NOVPUBAs Ace stepped onto the sixteenth step, a sudden wave of dizziness hit him like a crashing tide. His consciousness began to fade, slipping away from the tower and its stairs.
That one single step, it felt monumental, as if he had just crossed a threshold no man was meant to cross.
When he forced his eyes open again, the world had changed.
No, this wasn't the familiar
tower anymore. It was... still familiar, but in other ways.
He was standing in front of his old house—the one from his past life.
The cracked wooden panels, the faint scent of rain on dirt, the air heavy with memories.
He took a hesitant step forward—
Bam!
Something small and solid slammed into his legs. A little girl toppled back, wide-eyed and startled.
Before he could react, another child—a boy, just about her age—rushed over.
A toy truck slipped from his grasp and hit the ground with a dull clack. One of its tires broke off, spinning slightly before stopping.
But the boy didn't even glance at it, his focus was on the girl.
"Rina! Are you hurt?" he asked, concern etched across his tiny face.
The girl offered no response and simply stared in silence.
Then the boy turned to Ace, tiny fists clenched.
"Mister, you should apologize to her!"
Ace blinked. That face. That stance. That stubborn glare.
It was definitely him.
His past self—standing there in miniature form.
He let out a breathless laugh.
"Courageous, I'll give myself that," Ace muttered, eyes narrowing slightly.
He stared down at the boy and said with quiet gravity,
"And why should I do that? Trust me... it's best you leave her now—or you will never be able to later."
Ace said that despite knowing it was an illusion, it was like one of those childhood fantasy where you would want to time travel back and tell your past self to invest everything into bitcoin.
The boy's eyes flared with anger.
"That's not for you to decide! You're a jerk!" he snapped.
Then he turned back to the girl.
"Rina, here—take this handkerchief. Let's get out of here."
He helped her up with tender care, brushing dirt from her sleeves.
Ace let out a dry chuckle, voice tinged with irony.
"To think I'd be called a jerk by my own self…"
But the humor faded as a voice called out softly behind him.
"Ace?"
It was warm, familiar—achingly familiar.
He turned slowly.
And the scene shifted instantly.
The children were gone.
So was the broken toy. 𝓃𝓸𝓿𝓹𝓾𝓫.𝓬ℴ𝓶
Now, the house stood renovated—refreshed with the care of love and time.
And there, a woman stood.
His mother.
Her eyes glistened with tears as she rushed over, arms wide.
"Ace… Ace! I thought I'd never see you again… Please, don't leave us ever again!"
"This is an illusion," he whispered, almost in a trance.
"This isn't real… it's not real…"
But his hands—on their own—lifted.
He wrapped them around her.
And in that embrace, something broke.
His eyes stung, and his vision blurred. His breaths came shallow and ragged.
He hadn't felt this warmth in years. And illusion or not—he couldn't let go.
Just when he thought he might lose himself to it forever—
A small movement caught his eye.
From the house across the street, a little girl peeked out, her tiny arms hugging a worn teddy bear to her chest.
"Ruby," Ace breathed the name as soon as he saw the girl.
The little girl blinked, then her eyes lit up like the morning sun.
""Brother!" she cried, the word bursting from her like light through a crack.
She ran—arms open, teddy bear bouncing against her chest.
Ace and his mother broke their embrace as the girl raced toward them.
His mother looked at the child with radiant pride, her eyes then shifting to Ace—softened with joy and love.
Ace knelt and stretched his arms wide open.
Without hesitation, Ruby leapt into his embrace, wrapping her small arms around his neck like a koala.
"I missed you, Brother!" she cried, her voice muffled against his shoulder.
Then she hiccuped, tears streaming as she whimpered,
"I hate you… I hate you…"
Her little fists lightly thumped his chest—but not out of anger. It was heartbreak, longing, and relief tangled all at once.
Ace hugged her tighter, arms wrapped firmly around her tiny frame, shielding her from the world.
"Why did you leave us?" she asked, her voice innocent, trembling, and impossibly sweet.
She sniffled, then leaned back slightly, her wide teary eyes locking onto his.
"Stay with us now, okay? You will, right?"
Her soft cheeks were flushed, her nose adorably red from crying. And yet, through the tears, she smiled—the kind of smile that could melt stone.
Somewhere deep within him, a whisper echoed—"This isn't real." And then everything unraveled.
"Human, what are you?"
The world cracked—like glass under pressure—and in a blink, the warmth was gone. Ace stood alone, dim light flickering across unfamiliar walls.
He blinked.
A giant beast sat at a table across from him—calmly flipping through the pages of a book. The creature adjusted its monocle with an air of scholarly dignity.
Ace's brows rose.
It was a white tiger, majestic and heavily bearded, with thick black stripes running down its back and limbs like war paint.
It was perched on an ornate wooden chair far too small for its size, yet somehow still maintaining perfect posture.
In front of it lay a book titled: "The Tales of the Fool."
The tiger's deep voice echoed again, "Human, I'm talking to you."
Still, the beast didn't look at Ace—completely absorbed in the story.
Ace tilted his head, eyes narrowing slightly. Something about the creature's aura—its pose, that calm tone, the ridiculous monocle—sparked a memory.
"You look like Headmaster Amon in that get-up," he said dryly, hands in his pockets.
The tiger froze mid-page turn.
Its ear twitched.
The monocle slipped a little.
"...How did you—? No… When did you realize?" the tiger asked, voice now half-panicked, half-defensive.
But Ace was already a step ahead.
His eyes went wide.
"Wait. No way. You're—"
They both just stared at each other.
