DREAM
Down in the woods, darkness was closing in. The starry sky was hidden beneath the dense canopy of tree leaves above Jared. The boy moved cautiously through the dark. He had never been here before—in this foreign place, in this kind of darkness. He couldn't and shouldn't turn on the light, because it would draw the mutants toward him. He had to rely solely on his night vision.
A pair of glowing eyes glanced at him from the darkness of the bushes—animal-like—but it quickly fled, unwilling to cause trouble with Jared. With all the mutants in the woods, it was understandable that even a jaguar would be as scared as a house cat.
And they weren't wrong to be.
Should he go back to the bunker? But what about The Mentor? He was still out there somewhere, lost in the woods and probably running out of oxygen.
Jared's heart pounded—not just because of the approaching darkness, but because he was terrified that he might never see The Mentor again.
Darkness was nothing compared to the fear that he might have lost The Mentor forever.
The distant sounds of night creatures—a mutant's scream—sent shivers down Jared's spine. He stopped for a moment, looking around to make sure he wasn't being followed.
Then he looked behind him—and fear seeped in like cold water drenching him from head to toe.
A shadowy figure stood there, now looking disturbingly real. No longer just dark clouds in human form—but a man's silhouette, covered in complete darkness, as if he were an empty void. A black hole.
The silhouette revealed the figure of a man—6'2", muscular, with high cheekbones and short hair—staring at Jared from beneath the darkness.
Once again, Jared pointed his rifle at the shadow. "What do you want?"
"It's not safe here," the man said, stepping forward with an intimidating advance that made Jared instinctively step backward.
"It's dangerous. Let's go home—go back to the bunker," the man said, raising his hand to grab Jared and pull him away.
"No!" Jared fired his rifle.
The whole forest erupted into panic.
Birds woke from their sleep, fleeing their branches in a chaotic flurry.
But the man was unaffected by the bullet. He grabbed Jared, and a struggle erupted between them.
"I'm not going back there without him!" Jared fought back, but his rifle slipped from his hands and fell to the forest floor.
It turned into hand-to-hand combat—but the man was bigger, stronger. He easily overpowered Jared, twisting his arm into a painful lock. A little more pressure, and it would snap.
"You don't want this, and neither do I. Let's go back!"
"No! My mentor—I need to find him!"
"He is gone!" the man barked.
Their argument was interrupted by shrieking sounds, followed by the eerie rhythm of thousands of footsteps approaching from the darkness.
They both knew what that meant. The mutants were coming.
The man hoisted Jared onto his shoulder with ease. He was unbelievably strong. Without hesitation, he sprinted through the forest, carrying Jared back toward the bunker.
Don't!
Don't save me!
I need to find The Mentor!
He's my muse!
Without him…
… I'm lost!
***
Jacques woke up, drenched in sweat, and found himself in a clean, white room with no windows.
"Good afternoon. You slept for 18 hours. You must be hungry," an AI voice greeted him. "What would you like to eat? I can serve you anything you want."
Eat?
I killed someone. How can I allow myself to eat anything I want?
Jacques squeezed his hair in frustration, unable to stop regretting how he had let his emotions overcome his logic and judgment. Now he was officially a criminal—a murderer.
Sigma laughed as he watched Jacques through the monitor. "This might be easier than I thought. He feels so guilty it's making him losing appetite."
Beatrix's voice followed, "Subject is exhibiting signs of acute psychological distress. Observable indicators include irregular breathing—"
"Oh no..." Sigma massaged his forehead. Not this AIsplaining again!
Beatrix, however, continued with her explanation, determined to ensure her human received every detailed piece of information and a clear understanding of his project's current state. She blinked her cute, big blue eyes innocently, analyzing further.
"His refusal to eat aligns with a self-imposed moral consequence. The subject has determined that sustenance is undeserved due to a perceived transgression. This behavior, if prolonged, will result in cognitive impairment, physical weakness—"
"Beatrix," Sigma quickly cut her off, "give me more information about Jacques Durant's past bad behavior that I can use against him. He seems to respond strongly to the idea of not being a good person."
"Got it!" Beatrix's eyes flashes neon green light as she search through the data base from his instructor's records while he was in the police academy. Beatrix read through his recorded biography, while Sigma scribbles on the paper, deciding where to attack.
And once he got it, he smirks.
***
It happened a few weeks before the exam. It was after class—a theory lesson about understanding law and why it was created. Jacques was copying notes from his friend's notebook because he had fallen asleep during the class. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Charles sitting together with Mourice at two o'clock in front of him, approximately five meters away, but he could still hear their faint conversation.
How? He couldn't stop thinking. How can they be that close?
His heart raced so fast that he could barely focus on whether he was even taking the right notes from his friend's notebook.
Across the room, Mourice picked something—like a speck of dust—from Charles's collar, and Charles blushed.
He likes it!
Didn't he know? Charles belonged to him! He couldn't leave him like this! All he needed was good grades, and Charles would see him again!
He's mine! He doesn't get to walk away from me like that!
I did nothing wrong to him, I did not cheat, I'm a good boyfriend, he got no reason to leave me for someone else because I already the best option for him! I fought for our dreams together in the future!
But the voice inside him mocked, You heard it from him; he doesn't want that dream.
Liar!! Jacques scolded the voice in his mind.
And then—he saw Charles pull Mourice's tie, leaning in close and whispering something to him—their faces too close. Jacques couldn't take it!
Jacques grabbed all his books and pens, swiping them into his bag and slinging it across his torso. He tried to stay calm and not get angry as he walked toward the two lovebirds.
Don't get mad. Be a gentleman. Show them class! he warned himself.
"Hey, guys. Looks fun. Are you two dating?" Jacques asked, nearly choking himself as he pressed down his anger.
Charles rolled his eyes and exhaled, clearly annoyed that an unwanted intruder had now joined the scene and disturbed their fun.
"Oh, no, of course not," Mourice smirked—but from that smirk alone, he told Jacques more than words ever could. He knew Jacques was jealous, and he loved it. He enjoyed the feeling of being chosen over someone else. It added so much worth to his value as a man.
"We were just discussing some bread," Mourice added casually.
"Bread?" Jacques narrowed his eyes and tilted his head, pretending to look interested.
"Yeah, a kind of bread that would make the perfect fit for a sausage. Charles said wheat. What's your pick?" Mourice smiled, his tone playful yet sharp.
That victorious smile. How Jacques wanted to kiss him—with his knuckles. Hard and raw.
"Anything will do. It's just bread," Jacques shrugged.
"See? He agrees with me," Mourice pointed at Jacques while smiling at Charles, who was still sulking—fully aware of what Jacques had on his mind.
"I see you like sausages, Mo. How's Danielle doing?" Jacques added, his tone smooth but cutting.
Bringing up Danielle instantly made Mourice tense up. She was better left out of the conversation, especially when Charles was around. But Mourice held his composure, quickly regaining his cool and making sure to strike back with his own words.
"Oh, she's fine. How's your boyfriend doing? Where is he now?" Mourice tilted his jaw upward slightly, a clear challenge.
"My boyfriend? Don't worry about him. I'm more worried about you—it seems like you really love playing with two hands… juggling things…" Jacques's eyes narrowed.
Mourice laughed. "It's tough being this handsome, you know? People come at me from all directions. They think I'm the one playing them when it's actually them who keep coming to me. Some of them don't have a manly enough boyfriend to handle them—so they need someone who's man enough to take care of them."
Jacques grabbed a nearby table—and with almost no effort, he sent it flying toward the attic. The sound of splintering wood echoed through the room as the table lodged itself into the ceiling beams with a loud CRACK.
Everyone in the classroom now froze in shock.
That table weighed at least 20 kg—and Jacques had launched it like it was made of paper.
Mourice forgot to blink. He stood there, frozen.
Charles became anxious. He muttered how stupid the situation was and quickly removed himself from the scene, grabbing all his books as he left.
"Next, it'll be your head, Mo. Don't fuck with me—or whatever belongs to me," Jacques growled coldly.
I never meant to really kill him. No, I don't!That's why I pulled myself away from both of them—I didn't want to cause any harm.
But when I saw them together… kissing…In MY room…
…I felt disrespected.
Jacques was lying on his bed with his arm covering his eyes when Sigma's hologram screen flickered to life.
"Jacques! You don't look good. Are you sick? Shall I send a medic?" Sigma asked, sounding genuinely concerned.
"No, just leave me alone," Jacques muttered. He had no strength to scold or even speak normally.
Why did they have to push me that far?
Isn't it enough that they're glued together all the time? Did they really have to do that in front of me—in my space?!
Part of him wanted to say they deserved it—but he never meant to kill anyone.
"I'll scan your health now, boy. Don't worry, I got you," Sigma said as he operated the system. A light blue line swept over Jacques's body, scanning through every muscle and organ. The results popped up on the screen.
"Boy, you're just hungry. Eat something—what's really bothering you?"
"I said leave me the fuck alone!" Jacques snapped. In a surge of rage, he jumped down from the bed and hurled it toward Sigma's hologram screen.
Of course, the hologram wasn't damaged—it was just light—but the bed slammed against the unyielding metal wall and splintered into pieces.
"Now, now… Don't be angry, boy." Sigma's voice remained calm. "Remember what happened last time you lost control? Somebody died. Do you want to repeat that dark history?"
Sigma sighed, his tone turning more serious. "We saved you from government execution so we could prove to them that you are not a monster—that you can save the world. Help us by proving them wrong, will you?"
"Maybe they were right! I'm a monster!" Jacques slammed both hands against the wall, his anger still pulsing through him.
"Don't say things like that!" Sigma argued, his voice carrying a tone of genuine concern. "You're a good boy. A good boy never means to hurt anyone. They just misunderstand you because your power is so much greater than that of regular Earthlings. That's why they're scared of you."
He was right, though—Jacques admitted it. Since he was a kid, he had known he was different from normal humans. Especially after Marie took him into her household—she told him that he was special, stronger than an average human, so he had to be gentle and never abuse his power. Just because he was stronger didn't mean he had to dominate everyone.
But Marie had never said anything about him not being an Earthling.
Why did his mother lie to him?
"Come on, boy. We're here to help you. You have to trust us. We want to help you prove to those judgmental Earthlings that you're not a monster—that this was all just a misunderstanding. Will you trust us?"
Jacques seriously considered Sigma's words.
"We'll prove them wrong, boy. We'll show them together that you're actually a hero at heart. How does that sound?" Sigma's tone was optimistic, and it really helped Jacques feel more convinced.
Jacques finally turned around and looked at Sigma. "How?"
Sigma smirked.