Lyra’s eyes remained fixed on the empty doorway. Meanwhile, outside the throne room, Leo walked across the red carpet, moving straight ahead. He turned left, right, and continued forward, wandering aimlessly through the halls. He climbed flight after flight of stairs as if ascending multiple floors, his gaze fixed on the ground. Suddenly, he broke into a run. His face began to crumple with emotion as he finally reached the castle rooftop.

  As he finally reached it, he stretched out both his hands and shouted, "Why!?"

  "Why are you doing this to me?!" His tears began to fall.

  "If you just wanted to make me suffer in this world, then why did you even send me here in the first place? You damn goddess, why aren't you answering me now?" He shouted, staring at the sky as if she would descend from the clouds.

  "And fine. Let’s assume it was written in my fate that my soul would suffer..." he said, his voice dropping until he sounded like a miserable man just searching for answers. "But why are you making those close to me suffer? What did they do?"

  His voice cracked, and he fell to his knees.

  "Just stop this nonsense... You reincarnated me to suffer, right? Then let me suffer. I won’t... I won’t say a word." He lowered his head until it touched the floor, his hands clenched into fists.

  Rage propelled his hand downward. The impact was a physical manifestation of his frustration, his tears falling as he pleaded for answers he couldn't find.

  "But... please, don't make those who are with me suffer. What was their mistake?" he asked. "Was their mistake coming into this world? Or was it becoming my friend... or loving me?"

  Suddenly, he heard a familiar voice. He stopped rubbing his eyes but didn’t drop his hands immediately; instead, he peered through the narrow gaps of his fingers. A young man was standing before him. It was none other than Akira himself.

  'Am I going crazy? Why am I—?' Before he could finish the thought, more questions began to flood his mind. Akira—dressed in a black shirt and black jeans, his hair messy, appearing to be between sixteen and eighteen years old—smiled.

  "So... did I scare myself?" Akira asked.

  Leo’s hands fell to his sides as he took a step back. "What the... Am I losing my mind?"

  Akira laughed, clutching his stomach as he tried to control himself.

  "What’s so funny?" Leo asked, genuinely terrified.

  Akira sighed, finally catching his breath. "Well, Leo... do you know why you're seeing me?"

  Leo shook his head, staring at Akira in disbelief.

  Akira’s smile softened. "It's simply because you need me. You need to understand yourself. Have you forgotten our main goal for coming into this life?"

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  "To be a good person?" Leo answered, his voice clouded with uncertainty.

  Akira rubbed his hair and chuckled. "Yeah, I know we were absent-minded, but this much? I didn't expect that. Leo, our main goal was to live a happy and peaceful life. I know you have friends and family now—people you have to protect because you finally have feelings for them. I’m not telling you to forget about them. I’m saying you need to find a way for both you and them to have the life we all deserve. And about Lia..."

  At the mention of her name, Leo’s face fell into an expression of deep sadness.

  Akira walked closer and placed his hands on Leo’s shoulders. With a steady smile, he said, "If I were still in your place, I wouldn't have cared this much. But if you want to give her and the others a happy life, you can find a way."

  "What way? Please, tell me," Leo pleaded.

  Akira dropped his hands and took a step back. "Well, you have to find that out for yourself."

  "Hey! Please! You and I... we’re the only ones who can help each other!"

  Akira smiled and began to back away, step by step. "Look, if I start giving you the answers, it would ruin the bonds you’ve worked so hard to create."

  "But—"

  Akira started to turn away, then paused. Looking back over his shoulder, he said, "Never sacrifice your loved ones for your goals—and never sacrifice your goals for your loved ones."

  "But that’s impossible—!" Leo shouted.

  As he said this, Akira turned to Leo and rush towards him after coming close to him he grabbed his hands, his face twisted with anger. "And that's why you were given this second life! Have you forgotten what we did in our past? Tell me, Leo... no, tell me, Akira... have you forgotten our biggest mistake?"

  Suddenly, the memories rushed back. In his past life, Akira’s parents had loved him deeply, but they couldn't accept his goals. They were terrified of losing him because he was their only child. Akira had craved independence; he wanted to travel the world, become an author, and experience everything life had to offer. His parents, out of fear, became the very thing standing in his way.

  One day, Akira decided to run away. He managed to escape, but after only a few days, the harsh reality of being alone set in. He decided to go home, telling himself he would endure any lecture or anger his parents threw at him just to be back.

  But on his way home, he made a fatal choice. He took a shortcut through an alley where he witnessed a man murdering an entire family. Akira tried to flee, but as he turned, the killer hurled a stone brick at his head.

  Everything went black.

  While the police and his family searched desperately for him, Akira lay unconscious. When he finally woke up, he was surrounded by men covered in tattoos. Realizing he had lost his memory, they fed him lies. They told him his family had thrown him away. They took his phone and replaced it with one of their own, claiming his past life never existed and then we all know what happens.

  Leo eyes filled with tears he cries and cries.

  Akira said, "Because you—no, we—sacrificed our family for our goals. You can see where that brought us..."

  "But how?" Leo asked, his voice broken as tears fell uncontrollably.

  Akira smiled as he replied, "You have to find that out for yourself. After all, you were given this second life, a second chance. It’s not me, and it’s no longer Akira... it’s you, Leo. Only you." He said this while pointing his finger toward Leo’s forehead.

  Then, Akira turned and walked away. He began to vanish into the thin air, but just before he disappeared completely, he looked back over his shoulder.

  "Hey, Leo! I forgot to tell you... never think that you’re alone. You have friends. And if you still feel lonely, just remember that I am with you."

  A warm breeze swept across the rooftop as he vanished. Leo realized he was alone once more. He rubbed his eyes and wiped his nose, a small smile finally tugging at his lips. As he left the rooftop, a single thought echoed in his mind.

  'Thanks, Akira.'