"Hey, Jay. Your nose is bleeding."

Huh?

I wiped the bottom of my nose and found blood on my finger.

"What?" I couldn't help but let out quietly.

Shawn and Ryan then started to look worried.

"Hey, isn't it dripping too much?" the latter asked.

"Y-yeah. Does anyone have a tissue or something?" Shawn asked Eric.

"Don't look at me."

"Guys, it's okay. I'll just use my sleeve. We still need to take pictures." I replied as I wiped the blood.

Fortunately, the US uniform jacket had a marine blue sleeve making the blood stains not very noticeable.

Eric looked at me,

"Your nose is still bleeding, man."

For real?

I wiped again, but there was still a lot of blood. The headache was getting more and more intense.

What the fuck is going on?

I looked in front and started seeing black spots in my vision. My friends now looked worried.

"Jay. You okay?" asked Shawn.

What?

Their voices sounded distant. The black spots were getting larger as they began to obstruct my vision.

"Jay. Jay!"

Everyone was now looking at me. The other medalists also looked at me in confusion. The headache felt like nails driving themselves into my brain. Unfortunately, it wouldn't last long, I felt my body seize up as the darkness consumed me.

As I awoke, I found myself lying in a hospital bed. Looking around, I saw I was in a hospital room. As I tried to get up, I felt something in my right arm. I found myself looking at a tube attached to my arm and connected to an IV drip.

*Throb*

The headache returned, but it was not as intense as when I was on the podium.

"What happened?" I asked myself.

"Jay." Someone called.

I turned to my left and saw my mother and sister sitting on a chair beside me. They both looked like they had been crying.

"Ma? Bhen? What happened?"

Ma held my hand,

"You collapsed and had a seizure." Sonia said, "They rushed you to the Olympic medical team, but they decided to rush you to the hospital."

"Why?"

Sonia shook her head,

"I don't know. They said it was not a simple case of exhaustion, that's why."

I sighed. That's not good. Not good at all. And it just had to happen on the podium.

"H-How long was I out?" I asked.

"You were out for four hours, Beta."

Raising an eye, I asked,

"What time is it?"

"It's 7:00 PM."

I looked at them and let out a small smile,

"I'm sorry I made you worry."

"No no. It was not your fault, Jay. "

Ma turned to Sonia,

"Can you call the doctor, Sonia?"

Sonia nodded and went out of the room to search for a doctor.

I looked around and saw my medal on the table next to my bead. Smiling, I looked at my mom,

"Look what I got." I couldn't help but say.

Ma looked at the medal and smiled,

"I'm so proud of you, Jay. You've worked hard." She said and hugged me.

"You've worked really hard." She said as I felt her hug.

"Yeah." I simply replied.

"What happened to the others?" I asked.

"The whole team was worried about you, but the hospital hasn't cleared them to visit you yet. Only family. They'll probably come later." Ma said.

Nodding, I tried to distract myself from my headache.

"Are you feeling okay, Beta?"

I nodded,

"Well, I only have a headache right now. Otherwise, there is nothing much."

Suddenly, the door opened, and Sonia and a Japanese doctor came in.

"Ah! Mr. Patel. It seems like you are awake. My name is Dr. Yamagushi Naoto, or Naoto Yamagushi in the western way, and I am the doctor who is in charge of you. It's a pleasure meeting you. Congratulations on attaining first place in your event." the doctor said with a smile.

"Hello, sir. It's a pleasure meeting you." I replied, " And thank you."

"Good. Good. How are you feeling, right now?"

I winced as my head throbbed in pain,

"I have a headache, right now. I also feel exhausted. Like a lot more than usual."

'I see." The man nodded.

It was then Ma asked him,

"How is he Mr. Yamagushi? Do you know why Jay collapsed like that?"

The doctor looked at her,

"It is why I have come now. I would like your consent on performing a series of tests including an MRI scan to determine Mr. Patel's cause of his affliction. Usually, one would rule it as simple exhaustion, but we would like to make sure that it is nothing too serious. You won't need to pay as the cost is covered by the USA team's health insurance." The doctor explained before turning to me, "We only need your consent, Mr. Patel."

My mother and sister looked at me and I nodded.

"Sure."

Seems like being an Olympic athlete can have many benefits.

Half an hour later, I was lying on a bed in front of a circular contraption with a large hole enough for the width of a human body to fit. They did many tests such as blood tests, blood pressure tests, breathing, etc. This was going to be the last one.

Mr. Yamagushi along with other doctors were behind a glass panel overlooking the room I was in.

"Now, Mr. Patel. From now on, try not to move and keep your eyes closed while we get an MRI scan of your brain."

I nodded,

"Okay, doctor."

The doctor nodded,

"The test will now begin."

I closed my eyes as the bed moved inside the MRI machine. I could hear the faint whirr of the MRI machine working. After what seemed like an eternity, the machine finally stopped and the bed moved to remove me from the machine.

"Thank you for your patience, Mr. Patel. Now that the tests are finished, the nurse will now accompany you to your room while I will look over the results. You will receive them in an hour or two," Dr. Yamagushi said and a nurse helped me in a wheelchair.

My legs were too tired to move so they help me with a wheelchair. She wheeled me back to my room along with my mother. Sonia had gone to get some food for them.

Once in my bed, my mother asked me,

"How are you feeling, Jay."

I shook my head,

"My migraine is still there, and I feel more tired than usual."

"Do you want to go to sleep?"

I shook my head. Since I'm awake, I didn't want to fall back to sleep.

"Not it's okay."

"Do you want something to eat?"

"Nah. I'm not hungry."

"Tell me if you need anything. Your ma will get it for you."

I chuckled,

"It's fine mom. We just need to wait for the results."

As we waited, my friends and coach had come over to visit me. Apparently, I had caused a huge commotion due to me falling unconscious with a bleeding nose on live television. Hell, reporters were trying to get information on me and were beginning to speculate in their stories.

Around two hours later, I was reading some manga on my phone while my mom was watching her favourite Indian drama.

We're in Japan. It would be a crime to not research manga. It's a shame I was stuck in a hospital.

It was then Dr. Yamagushi came in with his documents along with a nurse.

"Hello, doctor. So, what are the results? Am I good to go?" I asked.

However, seeing his face sent triggered warning alarms in me.

He adjusted his glasses and let out a sigh.

"Mr. Patel. Since this is the result of your tests, I would like to ask if you want your family to be present with you or not."

I nodded slowly,

"Yes."

"Then please follow me to my office."

The nurse helped me in my chair, and we went to the doctor's office. Honestly, this whole situation was starting to scare me. I think my family picked up on that as they too looked nervous. Once we reached his office, Sonia and Ma took a seat in front of the desk while the doctor took his seat.

He then let out a sigh,

"Mr. Patel, I'm afraid what you have was not something as simple as exhaustion."

His words sent me into a panic,

"O-Okay? So what happened?" I asked.

Dr. Yamagushi looked at me before opening the folder and retrieving several paper-sized films.

Brain scans.

He then put two films on the table and presented them to me,

"Here I have MRI scans of the human brain. On your right, is the scan of a healthy male's brain while on the left is yours, can you spot the difference?"

I looked over the two papers with a gulp.

"I-I don't know sir." I couldn't help but stutter.

The man was scaring me.

"It's okay."

He nodded and pointed at a spot on my brain's scan. It was a large white spot that covered a huge part of my brain which was not present in the other scan.

"This here Mr. Patel is not supposed to be here."

"What do you mean?" Sonia asked.

"There are no other ways to say it, Ma'am. This here is a tumour in the brain."

"What!" Ma exclaimed.

"A tumour?" I asked, " As in cancer?" I asked shocked.

The doctor nodded.

"Yes, Mr. Patel. But I'm afraid it does not stop here. This tumour is called an Oligodendroglioma tumour which affects the primary central nervous system of the human body. The bad news is that this tumour has been shown to be aggressive and fast-growing. Making it a malignant tumour."

I was stunned. I couldn't breathe.

The one who spoke was my sister,

"T-Then is it curable?"

The doctor took his glasses off. That was not good. When a doctor takes their glasses off and looks at you, it means you're fucked.

"What you have is stage four brain cancer. There have been signs of spreading to the spinal cords through the cerebrospinal fluid as well as other parts of the brain." He said while pointing at some place on the MRI scan film.

"But-But Jay didn't show any signs that he was sick! He even performed well enough to get a gold medal!" my sister exclaimed.

I saw tears brim her eyes.

My mom was silent. Probably in shock at the news.

"Although, signs of cancer are usually shown early. There are rare cases, where the signs won't show until it's too late."

The last words struck me.

"Too late? What do you mean by that?" I asked.

The doctor looked at me with pity and I knew. I knew without him saying it.

"How long?"

Sonia looked at me horrified,

"Jay!"

I didn't look at her and continued to stare at the doctor.

"6 months. If you start treatments now, you can prolong that time."

"I see," I replied quietly.

"No." Sonia let out while covering her mouth.

My mom continued to remain silent. I knew it was hard on her and my sister because of my dad. My father passed away when I was only two years old, so I barely even knew him. But it was not the same for my sister, she had known him for nine years while my mom had known him since they were little kids back in India. My parents were literally childhood friends. Apparently, he too had died of brain cancer just like I was going to.

How ironic.

"I see." I nodded.

For some reason, I was calm. I was only eighteen years old, and I had just been told that my date of expiration is set, but I was calm.

I grabbed the wheels of my wheelchair,

"Thank you doctor for informing us."

The doctor slowly nodded,

"I'm sorry for informing such news."

"It's okay. I think it's better if we should go." I spoke.

I turned to Ma and gently took her hand,

"Ma. We should get going." I said but Ma was not responding.

I looked at my sister,

"Bhen?"

The girl looked at me horrified,

"How are you so calm? You were just told you were going to die, Jay!"

I shook my head. Maybe the news hadn't settled in yet. I don't know.

"I know. It's not like that's going to change now. Besides, the doctor said we can prolong it, right?" I turned to the man.

"Yes, if you start the treatments as soon as possible, you may extend your survival time." He replied.

I turned back to Sonia,

"See. Let's go home first, shall we?"

Sonia slowly nodded,

"A-Alright."

"Am I allowed to leave doctor?" I asked.

"If you feel like you can travel then yes."

"Great."

Sonia and I gently coaxed Ma off the chair and a nurse escorted us to the reception where my coach was waiting for me. Since the day the Olympic Games ended for the day. The team returned to the Olympic village while my coach was waiting for me.

"So, are you good now?" he asked, but then he probably saw our faces and notice something going on.

"What's going on, Jay? Are you okay?"

"Let's go in the car first, coach." I quietly said.

Sensing the mood, he silently nodded. We went in the car, and I told my coach was happened.

"What?" he let out in shock. "This is not a mistake, right? Please tell me this is not a joke."

He asked my family, but they were silent.

"Fuck." He let out as we headed toward the Olympic village to grab my stuff.

Time appeared to pass like a blur. After my diagnosis, I grabbed my stuff from my room. Luckily, the relay was my last event of the Olympics, therefore, I had no other events to race. I didn't want to make a huge deal and I didn't want to deal with the reporters, so I only told the truth about my cancer to my friends.

They were stunned. Hell, Shawn had openly cried. Seeing him cry made me cry as well. Eric and Ryan simply hugged me hard and told me that they would see me soon. Soon, I was on my way back to the US in Queens where I would start my treatments.

A few months passed, and in the beginning, it was not bad. They prescribed me drugs and such and I was assigned a room. However, true hell started when I began chemotherapy. It was awful, it was painful, it was disgusting. My mom was by my side almost 24/7, but she couldn't stay forever. She had to go to work too. My sister was also there, but they visited as much as possible. We didn't have any other relatives left. My friends also visited me. Apparently, the USA swimming team had brought four more gold medals.

I was proud of them. I was so proud of my friends. It made going through this hell more bearable.

But that hope would not last forever.

As days go by, I could feel myself growing weaker and weaker. My hair had already disappeared, and I had lost more than twenty pounds in the last months. All my hard-earned muscle from the constant swimming and exercising was barely there. From time to time, when no one was there, I would cry. I would cry for hours due to the sheer hopelessness I felt.

I was going to die.

I was scared. What's going to happen to me? Will I die and go to an afterlife? Will I simply reincarnate into something else? Or will there simply be nothing? Did I have bad karma in my life? Did I have enough good karma in my life? I didn't even finish high school yet. What the fuck is this bullshit! Why did the gods curse me like this? Why! Why! WHY!

Why should I go through this? I was only eighteen fucking years old!

But I kept it in. Every time, Ma was there. Every time Sonia was there. Every time, my friends were there. I kept it in and smiled.

I smiled with them. I would laugh at the jokes my friends would say. I would watch movies with my family, and we would either bash them or love it. It was some sort of family tradition. Every Friday, we would watch a Bollywood movie and laugh at the ridiculousness of some stunts. Ma would always fall asleep mid-way through since Bollywood movies are very long. We would also watch English movies. When I was bored, I would read comics and manga or watch anime and TV shows. I would listen to the music artists would release. Hell, I even watch Tiktoks when I was bored.

And I promised myself I would not touch that app. That's how bored I was.

The six-month mark had passed, and the seventh month began, but I knew. I knew I wasn't going to be here for long. My friends and family also knew. The cancer had already reached my spinal cord and my immune system even with all the treatments and surgeries.

I wasn't going to be here for long. I wasn't going to make it

At one point, my memories were getting affected. I was getting scared. Sometimes, I would even forget who my family was. My mom would visit me, and I would freak out since I didn't recognize her. That was honestly scary. I couldn't imagine what people with dementia or Alzheimer's would go through.

The 8th month passed, and I could barely move and talk. Sometimes, I would simply stare at the ceiling of my hospital room for hours or sleep the whole day. The chemo took a lot out of me.

Seems like I was done. I overheard doctors saying that I would not survive for more than two weeks. Seems like this is the end for me. It was nice. I grew up in a loving family. Although, I fought with my sister a lot or more likely, annoyed her a lot due to being the youngest.

But I loved her. I loved my mom. I loved my friends. I loved the fact that I could grow and swim. I loved swimming. I was happy I was able to swim in the Olympics. I was happy that I won the gold medal and beat the world record with my friends. Maybe since I achieved my dreams, the gods have deemed my life complete. Maybe I would die and reincarnate as someone else and begin another life.

"I love you, Jay. You will always be my son and I couldn't have asked for another one. May the gods give you another life to fulfill. I… I am so proud of you." My mother said beside me as she held my hand.

Sonia was crying beside her, but she smiled.

I looked at my friends and some of them were crying even the ones that didn't cry often. If it were any other circumstance, I would have laughed at them for crying. Hell, I even wanted to do it now. But I was too weak.

With the last bit of strength I could muster, I squeezed Ma's hand.

She looked at me in surprise,

"T-Thank… you for being my Ma."

Tears burst out of her as I smiled. I turned to Sonia,

"Thank… you for being my bhen," I told her.

"T-Thank you for being my brother, Jay." She replied as she too held my hand.

I turned to my friends,

"Thank you for being my… friends."

"You were our friend, Jay. You were the best friend we could have." Ryan said while the other nodded.

I turned to my coach,

"Thank you for helping fulfill my dream."

The coach too was crying. The guy was a tall man with big muscle exuding male energy and stuff, but here he was letting out tears for me.

"You will always be one of my swimmers, Jay. I hope whatever heaven you go to has a swimming pool. You better not slack off cause why I die, I will see your progress. If you slack off, I will whoop you." the man said.

I wanted to laugh. I wanted to let out my last laugh. But I couldn't. I was tired. So tired. Therefore, I smiled.

"You… got… it" I whispered.

I felt it. My energy is disappearing. It was then I started seeing flashbacks of my life. My first grade. The time I broke my arm trying a stupid stunt at a park, the times I annoyed my sister. The time I spent with my friends. Although, my life was composed of studying, which I was terrible at, and swimming. Friends were a plus for me.

"Looks… like times up. Good…bye everyone. I… love… you… all."

My vision began to blur as the sounds became distant. The beeping of the monitor turned flat and, a few seconds later, the darkness engulfed me.

As soon as the darkness engulfed me, I felt like I was being sucked. When my vision cleared, I found myself in a vaguely humanoid-shaped glowing thing. I looked in front and saw what looked like huge constellations surrounding me. I couldn't speak or move. These constellations were the biggest ones I have ever seen in my life, and they don't match any of the ones I have heard about. The constellations surrounded me, and I felt some sort of energy expel out of me before dyeing my world in a flash of white and waking up with a start.

Wait. Wake up?

I opened my eyes and looked around. I was lying in a hospital bed, but it was not the same one I was used to.

What's going on?

Turning around, I looked around the room. Wait. I don't have the mechanical ventilator on me. I looked at myself and got confused.

My body is not supposed to look like this. My hands looked healthier. I lifted my hospital gown and who the hell's body is this!?

I did not have a stomach. I had a godamn belly! I was also weak, but not cancer weak. I got off the bed and walked around. I was sure I died due to cancer. What the actual fuck is going on and why do I feel so heavy!?

*BANG*

With a bang, the room's door opened, and I saw someone slam into me.

"Thank the gods, you're alive, Jay!" a woman hugged me, before suddenly pushing me away.

"Don't you ever do that again! If you die, I will die and drag you back to life myself. Do you hear!?"

I was speechless because the woman in front of me was Sonia Patel looking younger than usual.

"Do you understand!?" she asked again with a furious expression.

At that moment, due to my stupid and confused brain, I apparently chose the stupid thing to say.

"Didn't I die?" I asked.

The furious expression on my sister's face turned horrified as tears brimmed her eyes. It then changed back to even more furious,

*SLAP*

I felt a stinging pain on my cheek as I looked at my sister and then at her extended hand in shock.

"What… the hell did you just say?" she asked quietly as rage leaked out of her voice.

She just slapped me.

What the hell is going on?

"Please do not assault the patient, Ms. Patel. We do not want him to get admitted to the hospital again, don't we?" a woman's voice was heard.

I looked over to a blond-haired woman in a doctor's attire holding a board,

"It's a good thing you are awake, Mr. Patel. We had to pump all the anti-depressants you had swallowed out of your stomach before it was too late. If your sister hadn't gotten home earlier from woke today, you would be on your way six feet under the ground or burnt to ashes according to whatever customs you have." The doctor bluntly stated.

Pump? Anti-depressants? What the actual fuck?

"Now, Ms. Patel. If you would please step outside of the room. I would like to check on the young man here. If everything is okay, he will be cleared to go back home."

Sonia looked at me with a mixture of expressions before settling with anger and disappointment,

"We will talk when this is all over."

I simply nodded. I didn't know what to say to her. Like what do I say? Oh hey, I died of brain cancer while telling you goodbye before having some weird dream and now I'm back alive with you being younger. Isn't crazy?

The doctor then did a normal check-up on me. By some miracle, I passed her tests without arousing any suspicion.

"Now, Mr. Patel. You are good to go. I advise you not to eat any solid food for a few hours and only drink liquids such as water. Try to avoid sodas. Are you going to therapy?" she asked.

I don't know. I just woke up from being dead. Do you want me to go to therapy for that? I'll most likely go to the psych ward.

Seeing me not replying, she shook her head,

"Then I advise you to go into therapy. Suicide attempts are not recommended to anyone in life, and it would be helpful to you if you try to seek treatment with a therapist. Here is a list of some of them you could seek." She said and handed me a paper where a list of therapists could be seen. But I was preoccupied with something else.

Suicide attempt? Did I try to kill myself? That's not possible. I died of cancer.

"S-Sure."

"Good. Now you are clear to leave and go home. Once again, I advise you to seek therapy for your problems. Suicide is not the answer to whatever problems you have," she said with not one hint of expression.

She then escorted me out and I saw my sister waiting for me. We then went to the reception where my sister discharged me, and the secretary handed her the receipt. I saw Sonia frown at the bill before turning to me.

"Let's go." She simply said.

I followed her without a single noise. Once outside, we went to a car that I didn't recognize. The car my family had was a 2015 Toyota Corolla. But this was some early 2000s Honda civic.

Did Sonia get a car when I wasn't looking?

As soon as we got into the car, Sonia started it, and we were on the road. On the ride, I looked around, the surroundings had a sense of déjà-vu. It was then I asked the question I couldn't hold in.

"Where's Ma?" I asked.

My sister looked at me weirdly,

"What?"

"Where's Ma?" I asked again.

Sonia was confused. Why was she looking confused?

"What do mean where's Ma? Are you okay? Did the drugs fuck you up more than we thought?"

I looked at her in shock. My whole life Sonia, the number of times I heard Sonia swear could be counted on one hand.

"What?" I couldn't help but let out.

"What do you mean what? Do you have amnesia or something? Ma's been in a coma for the last three years after getting in a car accident. You should know. You were there with her. What's going on with you?" she asked extremely worried and angry.

I was stunned. I had no words in my brain. Hell, my brain had to reboot to understand what she said.

"Huh?"

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(Author's note)

So this is a new story I decided to try out using something called the Celestial Forge. For those who don't know, the Celestial Forge document where all sorts of perks related to crafting and inventing from different jumpchain have been gathered into one document. You can also search for it on Google if you need more explanation or read the fanfic called Brockton's Celestial Forge by LordRoustabout. However, this author used the Celestial Forge V1 while I'm using the Celestial Forge V2 which I also modified a little. This work has also been posted on Fanfiction.net and AO3 under the same username.

Now onto the rules of my writing style and how I gather points for the rolls:

Every 2000 words = 100 points

Every 100 points = 1 roll

Rolls = 1 for the Constellation and 1 for the Perk

Translation for some Gujurati words

Bhen = sister

Beta = Child, son

Ma= mom

(The first perk will be given in the next chapter)

I hope you enjoy the story and don't forget to leave comments

Peace!