Aran was standing inside a white void. It was bright, but not to the point where he couldn't see. A warmth was all around his body like a gentle embrace.
It felt similar to when Pheobe used her ability on him, but he was standing and fully conscious.
He assumed that he must've been having a very lucid dream, but try as he might, he couldn't wake up.
Walking further into the white void, Aran suddenly heard a mysterious feminine voice speak to him.
It sounded gentle, mature and... Tired...
[Amazing...]
Hearing this, Aran suddenly jumped up from surprise. But for some reason, he wasn't afraid.
[I'm happy to see that you were the one to inherit this power...]
Aran tried to speak, but no words were coming out of his mouth. As if he was mute inside that white void.
[I'm sorry, I don't have enough strength to let you speak to me... But just know, you did an amazing job. Be proud of yourself, child.]
Suddenly, the void started to crack and shatter, slowly engulfing Aran in a deep darkness.
[It seems that our time has run out... Heed my words—Be strong, have faith, and do not be afraid.]
'Wait... Wait!!!'
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[ARAN]
I hold my hand up to the ceiling, gasping for air.
From the gaps of my fingers, light was peeking through them as they covered the view of the lightbulb.
Still trying to process what just happened, I covered my eyes with my forearm to calm my thoughts and breath slowly.
Once I've finally relaxed enough, I analyzed my surroundings and realized I'm inside a hospital room.
Listening to the sound of the ticking clock, I looked at it and read the time to be 2:40 A.M
Strangely enough though, despite being on a hospital bed, nothing hurts.
I'm uninjured.
Reality setting in, I try to remember how I ended up here.
I was fighting against this mutated looking thing and then...
I suddenly gasped from surprise and worry.
"Those kids!"
Despite just waking up, I immediately got out of the hospital bed before a door suddenly opened.
Looking at the direction of the sound, I saw a female nurse looking at me with wide eyes.
"Hey! Get back to bed, young man! You should be resting!"
She scolded me before walking over.
"Eh...?"
"Don't 'eh?' me! GET BACK TO BED!"
She yelled at me in a scary voice. Not wanting to make her more mad, I listened and sat on the bed.
"O-okay...!"
"Good. I'm going to call someone over, so just relax."
The nurse told me before exiting the room.
And with that, I was left to simmer in my own thoughts once again.
Closing my eyes, I thought back to what I just saw.
What the heck was that dream...? It felt real, but not real at the same time. This is so weird...
Then again, reality is sometimes stranger than fiction.
I remember seeing Elio before I lost consciousness.
Seeing as I'm not dead, I'm probably safe for now...
"It's good to see you're doing fine."
A familiar voice spoke to me from the door of the hospital room.
He had bandages wrapped around his head and body. A sling was put around his injured arm too. He was someone I knew.
"Mr. Isaac!"
I called out to him.
Sighing, Mr. Isaac shook his head.
"Didn't I tell you to just call me Isaac? No need to be formal like that..."
"Sorry, I can't help it. Mr. Brok drilled how to properly address people into my head."
"I see..."
Mr. Isaac nodded before sitting down, being careful as to not injure himself any further.
"Are you okay?"
He asked me.
"Yes. I guess I was just really tired."
If anything, I should be the one who's asking that question!
I said to him in my mind.
"I'm relieved to hear that. The group had to go through several halls full of corpses just to get to you. Rest assured, all of the children, including my daughter, are safe."
Hearing him mention his daughter, I remember the image of Isaac's happy family.
This incident and the one before definitely left a mark. My chest felt tight when I thought of this.
"And what about your wife? Is she okay?"
"Thankfully, she is. She woke up a few hours earlier. Besides some other cuts and bruises, she's fully responsive..."
"I see... I'm so sorry this happened to your family, Mr. Isaac."
"Don't be. Right now, it's a private matter."
He told me before both of us fell into a slight pause. An awkward silence creeping in.
Trying to lighten the mood, Mr. Isaac cleared his throat before speaking once more.
"By the way, I heard that you fought against a powerful enemy all on your own. What's even more impressive, is that you did not even have a single scratch anywhere on your body. Without your help, things could've gotten a lot worse. Brok has trained you well."
An endless amount of praise was suddenly being tossed at me before several images flashed through my mind. Each and every memory of my deaths.
No, you're wrong...
Looking at Mr. Isaac, I contemplated talking about those memories before holding my breath and just agreeing..
With a smile on my face, I chuckled.
"Of course! I'm a genius, after all!"
I told him.
The two of us continued to speak from there.
I found out that Franz and Lily's parents came here earlier to thank everyone. Mr Isaac's daughter, whose name was Layla drew another picture of me and Elio rescuing her.
Speaking of Elio, he was completely fine. When he requested help from the Bureau to protect his family during the incident, they found his mother and older sister dusting off their hands after defeating all the thugs that went after them.
The evidence of the illegal activities on Vida Corp had been made public, leading to the arrest of several employees working under them that collaborated with their trafficking, while also keeping the knowledge of our involvement in the incident a secret.
As for the man that Mr. Isaac fought, he disappeared through a portal when he got cornered by the Bureau.
After several investigations, they discovered that despite him being the one in charge of the trafficking activities, he did not necessarily belong to Vida Corp.
The name of that man is Janus Mercuria. A former colleague of Mr. Isaac.
As things stand, he is now on the run as a wanted man.
Activities of human trafficking throughout Astrum became zero. The corrupt officers inside the police department have also been removed from the force and arrested.
The city was safe once again.
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An hour after Aran woke up, Mr. Brok returned from his long trip and picked Aran up from the hospital to go home.
Their walk back was silent, with neither one of them making an effort to speak.
Only the sounds of the dark early morning scenery of the city were entering their ears.
Most of the people in this time of day are still sound asleep.
Aran didn't know what to do. He did something troublesome again. He was sure Brok was angry and would most likely give him another scolding.
Still, he knew that he couldn't stay quiet.
After arriving in front of their home, Brok opened the door with his key and went inside, with Aran following closely behind.
"I'm sorry..."
Aran said, breaking the silence between them.
"For what?"
Brok asked.
"For doing something so dangerous and stupid... I made you worry again."
Aran's tired face shook with guilt before taking a deep breath and continuing to speak.
"You're probably angry with me, but I just want you to know that I only wanted to do the right thing... I'm so sorry..."
He said, bowing his head.
Aran's eyes started to tear up as his exhaustion caught up to him, his guilt and sadness from the recent events began to pour out as he struggled to control his emotions.
Without another word, Brok walked up to him and ruffled Aran's hair.
Confused, Aran looked up, revealing his tears and snot.
"Che! You really are an idiot sometimes! Does it look like I'm mad? No!"
Wiping his eyes and nose Aran spoke.
"Then, why didn't you say anything to me...?"
Sighing to himself, Brok tried to collect his thoughts before speaking in a quiet, gentle tone.
"I was just... Relieved to see you're alright. I wouldn't forgive myself if anything happened to you..."
He told Aran without any room for doubt in his words.
"And you're right, I did worry. Not because it was troublesome, but because I care about you, kid. More than you might think."
Sighing to himself, Brok scratched the back of his head with his other hand.
"Anyways, you don't have to go to school today. I'll give your teacher a call..."
Hearing the warmth in Brok's voice, even more tears started flowing from Aran's eyes. His voice shook as his snot ran down his nose.
"Mr. Brok...!!!"
Seeing Aran's expression, Brok's face became flustered as he pulled hand back.
"ARGH!!! You know I'm not good with this mushy talk!!! Wipe your face and set the table! We're ordering take out!"
Sniffing and wiping his face Aran nodded.
"Yes!"
After everything that happened, Aran was finally home.
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