Life After You

After dinner, I return to my room.

Delilah: I could go to bed now, but if I do, when I wake up, the second day will start, and I’ll have to go along with the main plot again. If I want to save time and investigate in the meantime, I can only do that now.

To avoid falling asleep—because I really am tired after walking around all day—I sit in a chair rather than the bed. I stare at the clock and think to myself: should I rest, or should I look around a bit more?

Even as I think about it, I fall asleep right there on the chair.

Delilah: “...!”

I am acutely aware that I am dreaming. I don’t know why.

In front of me, there stands a young man with his back to me. He is a bit taller than me, but not as tall as Zeph. He wears a black cap. His hair is a shade of blond much lighter than mine. Under the moonlight, it looks almost silver. He is wearing it in a long ponytail. He wears black from head to toe, almost like...

Delilah: I definitely recognize him.

I begin to turn away to look for an escape. I don’t need to dream about my older brother right now.

???: “Delilah.”

I come to a halt and roll my eyes before turning back to face him.

Delilah: Of course he calls out to me before I can leave properly.

Delilah: “Yeah? What are you doing in my dream, Gilad?”

He is now facing me. In addition to the cap, there is a scarf around his neck, covering the part of his face that the shadows cast by his cap cannot hide. I cannot make out his expression.

Gilad: “I’m sorry.”

Delilah: “For what?”

Gilad: “You know what.”

Delilah: “No I don’t.”

Delilah: Is this not my dream? Is this some kind of ploy? Am I in a lab where they’re working with my consciousness? If so, it’s not that hard to find out that I have an older brother, but as for what he should be apologizing for...I’m not saying a word unless he reveals it himself.

Gilad: “Betraying you. Acting like life is better with you gone.”

Delilah: “I never meant much to you even when I was around. Don’t be kidding me. You were never home anyway. Why would you of all people apologize?”

Gilad: “It took me...”

Unexpectedly, his voice becomes muffled mid-sentence, although I can still see him clearly. Instinctively, I crease my brows.

As if having realized this himself, Gilad stops speaking. He lifts his cap. Our eyes meet.

Delilah: I mean...if I can see his eyes, maybe I can tell if he’s being sincere, but...at the same time, if I failed to do that for all 18 years, what makes it any different now?

Gilad: “Time’s up. Come back. I got a hold...”

His voice becomes muffled again.

Delilah: God damn it. That’s probably the most important part too.

Gilad: “...tch.”

Delilah: He definitely realized he’s not getting through.

Gilad gives up on explaining. Instead, he walks toward me, closing the distance between us, then pulls me into a hug.

At first, I do not respond. I had watched him deny my worth along with the rest of my family, in my absence. I don’t know what the timeline is like in the real world now, but if I am still missing, none of those people are missing me.

Gilad: “Love you.”

Perhaps due to our close distance, those two words are distinct.

Yet, I don’t know what to believe.

Delilah: “...”

My arms remain dropped.

I wake with a start, not because of the dream but because I fell onto the floor from the chair I’d fallen asleep on.

Delilah: “...”

[Gilad -1,000]

Delilah: “Wait, what?! What the actual—”

I stop myself before I can finish the sentence.

Delilah: Zeph would laugh so hard if he saw me talking to myself. But...what? Affection points for Gilad? -1,000? But he’s not even in the game? What’s happening? I hope this is an elaborate prank...

I glance at the clock. It is around three in the morning.

Delilah: Well, I’m definitely not sleeping now. But where can I go? Where will I find my answers? Even Zeph doesn’t know anything yet.

In the end, I end up wandering aimlessly. I find myself walking to the garden. There is a cool breeze at night, something I am not very familiar with. Before any of this ever happened, I rarely went anywhere at all, let alone at night.

On a bench, I see Mykel sitting, looking far into the distance with a flute in his hand.

Delilah: He looks deep in thought. I might startle him if I just approach like that.

I approach him anyway because there is really no other option. I take care to walk around the bench so that I can approach him from the front.

Mykel: “...oh.”

Delilah: “Hey. Um...may I?”

I glance at the bench. He nods, so I sit down next to him.

Mykel: “What are you doing out here at this hour? Aren’t you tired from all that touring? Zeph never seems to tire out...”

Delilah: “You really do care about him.”

Mykel: “...! No, I don’t! Don’t twist my words like that!”

Delilah: “I didn’t though.”

I look at him and give him a genuine smile. Of all the Messengers, Mykel’s affection for everyone is the most transparent—although he, ironically, tries the hardest to hide it.

Mykel: “...hmph.”

He looks away, blushing a little.

Delilah: “I had a weird dream. I figured I wouldn’t be able to sleep anymore, so I decided to take a walk.”

Mykel: “Hm...I would ask, but...I mean, it’s not like I’m curious or anything. If it’s personal—”

I shake my head.

Delilah: “I dreamed of one of my brothers.”

Mykel: “What’s so weird about that?”

Delilah: “It’s not. The weird part is...it’s kind of...like it wasn’t just a dream. It’s like it was my actual brother trying to tell me something through a dream.”

Mykel: “...”

I laugh dryly.

Delilah: “Sorry, that probably sounds stupid.”

Mykel: “Magic does exist, you know. It shouldn’t take you this long to figure that out, given that Rehan’s already used his threads—tried to use his threads—on you earlier.”

Delilah: They probably talked about me over dinner. And all of them except Kendric deny in some form that they’re really close friends. Aww...

Delilah: “But...”

How should I explain this?

Delilah: “What if...I came from another world? And um...ever since coming here, I’ve technically been cut off from my original world?”

Mykel: “Now that sounds stupid.”

Delilah: “Huh?”

Mykel: “What makes you so special? If you can reach across worlds, why can’t your brother? Or anyone else, for that matter?”

Delilah: “...oh shit, you’re right.”

Mykel gives me an incredulous look, just to stress how stupid I had been.

Delilah: “Oh god...no.”

Delilah: If I can cross over...Gilad...then...Pistevo too...?

Mykel: “Your brain is clearly not working. Go to sleep, Delilah. Don’t disturb me.”

Delilah: “I...um...”

Without waiting for my reply, Mykel begins to play his flute. It is a soothing melody, and even if I didn’t already know that his magic is mostly manifested through his music, I would have guessed at this moment.

Delilah: He’s playing so I can sleep.

Delilah: “Thank you.”

Mykel sometimes plays soft music at night so that others can sleep soundly, especially if the Messengers had a rough day. Preoccupied as my mind was with Gilad, I had almost forgotten this.

[Mykel +50]

He blushes again. Mykel looks away from me but does not stop playing.

Soft as his flute is, I hear it the whole way back to my room, and even when I am properly in bed, I can still hear it.

I sigh...and fall asleep once again.