The curtain of the night unfurled as dawn’s radiance graced the world, the bright morning lights now brushing over the city of Norkton, casting high shadows from the high rise and many other buildings.

At these hours, people had already gotten up to start their day, some doing light morning exercises while those who had a commute to work had left out quite early. Their streets were busy with vehicles driving back and forth, honking their horns, impatient to get by as few pedestrians moved about the sidewalks.

Yes, it was a classic scene of a lively rush hour, but unlike those early birds, many still slept in, aiming to rest more before a full day's work.

As you have guessed, Evan was one such person, as he had unknowingly arrived within an apartment room after the mysterious events from last night. Though simple from a glance, the small room had well-maintained necessities, be it the kitchen, the carpet over the board floor, the single-person bed, or other furniture.

Currently, Evan slept like a dead dog, completely worn out, but as the sunlight broke through his windows, resting atop his face, his eyelids twitched before he trembled and woke up, staring at the new scene with a perplexed gaze.

"This place is… yes, I'm sure of it, this is my old room, how could I be here?" Evan asked, a bit confused.

He sat himself up from the bed, leaning his back against the wall before a sharp pain came over his head, forcing him to clench his teeth as he held his forehead with one arm.

"Argh… my head, it feels like it's splitting, what the hell is going…?" Evan groaned as he tried to say something, but soon, his words halted as the view of the world around him became dizzy.

In this instance, the scenes from last night began to flow within his mind, all the way up to the very end with which he fell unconscious. He soon clutched the pendant that rested around his neck, his arms trembling as his eyes now seemed more focused and profound.

'Yes, that's right, I was sent back, wasn’t I? To think I was able to cross through time, even after such an end. This pendant of mine, now that I've thought of it, I've never understood its full capabilities. Even during the time of my awakening, I could only wield a few of its abilities. As for that strange voice, who did it belong to? What does he have to do with the pendant?'

He thought to himself as he looked to its surface with a profound set of eyes. Other than the reflection of his now younger self with more handsome features, he saw a few cryptic markings that shone in a dim red hue.

After inspecting the pendant for a while, Evan could not seem to find an answer to his thoughts, he put it away before looking at the room again, but as he saw the pristine condition that it was in, his eyes grew a bit moist.

'Joe, you were truly a great friend, back then I didn't notice, but to think you were willing to help me out to this extent, going as far as to support this shitty apartment in my stead. I was merely a drunk fool who cut off everything else, and in the end, it had cost me too much.'

Evan inwardly said as his eyes showed a trace of recollection, a time when his past self, who after returning from his night of drunkenness, cut everything and everyone off, wallowing in his own despair.

'If I had come to realization sooner, and broke out of that despair, you wouldn't have had to die against that damn monster of that Dimension Rift. In fact, had I been a bit stronger, many of us would have even survived to face that devil of the Final Rift. We wouldn’t have had to rely on that bastard…'

While thinking such thoughts, Evan had a sad look in his eyes before he gripped his fists tightly. He recalled the scene of Joe's early death and even the battle before his reincarnation.

Soon, the image of the purple-haired female appeared in his mind, smiling at him with fondness found deep within her tragic eyes, a love that transcended even dimensions.

"Layal…" Evan murmured with a tinge of pain before his fist clenched tighter and eyes grew firmer.

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'I won't let it be; I will never again lose those who are important to me! Not Joe, not Layal, or anyone else. This time I shall put an end to this nightmare.'

With his mind made up, Evan rose to his feet from the bed; he soon found that his head was slightly heavy; even his balance was a bit off as if he could topple over at any moment.

'Tsk, the side effects of drinking are showing; I should get myself clear-headed.'

He went to the kitchen and drank some freshwater before opening a medicine canister; he swallowed a pill and downed it with the rest of the water before sitting himself down at a desk near his window.

"It's been a long time since I have seen this kind of atmosphere; a pity, it won't last forever," Evan said as he stared outside of the window.

His eyes soon focused more on the bright blue sky and beautiful morning scene that gave a sense of peace to his heart, even more so as a light draft swept into the room, brushing across his face as it pulled his hair backward.

"A truly refreshing wind, good I feel much better; now that I'm more focused, I should think about what to do next. If things continue as is, the world will certainly head to its destruction. I must do everything I can to awaken not only myself but at least Layal, and Joe. As for the others, I’ll need time to come up with a few plans...”

As Evan said this, he turned his attention to the digital watch on the desk, showing the time and date, 6:am Jan 2, 2085. Evan nodded at this as he thought with deep eyes.

"It's roughly a few weeks from that Proxy’s Descent, and the arrival of the First Dimension Calamity. I have a lot of preparations to make… but the real issue is where I can forcibly awaken and increase my power?"

When Evan thought to here, a few places came to mind, causing him to show a look of sternness, but as if he made up his mind, he opened his laptop, turning on the computer screen which showed a webpage of a map.

He was about to browse the details, but suddenly, a call came from a popular video messaging platform; one which caused him to knit his brows as he saw the name of the sender, Aunt Leah.

‘To think I'd even forgotten about this woman, even after what she did with my parent’s inheritance. I suppose it makes sense; she had long since perished after the change in the world.'

Evan thought to himself as he pressed a button; the screen changed to a video box showing the face of a mature woman who looked to be in her late thirties, covered in makeup with a curvy body, large breast, a tanned complexion. She looked at Evan from the screen with her thin almond-shaped eyes as if waiting in silence for him to say something.

Evan was not in a good mood, certainly after recalling this woman whom he used to deem as a 'witch,' he spoke in a calm but somewhat icy tone, "Is there something you need, Leah?"

Leah frowned at Evan's manner, but as if she thought of something, she looked at him with a scornful look as she spoke, "My dear nephew, you sure have changed, it seems that after taking on the title of a rapist, you've forgotten the decorum of a —"

"Don't waste my time Leah, what do you want with me?" Evan said, cutting off her following words, causing her to look at him in shock.

"You…" Leah said a bit angrily, feeling enraged at Evan's manner, she wanted to curse, but as she was older, she did not want to ruin her refined image.

'Hmph! You've grown confident, but that doesn't mean you can change anything; that money your parents left you will naturally be used for my needs, even if you suspect anything, you will never be able to turn any waves.'

With such thoughts in mind, Leah smiled in a refined way and spoke to him directly, "Nephew Evan; please be more composed. You are now nineteen years of age and should act in kind. I am calling you to let you know about your parent's inheritance. Now that you are of age, you are entitled to receive what they left behind. Check your email and confirm when you have received the necessary documents. As for the credits, they have already been transferred to your registered bank account."

Evan said nothing at this, only coldly staring at her, Leah prepared to turn off her screen, but suddenly, a young girl around Evan's age had appeared, walking into the room behind her on the screen. She had similar features to Leah but was less grown, her eyes more rounded in shape, and from her fancy attire, it was clear that she was living quite large.

"Mother, who are you talking to?" The girl asked curiously.

Leah waved her hand as if it was nothing as she spoke, "No need to worry yourself, it was no one important, my dear Susie, come now, let's go shopping, your semester for college starts soon."

"Okay, mother," Susie said with a smile, peaking at the screen a bit, but she still did not see anything as Leah had already closed her laptop. On the other side, Evan stared at the disconnected video box with icy indifference before thinking to himself.

'I remember it like it was yesterday; she was another factor for my severe depression. After I learned that my inheritance was fudged, it only led me to hate the world. Tsk, it's a good thing back then that I met Layal...'

After thinking to here, Evan shook his head as his eyes sharply gleamed when he muttered, "She should be grateful that I'm different from I once was; I won't kill her blindly. Instead, I'll simply use other means to let her pay for her deeds."

With that said, Evan no longer thought about his aunt; he glanced on the desk, at the side of the laptop where a picture frame rested. One showed a handsome black-haired man and a beautiful brown-haired woman that held a newborn child.

"Mother, father, I've missed you both,' Evan murmured in a deep voice as the scene in the room became a bit melancholy, but as for the outside world, it continued as the norm.