I open my eyes to a familiar starry dark sky. my body felt nothing, no cold, no hot, not even warm. But I do feel something on my back, a thick hard floor. I raise my upper body into a seating position and surprise to see even the floor looks the same as the sky.

Where am I?

Suddenly, my mind flashes the events transpire earlier. I shot myself in the head. I quickly touch the side of my head checking for any sign of getting shot, but I found none.

"Hey, there."

A familiar voice greets me, I quickly turn my head to the source and saw my uncle holding a six pack of beers. Uncle Touka is wearing what he usually used to back home. He wears a Haori with a white T-shirt underneath and blue jeans with no shoe on. He looks younger, but with a few gray lines on the side.

"Am I dreaming again?" I ask.

"Nope," Uncle Touka said nonchalantly.

"Then where am I?" I ask again.

"Hate to be a bearer of bad news, but you dead, Haru," Uncle Touka as he took a seat on the floor in front of me.

"But? What? I can heal, aren't I?" I said.

"Sorry, but you shot yourselves in the head. There no coming back from that I'm afraid," Uncle Touka said.

"I don't believe you," I laugh.

"It's the truth, Haru," Another familiar voice greets my ears.

No, It can't be. If she here that's mean I'm really am dead. I turn my head to the source that voice and saw Aeterna with her black cloak covering her body.

"I really am dead," I said.

Aeterna nod her head to my statement, then she walks closer to me. My mind just won't compute the detail yet, I still couldn't believe that i'm dead.

"It's hard to take in, I know. I have been there before," Uncle Touka said.

I look around the empty plane that I'm on, then I turn back to Uncle and smile.

"I know about the truth, you keep from me," I said.

"Do you hate me?" Uncle asks.

"For some weird reason, I'm not mad," I replied.

"But why, though? Why all the secrecy?" I ask.

"At first, it was to protect you. I don't want the past to be a burden to you. I wanted you to have a life. A life that the past Haru lost," Uncle said.

"But who am I kidding, I'm just an old man filled with regret. In the end, I did it because of the guilt, Haru death was my fault and I can't change the past," Uncle said, his eye gaze down to the floor.

"I don't understand one thing, why do I have memories of my younger self even though I was bred in a tube?" I ask.

"It was the part of the cloning process, the subject must have a stable memory to help him cope with his daily life. In other means, the memory you had is all fake," Uncle explains.

"Even the time we spent together, the training, the fishing, every birthday, we celebrate together?" I ask.

"No, that was real, we did spend together," Uncle said.

"So the memory of my parent? that is the fake one?" I ask.

"Yes," Uncle replied.

I was surprised to finally know the whole truth, but somehow I felt relieved. Maybe it's because the place that I'm in or maybe it because everything has finally revealed itself. I let out a long sigh, I felt sleepy all of sudden and tired.

"Haru, care for a drink?" Uncle said, as he tore one of the beer cans and offer it to me.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Sure," I said as I take one from his hand.

Uncle tore off one of the beer cans for himself. I pull the tab break-in in a small hole on top and take a sip from it. Uncle smile when he looks at my surprised face. It tastes sweet? I have always thought it tasted bitter. Wait, I can taste? I take another sip and feel the sweetness on my tongue.

"How is it possible?" I ask.

Aeterna cover her mouth as she giggles after hearing my words. I turn to look at Aeterna, then I finally realize it. I'm not on earth anymore, god that must be some stupid I question I ask there.

"You get it now?" Aeterna ask.

"Yeah, I think I get it now," I replied with a smile.

"I'm really am dead. I just couldn't believe it," I said.

In the deepest of my mind, I can hear the ground shaking, glass breaking, Lina screams, and Catty cries. I massage the bridge of my nose with two fingers while closing my eyes, when I open it again, I look at Uncle.

"Uncle, are you disappointed in me?" I ask.

Uncle look at me with his eyebrow raised, confuse by my question.

"Back, when I alive, I did so many bad things, I hurt and taken human life," I said.

"I'm not a good person," I said.

"I would lie to you if I say, I wasn't disappointed in you. I was, but anymore," Uncle said.

"What do you mean?" I ask.

"You pick a lot of bad choices at the beginning, but at the end, you finally pick a right one," Uncles said.

"The choice were you fighting to protect your own family," Uncle continued.

"But I fail, I lost everything," I said while looking at my hands.

"You didn't lose everything yet, you still have your memories and the family you form in your journey," Uncle said.

Catty and Lina, I need to go back, I need to save them. I won't let it end like this, with the new burning resolve ignite within me, I look back at Uncle. He looks at me knowing what I'm going to do the next.

"Uncle!" I said.

"I know," Uncle said.

"Aeterna, I sorry to ask this from you, but I have to go back," I said and turn to face her.

She let out a sigh.

"The cost is great and I can only give you an one hour before you have to return back," Aeterna said.

"Whatever the cost, I willing to take," I said.

"You don't even know what the cost is." Aeterna laugh in a mocking manner.

"I don't care, I need to go back and save them," I said.

"Your an idiot, you know that. The cost is your soul will be destroyed, for an hour of resurrection. Do you really want that?" Aeterna ask.

"Yes," I answer.

"You don't even have a plan or a way to fight your father," Aeterna said.

"I do have one, I will walk up to him and kill him," I said with confidence.

"That is the stupidest plan, I have ever heard," Aeterna said while shaking her head.

"Why are you so stubborn to help me?" I ask.

"Because I don't want to lose you! Don't you understand that?" Aeterna accidentally burst her anger out.

"If you accept the cost, your own essence will be gone, you would cease to exist. I can't accept that cost even if you want to, I'm sorry," Aeterna said, her voice breaking, then she averts her gaze away from me.

A long silence donned on us for a few minutes before we start talking again.

"Aeterna, please..." I plead her.

"You won't stop, no matter what I said, do you?" Aeterna said.

"You know me the most," I said while letting out a gentle smile.

"Fine... come closer," Aeterna said.

My body moves closer to her, Aeterna reaches into her cloak and take out a heart-shaped silver pendant.

"I will give you three things to help you in your fight, a heart-shaped silver pendant, put this around her neck," Aeterna said.

"Whose neck?" I ask.

"Shh, you know when the time came," Aeterna shush me.

"The second thing," Aeterna said then she places a finger on my forehead, a bright light glow on her finger. Then I felt like my brains have been shifted and move around after she removes her finger.

"Something to help you fight your father," Aeterna said.

"Thank you," I said.

She closes her eyes and tightens her lips. Then she opens her eyes again and gazes at me with determination.

"The third thing is your resurrection. Remember, you only got one hour," Aeterna said, I nod to her reminder.

"Are you ready?" Aeterna ask.

"Yes," I said.

Aeterna grab both of my cheeks and pull me closer into a kiss. I was surprised, but I didn't fight it. I close my eyes and pull her body closer to mine. Our lips touch for a long time, I felt her familiar cold and soft lips on mine, just like the kiss that we had. I open my eyes again and saw her body beginning to light on black fire.

I push her away and said "Aeterna, your body?!".

"I know," Aeterna said with a smile.

"I couldn't let your soul perished, so I change the rules. I sacrifice my own last bit of humanity, my human body." Aeterna said.

Aeterna raise her hand to look at it. My eyes gaze at her hand, as the fire burn and consume her entire flesh, leaving only the white bleach bone behind.

"You sacrifice so much for me, why?" I ask.

"I would do anything for you even turning into a monster because I love you," Aeterna said.

The black fire finally consumes everything, leaving only a skeleton wearing a cloak. Aeterna look down and cover her face.

"You're not one in my eyes," I said as I lift her chin up with a finger.

Our gaze met, and I can still see her beautiful eyes inside those hollow socket.

"You have the most beautiful eyes," I said.

"Thank you," Aeterna said in a soft tone.

A white light begins to envelop me, the light is warm, and deep in my chest; I can feel my heart pounding again. I turn my gaze to my uncle.

"When you come back, let's go fishing again, just like the old days," Uncle said as he waves his hand at me.

"I'm going to put a raincheck on that because she comes first," I said as I turn my gaze on Aeterna.

I don't even know that skeleton can blush, but I see it happening right now.

"A lady killer, just like myself," Uncle joked.

Before I could make a snarky remark on Uncle Touka joke. The bright light consumes me and everything went to black again.