The day began like any other, a familiar rhythm of monotonous classes and half-hearted conversations. Roy blended into the routine with surprising ease, even managing to laugh at a few of Kieran's ridiculous jokes during breaks.
But something felt slightly off, a persistent undercurrent of unease Roy couldn't quite place.
The hiccups started small. His pen burst in the middle of an essay, leaving an ink stain that spread like a dark omen. Later, during lunch, Kieran dropped an entire tray of food, earning scattered laughter from their school in the cafeteria.
Despite these minor mishaps, they trudged through the day with their usual energy.
As the final bell rang, Kieran nudged Roy with a grin.
"Side quest today?" he asked.
Roy raised an eyebrow, feigning disinterest. "Do I have a choice?"
"Not really," Kieran replied, already pulling him toward the school gates.
The walk to the park was steeped in nostalgia for Kieran, though for Roy, it was a curious blend of familiarity and distance. Each street corner and shop window tickled fragments of memory he knew weren't truly his.
When they arrived at the park, Kieran dashed ahead toward the usual hiding spot beneath the gnarled roots of an old oak tree. With a triumphant shout, he unearthed the battered football they'd hidden there weeks ago.
"IT'S STILL HERE! I told you no one would find it."
"Yeah, because everyone else outgrew hiding a secret football at a park," Roy quipped, but a faint smile tugged at his lips.
The game began with reckless enthusiasm, the two of them chasing the ball like kids much younger than they were. Roy lost himself in the simplicity of the moment, forgetting for a while the weight he carried. Kieran, ever the more athletic of the two, scored goal after goal, laughing at Roy's half-hearted attempts to keep up.
When they were finally exhausted, they tucked the ball back into its hiding spot and made their way to the hill.
The view from the top was stunning, as always. The town they lived in stretched out below them, a patchwork of rooftops and winding streets bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun. The horizon seemed infinite, a reminder of how small they were in the grand scheme of things.
Kieran flopped down on the grass, arms behind his head. "Man, I never get tired of this view."
Roy sat beside him, quieter, taking all of the view in. Something about that moment felt heavier than it should have, and it was about to squeeze the pent-up emotions out of him.
Kieran broke the silence. "You good, man? You've been off today."
Roy hesitated, his mind racing.
All day long he thought he was acting very well while trying to be genuine, but it seems that it wasn't the case.
The memories he'd relived during the day, the moments that weren't entirely his, felt overwhelming. He had spent so long hiding his secret, even from himself. But Kieran's easy grin and the trust in his voice broke through the walls Roy had built.
"I want to tell you something," Roy began, his voice low.
Kieran turned to face him, his expression serious now. "Okay. What's up?"
Roy stared at the horizon, the words caught in his throat. He didn't know the consequences of telling him about what he has gone through so far.
"Promise me you won't laugh," Roy said.
"Dude, when do I ever laugh at serious stuff?"
"That's not the most reassuring answer," Roy muttered, but he pressed on. "I have this...ability. Every time I die, I come back. Like, I reincarnate, but not in the normal sense. It's like starting over in the new world but different."
"I've named it Transmigration."
Kieran stared at him for a long moment before bursting out laughing. "Dude, you've been watching too much weird anime shit."
Roy's lips twitched. "I'm serious."
Kieran's laughter subsided as he saw the sincerity in Roy's eyes. "Wait...you're serious?"
Kieran looked at him seriously. "So tell me then, who am I talking to? The Roy I know, or the Roy that has transmigrated?"
"I am the transmigrated Roy." Roy answered straightforwardly, not wanting to hide anything anymore.
"So what happened to my Roy, the one I grew up with since childhood?" Kieran looked at him dead in the eyes, waiting for a response.
"I don't know; he is there, inside of me, I think. I can feel his emotions and his memories."
Kieran looked away and stared back at the horizon.
He took a deep breath and exhaled.
Roy carried on speaking, "I've...been through so much, Kieran. Things you wouldn't believe. And somehow, you're always there."
"Every time I died, I would get the nauseating feeling, and when I open my eyes, I'm in a new place, a new body, and it seems I automatically inherit their memories."
After a minute, Kieran's expression relaxed and he smiled. "You and I were friends in various realities, despite the fact that you are not the Roy I grew up with, huh? Well, even from now on, in every life from now and forever, I'll always be your one and only best friend."
Roy laughed a little. "All right, that was awkward," he said, turning his chuckle into a laugh. He then began to cry while laughing and said, "Never do that ever again."
"Hey, you can't say that; it took me a while to come up with one, you know," said a little annoyed Kieran.
Keiran began to chuckle after glancing at Roy, who was sobbing while laughing. They both chuckled, the kind of laughing that results from a close, unwritten relationship.
But then the world was brought to a halt.
The laughter stopped abruptly. The air grew eerily still. Kieran froze mid-laugh, his face locked in an expression of joy. The birds in the background hung motionless in the sky, and the sound of the wind ceased entirely. Roy's breath caught as an unnatural silence enveloped him.
He was frozen too; however, his eyes were able to dart around.
From the corner of his eye, he saw her.
That woman, with her soft black veil slightly covering her silver hair, her beauty impossibly delicate as she stepped onto the hill and walked up it.
Her eyes glimmered with a strange, unsettling warmth, and her smile was soft, almost affectionate…
"Roy…" she cooed, tilting her head, her voice a sweet whisper that wrapped around him like silk and iron at once.
Roy tried to move, to shout, but his body refused to obey. His heart thudded in his chest as she moved with unnerving grace toward Kieran. Her hands were gentle, almost tender, just before twisting his head in a single, merciless motion. The sickening snap echoed, and Kieran collapsed lifelessly. She hummed softly, a lullaby to the chaos she'd created.
Turning back to Roy with a drop of a tear forming but unable to let go, she crouched slightly, her face only inches from his. Her gaze was fixated. She whispered, her breath warm against his cheek. "I only want what's best for us. For you… for me."
Her hand pressed against his chest, over his heart. She leaned in closer, her voice a mix of coaxing sweetness and subtle menace. "But sometimes, my darling, we must… start over. Again. So you'll always be mine."
Pain erupted as darkness swallowed him, the sensation intimate, almost personal. He couldn't tell if he was terrified or… confused by the intensity of her obsession.
When Roy opened his eyes, he was back at the traffic lights, the familiar sound of cars and bustling streets surrounding him. His heart raced violently, and his hands trembled as he gripped the strap of his bag.
Wait a minute, Roy realised something. He hadn't transmigrated. He was back in the same timeline, the same day, just a few hours ago, before he arrived at school.
This makes no sense? How does that work? Does she get to choose when and where I transmigrate too?
He was still here, still himself, but the weight of her presence, her obsession, lingered, and everything he had just experienced, Kieran's death, her hands on him, was seared into his eyes.
He had nearly lost… the only person who mattered to him on that hill.