"...hey!"
Lan felt groggy. The warm sun shining from above didn't help, instead making him feel hot and sleepy.
"...Lan? Lan!"
'Who is it... Just leave me alone...'
"Wake up already! It's your turn soon!"
Lan felt his shoulder being shaken, finally getting him out of his dreamy state. His half-closed eyes suddenly opened, a disoriented look present in them. A brief look around himself reminded Lan where he was though.
All around him fellow students stood, some holding diplomas and some looking somewhere ahead in anticipation. A hot summer sun shone from above their heads, not a single shadow providing reprieve to the miserable crowd. It then clicked, recognition appearing within his mind.
'Ah yes... It's the final day of school, isn't it?'
It was the hot summer day of June, June 22nd of 2026 to be exact.
He then turned to look at the person who awoke him. It was a normal-looking guy with ***-colored eyes, and the usual *** face. The one you could find just about everywhere in any school you go to. It was the only classmate Lan knew relatively well, his name was ***. There was no way Lan would forget that at least.
"Yeah, I'm awake, you can stop shaking me!"
Lan forcibly took away the foreign hand from his shoulder, earning him a laugh from the hand's owner.
"Weird... It isn't like me to doze off like this..."
He wasn't given much time to think though, as the school director's voice spoke through the speakers yet again.
"NEXT, CLASS ***'S STUDENT, LAN***** *****, PLEASE COME FORWARD."
The booming voice echoed, Lan only managing to pick his name out of the whole sentence due to how unclear the sound was. Nevertheless, it was indeed his turn.
Lan walked forward, pushing through the students ahead of him, not wanting to be listed as absent, as taking the diploma later would be a pain. Thankfully the *** school's staff were known to be rather lenient, so despite it taking quite a while to appear before their eyes, they didn't call the next person.
Finally, he walked across the plaza where the ceremony was taking place, taking a step onto the wooden stage that stood in the middle of it. There the director, as well as the many teachers, including Lan's homeroom teacher, Mrs ***, were standing. She had a *** expression on her face.
The director, a rather tall man, held up a diploma before handing it to him while speaking into a microphone.
"TAKING SECOND PLACE IN THE TOWN-WIDE ART COMPETITION, AND FIRST PLACE REGION-WIDE, OUR SCHOOL IS PROUD TO HAVE YOU AS A STUDENT!"
With that, he was handed the diploma, followed by a handshake from the director, who then handed him the mic.
"Please say a few words to everyone."
Lan wasn't that well-versed in speeches, so he spoke the first thing that came to mind.
"I AM GLAD TO HAVE BEEN A PART OF THIS SCHOOL FOR THESE YEARS. THANK YOU ALL!"
His words were met with a round of rather unenthusiastic clapping, as those present already had their hands sore from applauding every person who came up on the stage. Lan didn't take it to heart though, as he knew he was not that popular to elicit any reaction.
He then handed the mic back and walked back to his place, then continued to stand under the scorching sun while the next person was called up. He never really liked such grand and usually long ceremonies, as they were simply useless formalities, wasting everyone's time. Not that he could do anything about it though, so he sucked it up and stood still as part of the crowd.
Person after person came and went, and as time ticked at an excruciating rate, the ceremony eventually finished. To Lan's relief, the clouds gathered in the sky, thunder rumbling in the distance, a sure sign it would rain soon. The students were dispersing out of the school like a river that broke past a dam, Lan being a part of them.
Once he walked out of the facility's confines, he took a deep breath.
'Finally, it's over.'
With a bag on his back, he walked out without any particular destination in mind. Just then, he heard his name being called from behind him.
"Lan, wait! Slow down for a second!"
Lan turned around and saw ***, the friend who had woken him up earlier. Panting, the guy finally caught up to him, before trying to ask something in between his breaths.
Seeing that his friend wanted to tell him something, Lan waited patiently for him to regain his breath.
"So, heh, are you going anywhere for the summer?"
Lan raised his eyebrow at the question, wondering why *** would want to know that. Still, he answered ***'s question.
" Well, my mom and are probably going to visit Dad in Ukraine now that the war's over. Why do you ask?"
*** had a disappointed expression on his face, answering Lan's query.
"Well... You see, I was going to visit my family in Britain, so I was wondering whether you wanted to come with..."
As if feeling the suspicious gaze from Lan, *** explained quickly added.
"Hey, don't get me wrong, I'm not gay or anything! It's just that it gets hella boring out there, plus you've never been to Britain, right? C'mon man, help me out on this..."
Seeing the rather hesitant look on Lan's face, *** added another detail.
"...And if you agree, I will introduce you to my hot cousin?"
"Deal. I will ask my mother about our plans when I get home."
Seeing Lan instantly appear in front of him, *** barely held back his urge to chuckle.
"A deal's a deal then. Let me know what she tells you, ok? See ya later!"
*** then waved his hand and disappeared amidst the torrent of students, leaving Lan to his thoughts again.
Lan shook his head and walked away as well, sighing heavily. He mumbled.
"...He knows me better than I do."
Gradually the school disappeared behind him, familiar old-looking buildings passing by as he walked forward. The town he lived in, Cypress Town, was not modern, but it was not rural either. The town center still had that old architectural style from the 20th century, with an even older town citadel in the middle of it. But as one went further away from it, more modern homes appeared, with some being rather new, adorned with solar panels and fancy outdoor structures. His home was one of those.
But Lan was living in a dormitory on his own insistence, as he wanted to get away from his mother's gaze, like all teens do. Plus it would be a pain to commute due to long public transportation routes. He also wanted to have a taste of independent life, which his mother fully supported. Now that school was over, he also wanted to get a part-time gig until the trip.
"...can't leech off of my parents forever after all. Still, where exactly? I am only seventeen, and none of my neighbors would need me to trim their lawns or something... Maybe I'm just being lazy as always."
Lan shook his head before a smile crept onto his face.
"...Should I enjoy my freedom a little longer? Nothing beats being free after all!"
Lan kept on smiling, in a rather good mood as he walked around the festive-looking town. Because today was the final school day, the town was flooded with many students seeking entertainment. As for Lan, he only stopped at a bakery and bought a snack which he happily munched on as he enjoyed the sights and the breeze that was now sweeping across the streets.
"Wait... Today's day is special, right? Why should I return to the smelly dormitory where three other guys are doing weird shit? I can visit home!"
An idea began gradually forming in his mind, growing ever clearer and plausible the more Lan thought about it.
"Yeah! And I can give Mom a surprise too! What would be a good gift though?.."
Because of the suddenness of the idea, Lan had no time to make a gift with his own hands, so he would have to buy one. His mom had peculiar tastes, however.
"...She does not particularly love sweets, and though she might appreciate flowers, I bet she has had enough of them because of her hobby..."
Lan stopped mid-walk as an idea popped into his mind.
"How about a cactus? Mom is crazy about plants, but I don't think she has any cacti. Let's do it!"
Lan already had his wallet in his backpack, so he did not need to make a detour to get it. Taking out his phone, Lan checked the route to the closest botanic shop, of which there were several, and he soon picked a route, following it.
Somewhere along the way, he also took out his headphones and put on some music on his phone. Hearing his favorite track on the playlist start, he gradually immersed himself in it, singing along rather awfully.
As he walked, however, he was suddenly struck with a bad premonition, causing him to stop all of a sudden.
Lan furrowed his brows, stopping the song and looking around. He was near a construction site, right beside it in fact. He was on a protected sidewalk, the one where a roof was constructed over.
"It looks rather shoddily made though..."
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Just as he was saying those words, Lan heard something snap, unconsciously taking a few steps back.
CRASH!
And then, right in front of him, the roof was broken with a resounding noise, and a metal beam now stood where Lan previously was a second ago.
Lan felt shivers run down his spine and his hands twitched uncontrollably. He had nearly died just now.
He quickly walked backward, feeling a shortness of breath in his chest. Without stopping, he swiftly left the scene, where onlookers were already snapping pictures.
Suddenly, he leaned on the wall, throwing up heavily. His legs were trembling under him, barely holding Lan up.
"Shit... Fu-u-u-ck."
Gradually recovering from the shock, he wiped his mouth and began walking once again. He was no longer in the mood to buy presents. Right now he just wanted to go home. Absentmindedly, he found his way toward the closest bus stop near him, a heavy sense of unreality and incongruity assaulting him along the way.
He didn't know when he had reached the stop, and he got onto the first bus that went in the needed direction. Lan didn't pay attention to his stained clothes either, looking out the window with an empty gaze, an image of a pillar crashing right in front of him playing through his head again and again.
'If I had not stepped back... I would have... I...'
Though Lan had somewhat calmed down along the two-hour-long ride, he was still somewhat shaken by the experience. Never had he brushed hands with Death like this before. He was still feeling that what happened wasn't real, but he quickly dismissed the thought as a part of trauma.
But as Lan was struggling within his mind, he didn't notice that beyond the window of the bus was a completely empty city, the bus itself was completely empty too. And no one was in the driver's seat.
He was only snapped out of his musings by the automated announcer of the vehicle.
*Arriving to. Third of May St.*
Lan got up out of his seat, not wanting to miss his stop, quickly exiting the bus. He stepped on the sidewalk, looking around him as the bus sped away from his view.
"...Mom sure knew where to pick a home."
Lan found himself observing a rather opulent private sector. Big, often two-storied houses lined both sides of the streets, each having a large yard in front of them. Some had custom-made gates, and some had their own pools and playgrounds. A far cry from a cramped apartment or dorm.
With these thoughts briefly overshadowing those of the recent event, he walked along the street, soon stopping in front of one house in particular. He looked towards the mailbox near the gate of it.
'S__in Household'
The surname was scratched off, a work of some vandals, which Lan and his Mom hadn't yet managed to fix.
"...People have nothing to do, huh..."
As Lan grumbled, he took out the keys from his bag, unlocked the door, and walked through it. What greeted his sight was a vast garden, an artificial pond housing a couple of fishes to the side. A couple of young trees were growing around the path that led to the large house beyond it.
Lan walked along, admiring the neatly cut bushes, and well-maintained flowers that were present. His mother always loved such things. And she had money for them.
Standing in front of the two-storied house, he took a deep breath and unlocked the door. This would be his first visit in nearly three months. His return was supposed to be a surprise, so he opened the door as quietly as he could.
After closing it behind him, Lan looked around the first floor. What greeted his sight was a vast living room and an entrance to the kitchen being to the side of it. Directly opposite the entrance, there was a set of glass doors leading to the backyard. Opposite the kitchen, there was a spiral staircase leading upwards to the second floor.
"Phew... Thankfully she is not in the kitchen. Otherwise, the plan would have completely failed."
His mother loved taking afternoon naps, especially in the summer, so this was probably one of those times. Lan quietly redressed into casual clothes, before entering the kitchen.
"Since I didn't buy anything... However, I did have a good reason for it... I will make something else to surprise her."
Lan had two hobbies. Painting and baking. He could make a portrait for his mom, but she already had a couple of those, and he would need to see her to make it. On the other hand...
"Cookies. I summon thee..."
He deftly took out the ingredients he knew he would need. With practiced moves he mixed them in the correct order, the result finding itself in an oven soon enough.
But when Lan was making his gift, he didn't notice that the mirror that was hanging on the wall nearby didn't have his reflection...
After fifteen minutes of waiting, he put on mittens and took the tray out of the oven, a nice smell wafting throughout the entire house.
Just as he was turning around to place it down on the table, he heard the footsteps and creaking stairs from behind him.
"Ah... Guess I'm busted."
He didn't take the smell into account. Still, the gift was done, so...
Lan turned around, a smile finding its way onto his face.
But when he turned around he didn't find the woman that was wearing casual light clothes that he expected.
He saw a woman with a tired look in her green, wizened eyes. A white, charred coat adorned her form, and dust marred her raven-black hair. Still, despite the weird look, it was still undoubtedly his mother.
Lan put down the tray with the baked sweets and put away the mittens as he prepared to greet her.
"Hi mom... It was supposed to be a surp-"
He didn't get to finish his words though, as she ran up to him at a speed he didn't think possible, and embraced him deeply.
"M-mom?"
Just then he heard sobbing. He felt something wet, undoubtedly tears, fall down his back.
"Lanny!"
His mother broke down crying out of nowhere, tears flowing down endlessly. Lan couldn't even begin to understand the reason for this. It was just a slightly special visit.
"Come on Mom, what's wrong? It's not like I..."
Lan suddenly saw a thing that wasn't there before, a teal, tear-shaped crystal hovering over the coffee table in the middle of the living room.
"...Died."
A surge of memories came flooding into his mind. What he had forgotten was remembered. The school, the ceremony, the walk back, he remembered most of it exactly as it was.
With the exception of one detail. When he was near the construction site, he never took those few steps back, too engrossed in the song he was listening to.
His hands hugged his mother back, tightening as if to never let go. As understanding returned to his mind, a figure materialized where there was previously an empty spot in the mirror.
A humanoid shape condensed, before turning to a seventeen-year-old boy with brown hair, gray eyes, and a small scar on his chin. He too soon began crying, only the sound of a tearful reunion filling the empty house. Nobody was there to listen in, as the entire neighborhood was empty, not a single vehicle crossing it the entire time.
Gradually the pair calmed down though, but neither let go of the embrace. The moment seemed to stretch on forever, but eventually, Matilda stepped back, still tightly holding Lan by the shoulders.
"...you are back."
Matilda whispered and Lan answered in an equally quiet voice.
"I am. But..."
"None of this is real, right?"
Lan nodded quietly. He had regained his memories, and he knew what had happened in 'the original timeline'
"It doesn't matter."
Lan stared into his mother's, Matilda's, reddened eyes, a happy smile adorning her face.
"We are back together and this is all that matters..."
Lan's eyes began to tremble violently at her sad expression, an overwhelming sense of guilt flooding him.
His eyes wettened yet again before he hugged his mother yet again. He cried out through the tears.
"I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry for leaving you for so long!"
Matilda seemed surprised by the sudden outburst of emotion before an even gentler smile appeared on her face.
She gently returned the embrace, patting Lan's head. She whispered.
"You are late by so many years... But welcome home, Lancelot Stein."
The mother and son stayed still just like this, together, for an indeterminate amount of time. Although there wasn't a way to tell how much of it had passed, due to the nature of the space they found themselves in, it didn't matter. They have separated abruptly for a long time, so it was only appropriate for the bottled-up emotions to emerge even in the most stoic of persons.
Especially if the matters concerned family.
The blissful silence was interrupted by Matilda's quiet murmur.
"...Have you calmed down already? It seems you didn't miss me as much as I thought."
Lancelot abruptly released his hug and stared her in the eyes with as serious a look as he could muster at the moment.
"...you know that's not true, mom."
Matilda only smiled in response.
"I know... I just can't help it. It's been so long... And you haven't changed a day since then."
Lancelot stayed silent for a while before asking something.
"...How long has it been exactly?"
Matilda seemed a bit surprised at such a question but answered nonetheless.
"It's been 36 years since the Awakening... And the day of your... death."
The boy was shaken. Although he expected maybe a decade to have passed because of the deterioration and overgrowth he witnessed, he largely attributed it to the influence mana. However now that he heard the exact amount of time that transpired, he couldn't help it.
"So you... For so long?"
Matilda nodded sadly at Lancelot's incomplete question.
At the time of his death, he was nearly 18 years old, so it could be said that his mother lived twice as long without him as she did with him. To him, who had experienced merely a third of the time, he couldn't imagine how she felt throughout those times. He looked downward, the sense of guilt from earlier returning yet again. Matilda kept speaking, however.
"...On that day I was sure you would visit. I know you too well, after all."
Lancelot looked up to her yet again and saw a bitter and sad smile this time.
"I... waited. I even prepared a gift for you as well." She gestured towards the corner of the room, where a package lay. Though Lancelot was sure it wasn't there previously.
"It was the graphic tablet you always wanted... And yet... You didn't return no matter how long I waited."
Matilda took a deep breath, her voice trembling as she recalled those particular details.
"At first... I thought you were out with your classmates. But as the sun set, you didn't even give me a phone call. And you didn't answer any either. So I went out to search for you."
Lancelot only listened without saying anything, while Matilda struggled to keep her calm, forcing out words.
"I searched. And... searched. And I found a... Scene near a construction site."
Her eyes wettened yet again, but Matilda kept on speaking.
"The police were there... At first, I didn't pay attention, I had a more important thing to do than gossip, but then I saw them... Showing your photo, asking about you."
Lancelot knew what she would likely tell next, so he merely hugged her yet again without saying anything.
"Then... And then... They said that they were searching... The relatives of the deceased."
Lancelot felt his mother tremble as she continued speaking.
"I... I... didn't know what to feel back then. I thought it wasn't real. That it was a bad joke, a prank, a bad dream... But..."
"It's okay. I'm here, I'm back. That's in the past, Mom."
Matilda didn't answer but took deep breaths for the next minute. She then continued her story with a slightly more stable voice.
"Soon after though, as if the very world wanted to mock me, that happened."
Lancelot continued listening without saying anything.
"At first... The grass by the side of the road just started growing very quickly. I... wasn't really paying attention back then, but that was rather bizarre now that I remember."
"Then... I felt something new flow through me amidst the emptiness I felt at that moment."
Lancelot's curiosity was rather piqued, causing him to ask a question that was on the tip of his tongue.
"...Was it mana?"
"Yes... Back then I didn't know, but now I do. Mana just... Appeared. As if water filling out an empty bottle that was me."
"After it, chaos broke out. While I was just standing there, so many common birds and animals that got very big, even bigger than the ones that you have in your... Playground."
Matilda seemed to be more at ease retelling the beginning of an apocalypse rather than the circumstances of his death, even bits of humor finding a way into her speech.
"At first I didn't react to any of that... But soon after I just wanted to lash out at everything. I wanted to scream at the unfairness and cruelty of the world... And I managed to do so in a way I didn't expect."
Matilda then gradually told Lan of the events that transpired shortly after his death. After Mana returned, all living organisms, with the strange exception of humans, were suddenly enhanced and evolved, wreaking havoc upon human society.
His mother, however, perhaps due to her emotional turmoil at that moment, seemed to be particularly attuned to mana's destructive potential. Lancelot learned that she, with her newfound power, massacred any Beast or human that tried to attack her, and when she returned to her senses, she was surrounded by ruins, and the humans that remained feared and somewhat admired her, though fear was prevalent back then.
"...I just went along with the flow. I didn't really have any ambition anymore, so I just took care of the survivors like I would take care of the plants in the garden. I would remove the harmful pests and prevent them from dying, but didn't care particularly care about them."
Out of nowhere, she chuckled softly.
"One thing led to another... And I became somewhat of a leader of our town."
Lancelot remained speechless at such a chain of events. After he had heard how she rampaged, he thought she would be persecuted by other surviving humans, but it would seem that they were more desperate than he previously thought, clinging to anyone who offered any kind of hope.
"...What about Dad then?"
Lancelot's father stayed near the western borders of Ukraine at the moment of the magical apocalypse, so he wondered whether his parents managed to contact each other after the initial chaos.
"...He is sitting on the Eastern Shore, busy with his own things. We did meet up later but..."
Matilda sighed. Lancelot caught the notion that something may have happened between his parents, maybe causing them to drift apart, and this seemed to be another sore topic of his mother, so he didn't press her.
One thing puzzled him though.
"What is this Eastern Shore though?"
Matilda suddenly turned her gaze to him, looking surprised for a moment before speaking.
"Ah right, you wouldn't know about this just yet. I keep forgetting about this."
Lancelot merely tilted his head, awaiting an answer.
"Well... How can I say this properly..."
Matilda then said something he couldn't comprehend when he heard it.
"I'll just tell this as is then... There is now a new ocean to our East, causing most of Ukraine and probably Asia to no longer exist?"
End of Volume 1