300 gems = bonus chapter
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"Your friend?"
After John entered, the uncle in the corner asked. His eyes were locked on Dex, who was seated there. He could discern a unique temperament in this man, along with a faint air of madness.
To John, his good friend whose name he still did not know, the uncle offered a quiet reminder, "He seems to need a doctor."
"I think so too." John smiled at his uncle and then walked straight over to sit across from Dex.
Dex was a young man, clad in a suit and white shirt, with stubble on his face and bloodshot eyes, looking as though he had not slept for some time. He watched John sit down, his mind replaying his own failures.
He was a man gifted since childhood. He possessed an exceptional talent for throwing, always able to send objects exactly where he intended. As a child, he had been appreciated by his coach and joined the baseball team. No one could hit the ball he threw. But the coach never imagined that the child he regarded as his future savior would be a human devil. Dex was a psychopath with destructive tendencies.
The monster that had existed within him since childhood transformed into negative emotions, driving him relentlessly. In one game, when the coach replaced him to give other players an opportunity, Dex's anger flared. He used his most proficient skill, baseball, to kill the coach. He received treatment afterward, but his therapist did not give up on this terrible patient, instead working to recreate empathy in him, allowing him to begin to feel normal.
Everything was progressing well. Until one day, the therapist, gravely ill, opened a bottle of wine for him and told him she was going to die. At that moment, Dex was sad. But he hated the therapist's betrayal even more, abandoning him to embrace death. The therapist had treated him like her own child, guiding him, making him take medicine, and helping him become a normal person.
"Death always wins, Dex." The therapist, unangered by Dex's murderous intent, enlightened the lost child. "Find someone you can trust. Your inner compass isn't broken, Dex. It's more effective when you have a North Star to guide you."
The therapist guided the child to the very last moment of her life. At the same time, it made Dex feel a love he had never received from his parents. He cried that day and began to follow his therapist's words, searching for his own North Star.
His heart craved evil and destruction. In his last job, he found his North Star. It was a girl named Julie. She was as warm as the sun, driving away the morning chill. But such days would not last long. He lacked the courage to strike up a conversation and instead followed Julie like a pervert. This dark dependence clung to him like maggots in a gutter, feasting on the body of death. He thought he would continue like this.
Then, the man appeared and casually took the ring from him. It was defeat, a sickening feeling that made his stomach churn and threaten to burst.
He was going to kill! Those were the words that kept screaming in his head. His dark side and his reason intertwined, fighting for control of his body. When they met for the second time, all he could think about was how to kill the person he was supposed to protect. It was then that John prodded him again. The ring the first time, the gold coin the second. His self-esteem and achievements were trampled underfoot.
A person who had nothing left, who had lost family and therapists. He would not allow the talent that had always been with him to be humiliated. So, he asked John out.
In his pocket, there was a pin. Dex could use his humiliating talent to end the other person's life with that pin. In his right pocket, there were nails he had picked up. That would be awesome. From the eyeball to the brain, a nail could kill his opponent without a trace. And, and more! A gun. The weapon carried by FBI agents. A light pull of the trigger, and he could kill the person opposite him as easily as crushing an ant. Awesome. Just imagining it brought a flush of excitement to Dex's face.
Forks, cups, and plates on the table. Toothpicks, the book in the Black uncle's hand, and the stones on the roadside. The prostitute's key, the boss's ring. As long as it could be thrown, it was a murder weapon!
Dex wanted to kill the man across from him. He wanted it so badly! Madness seized his mind, and he dug his fingers into his palms. Pain stimulated his brain, fueling his bloodlust. Come on, let me kill you. Regardless of anything. Do not think about anything. Come on!
His hands had moved to his pockets. A pin, then he could display his outstanding talent. Just like hitting the coach with a baseball. What a wonderful feeling. His finger touched the pin.
Dex smiled at John. He grabbed the pen. Prepare…
"Want to play a game?"
The voice interrupted his crazed thoughts, and Dex's smile froze. "What?"
John placed his hand on the table and slowly pushed out a gold coin. Golden, so dazzling. John shrugged nonchalantly. "This isn't your first time, is it?"
Seeing the gold coin, Dex's sense of humiliation and unwillingness surged forth. He wanted to kill John, but his hand slowly moved away from the pin.
"Play again," he said, as much to himself as to John.
A smile appeared on John's lips, and he picked up the gold coin between two fingers. "We need to add some stakes this time." The gold coin rotated between his fingers. "How about if you lose a round, we destroy a box of tapes?"
"How did you…" Dex looked up suddenly. Before his death, his therapist had left him many tapes to treat him before he went off track. That was what he valued most, as important as his North Star.
"And if I lose," John's smile became more and more sinister, "you can put your right hand in your pocket, take out the pin, and throw it at me. You're good at this, aren't you?"
John seemed to see through everything. Under Legilimency, he could clearly feel the malice. Dex's face was reflected in his eyes, completely exposed.
"You need to learn to trade for equals, Agent Dex." The gold coin stopped spinning, and John flicked his finger. The gold flashed under the light and flew up slowly. "Exchange what is in your hand for what is in my hand."
The words fell. Crossed hands making fists. Dex had a look of madness in his eyes, while John's were calm.
Slowly opening his palm, the whites of Dex's eyes turned red; there was nothing in his hand. And John slowly opened his palm; the gold coin lay there quietly.
"Do you want to continue?" John asked.
"Continue!" Dex seemed to be going mad at that moment.
The gold coin was tossed again. He tried again and failed. Tossed again, failed again. In this restaurant, he had forgotten everything. The madness in his heart grew more turbulent, but time and again, he had no chance to pull out the pin. Fail, fail, fail. The gold coin would never stay in his hand.
"Do it again!" He growled like a wild animal.
John did not throw it but looked at him calmly. "Do you still have a chance, Dex?"
His words jolted Dex awake. He stared blankly at his right hand, which had lost countless times. One failure destroyed a tape. He had run out of medicine. Panting heavily, he looked ferocious, covering his head with his hands, his body trembling.
John spoke again, cruelly, "What do you have to lose, Dex?"
Dex was stuck in a quagmire. He struggled, watching the person in front of him burn his life-saving rope. No, no more. Dex gasped for air, sweat sliding down his face. His face was pale, as if he could not catch his breath.
"He needs to go to the hospital." Jack, the proprietor, was afraid this man would die in his establishment.
John raised his hand to signal Jack to be quiet. "He'll be fine. He just needs guidance." John saw that his uncle had stood up. As long as Dex made any move, the uncle would bring down the FBI agent within seven seconds.
And Dex was trapped in his own nightmare. The craziest people are those who have nothing. Thoughts of killing were ravaging his body. The repeated failures left him without any strength. He was destroying himself. He needed redemption. He needed Julie.
"Julie won't come." John could see through his heart and said calmly, "You know, you should have known that when you followed her like a pervert. She is not your North Star and does not belong to you."
"No!" Dex said crazily. "She is mine; she is so kindhearted!"
"That's a mercy for you, Dex." John tossed the gold coin up again, and Dex stretched out his hand with difficulty. "How about we just bet on the North Star?"
He was a demon, destroying everything good that Dex's therapist had built for him. Gamble or not?
Dex reached out his hand and tried to touch it. The gold fell. It was close to the palm of his hand. Gotta catch it! Dex's face turned red as if by magic. Everything slowed down before his eyes. Each finger felt as heavy as lifting a mountain. Together, you will win! Dex screamed inwardly. Almost successful. His fingers were closing. Complete the bet and kill the man! He smiled as if he saw everything. In the closing gap, he saw a hand approaching.
"No!" He was crazy. His brain trembled. He wanted to close his fingers, but his body was too heavy. He could only watch helplessly as two fingers passed through the gap he was about to close, taking that gold coin away from his palm.
The devil's voice sounded again. "Right now, you don't have a North Star."
The gold coin touched the table gently, and Dex's blood faded. He could not breathe; his heart was in angina. He lost again. At some point, he had fallen into a situation where he could only abide by the bet. In this gamble, he lost everything. His eyes gradually lost their luster, and his body slumped against the back of the chair.
At this moment, the only person he could kill was himself. All lights dimmed. Dex remembered that he also had a gun. He no longer wanted to kill John; he wanted to end his own life. People who have lost everything live in the world and cannot show their true colors to others. It was too painful. He thought, reaching for his lower back.
The Black uncle's eyes became sharp, and he started to walk over. Dex's fingers touched the pistol. He was going to take his own life. He was about to take action when he felt a chill on his forehead. A golden light pierced his dark world. His eyes widened. The gold coin that had cost him everything was stuck on his forehead at that moment. One finger held it up to keep it from falling.
"Since you have lost the North Star, let's find a more dazzling one." John's voice sounded. "How about the sun?"
There was more color in his pupils, and he stared blankly as John let go of his hand. The gold coin slipped from his forehead and fell into his chest pocket.
"Why?" Dex asked, confused. This man clearly knew what he wanted to do.
"It's just a game; there has to be a big boss." John chuckled. "Just think of me as that big boss."
Dex did not know that the person he was facing was the Witch King of the magical world. And in his body, blood flowed from a wizard, unknown to everyone. He was a squib.
"A Squib Obscurus?" John pondered in his mind. "The Obscurus who cannot obtain magic power turns into the darkness in his heart. Even if he struggles, he cannot find the light."
Dex was special. He should be of wizard blood, but he was a squib. And an Obscurus grows on people who do not know magic. That was cruelty. It was also cruel to an Obscurus. In a cage without magic, evil can only breed crazily. Those thoughts of Dex were bred from the negative thoughts of an Obscurus. It became an extremely painful disease, but it also brought some unexpected benefits to Dex: that unique throwing talent and unusual physical attributes.
John destroyed everything in Dex, but as the king of wizards, even a Squib should bask in his own glory.
Dex took the gold coin out of his pocket.
"Sun…"
It was not just the North Star that could guide the way. And the sun. Silently holding the gold coin tightly, the pattern of the gold coin was imprinted on his palm.
The Black uncle saw that all the dust had settled, but he did not take action after all. His friend, destroying the crumbling house and injecting new faith and foundation into it. Cruel yet kind. He looked deeply at Dex, greeted the boss of the shop, and left.
Dex did not notice his departure. There are too few opportunities in this world to be ourselves. If he were to follow that person, he might be able to make Dex see something different.
Dex sat in the establishment until it was almost closing time. He got up and left, heading towards the bar where Julie worked. He stood outside the bar, quietly looking at the woman who was gentle to everyone. The calmness and throbbing he had felt seeing her in the past were now indifferent. He understood that he had lost his North Star. Throwing away the rope of salvation, he needed to follow the figure of the sun to guide his direction.
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