Between Life

Chapter 17: You Are Not Her, But How?

Seraphina walked out of the tent, stretching her arms before taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly. "Finally, I'm back," she said.

Lior looked at Seraphina oddly, "Are you okay? Back from where? You just fainted out of nowhere. I was so shocked when you suddenly passed out," Lior said as she stood up and walked towards Seraphina. he placed his palm on Seraphina's forehead as if checking her temperature, but Seraphina quickly pushed Lior's hand away. "Are you crazy? Who are you to touch me?" Seraphina snapped angrily, catching Lior off guard.

Seraphina then studied Lior's face, "Oh, so you're Lior? Wait... we're in the same class, right? You're taking psychology classes, aren't you? I don't know what anyone sees in a guy like you. There's nothing special about you. Kevin is better, but don't worry, we can still be friends. Just not that close," Seraphina said, patting Lior on the back. "I'm not as scary as you think, relax. It's really surprising to see someone scared of a beautiful creature like me," she continued, confidently flipping her hair. Lior was left stunned, wondering how her personality could change so drastically after fainting out of nowhere.

Yura, Hanna, and Kevin emerged from the tent. "What's wrong with you, Ser?" Yura asked. "You seem like you just came back from somewhere. It's so strange. Lior is already close to you, especially compared to us. It's obvious that Lior likes—" Yura continued, but Hanna quickly covered Yura's mouth, signaling her to stay silent. It was clear that Lior had feelings for Seraphina, but it seemed Seraphina herself was oblivious.

Seraphina glanced at the three of them, then back at Lior, and then back at them again. "Him? This guy? That's news to me. I don't feel the same. You guys know I can be friends with anyone, but being close? Come on, let's be selective," Seraphina said, leaving them exchanging glances. "Wow, this is the old Seraphina, isn't it? I thought your recent personality change was great, but now you're back to square one. You're so different. We didn't even bother pointing out how your personality changed because it was cool, but now you're back to your old self," Yura sighed disappointedly. Hanna cleared her throat awkwardly. "Hey, don't be like that to your friends. It's good to see Seraphina back to her old self," Hanna said before Seraphina hugged her. "Aww, Hanna, you're truly my number one friend," Seraphina said. Kevin and Yura exchanged puzzled looks.

"This girl is really going crazy. Ah, there are too many problems tonight. It's better to sleep. Let's go to our tents," Kevin said, stretching his arms and heading towards another tent, specifically for him and Lior. Hanna looked at Kevin, then back at Seraphina. "Let's just go to sleep," Hanna said. Then she turned to Yura. "You watch over her, Yur. You're tent mates, and she might wander off again when she's asleep. I'm going to my tent. Bye," Hanna said, then walked to her own tent, a pink one between two black ones. Yura rolled her eyes lazily. "Alright, let's go, Ser. Back to the tent. My head is spinning, I'm not used to being outside like this," Yura said, then she pulled Seraphina's hand and led her back to their tent. Lior had been watching them the whole time, observing Seraphina as if questioning what was happening to her. But since he was alone and easily scared, he entered the tent where he and Kevin would rest.

In the tent, Lior couldn't help but wonder what had happened to Seraphina. Why did she suddenly faint, and why did her personality change when she woke up? Lior racked his brain, trying to remember if there was anything unusual when Seraphina fainted. Did she hit her head on a rock or something? But as far as Lior could recall, when Seraphina fainted, he quickly caught her before she fell to the ground. But what could have caused it? Then suddenly, Lior remembered their conversation from the other day.

"And you know what's even crazier? My friend said a few days ago she suddenly experienced an intense headache, and when she woke up, she was in a completely white room. Do you know who was there? She said she saw someone who looked just like her, but that person was furious because my friend took over her life. Apparently, that person is the original owner of the body, and she lost control of it. So, she could only watch, maybe feel, but couldn't move,"

True, she had told him about it before. Lior speculated, wondering if perhaps it wasn't a story about her friend, but rather about herself. But how could that be? It seemed utterly irrational for such a thing to happen. Suddenly, Lior was startled by Kevin's snoring, which sounded like a pig being attacked by a bear.

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(Inside Yura and Seraphina's tent)

Yura and Seraphina were sound asleep in their tent, but in Seraphina's dream, she found herself in a white room again. "Oh, come on, not this room again. Just when I thought I was back in my own body, here we go again," muttered Seraphina. Then she appeared—yes, it was Seraphina, the one who inhabited the body of seraphina from this universe. It was Seraphina, the one close to Lior, the Seraphina from a different universe and timeline. "You again, you again. Why haven't you left yet? Get out of here, I've taken back my body, you crazy human. Go away," Seraphina said.

I stared at Seraphina. "Indeed, you have taken back your body, and now I am trapped in this white room. I can now feel what you feel, trapped in this blank space. I can only watch what you do, but I can't do anything myself. But I still refuse to leave. I died in my previous life, and do you want me to leave? Impossible. I enjoy your life too much!"

"You're insane, aren't you? This is my body, my life. Who are you to take over all of it? It's not my fault if your life is messed up, it's not my fault if you decided to end your life in your own timeline," Seraphina retorted, her voice dripping with scorn. "You're the most selfish human I've ever known. Your life problems are not my fault but yours alone. Your messed-up life doesn't give you the right to take over mine. You're seriously messed up."

I glared at her, full of anger. "Fine, I'm selfish! I'm extremely selfish. You have everything I want. Besides, you're me; we're just from different universes and timelines. What's wrong with giving me a chance to enjoy this life?" I said. I did feel guilty for taking over her life, but I was already too comfortable, and I liked it because she had everything I desired.

Seraphina looked at me as if I were a severely disturbed individual. "Truly selfish, you're already dead! That was your own decision, your chance is over. Aren't you satisfied with inhabiting my body, taking over my life for a year? Enough, your time is up. It's time for you to accept that you're dead and go where you should be," she said. I felt truly angry. "Where I should be is here, in your life. I won't give up; I'll take over your life. Just you wait," I said to her.

Suddenly, Seraphina seemed to be pulled out of the white room. When she opened her eyes, she realized Yura had been shaking her to wake her up because it was already morning. "Crazy, I thought you were dead. It took forever to wake you up; it's so weird how you sleep like a log," Yura said. Seraphina rolled her eyes lazily. "You talk too much, Yur. I've already woken up, geez," she said. "It's up to you now, go wash your face or brush your teeth, or even change your clothes. Kevin and Lior have cooked noodles for breakfast; I'll wait outside," Yura said, followed by a nod from Seraphina.

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Hello, readers!!

gosh, i'm trying to upload chapter like 1-2 times a week but it just so hard╯︿╰

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