Everyone gathered in the portal room upon receiving news that head instructor Turan and Demir would complete their virtual training and return. Ms. Esin, Nurse Oya, Teacher Ayla, Kunt, Chief Baran, Atay, and four technical staff were in the portal room.
Dean Noyan arrived shortly thereafter. His face was sullen, and it was clear he was furious about something. As his angry gaze took in everyone in the room, no one dared to ask why.
The angry aura Dean Noyan radiated suddenly silenced the room, and an uneasy wait ensued. Fortunately, the wait didn't last long, and the portal door opened, completing Turan and Demir's transfers.
Turan exited the portal door with Demir in his arms and walked immediately toward the medical cabin. When Ms. Esin and nurse Oya moved to greet him, Dean Noyan was walking toward Turan.
- Turan, leave Demir at the medical cabin. Then come with me.
- Yes, sir.
Demir was still unconscious. Turan took him to the medical cabin and placed him on one of the stretchers. Then he went to Dean Noyan, who was waiting outside the door, and the two of them left the portal room. The rest breathed a sigh of relief at being free of this incomprehensible and unsettling atmosphere.
Ms. Esin quickly closed the medical cabin door to prevent anyone from disturbing them. Meanwhile, Nurse Oya pressed the button on the side of the stretcher. When the system started working, a semicircular holographic screen appeared, connecting from one side of the stretcher to the other.
A moment later, Demir's three-dimensional physical image and health information appeared on the holographic screen. As Nurse Oya and Ms. Esin examined the information on the hologram, they noticed something unusual. Demir was in excellent health, but all the nanobots that should have been in his body had disappeared.
Ms. Esin quickly went to her desk, grabbed the tablet she used to remove the nanobots from her body, and returned to Demir. This tablet contained a program that canceled all nanobots' missions and directed them to the urethra, where they would shut down.
She turned on the tablet and ran the program. The program searched for nanobots to connect with, but none were around. "Number of nanobots connected: 0… (Scanning continues…)"
- There are no nanobots in Demir's body. How is this possible? Do you have any ideas, Oya? Could someone have removed the nanobots before us?
- I don't know, Ms. Esin… No one can remove the nanobots without our knowledge. But maybe the engineers could have done something like this.
- You might be right. Just because we have never encountered such an event before does not mean that it will never happen. Turan definitely knows something about this, but Supreme Master took him away. (She paused a bit, then added.) I'm sure Supreme Master knows about this too. These two disappeared without explanation…
- … …
Those waiting outside the medical cabin watched in astonishment as Ms. Esin and Nurse Oya suddenly changed their demeanor and began exchanging information constantly. Something had happened to Demir, but no one had any idea what it was.
…
Dean Noyan and Head Instructor Turan were talking as they headed upstairs to Turan's room.
- Turan, please forgive me for rushing you out of the portal room like that. But I was worried you might say something that shouldn't be said. You know, things happened very suddenly, and we didn't get to discuss this matter in detail.
I made some decisions within a very limited time frame, and before I could explain them to you, you decided to return to the world immediately. Therefore, you are unaware of the information I have. I didn't want any unwanted incidents to occur because of this lack of knowledge.
- You've thought it through, sir. Frankly, I wouldn't want to cause any problems either.
- I know, I know, Turan. Let's go to your room and discuss this in more detail.
- Okay. As you wish...
About two hours later, the matter had been resolved in detail, and what Turan was supposed to do and say had been determined. Once the topic was finished and the conversation turned to small talk, they began discussing Turan's daily life in space.
Just then, a notification message appeared on Turan's tablet. After reading the message, Turan couldn't hide the surprise on his face, so Dean Noyan asked.
- What happened?
- Sir, I received a message from Ms. Esin. She says Demir woke up and returned home with Nurse Oya and Kunt. And also... she says they couldn't find any nano bots in Demir's body and asks if I know anything about it.
- What do you mean there are no nano bots in his body? Is that even possible?
- I don't think so, sir, but now I remember something. Until just before the black sphere appeared, there were nano bots in Demir's body. I'm sure of it because I was looking at Demir's data on the screen at the time.
Suddenly, everything went dark, and none of the devices worked. We were in the dark for a while and couldn't do anything. Then the darkness went away, and the black sphere appeared. I think that shiny black sphere may have destroyed the nanobots. Because none of our devices were working in the darkness of the black sphere.
- Maybe it happened as you say. Maybe it didn't, I don't know. But you will never mention this in your reports. You have three days. We will have a general meeting in three days, and I expect a detailed report from you about the children's condition. Choose your words carefully. I don't want to be subjected to unnecessary questions.
(Dean Noyan got up from his seat.) Okay, that's enough. I'm leaving. Don't forget what I said, and don't force me to take other measures.
- (Head Instructor Turan also stood up and immediately leaned toward Dean Noyan.) You can trust me. I won't do anything to cause you trouble.
- Good... I trust you.
When Dean Noyan left the room, Turan took a deep breath. Then, as if nothing had happened, he approached the window. He had missed the academy, his room, terribly. He gazed out the window for a while, and then left his room to take a nice bath and sleep soundly in his soft bed.
...
For the three days after Demir regained consciousness, he didn't speak to anyone. His eyes looked as if they had lost their light. He stayed in his room constantly, occasionally going out. Except for meals, he never met with Kunt and Nurse Oya.
Although this situation disturbed both Kunt and Nurse Oya, there was nothing they could do. All they could do was hope that Demir hadn't suffered another trauma. But they didn't know that Demir was experiencing the consequences of his decisions.
...
The emotions Demir had buried deep within his heart had surfaced under the influence of memories he experienced during virtual training. Even if it were virtual, Demir had lost his mother once again. And his father's death was unforgettable.
This life was confronting him with a cruel reality. Whether in the real world or the virtual one, his experiences were exactly the same. Once again, life dragged him into a situation he couldn't escape. This weak, useless child had lost his family once again.
No matter how upset he was, no matter how much sadness streamed down his cheeks, the outcome remained the same. But amidst this sadness, he realized a striking truth. This unexpected enlightenment brought Demir back to his senses.
If your spirit isn't strong enough, life will drag you to the point of destruction. And you won't even realize it. Finally, just as your life is about to end, you come to your senses, but it's too late. The sadness of a lost life, a wasted lifetime, streams down his cheeks.
"The tears of helplessness... Life can't go on like this. Strengthen your soul and body before the end. A frail soul, a weak body. Possessing these things is nothing but pain and devastation." This was the truth Demir understood.
The fact that the things he loved had been taken from him, and that he could do nothing to prevent it, enraged Demir. This was unacceptable. He had to become stronger and take control of his life, which was being dragged into the unknown.
He was losing his loved ones one by one due to life's cruel rules and brutal methods. If things continued like this, he would disappear along with behind them. He would pass away without achieving anything that would add value to his life.
When Demir made his decision for his own future and existence clear, he took the first step toward strengthening his spirit. To release the trauma he had buried deep in his heart and that occasionally led him to emotional collapse, he decided to mourn his mother and father for three days.
There was nothing he could do for them anymore. They should rest in peace, and their sons should continue on his own path. If they are somehow watching their son, they should see that his son loves them deeply and thanks his family by living the life they've been given to him to the fullest. He stands for good and against evil, and does things that would make his parents proud of him…
…
Demir woke up with the first light of dawn after three days. He sat up in bed and looked out the window at the reddish glow before the sun rose. He didn't take his eyes off it until the sun was fully up.
When the sun was fully up, he took a deep breath and said:
- Mom... Dad... I love you so much and I really miss you. I hope you are happy where you are. I will make the most of this chance you have given me and try to be a child worthy of you. I hope I will do things that make you proud.
And when I finally come to be with you, I want to tell you about every single adventure I've had. Please wait for me...
Demir rose from his bed. He took the first steps of the new day and the new life he will live from this day on, in accordance with the decisions he made, and went to toward the bathroom…