Prologue

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After what seemed like a long dream, Izel finally woke up. His eyes were dull for a moment and he shifted his body, his arms resting on his chest as he looked up at the white ceiling.

Plain. Boring, and most importantly...modern. The mattress under his body did not feel as hard as he remembered but like a soft floating cloud wrapping around his limbs. The sensation almost brought him to tears, but he barely held them back. The air around him did not smell overly pleasant or unpleasant, but it gave a sense of comfort to him.

A sense of relief just washed over him when he looked around the bedroom. A small bookcase with manga and comics, novels and books; as well as a few figurines. There was a desk with his personal computer and laptop, and his chair was pushed aside slightly, facing him.

The window that was situated between him and his desk had its curtains drawn, but the morning sunlight spilled through the gaps, illuminating his dark room with warmth.

Izel got up with a light feeling in his chest, the soft thud landing on his bed catching his attention. It was his phone.

The screen paused on a game and the familiar face of his favorite character on the screen, a smile on his face that gave him chills in his heart. Izel frowned. He had never felt this way towards Alcestis before, why does he feel so much hatred and fear towards him?

Damn, he must be too immersed in the game.

Izel shut his phone down and reached for the charger nearby. While waiting for his phone to charge, he got up from his bed and went to the bathroom to wash himself up.

Steam rolled through the open door as Izel walked out. His naked body was barely covered by the white towel around his waist. The wet black hair stuck to the edges of his cheeks, which were faintly glowing pink from the steam in the bathroom. There was an air of freshness around him, a light scent of ocean that was a result of his shampoo.

I want to tie him up, so he won't ever have the thought of leaving. How can you be so beautiful...

Izel got into his closet and quickly dressed up. Subconsciously feeling as if there was another pair of eyes on him, but that was impossible.

After grabbing his phone and checking that the battery was sufficient, Izel finally took a step outside his house. The cool spring air hit his face and a smile subconsciously rose on his lips as he let out a long breath. There was a feeling of euphoria he'd never felt before; like a bird whose wings were clipped finally being able to fly again, soaring through the sky without any burdens.

Izel locked the door behind him as he thought of taking a walk around the block. He felt slightly tired after that nap and wanted to walk some of that lethargic energy away.

The neighborhood he lived in was quaint, it was mostly populated with middle-aged couples and the elderly but occasionally you could hear the laughter of some children at the park. Izel was lucky, his parents and brother put a lot of thought into a safe neighborhood for when he reached adulthood. He objected at first but with their insistent attitude, he relented.

Besides, he doesn't mind being taken care of by his parents forever. He didn't have to work and enjoyed most of his time playing games, although their overprotectiveness can be a bit overwhelming sometimes.

Izel stopped by the park, it was empty. Most kids should be attending school at this time in the morning, but in just a few hours though, they would be released.

He took this time to steal one of the swings, kicking his legs are he pushed himself up in the air slightly. The wind blew through his undried hair, sending a chill to the back of his neck. If his mom was here, she would be nagging at him and insisting on blow-drying his hair while saying how he could get a cold.

Despite the cold chill he felt on the back of his neck, Izel felt a warm hand on his chest when he thought of his mom.

While leisurely sitting on the swing, Izel noticed a figure from the corner of his eyes.

Sitting on a bench nearby, he wore a light trench coat with his legs crossed and an open book resting on his hands. The light blond hair was tied into a high ponytail, and the silver glasses hung on the bridge of his nose, framing his face with a scholarly air.

Odd. Izel thought he had never seen this man before. Was he new to the neighborhood? Izel tried to recall his memories and seemed to remember that the house beside him was being rented out. The elderly couple who lived there were on vacation, and they wanted someone to take care of the house while they were gone.

He didn't know how long they would be gone, but he recalled a blond man talking to the couple before they left.

A handsome man, he thought. But he knew nothing else.

If his brother knew what a handsome man his new neighbor was, he would probably freak out and beg his father to help him find a new place. Izel laughed out loud, not noticing the pair of eyes that looked up from the book and stared at him.

Those green orbs reflected his figure, sitting on a swing and kicking his legs occasionally, while the wind blew through his wet hair; his eyes curving with his smile and the sun giving his skin a porcelain glow.

when Izel got up from the swing, the man immediately looked back down on his book. Despite him scanning the pages, none of the words were legible to him. When he looked back up, the person was gone.


Author's note:

Welcome to the sequel! It's modern time!

Any predictions for what will happen in the future? 

Anyone you want to see again from the last book?

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