The streets were draped in white as snow fell and the wind whistled.

Pulling his scarf higher on his nose, the man tiptoed his way on the slippery sidewalks. It was getting late, and the roads hadn’t yet been plowed—it probably wouldn’t be until the wee hours. The university workers were always taking their sweet time with this task. Whether there was a light snowfall or a full-blown snowstorm, they couldn’t be bothered to work past evening. Everyone on the campus knew they couldn’t care less about students who had late classes or stayed at the library until closing time, saying it was not their problem. 

Not like it mattered to him. A bit of snow won’t kill me.

One step at a time, he walked through the empty street.

The dim light from the antique streetlamps reflected against the snowflakes, almost like twinkling stars, but as he got closer to the woods, the streetlamps grew scarce. Darkness shrouded the path crossing the small patch of forest that stood between the university and downtown. If it weren’t for the bright moonlight, he wouldn’t have been able to see anything, especially with that snowfall. By now, he did know the trail by heart, however, so it wouldn’t have prevented him from finding his way.

It would just have been an annoying endeavor and a waste of time.

Midterms were just around the corner, and he had to study whenever possible. He had to maintain the good grades if he didn’t want to lose his scholarship and starve to death. His research paper on pneumonia was also due next week, and there were a few things he needed to tweak.

So many things to do, and so little time. Basic human functions, such as sleep, prevented him from doing as much as he wanted in a day, and lately, it was getting on his nerves. Sadly, it wasn’t like he could cut off his sleep. He had tried in the past, and it hadn’t ended well. Let’s just get home for now.

On the other side of the woods, there was a deserted road and a bus stop. He quickly trudged through the snow to the shelter, only heaving a discreet sigh of relief once he sat on the bench. It felt cold under his buttocks, and shivers ran up his spine, making his scalp tingle. Still, he didn’t stand up. Instead, he put his heavy backpack filled with medical books next to him, bending over his knees to unfasten his boots. They were filled to the brim with snow, and his feet were getting wet. His socks were already soaked. The bus wouldn’t be there for a few more minutes, that was if it hadn’t got stuck in the snow somewhere.

I bet it’s going to be late. Public transport still has a long way to go.

Tying his boots back after removing chunks of snow, he felt his cell phone vibrating in his pocket. Not expecting anyone to send him messages at this hour, a frown creased his brow as he pulled it out and swept the screen open. It was a notification reminding him that he had received an email during the day. He had forgotten about it.

A faint smile tugged at his lips as he read through it.

Sir Mountain, your change of given name has been approved.

Considering the documents and fees required, as well as the time wasted, it had better be accepted. It had become trickier to change his name nowadays. In the past, presenting himself as Cerwin was enough to be Cerwin again. Now, he had to go through an annoying, long process to legally change it. Of course, he could always ask others to call him Cerwin instead of the name his birth parents had given him in this life, but he wanted his whole identity to be recognized as Cerwin.

With his back resting against the glass wall, he craned his neck to the side and lifted his eyes to stare at the sky. The falling snow made it hard to discern the stars, yet some still shone through, alongside the moonlight.  

How many times have I reincarnated already? Cerwin didn’t know; he had stopped counting a long time ago. Keeping track of these past lifetimes wasn’t warranted, anyway. He hadn’t met Geoffrey in any of them, so they weren’t worth remembering. The important bits in them were the knowledge he had collected throughout the years, but even that knowledge evolved and changed as centuries passed.

How much longer do I have to wait before fate allows us to meet again? That, too, he didn’t know. Yet he had faith that one day, he’d be reunited with that little human who had brightened his life like a ray of sunshine. Even if, after all these lives, he could barely remember his face, he hadn’t forgotten those bright green eyes that sparkled with joy, or that smile that had warmed his cold heart.    

Cerwin gazed up at the stars, lost in memories of a long-forsaken time, until the bus arrived. Only then did he consent to peel his eyes away from the sky and get up, swinging his backpack on his shoulder.  

He didn’t know how long it would take before they met again. It could be in this life, or in the next one. Either way, it didn’t matter. He had all the time in the world, as the cycle of reincarnation never ended, and the memories of his past lives never failed to come back to him in his teenage years. Why? He wasn’t sure. Maybe because he was once a spirit, and maybe because every time he drew his last breath, he wished to remember Geoffrey in his next life. He refused to forget.

Or it would be more accurate to say that he didn’t allow himself to forget, and never would.

Your animal spirit should have been a mule, you stubborn fool! His younger sister had once said in exasperation. He could feel a sneer curl his lips under his damp scarf as he sat at the back of the bus. The warm air seemed to burn his cold skin as he leaned his head against the window and closed his eyes.

Perhaps Aderyn had been right. Perhaps he was being stubborn.

But he didn’t mind being wilful, not if that meant he could meet with Geoffrey again. Until then, he’d wait for however long needed.  

END