I wake up and the first thing I notice is that Aethera's gone.
Did I dream it? Was she even here or was it my imagination?
I sit up slowly, rubbing my eyes. The blanket is tucked around me carefully—too carefully for me to have done it myself in my sleep. So she was real. She was here.
She stayed until I fell asleep.
Something warm and comfortable settles in my chest.
"Hey kiddo. How was your day?"
I turn so fast I almost give myself whiplash.
Dad is standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame with that easy smile that still feels foreign. Wrong. Like it belongs to someone else's father.
But he's here. He's really here.
"It was... weird," I manage, my voice still rough from sleep. "Met some people."
Dad walks over and sits on the edge of my bed, the mattress dipping slightly under his weight. "Some people... you mean Celestians?"
I stare at him.
How did he-
"How did you know?"
He looks up at the ceiling, his expression thoughtful. Almost nostalgic. "I know things, Cecil."
He looks back at me with that same soft smile. "You promised we'd talk. Remember?"
Right. This morning. Before everything with Aethera and Nalani and the training and the memories I can't quite-
My head throbs sharply and I wince.
Stop. Don't push it.
"Dad... what's going on?" I ask cautiously, studying his face for any sign that this is going somewhere I'm not ready for.
Dad takes a breath—slow and deliberate, like he's gathering his thoughts. "Cecil... I'm not like other dads."
That's an understatement.
He pauses, and I can see him choosing his words carefully. Weighing them. "I died... but I got a second chance. A chance to fix things."
The words hit me like cold water.
He died. He died too.
"Fix things..." I repeat slowly, my mind spinning with a thousand questions. But only one really matters. "Like the gambling?"
Dad nods, his smile turning sad around the edges. "Yeah. The drinking. The debts. All of it."
He looks down at his hands - steady, clean, unmarked by the years of self-destruction I remember from my past life.
"And you helped me," he says quietly.
I blink. "What?"
"You helped me, kiddo. Even after everything I put you through. Even after I..." He trails off, his jaw tightening. "I found you. After. On the ground beneath that building."
Oh.
My throat closes up.
He saw. He saw what he'd driven me to.
"Seeing you like that..." Dad's voice cracks slightly. "It broke something in me. Made me realize what I'd become. What I'd done to you."
He looks up, meeting my eyes. "When I got my second chance - when Aethera brought me here too - I swore I'd do better. Be better. The man you deserved all along."
He got a second chance because of me. Because I died.
The guilt is immediate and crushing.
I'm the reason he's here. I'm the reason he had to die and start over. If I hadn't jumped - if I'd just found another way-
"Cecil." Dad's hand lands gently on my shoulder, grounding me. "Don't do that. Don't blame yourself for my mistakes."
How does he know? Can he read minds too?
"I worked hard," Dad continues. "Built a business from nothing. Made it successful. And every day I did it thinking about you. About making a life where you'd be safe. Happy."
He smiles - genuine this time, reaching his eyes. "So yeah, kiddo. We did it together. Even if you didn't know it yet."
I don't know what to say to that. My throat feels tight and my eyes are burning and I-
"Cecil?"
Aethera's voice filters through my mind—soft and careful.
"I'm here. I never left. I just didn't want to intrude on your conversation."
"You're listening?"
"Always," she thinks back, and there's warmth in her mental voice. Reassurance. "I couldn't leave you completely alone in this unknown place. Your father isn't the only one who wants you safe."
"Aethera, you saved Dad... because of me?"
"Of course," she confirms gently. "I couldn't leave you in this world with no one you knew. No one you could trust. Your father... he made mistakes. Terrible ones. But he loves you, Cecil. And he deserved a chance to prove it."
"Long story short..." Dad's voice pulls me back to the room. "I'm here now, Cecil. And I won't leave you. Not like before."
I force a smile through the headache that's building behind my eyes. "Yeah."
Dad's hand tightens slightly on my shoulder, his expression turning serious. "We can't tell anyone about this, okay? About the rebirth. About Aethera. About any of it."
Secrets. Always more secrets.
"Okay," I say quietly. "Deal."
Dad's face brightens immediately, the seriousness melting back into warmth. "Good. Now... do you have any questions? I don't know much about the Celestian stuff but maybe I can help with something."
I hesitate.
There's so much I want to ask. So much I don't understand.
"Dad... do you have some hidden ability? Like me?"
Dad chuckles - a real laugh that makes him look younger somehow. "Nope. Except for the whole being-reborn thing, I'm completely normal, kiddo. You got all the weird stuff."
Despite everything, I laugh. "Guess I'm the special one then."
"You are, kiddo." Dad ruffles my hair affectionately. "In a good way."
I take a few deep breaths, steadying myself. Then I ask the question that's been sitting in the back of my mind since this morning.
"Who is K?"
Dad's expression shifts - just slightly. A flicker of something uncomfortable before he smooths it over.
"Cecil... K is Keith. As in your childhood friend, Keith."
The world tilts.
Keith.
The letter was from Keith.
Keith who I haven't seen in - how long? Ten years? A lifetime?
"Keith..." I repeat, my voice sounding distant even to my own ears. "Does he have anything to do with this? With the Celestians?"
Dad shrugs, relief flooding back into his face now that the secret is out. "I don't know, kiddo. I just know he's connected to you somehow. Aethera mentioned him."
"You told Dad about Keith?" I think toward Aethera, unable to keep the slight edge out of my mental voice. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I'm sorry, Cecil," Aethera thinks back, and she actually sounds apologetic. "I thought it would be better if you learned from your father. I can't always be there to explain everything in person."
"When did you find out K was Keith?" I ask Dad aloud but it's Aethera who answers in my mind.
"Soon after you fell asleep. I saw the letter on your desk and decided to check if he was connected to you in any significant way."
"You looked into him?"
"The system showed me his profile," she explains. "Everything important about him. I know this might sound invasive but... you can trust him, Cecil. I'm certain of it."
The system. Right. The Celestian database thing.
Dad nods as if he can hear the entire conversation - which, knowing Aethera, he probably can through her.
"You should go see Keith," Dad says. "You might get some answers."
I lean forward slightly. "But?"
Dad's smile turns knowing. "But, kiddo... Keith might not know anything about the Celestian stuff. He might just be a normal person who happens to be connected to you. So don't go asking him weird questions unless you're absolutely sure he's like us, okay?"
Don't confuse ordinary people. Understood.
"Got it," I say. "So I shouldn't mention anything unless I'm sure?"
"Exactly. Keep the weird stuff to yourself for now."
I grin despite the anxiety coiling in my stomach.
"You know I'm good at secrets, Dad."
Dad smiles but something flickers in his eyes - something that looks almost like sadness.
Why does he look sad?
"I know you are, kiddo," he says quietly.
The silence stretches for a moment before Dad shifts, his expression softening further.
"Cecil... I know you still blame yourself for your mother's death."
I freeze.
Every muscle in my body goes rigid.
Did Aethera tell him? Did she-
A smile slides onto my face automatically - practiced, perfect, empty. "Dad, I don't-"
"It's okay, kiddo." Dad cuts in gently, his voice so full of understanding it physically hurts. "But you need to stop blaming yourself. It wasn't your fault."
Yes it was. It was my fault. I caused it. If I hadn't been born - if she hadn't had to-
"Okay, Dad," I hear myself say. My voice sounds normal. Calm. "I'll try."
Liar.
I force myself to nod, to look like I'm actually absorbing his words. But inside my mind is screaming.
It IS my fault. I killed her. If it wasn't for me, she'd still be alive. Dad wouldn't have fallen apart. None of this would have happened.
"Yeah..." I add, the smile still fixed in place. "Sorry I made you worry."
Dad pulls me into a hug - sudden and tight and warm - and his next words almost shatter me completely.
"You don't have to be perfect, kiddo. I love you just the way you are."
Perfect. I'm not perfect. I'm broken. I'm toxic. I'm—
I smile against his shoulder, returning the hug.
But inside?
The self-blame wraps around me like chains, tightening with every breath.
I'm hurting Dad by existing. I'm worse than I thought. He shouldn't love me. He should hate me for what I did to Mom. For what I did to him.
Dad pulls back, studying my face for a moment before I deliberately look away.
I clear my throat, forcing my voice to sound casual. Light. "Dad... could you give me Keith's address? I think I'll go visit him."
"Trying to change the subject, kiddo?"
I grin—all teeth, no feeling. "Maybe a bit."
Dad chuckles and pulls out his phone, scrolling for a moment before handing it to me. "Keith lives here. I'll send you the address."
"Got it. I'll be careful, Dad."
"I know you will, kiddo."
Dad stands, ruffles my hair one more time, and exits the room—leaving me alone with my thoughts and the address glowing on my phone screen.
I unlock my own phone and scroll through my contacts.
Wait.
Keith's number is already saved.
How did I not notice this before?
My thumb hovers over his name for a long moment.
What if he doesn't remember me?
What if he's moved on?
What if I text him and he has no idea who I am?
What if he does remember and he hates me now?
I type fast before the anxiety can talk me out of it.
"Hey, Keith. It's me, Cecil. Is it okay if I visit you soon?"
I stare at the message for three full seconds before hitting send.
Message delivered.
My heart hammers in my chest.
What did I just do?
Seconds later—literally seconds—my phone buzzes.
New message from Keith.
I open it with shaking hands.
"Hey, Cecil! How about the coffee shop near my place in 30 mins?"
I stare at the screen.
He replied. Immediately. Like he was waiting.
Is he always online?
Or was he just... waiting for me to reach out?
Delusional much.
The dark thoughts creep in before I can stop them.
What if I'm not good enough to be his friend anymore? What if he sees how broken I am and—
"No." I say it out loud, shaking my head hard. "No more overthinking, Cecil. Just do it."
I type quickly, before I can change my mind
.
"Yeah! See you there in 30 mins."
Send.
My phone buzzes almost instantly.
"Okay! See you soon, Cecil!"
I stare at the screen and despite everything—despite the guilt and the fear and the voice in my head telling me I don't deserve this—I start to laugh.
"Keith..." I murmur to the empty room. "You're still like a golden retriever."
Memories flood my mind without warning.
Moments I haven't thought about in years—Keith's bright smile, the way he always seemed to know when I needed someone, how he never pushed but was always there.
"I guess some things don't change," I whisper
.
But even as I say it, doubt creeps back in.
Will Keith be the same as before?
How much has he changed?
How much have I?
What if he sees me now and realizes I'm not worth remembering?
I stand up, my legs unsteady, and walk toward my closet.
Thirty minutes.
I can do this.
I have to do this.
Even if I don't deserve it.
I pull out clothes mechanically, my mind already spiraling through a thousand possible scenarios—most of them ending badly.
Keith smiling.
Keith laughing.
Keith realizing I'm broken and walking away.
Keith hating me for existing.
Keith forgetting I ever mattered.
I close my eyes and take a breath.
Stop.
Just stop.
Breathe.
You're going to see him. You're going to talk. It's going to be fine.
Or it's going to confirm everything you already know about yourself.
I don't know which possibility scares me more.