Chapter 52: The Dream
The sky had turned blood-red, and Zac stood in the middle of a ruined world.
Corpses littered the ground as far as the eye could see, and the earth was soaked in blood as it flowed through the broken streets like crimson rivers.
Flames burned everywhere, cities were reduced to rubble, and the entire world looked as though hell had descended upon it.
"Where am I?"
Zac looked around in confusion.
"What is this place? System? How did I get here?"
"Hey, answer me, damn it?"
"Don’t tell me you’re sleeping again."
Zac felt genuinely uneasy and worried at the same time.
"Answer me, system."
It did not matter how much he shouted, there was no response from the system.
’Ahaaaa....’
Suddenly, he heard a woman’s scream echoing through the ruined world. Zac’s head automatically snapped toward the source, and without hesitation, he started running following it.
But he does not know what was awaiting him there.
Standing there was a giant of a man, nearly eight feet tall, with broad shoulders, a heavily built body, and hip-length black hair.
His bare upper body was covered in intricate rune-like tattoos and a crown on his head.
The man stood with his back facing Zac. In front of him were two trembling figures.
A woman and a child.
The moment Zac saw them, his heart stopped from shock.
"No..."
"It can’t be."
They were none other than Martha and Carrie. Their clothes were torn, and their faces were filled with terror.
"No..."
The giant slowly stepped toward them.
"No."
Zac tried to move but somehow his body was paralyzed. He tried using all his physical power, but his body refused to respond.
"No! Stop!"
The man reached Martha first and drove his hand straight through her chest.
"No..." Zac shouted at the top of his lungs.
A massive hole appeared in her body with blood splattering in all directions. Her dead body collapsed to the ground, creating a thud sound.
"No!" Carrie screamed as the giant grabbed her head with one hand and lifted her to air.
He squeezed his hand, and a sickening crunch echoed through the air. The screams of Carrie stopped instantly.
At this point, Zac’s mind completely went blank.
"Why..."
"Why is this happening?"
Everything felt unreal, yet at the same time it all felt more real than anything he had ever experienced.
"Who are you?!" Zac screamed with everything he had. "Why are you doing this? And what did we ever do to you?!"
The giant finally stopped moving and slowly...turned around.
The first thing Zac saw was a pair of slit crimson eyes. Eyes so cold and terrifying that every horror movie he had ever watched suddenly seemed childish.
Then he saw the man’s face and his world shattered again.
Because it was his own, just a little older and more mature.
The giant looked directly at him. "I am you, Zac."
The giant’s voice echoed through the burning wasteland.
"You are the reason they’re like this."
"No..."
"You failed them."
Suddenly the corpses of his mother and sister got up and looked at him and asked, "Why did you fail us, Zac?"
"No! I didn’t."
The voice began repeating itself again and again from all directions.
"You failed them."
"You failed them."
"You failed them."
"No...!"
Zac suddenly sat upright, and his eyes snapped open. His chest rose and fell rapidly. While cold sweat covered his entire body.
His hands trembled uncontrollably. For several seconds, he simply sat there trying to catch his breath.
Slowly, he looked around and confirmed that everything was normal and safe. Yet the image of Martha and Carrie refused to leave his mind.
"What a terrible way to wake up..."
He rubbed his face and glanced at the clock.
2:03 AM.
"Great. There is no chance I’m falling asleep again anytime soon." After sitting in silence for another minute, Zac got out of bed.
"Maybe some fresh air will help." He quietly left the room and headed toward the ship’s open lobby.
The night sky stretched endlessly above him with moonlight reflected across the vast river surrounding the ship.
The cold breeze brushed against his face, calming his heartbeat.
But no matter what... The words from the dream are still echoing in the back of his mind.
You failed them.
"Hey, System."
[What?]
"Did you see that dream?" Zac leaned against the railing and stared at the dark river below.
"Do you think it was just a dream, or was it some kind of premonition?"
The system was silent for a long moment.
[I can’t say for sure. As I’ve told you before, I can only be sure of the past and present. The future is filled with uncertainty. Yes! I can make predictions, but I cannot guarantee anything.]
"So there is still a possibility for it to happen?"
[ Normally, I would answer these future-related questions with a maybe, but for this one, I would advise caution. The thing you saw may very well be a possible future.]
"What?" Zac almost laughed. "Are you out of your damn mind? How could I ever do that to my own family?"
[Did you forget about your bloodline? You are one of the purest inheritors I have ever seen. Once it fully awakens, nobody can predict what might happen.]
[Then again, worrying about that now is not gonna do any good. So stop thinking about it.]
"I agree, but..."
Before he could finish the sentence, he heard footsteps behind him. Zac turned around and saw a young man walking toward him.
The moment he saw the face, his eyes narrowed. It was the same person he and Marty had intentionally avoided in the dining hall.
The young man stopped a few meters away.
"Are you Zac?"
"Do you need something?"
"Yes! My brother."
[Then he should buy a shovel and go to the cemetery, right.]
"Sorry, I don’t know you, and even if I did, I don’t think I could help you since I don’t have your brother."
"You think acting smart will help you?"
"My name is Mark Ritchie. I’m Peter’s older brother. I don’t like beating around the bush, so tell me why you killed my brother."
"What? Peter is dead, praise the heavens. Hahahaaa..."
Name: Mark Ritchie
Age: 21
Academy: High Standard Academy
Year: Third-Year Student
Potential: S
Rank: A-rank
Combat Style: Reaper wielder
Zac’s eyes narrowed slightly. "An A-Rank. No wonder Marty wanted to avoid him."
"You know..." Zac said. "I don’t really care whether you’re his brother, cousin, or father. I wanted to be the one to kill that bastard."
Mark raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"Do you know what he did to me? Damn. Someone stole my kill."
[Don’t overdo it?]
Before Zac could reply, an overwhelming pressure descended upon him.
Boom.
His legs buckled with the wooden floor cracking beneath him.
Zac dropped to one knee, and every muscle in his body screamed "danger" from Mark.
Mark looked down at him with obvious disappointment in his eyes. Seeing Zac struggle to even remain upright, he lost interest almost immediately.
"To think someone like you killed my brother." He shook his head. "What a disgrace; maybe Peter deserved to die after all."
The pressure disappeared, and Zac immediately sucked in a deep breath. Mark turned around and started walking back, but after taking a few steps, he stopped.
"Count your days, kid. I’ll be coming for your head sooner or later. Oh, and good luck with the guards in the Outer District."
Zac frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Mark laughed. "And thank you. I made quite a profit from those two permits."
Only then the realization hit Zac. Mark let out a mocking laugh before disappearing into the darkness.
For several moments, he slowly got back to his feet.
[Why didn’t you do anything?]
"About what?"
[You could’ve...]
"He’s an A-rank, and he has a lot of friends on the ship. With my current strength, fighting him would be suicide."
[You could’ve at least resisted his aura.]
"That would’ve only aggravated him further."
A brief pause followed.
[I don’t enjoy seeing my host kneeling anyone. Even if it’s gods, they should be the ones to kneel before you, not the other way around.]
[Especially in front of a low-grade insect like him.]
A small smile appeared on Zac’s face. "Thanks."
[Don’t misunderstand. Whoever my host was, it would be the same answer.]
Shaking his head, Zac left the lobby and headed back toward his room.
