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I was born into a good family. My mother loved me. My dad also loved me. My big brother too! But my biggest regret was being born with a terminal illness. Since birth, I was placed in the isolation room of the hospital because my illness was unknown. Yet, I never felt lonely.  

Every weekend, my parents visited me, bringing my favorite snacks even though I wasn’t always allowed to eat them. My brother who had orange hair and ocean blue eyes named Sirius, visited me every day after school. No matter how tired he was, he always came. He always read his story to me.  

His stories were kinda cringe and funny… but I loved them. Because he wrote them for me. 

"And then, when Vanilla was about to slap Elsie, the male lead! Hiro entered!" Sirius said, mimicking the expressions of his characters dramatically.  

I laughed, clutching my stomach, "Brother, why are the names so funny?"

"Haha! Because I don’t know how to name characters! So I just named everything I could think of!" He puffed his chest proudly, as if this was some kind of achievement.  

I giggled, "It’s really interesting!" I paused for a moment before tilting my head. "Brother, if that world from your story were real, how many days in the story would be a day in our world?"  

Sirius hummed, deep in thought. Then, he grinned, "Hmm... A day in the story is... a hundred years in our world~!" He said excitdly, his eyes shining.  

I looked at him happily, but... that happiness didn’t last long.  

Suddenly, my vision blurred. My head felt heavy... dizzy... I tried to blink it away, but my body wouldn’t listen. The last thing I saw was my brother’s face- his expression turning from joy to horror.  

"Flora?!" His voice sounded so distant.  

And then- darkness.... 

[Sirius’s POV] 

*BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.*  

The hospital alarms rang loudly.  

"SHE'S GOING INTO CARDIAC ARREST!"

"Get the defibrillator...NOW!"

"We’re losing her! Prep for emergency treatment!"

I stood frozen outside the emergency room, my hands trembling as I gripped my phone. The call was still connected.  

"Mom... Dad..." My voice was barely a wishper. "Flora- she...!"  

I couldn’t even finish my sentence before my parents' panicked voices rang from the other side of the phone. But I wasn’t listening anymore.  

Through the glass window, I could see them. The doctors. The nurses. They were all running around in a rush. Wires. Machines. The beeping noises were getting faster and faster, then suddenly... flatline.  

I couldn’t hear anything. My mind went blank.  

"NO PULSE! INCREASING CHARGE-!" 

My fingers dug into my sleeves.  

"AGAIN!"

My breathing was uneven.  

"CLEAR!"

Flora’s small body jolted on the bed... Nothing.  

"CLEAR-!"  

Nothing.... I don’t know how long I stood there. Maybe a few minutes. Maybe hours.  

Then- The door opened... The head doctor walked out, looking exhausted. He pulled his mask down. He opened his mouth to say something, but he didn’t need to. I already knew.  

The look in his eyes said everything.  

"I’m sorry."

Silence.  

Then-  

"No..."

My mother dropped to her knees, clutching her chest as if she couldn't breathe. My father rushed to hold her, his own body shaking.  

I felt like I was dreaming. No. No, this wasn’t real.  

Flora’s fine... She’s probably gonna wake up and laugh, telling me how weird the doctors looked when they panivked. She’s gonna scold me for making her cry in my story again.  

She’s... I felt something cold in my hand. I looked down. It was her favorite keychain. The one she always kept with her. I gripped it tightly.  

And then, without thinking- I ran.  

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The hospital was quiet...The fluirescent lights buzzed faintly, casting a pale glow over the sterile white walls.  

A chart was placed on the desk. The words were written clearly, but the ink somehow felt... heavy.  

Flora Hana, Age 15, Time of death: December 3rd, 5:35 PM.  

The world outside kept moving. People kept walking, talking, living.  

But in one hospital room- time had stopped.  

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I was floating...Everything around me was dark. Endless. I felt light, as if I had no weight, no body. Just... existence.  

Is this what it feels like to die...?

I tried to move, but there was nothing to move. No hands. No legs. Just me. Alone.  

"Sirius..." I tried to call out, but no voice came out.  

Where am I? Is this heaven? Or hell? Or... something else?  

I don’t know how long I drifted there. Maybe seconds. Maybe years.  

Time didn’t exist in this place.  

Just darkness...And then- A light...  

A small, gentle light appeared in the distance. It was faint, barely there. But it was warm.  

I reached for it.  

And slowly- everything changed.  

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To be continue