Epilogue

With a jolt, I woke up. Sweat covered all of my body, and I was breathing heavily. I looked around and found myself in the comfort of my bed.

I was back in my apartment room; however, I still don't know if I am in my own apartment or a different universe. If it's the former, then it means Aiden and others managed to fix the glitch; if it's the latter, then it means Aiden is dead, and I would have to restart it all again.

I hurriedly got off my bed and looked below. The buildings, the cars—everything seemed normal and not futuristic. I was traversing the branch of universes that have 'clones' as a common concept, so I had to make sure if the world I am in is futuristic or not.

Luckily, it seems the chances of Aiden succeeding in fixing it worked. I quickly checked the date. It was March 9. I was thinking back to that day when the accident occurred.

Before thinking anything, I called my home.

[Hello]

A familiar voice sounded.

"Hey"

[Fred, is that you?]

It was my father, the one I had avoided all these years.

"How are you?"

Heh, I'm good as always. [How are you doing, son?]

I could sense his joy across the phone. It felt good knowing that you can uplift the mood of others.

"I'm also...good."

My inner emotions were a chaotic mess; it was like they could burst out at any moment, but what came out was nothing but an awful silence.

"So... What's up?"

I didn't know what to say, nor did my father, since we haven't talked since I moved out. All I could do was this awkward icebreaker.

[Hehe]

"Haha"

My dad chuckled at me, to which I chuckled in response. In the end, it turned into a nice fit of laughter.

*****

I never expected the conversation to go this smoothly. The more time I spend, the more I feel like the glitch is fixed, but I don't want this hope to be shattered. For all I know, this could be a dream weaved by Limbo to trap me.

Perhaps I have already turned into a mindless zombie while my previous consciousness is inside this delusion of a perfect world.

I shook my heads and dismissed all these thoughts, because whatever this is, it is my reality now.

The reality is that I don't know how much longer I have to live; even if the glitch is fixed, I am still destined to perish since I am just a bug in the multiverse.

I freshened up and went outside. I saw the same bustling road and the familiar zebra crossing. There stood a familiar girl, and as soon as the light turned green, the girl dashed forward. I instinctively tried to grab her hand and stop her, but I controlled myself.

There was no speeding vehicle coming, nor was there any Deja-vu. The girl successfully crossed the road, and I could not help but give a faint smile as I moved forward.

*****

I was back in my apartment building; it was evening, and it was almost time for the call.
Soon enough, my phone rang, and it was Anna, my sister, who informed me of our dad's condition.

I assured her that I'd be there till tomorrow, while I already had the plane ticket in my hand. I know I might not make it there tomorrow; if the glitch is fixed, then I might disappear before I could get the chance to visit there, but I still wanted to try.

With everything in motion, I went to bed. I tried to sleep, but I couldn't, and after a few hours of sleep, the morning sun rose.

I didn't take any luggage this time, and I left. Ready to face the biggest challenge of my life. However, I couldn't help but worry if the glitch was fixed or not.

I don't know if the glitch is fixed or not. Limbo did tell me that he killed Aiden, but did he? He had no reason to lie to me, especially at that moment, when he seemed confident in himself. Perhaps Aiden had some sort of plan, and he tricked Limbo.

Whatever happened back then, there was no point in worrying about it. Since no matter what, I would never know the objective truth, and besides, I'm here, alive and sane, then surely whatever happened was just right.

[END]