It's been a long time since I last had a dream.
In a small apartment room, a family of four was happily celebrating their son's birthday.
It was a dream of the past.
That day, my parents suddenly came home with a huge cake, waking me up in the middle of the night. I didn't know how long they had been planning or how long they had been saving up the money to buy that cake, but that day became a core memory in my life.
[You have great parents.]
Ethan's consciousness stepped up beside me. Witnessing my past, he let out a bitter laugh.
[I would rather be poor but loved rather than rich but neglected.]
I stayed silent at his words. Whether he judged his or my family in a good light or not, I had no right to interfere with his inner turmoil.
I did everything I could to give him the 'present' he needed, so it was up to him whether he wanted to live in the past or the present.
[I know what you're thinking, that's the reason I show up in front of you right now. I realize arguing with you is useless anyway, so it's better for me to judge things myself.]
Noticing the hesitation in his voice and his roundabout way of speaking, which was uncharacteristic for both of us, I asked directly.
"What's your point?"
He glanced at me, a small laugh escaped his lips.
[Your hesitation, your worry, your joy, I feel it all.]
[You might think we are the opposite, but in fact, we're both the same. We are afraid to trust. That's why it took you so long to open up your heart to Ilyas.]
[But I get your point, this is what you wanted to show me. The memory of your past life, and the memory you build right now, all of it is the result of your efforts to be kind.]
[You want me to live beside these people and not behind the shadows of my parents. You want me to live righteously, isn't that right?]
As Ethan's words flowed, the more my eyes widened. Ethan wasn't an unreasonable man, he knew what I was trying to convey and tried to understand it. And now, he reached a conclusion I was hoping for.
[I realized this too late, my past self was a mess, relying on alcohol and violence to unleash my frustration. But you showed me the way to fix it.]
Ethan extended his hand to me, a small smile appeared on his face, softening his facial features.
[Thank you, Carl.]
'As expected, a smile suits him more.'
I smiled at my own thoughts, moving closer to shake his hand.
[But I don't think I could continue your legacy.]
"Huh? What do you-"
Before I could ask what he meant, a piercing sound split my ear.
CRACK!
@#^FOUND. YOU.#&*
Woven threads appeared from a crack in the space. It moved with high speed, swirling around us.
And its target? It wasn't me, it was the person before me.
"Ethan!"
I reached out my hand to him.
But it was too late. The woven threads engulfed Ethan's soul entirely.
"No!"
My vision spun as my consciousness was being forced out. When I opened my eyes again, the familiar ceiling of Ethan's bedroom filled my eyes. I had woken up from my sleep, drenched in cold sweat.
"Ethan...?"
I weakly called out to the soul inside me. I didn't know what the author did to him, and I couldn't tell the difference as I couldn't peer inside my body at my own will.
'Did he get caught?'
I glanced at the red pouch on my bedside. Even with layers of protection, danger still loomed above my head. At this point, I knew there's no way to escape the author.
BANG!
"Ethan! I heard a shout! What happened?!"
Wilson knocked my door open. Still in his pajamas and a sleeping mask on his head, he rushed inside to check on me.
"I'm fine Wilson, I just had a bad dream."
He looked at me with unconvinced eyes, worry still lingered on his face. He crouched down and held my hand.
"Do you want me to sleep here? If you have a nightmare again I could wake you up."
I shook my head. That was a bad idea, who knows what kind of mumbling I would utter if I had another nightmare? If I accidentally spoiled my true identity to Wilson, I couldn't possibly explain it. After all, who would believe their little brother suddenly got possessed by a foreign soul?
But Wilson wasn't the type to leave when being told to, so I had to gently coax him, "You still have a lot of work tomorrow, if you stay up all night just to take care of me, who will direct your company?"
I pinched his cheek, "Which CEO is as irresponsible as you, huh? Even I, an S-Rank esper had more attendance to work than you."
Rubbing his face, Wilson pouted, grumbling under his breath. He was saying it quietly, almost like a whisper, but of course my ear could pick up his words.
"You could just skip work together with me tomorrow, it's not like the world will end if you don't come to work."
I chuckled at his words, but I once again teased him for being lazy, which made him grumble more.
Seeing my resolute will, Wilson sighed in defeat. He rose up and walked out the door.
"Alright, tell me if you change your mind, I'll rush back here."
"I get it, go to sleep already."
"My little brother has grown up so fast he doesn't need his brother to lullaby him anymore."
He wiped his nonexistent tears as he stole a glance at me, trying to catch my attention. I scoffed at that blatant fake acting and covered my head in blanket. I soon heard the door click shut.
A chuckle came out of my mouth, the banter between us had lightened up my mood. Although I still didn't know why the author was making their move again, I decided to thread through this with a clearer head.
After all, I had a lot of people to rely on now.