It had been about three months and Oliver was running out of patience.

He gently ran his hands through his daughter's hair as they sat beside an occupied bed.

On it, slept a sickly woman.

Her skin, although with hints of youth, was pale and her hair, although thick, was almost completely grey.

“Papa, I’m hungry.” Oliver’s daughter said, prompting him to stand up with a grunt.

“Ok, let's go to the kitchen.” He said and the little girl practically ran out of the room.

Oliver chuckled to himself before exiting the room as well.

He made his way towards the kitchen and prepared some oatmeal for his daughter.

His thoughts wandered as he waited for the oatmeal to cook.

“I’m so close.” He muttered as he grabbed a nearby bowl.

He then dished out a certain amount of oatmeal for her before walking into a certain, dimly lit room.

Within it, countless books and documents could be seen scattered about on various pieces of furniture.

Oliver took a deep breath before burying his nose in his books.

Hours passed and his eyes soon grew tired. His eyelids then slowly fell as he succumbed to sleep's sweet allure.

.

..

Jessica had grown tired of teasing the sheep in the pen and so she returned to the house and eyed a certain door that led to a certain room where her father spent most of his time.

Jessica's eyes narrowed as she had never really seen the inside and so she took slow and cautious steps towards it.

The house was silent and so Jessica deduced that her father was asleep.

Perfect timing.

She slowly reached up and turned the door's handle before slowly opening it.

Her heart skipped a beat when she saw her father inside, but her fright was quickly replaced by concern when she realized that he was sitting at an awkward angle.

She slowly approached him, half afraid that he would turn around and scold her for trespassing, but she didn’t stop.

A faint snore confirmed her suspicions and so, with slightly more confidence, she walked up to her father before tugging at his coat.

“Mmm?” Oliver sounded as he sat up.

“You were asleep,” Jessica said.

Oliver noticed that her ears were beet red and her breath looked frantic.

He looked around to look for whatever may have caused her such fluster, but then he realized that she must have been afraid of this dark office of his and so he gently ruffled her messy hair before standing up.

“You’re right. Come on, I’ll sleep elsewhere.” He said as he held Jessica’s little hand.

The two then made their way towards the main bedroom.

Oliver looked outside a nearby window and saw that the sun was indeed setting.

He and Jessica quietly entered the room, but only Jessica hopped onto the bed.

“Alright, give me a moment. I’ll be right back.” Oliver said.

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Jessica nodded before laying her head down to sleep.

Oliver gently smiled as he made his way back to his office.

He took a deep breath before lying forward in his arms.

His thoughts focused on one thing and one thing alone: sleep.

.

..

Oliver awoke in a certain garden.

Four doors were on each of its four towering green walls.

There was also a dried fountain at the garden’s centre, but Oliver paid it no mind.

He instead looked at the largest door, above which sat a large rune that emitted a soft blue light.

He towards the door and reached out to touch it.

Nothing happened at first, but then suddenly the door slowly opened and the garden was bathed in bright blue light.

Oliver’s mind then went into a fuzzy state as a certain voice whispered to him.

He raised his hands to shield himself from the light but stopped himself upon realizing that he had a purpose in this garden.

“Help me!” Oliver yelled as the light grew brighter and the voice grew louder.

Oliver sensed a youthful tone in the voice, his mind was far too fuzzy to make anything of it.

“Yes, you can take my place. Just make sure that she’s ok.” Oliver said as streams of tears ran down his face.

He desperately tried looking up to face the light, but he was far too afraid.

His vision then darkened and he felt himself floating forward.

His vision returned revealing that he had somehow entered a world of endless paths.

Countless paths were seemingly everywhere in the infinite darkness that surrounded Oliver.

He looked down to see a certain path that differed from the others.

Whereas the others looked like purple ethereal strands that chaotically floated about.

The one below him was blue and so focused his vision to find himself awakening from his slumber on his chair.

“Veenon ilonar, dba?” Oliver asked as he curiously looked at his arms.

“Yes, take care of them in my stead,” Oliver said as he precariously floated in the infinite.

“Tro binae oolner zoten?” Oliver asked as he walked towards the main bedroom where his wife and daughter slept.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.” Oliver said.

“Oh, what’s your name by the way?” He asked.

“Oormaelor.”

.

..

Oliver watched as Oormaelor revived his wife, Veronica, from her life-threatening illness.

He watched as Jessica leapt into her mother's arms and watched as they all had their first dinner together.

Oliver tried to cry, but he seemingly couldn’t in his new body or environment.

He chuckled before watching as Oormaelor took Veronica out on long walks.

He would let her talk for hours on end as he gawked at her incandescent beauty.

Days turned into months and months turned into years in the void.

Oliver could practically see Oormaelor and Veronica falling in love, but it bothered him not.

He then watched as Veronica gave birth to a second child.

That boy would then grow up to be a little rascal who often bickered with his sister.

Even more, time passed as Oliver floated in the infinite and he never once thought to look back and face the infinite.

.

..

Oliver bit his teeth as Oormaelor held Veronica’s hand.

She had grown old and grey, but the light in her eyes burnt bright.

“You aren’t the one I fell in love with at first, aren’t you,” Veronica said, albeit weakly.

Oormaelor's eyes widened.

“N- no.” He said with trembling hands.

“But I love you the same. Pray tell, is the first one doing well?” Veronica asked as Oormaelor gently held her hand.

“Yes. The astral body does not need sustenance and does not age.” Oormaelor said with a gentle and youthful smile.

Veronica nodded before looking out of the window as the sun slowly sank into the horizon.

A tear fell from her eye as her grip on Oormaelor slowly loosened.

“Veronica?” He called.

“Veronica!”

“She’s… gone,” Oliver said from beyond the real.

“No. No, no, no. Why?” Oormaelor asked as he raised his hands.

Strange purple flames then erupted from his hands, which he placed over Veronica’s body.

“Nothing you do will bring her back,” Oliver said.

“You say that and yet you’re the one who begged me to save her!” Oormaelor yelled as tears ran down his eyes.

“That’s all it was. An extension. I too wanted to postpone the inevitable, but alas, death comes for all-“

“No!” Oormaelor yelled as he squeezed his hands.

Jessica and Peter burst into the room to find their father engulfed in purple flames.

“Papa, what’s happening?” She asked. She had grown considerably and-

“I’m going to get her back!” Oormaelor yelled as space seemingly distorted around him.

“No, stop it! This is not what Veronica would have wanted-"

“Shut up!” He cried as Jessica and Peter visibly shrunk.

Their bones made loud, splintering noises and their eyes became extremely bulgy and bloodshot as the rest of their bodies violently contorted.

Veronica, on the other hand, didn’t change.

More purple flames engulfed the house as Oormaelor wept.

“Stop it! We’re going to lose everything at this rate!” Oliver yelled but in the next moment, Veronica’s body began moving.

She sat up as her hair regained its radiance and volume.

Her skin glowed and she took a deep breath before facing Oormaelor with cold eyes.

“Hello, dear.” She said, prompting Oormaelor to fall to his knees.

“Is that really you?” He asked.

Veronica stood up and walked towards the weeping Oormaelor and she wrapped her arms around him.

Jessica and Peter also hugged him as their bodies attained their new forms.

“Yes. We’re all here.”