On the second day, Aki woke up with a start following his nightmare from the previous night. Once he had regained his senses, after his eyes had returned to their natural blue, he noticed that a black plastic bag had been thrown in front of him. Hurrying to open it, he was astonished to find a carton of milk inside. Of course, having no idea what it was, Aki was initially suspicious; but the smell it gave off was sweet and pleasant. Unable to hold back any longer, he first slipped his index finger into the small slit at the top of the carton, bringing the soft white substance to his lips before tasting it.
"What is this taste? This flavor?" These were the questions running through his mind, not knowing how to express them. It was a plain yogurt, banana flavor. It had long since expired, but Aki didn't know, or rather, he didn't care because even if he had known, it wouldn't have stopped him from drinking it.
He wanted to gulp down the entire carton all at once, but his reason wouldn't allow it. What would happen if he was hungry again? The rainwater he was drinking was clearly not enough; besides, compared to this sweet beverage, the water gave him no energy gain, it only made his hunger worse. So he decided to keep his precious treasure behind him. That's where it was safest.
The day was soon to begin. The crowd of people would pass by again, pretending not to see him, as had been the case the day before. But this day was different, he had with him his precious treasure which gave him the impression of being able to face the world.
The minutes passed, then came the hours; it was barely noon, but he was already starting to get hungry. Taking his box out from behind his back, a slight smile marking his lips, he was ready to sip it again; this sweet and tasty nectar. He only drank three small sips before realizing that someone was watching him. In front of him, empty eyes in a face almost as raw as his own, it was another tramp. Even though the level of misery they were going through was different, Aki took pity on him; wanting to share his poor ration with a fellow sufferer.
When Aki began to slightly extend his box towards the man, he realized that his expression had changed. He didn't want a few sips to quench his thirst, but he wanted to take everything from him; instinctively, Aki hid the yogurt behind his back, which annoyed the tramp he had in front of him.
"Why are you hiding that damn milk carton? You didn't intend to share with me?" He approached, furious, pulling Aki by the hair before adding: "On top of that, you have no clothes. Wait, I have an idea... Let's make a trade, your milk for my jacket. It's a good deal, don't you think?"
Aki did nothing, said nothing. He just thought to himself: "The demons of my nightmares are everywhere. How can I escape them? These people who come and destroy everything just to satisfy their own person. They all treat me like a monster, but which one of us really is?"
"Why aren't you answering? You don't want my deal, or you can't talk. No matter, I'm going to drink this!" Unable to act or defend what belonged to him, Aki watched the tramp empty the milk carton. His little piece of happiness was disappearing before his eyes. That's when he finally realized...
"In such a world, I am the only one who can protect myself." Gathering then the little energy he had, using his last strength to stand up. With a leap, he lunged to hold the man's hand; even if he was screaming in pain, he couldn't let go; but his brief moment of bravery was insignificant, his muscles had shrunk too much to have any grip. With an amused air, the tramp told him: "You're pathetic. How can a worm like you claim to be human?" He pushed him violently, smashing his head against the brick wall. Aki's forehead started to bleed before he spat on him and added:
"The weak have no rights, whether among the rich, the middle class, the proletariat or even among the tramps. Only the voice of the strongest is heard. Become strong, kid, and maybe I'll stop taking what belongs to you... See you tomorrow, kid." Throwing the empty carton at his head.
With an empty gaze, as deep blue as the ocean, he looked at this yogurt carton, constantly thinking about what he could have done differently. It was at nightfall, looking at the sky, that he finally had a click. He told himself that if he ever had the opportunity to eat his fill, he wouldn't wait a single second before swallowing it all.
He ended up falling asleep again. The nightmare resumed, from the rain of explosions to the mountain of corpses, everything was identical, except for the scene with his 'little brother'. This time, he heard the woman's voice more distinctly; she gave the impression of being angry but never losing her temper, speaking to him as if she knew Aki was listening.
"Why continue to limit your power?" asked the voice. She approached silently, as if waiting for an answer. Her body was still as elusive, her silhouette was like radiating light, and her eyes... were as beautiful as they were terrifying, as glowing orange as a sunset, set with two white rings in concentric circles. She put her hand on Aki's head, ruffling his hair, before telling him with a smile:
"Do me a favor, no matter what the future holds for you, never give up. You are not incapable, nor useless. You are like a lighthouse taking on its full meaning in the darkness. Never forget why you fight, little lighthouse. Spread your light through this ruined world."
On the third day, Aki got up, calmer this time, his eyes overflowing with confidence, a more brilliant blue than usual, clear and bright like sapphires.
"Did you sleep well, princess?" a familiar voice asked him. When he turned his head, he realized who it was. The tramp had come to take back his due. The new bag thrown at dawn.
"I could have taken it while you were sleeping, but I thought it wouldn't be right on my part to leave without saying hello." Obviously, it was sarcastic. He just wanted to revel in the sick pleasure of those who oppress the weakest, but it wasn't going to go as he had planned. Although he had also noticed it, he didn't take it into account, Aki's gaze had changed and not only that; his mind had also become stronger, because he had now understood that these nightmares were not, so he had lived much worse than anything a little schoolyard bully could show him.
Aki no longer had any reason to be afraid, whether it was of these dreams, of this man, or even...
Of the Death