November 5, 2016.

I woke up facing a white ceiling. My eyes felt heavy and there was this stinging pain in my head. My mind felt disturbingly blank. I couldn’t remember anything at all.

Where am I?

How long have I been here?

                 So many questions resonated inside my mind. Frustrated, I tugged the hem of my shirt. Suddenly, I heard an unfamiliar voice calling out to me.

                “So you’ve woken up.” I looked up and saw a man wearing white coat, presumably a doctor.

“Do you remember anything that happened before you fell asleep?” I shook my head.

“Do you remember your name?”

I paused at the question, then I gently nodded. “Sora,” my voice sounded so hoarse, as if I haven’t been talking for ages. The doctor told me, “Someone has been dying to see you.”

The doctor and the nurses left the room. Who is this person that wants to see me? Suddenly, the door barged open. My eyes widened in shock. A boy threw himself into the room and started shouting.

“Sora!! You’re finally awake! I’ve been worried sick!” He shouted at me.

“Who are you?”

He fell silent. His black orbs stared back at me, not believing what I just asked. “Y-you don’t remember me?” He questioned, pointing at himself. I furrowed my eyebrows, shaking my head no. His face fell, wearing an expression that clearly showed immense sadness.

“I’m Nero,” he said. His eyes were obviously struggling in holding back his tears. For some reason, his name sounded really familiar to me.

                Someone entered the room. He kneeled down beside my hospital bed, begging for my forgiveness. I was in utter confusion. “H-hey, what are you apologizing for?” I stuttered.

                 “Seo, Sora lost his memories.” Nero told him. “Oh…” This Seo person didn’t know how to react. His name, again, sounds familiar. The room was filled with silence. Eventually, they decided to leave. The doctor permitted me to leave my room, so I headed to the hospital backyard.

                Come to think of it, how did I lose my memories?

                I sat on top of the hospital park bench. Across from where I sat, I spotted a girl playing her guitar while singing, entertaining the elderly patients. Her song sounded beautifully familiar to my ears. Somehow, that song reminded me of Nero.

Suddenly, I saw Nero approaching the girl from behind. “Kira, let’s go home,” Nero tapped the girl’s shoulder. “Yes, brother!” Kira grinned at him and tagged along Nero. So they’re siblings, I thought.

Unconsciously, my legs brought me away from the hospital. I walked towards the road, inching closer to the other side of the street. Drowning in my own thoughts, a car zoomed right in front of me, almost hitting my body. My legs dropped in shock, as flashbacks replayed in my head. I’ve experienced this before. The next thing I knew, I remembered everything. I’ve been in a coma for six months.

May 18, 2016.

                “Sora! Do you want to listen to my new song? I even taught Kira how to play it!” Nero cheered enthusiastically as I nodded at him. He started playing his guitar, melodies combining together beautifully. The song finished and Nero grinned, “This song is for you, since today is your birthday!”

                After hanging out at Nero’s house, I went to a nearby coffee shop to meet up with my childhood friend, Yuu. It was nighttime. We bought our coffee and walked together across the road.

That’s when everything went downhill.

                A car sped right in front of me, hitting Yuu as he fell towards the cold ground. I could only see blood, and the next thing I knew, Yuu’s life was taken right in front of my very own eyes. The driver exited his car, and to my surprise, it was Seo. Anger took over me. I threw my fist to Seo’s face. That was the day I lost my childhood friend and had a fight with my friend at the same time.

May 22, 2016.

                Ever since the incident, Seo had suffered from depression. He took pills and did self-harm. He couldn’t forgive himself after what happened. Meanwhile, I’ve been having suicidal thoughts for the past few days. My mother took me to psychiatrists and gave me proper medication. She worked hard to earn money for my medicines, but it took toll of her body. She fell ill. Eventually, my mother, my only parent, passed away due to her sickness.

                I couldn’t bear this anymore. I wanted to end everything. I looked down from my house’s rooftop. I closed my eyes. After I do this, everything will be over. I jumped. The last thing I remembered was Nero’s voice calling my name before my visions blacked out.

                Unknowingly, tears rolled down my cheeks.