Chapter 4: A New Life

Young and full of life as ever, Ethan entered this new life ready to get the most out of it. He was back to his young self again while retaining all the wisdom granted by the years spent. He moved into an expensive apartment in the middle of the city with floor-to-ceiling windows opening right over the noisy streets below.

He had all the life skills required and a treasure trove of life experience. Hunting down a high-powered job was child’s play for a mind as sharp as his. Soon he was sitting behind a sleek glass desk as a marketing director with one of the most prestigious companies in town. Handling endless marketing assignments and managing really important clients earned him a handsome salary that allowed him all the finer things in life.

But behind all the success he was enjoying on the outside, Ethan couldn’t shake this growing emptiness that chewed inside. He filled it with one-night stands and expensive toys, but nothing seemed ever to be enough or satisfy that yearning for something more substantial. A real connection, and a sense of belonging.

Dating proved to be even more challenging than he had anticipated. How could a man who lived as long ago as he did relate to these young professionals barely out of college? Their attitudes, carefree and shallow in comparison, only served to emphasize how very old his soul felt by comparison.

Some relationships passed through him, and some flared out fast, even making him much lonelier than he had ever been in his previous life. Ethan felt that he was a fake. He was putting on an act of being someone he no longer could be. The energy the dagger gave him only seemed to serve as a reminder of the hollow inside him, rather than fill it up.

In the stillness of spring, when the city slowly discovered its way again to warmth and life, Ethan felt a stir within him, to want a simple life, a home. A place where someone would look forward to coming home each night. Someone who would care for more than just mere appearances or status. A family to keep him grounded in this mayhem.

But then, what in heaven’s name would he look for this ancient relic of love in a place like this? All these pretty faces after a while grew indistinguishable from one another. Not a single one could be reached to get close enough to build anything lasting and real.

Some nights, Ethan almost missed his old life. The one in which he at least knew who he really was underneath all the masks his life had demanded. But now, in this new life, there were only expectations and pressure. The endless rat race left him exhausted and unfulfilled.

Sighing heartily as he fell onto his couch late one evening after yet another disappointing date, Ethan couldn’t help but wonder if maybe this hadn’t been such a bright idea after all. Perhaps some things were meant to stay buried in the past where they belonged.

But perhaps not. For even with all these doubts and disillusionments, there had been a small flicker of hope still glowing deep within him. It said he might someday soon find what he had been searching for, a home, a family, and love.

And so, Ethan clung to that fragile ember outside his window as spring blossomed into summer.