"Where have you been? Ilyas is searching for you."
When I arrived, my teammates were already waiting for me. Seeing all of them gathered, I flapped the document in my hand and said with a wide grin on my face, "We will be getting two days off with no more than 5 gates to raid per day. From now on, there won't be any accidents like this anymore."
Cheers erupted from my teammates.
"Heck yeah! Free time!"
"I can finally play my games in ease."
"Phew, those three days were terrible."
I nodded in understanding, all their comments were justified.
It's not that we weren't patriotic enough that we refused to protect our country, it's about maintaining the trust between espers and the government.
Becoming an esper was not about being heroic, it's about keeping the world balanced. You couldn't just burden one team to solve the world's problem, that's just selfish.
Instead, all espers had to work together to protect the country and it's civilians, just like how we got help from other espers back when a rupture happened.
That's what Francis failed to see in the younger generation – the will of unity and trust for each other.
Placing the paper neatly inside my binder, I said with a smug face, "I told you, didn't I? You guys should trust your captain more. Securing this kind of agreement is easy for me. If you ever find any trouble, just report to me. I'm the best problem solver you could find in this country."
"Haha! You arrogant bastard! I love having you as our captain!" Xain wrapped his hand around my shoulder and laughed merrily. His contagious laugh made Ilyas laugh too which turned the mood heartwarming.
'I'm glad they are happier now.'
Yes, this was how it's supposed to be, a relationship built on trust.
Where the relationship between the main character and male leads was supportive, not on each other's throats.
[No, it isn't.]
A chilling whisper resounded in my mind, it was the kind of voice that spoke directly to my soul.
Feeling a sense of unease, I looked around to find the source, but nothing out of the ordinary caught my eye.
"Ethan? What is it?"
Ilyas called my name, but I shook my head, "Nothing, let's start the last guiding session."
Yeah, it was probably nothing, that's what I hoped for.
Both me and Ilyas entered the room and sat down comfortably on the sofa.
Even before we started, Ilyas had already positioned himself at the end of the sofa, tapping on his lap and indicated me to lie down.
Though embarrassed, I obeyed. It had become a silent agreement between us at this point, so there's no need for me to deny his gesture.
"I'll begin guiding now."
Ilyas stroked my hair while holding my hand, his touch made me drowsy. I wanted to fall asleep, but it's only been a few seconds since we started. My pride wouldn't allow me to immediately succumb to sleepiness so early, so I fought to stay awake.
"You can just sleep you know?" Ilyas chuckled seeing me struggle and covered my eyes with his palm. The soft sensation made me feel comfortable as I slowly drifted into the dreamland.
"Sweet dreams, Ethan."
That was the last words I heard from Ilyas before losing consciousness.
.
.
I did, in fact, have a dream.
I was floating endlessly in a white space with no end, like an endless void.
The only thing tainting this pure white space was my presence, a black silhouette from the top of my head to the bottom of my toes.
Looking down at my small hand, I realized this was a child's body. Detecting nothing in my field of view, I tried to move my feet.
I walked and walked, but the space around me never changed. It made me question if I ever moved forward.
So I halted my step and turned to the other direction, this time I walked to the left. But before I had a chance to walk far, a startling scream echoed in the space.
[It's her fault! It's all her fault! Kick her out already!]
[No one understands me, so I should just create a world where everyone experiences the same pain as me.]
[The only one that could feel my pain is my creation.]
[My precious creation.]
The androgynous voice faded into the distance. In exchange, the pure white space was vertically split in half.
A giant eyeball with a slit pupil wiggled around until its gaze settled on me.
[Who are you? You are not my creation.]
Its voice and its presence gave off the same chill as the whisper I heard before.
[Get out!]
"Ethan!"
Voices overlapped as reality and dream coincided with each other.
I opened my eyes when Ilyas called my name and a pounding headache immediately struck my head.
Groaning in pain, I slowly raised my upper body. The usual feeling of being refreshed after guiding were nowhere to be found, instead this was the worst headache I had felt in a year I had been an esper.
"Take a deep breath, you're sweating a lot." Ilyas patted my back gently.
Just as he said, I could indeed feel beads of sweat as I held my head to gently massage it.
Once I felt that my headache was more bearable, I opened my eyes. Ilyas' concerned face was the first thing I saw. He was holding my hand tightly as his guiding energy was circulating through it.
"Are you okay?"
After calming down for a bit, I could finally organize my thoughts.
That was definitely not your usual dream. The creature that talked to me was definitely not a being from this world as it was aware that I was an outsider.
It said something about 'creation', was that being the author of this world?
The fact that it told me to get out meant my transmigration here was a mistake and I wasn't welcome here.
Knowing that, a sudden dread filled my heart.
If that's the case, the author would do everything they could to eliminate a foreign factor like me from their world.
When that happened, what would happen to me?
It would be nice if I were sent back to my original body, but what if it's the opposite? Being eliminated into oblivion was certainly not a pleasant idea.
"Ethan."
A gentle touch caressed down my cheek. While I was swirling in my thoughts, Ilyas had been watching my every movement.
Seeing me gaze blankly at him, he smiled.
"It's okay Ethan, I'm here with you."
His assuring tone completely pulled me out of my thoughts. I once again assessed my body condition and when I looked down at my hand, I noticed it was trembling. Now that I realized it, my breath was shaky too.
That's why Ilyas tried to comfort me, my behavior right now was certainly one of fear.
A gentle hand patted my head and before I knew it, my body was fully embraced by Ilyas.
"My grandma said a hug is the best way to convey your feelings without words. I just want you to know I can protect you too."
'Protect...?'
I unconsciously halt my breath when Ilyas said that. When the uncertainty from the author came weighing down on me, the protagonist – which this world revolved around in – said he would protect me.
It was reassuring.
I hugged Ilyas back. The scent of his freshly dried clothes entered my nose – which calmed me down. Something as mundane as this scent could sometimes pull you back to reality.