n

n

n

n

nIn the Containment Unit, Nick simply sat on the ground, unmoving.

nHe didn’t say anything.

n‘I’m so sorry, Horua.’

nNick didn’t move.

n‘I’m sorry!’

n‘I should have known that things wouldn’t be so easy!’

n‘Even though the Dreamer is not very scary for a Specter, it is still a Specter!’

n‘And you’re a kid!’

n‘How could I ever think that a child would be able to work with a Specter?!’

n‘I’m stupid!’

n‘I’m **ing retarded!’

n‘I’m so sorry!’

n‘I was the one that **ed up, and now you have to pay the price!’

n‘This is all my fault, Horua!’

nNick’s limbs shook in frustration, guilt, and rage.

n‘I feel so horrible.’

n‘Please, Horua, when you wake up, don’t do anything stupid.’

n‘You can hate me.’

n‘You can ignore me.’

n‘You can try to ruin me.’

n‘I’m fine with everything.’

n‘But please, don’t try to ruin the business or Wyntor.’

n‘Because if you do that, you will die!’

nAs Nick continued to think about everything, his own reality also finally set in.

n‘Actually, I think I’m in a similar position to Horua.’

n‘Wyntor made me his Chief Zephyx Extractor.’

n‘If I were to betray him, I would also be killed off.’

nNick’s fists clenched. 𝑙𝘳𝑎.𝒸ℴ𝓂

n‘Wyntor is a cold and calculating businessman. He eliminates everyone that goes against him.’

n‘If I were to tell anyone anything confidential, I would be dead within the day.’

nSlowly, rage and fear also joined Nick’s emotions.

n‘Wyntor!’

n‘I know that this is my responsibility, but you knew that this would happen!’

n‘You might have even wanted this to happen!’

n‘After all, you said that you wanted me to learn!’

nNick gritted his teeth in anger.

nBut then, a scene appeared in Nick’s mind.

nThe scene depicted Wyntor standing behind Nick as he blinded the Dreamer.

nIn that scene, Wyntor was completely drenched in sewer water.

nNick remembered how difficult it had been for Wyntor to jump in, and he also remembered how much Wyntor had suffered after he had left the sewer again.

n‘He only did that because he wanted to catch the Dreamer!’ Nick thought with hatred.

nYet, the more time passed, the more Nick felt like he didn’t truly believe that.

nDid Wyntor truly only do this because of the Dreamer?

n‘Actually, probably not.’

n‘It wasn’t certain that I would die.’

n‘There was a good chance that I would manage to swim towards the entrance of the sewers, where Wyntor was standing.’

n‘Then, Wyntor would have been able to help me without jumping into the sewers.’

nThere had been a good thirty meters between the place where Nick had been and the entrance of the sewers.

nFor Wyntor to swim that far, he must have jumped into the sewers nearly half a minute before he had arrived at Nick’s side.

nNick put his hands on his knees and violently grabbed them in frustration.

n‘He’s not cold,’ Nick thought.

n‘He might appear cold now, but people only show their true faces when they are in a stressful or dangerous situation.’

n‘When it was important, Wyntor was willing to jump into the sewers to save me. It might have also been in his own best interest, but it still must have been very difficult.’

n‘Right now, he’s only cold because he needs to be.’

n‘This is his job.’

n‘Like he said, deciding to kill Horua probably also heavily weighs on his mind.’

n‘And yet, he still talked normally with me, and he didn’t say anything out of line.’

n‘I **ed up, and Wyntor has to suffer because of it.’

n‘But he only reprimanded me.’

n‘Horua suffers because of me.’

n‘Wyntor suffers because of me.’

n‘If things go badly, even Pator will suffer because of me.’

n‘I was the one that made the decision to get Horua.’

n‘Wyntor warned me, but I didn’t listen.’

n‘This is all because of me.’

nAt this moment, most of Nick’s emotions vanished, replaced by only two emotions.

nGuilt and determination.

n‘This is my fault.’

n‘And it is my job to rectify these issues.’

n‘No matter what I have to do or what it will cost!’

nNick looked forward again.

nThe Dreamer was still standing beside the sleeping Horua.

nAt this moment, Horua looked like he was peacefully sleeping.

n‘It’s not that bad, Horua. You will just have some bad dreams and wake up.’

n‘It won’t be as bad as you imagined it to be.’

n‘And when you wake up, you will officially be a Zephyx Extractor.’

n‘You will have an actual future, and you will gain powerful abilities.’

n‘I know things will only improve for you.’

n‘Sadly, I won’t be part of that future.’

n‘I know you hate me.’

nNick took a shaky breath.

n‘And I’m fine with it.’

n‘That’s the price I must pay.’

n‘I don’t deserve forgiveness for what I’ve done.’

nNick just continued looking at Horua.

nThe memories of what Nick had done to Horua became hazier and hazier.

nIt was almost like all of this hadn’t happened.

nIt was like nothing had changed.

nYet, whenever Nick looked at Horua and the Dreamer, he was reminded of reality.

nIt had happened.

nBut it didn’t feel like it had happened.

nAfter a while, Nick put his head in his hands again.

nSilence.

nNick didn’t move.

nTime passed.

nNick had plenty of time and opportunity to think about what he had done.

nIn this Containment Unit, there was nothing for Nick to do.

nAnd he had to remain here for eight hours.

nParadoxically, it felt like the longest and the shortest eight hours of Nick’s life.

nOn one hand, Nick felt like time was dragging on forever, but on the other hand, Nick despaired at the rapid passage of time.

nHe didn’t want to see how Horua would react when he woke up.

nIt was torture.

nHowever, it wouldn’t be eight hours until things changed.

nAfter just five hours, something happened.

nCrk! Crk!

nNick heard something and looked over.

nHe saw the Dreamer take a couple of steps back as it retreated back into its corner.

nFor just a moment, Nick was confused.

nBut the next moment, Horua’s body suddenly started to shake violently.

nNick’s eyes widened.

n‘He’s having a seizure!’

nThe source 𝙤f this content is 𝙡𝙞𝒓𝙚𝓪𝙙.𝒄𝓸𝓶

n