18:13

The next second He opens His eyes in such hurry, He begins to breath so chaotically as if He is remaining without air. He puts His left hand on His neck, seeming as if He prays to have a way of escape. His C colour flickers for the first time, as if that was even possible before. And this goes for a whole few seconds until He manages to get some air, His C colour calming down and only lighting peacefully, while He looks at the ceiling as if He saw His life flashing before His eyes for a bare moment.

He breaths in a stressful way now, but at least He is able to do it without the feeling of suffocation, getting back the air He was lacking in those seconds. His C colour slowly stops lighting up while He leans against the wall next to His bed, trying to manage His breathing. When His distress fades, He takes off His shirt and begins to examine His own body quickly, giving such a sigh of worry when He finishes.

Something has changed with His body for sure. His black and corrupted hand that was only half way on this condition and half normal, now is fully corrupted with this strange skin, even beginning to take over the chest. His injury on the stomach that got the same skin which healed the wound now expanded too, beginning to corrupt the right leg and a small part of the above.

"...It happened again today. I had the same nightmare I keep having for seven days now and I'm starting to think that my time in this world isn't as long as I thought it would be this whole life. If it will keep happening over and over again, then I sure won't live the moment till even the real war starts, if it will happen. And I, as a Great Leader... I am obligated to participate and lead my people during the war.

Over the past few years, I've anticipated a near war that might happen during my reign in the Underground City. All those constant problems that get worse by each day and I can't even keep up with them anymore... they all will soon prove me that my people are at great danger and I... am the only one aware. Even if I seem to not work at all those days, I actually got into my job even more than ever. Sure, I don't really do anything more than signing a few papers, but those papers are what's telling me that a war is about to happen... And I can't do anything about it other than acknowledge it.

When I first heard about Mr. N3MES1O's new law of keeping the citizens away from the tunnels and the reason why it had happened for example, I had to contact him in person and see what's going on myself, not believe a simple crevaator. But it was true that information. Illegal transactions with the City of Above began to grow in such numbers that were worrisome and N3MES1O had to do something about it quickly while I was away and didn't even know about what's happening. I do not and will not blame him for making a decision of a new law in such situation without my approval, it was necessary even if the Great Leader wasn't there to sign it. If it wasn't for him to make this new law, we could've been exposed even without those people wishing for it to happen.

In those 250 years since the city's existence, the idea of the citizens exposing this location wasn't really feared that much, so everyone was allowed to wander freely up there, even encouraged to see the sky with their own eyes. But the problem is that we fear Death more than we fear an actual war, so very few people actually wish to go above and see what it is like. Because of the low numbers of visitors of that city, there were such low chances of the city being exposed, especially when the entrances are so well-hidden. But this year, it is the first time in the Underground City's history that we've started fearing that our own citizens might actually cause us huge troubles and had to apply some new laws.

This is one example from many that I have encountered during my reign as the Great Leader, and I fear that even more will come in the near future. All the constant papers that I receive, even if they seem meaningless for other people, even for the Council itself... they are proof to me that things are getting worse and we might be obligated to participate in a war. All this time, I have tried to avoid any kind of direct conflict with the City of Above and not start another battle like the one from 250 years ago. Those before me have done the same thing. But no matter what I try now, it looks like we will be obligated to fight in a battle with the citizens of the above. I never told anybody about my suspicions on this war that might come because I didn't want to bring fear into their lives. But at this point... who cares about fear anymore?

And this nightmare I keep having is like a torture mechanism that keeps playing with me. And it all started with the word "alien"... When the night comes for me to sleep, all I do is to pray that I will survive until the dawn. Every single time, I meet this strange light that wants me to follow it, to show me something that after Day 1 I've lost interest immediately in it. After that, Demon manages to appear too, before trying to attack me and causing the nightmare to stop. And when I do wake up, I simply can't breath for a reason I don't understand, even till the moment that I feel like I'm truly dying. Because of that, I'm really starting to think that... it might even put an end to my days if it keeps getting worse by each night. And the worst part is that... my condition on whatever this corruption is gets worse because of these experiences very quickly.

After I left Leo and the outsider, I simply went to my base to clear my mind out. I didn't even want to sleep, I just stood in my office and started thinking a lot about what I truly am. Like, do I belong here or where is my home? Am I truly one of them if I am this different from them? Am I really worthy of being their leader since I am an alien? And especially... how did my father know and why didn't He say anything?

But that night, as much as I wished to stay awake and contemplate about those answers, my tiredness took over me and I fell asleep on my own chair. RY4N was the one who told me this and he sure didn't expect for me to sleep in my office this way all of a sudden. But he didn't expect me to say that I didn't even know that I've slept there either. Believe me when I say that I thought I was in my room that night, maybe it explains how tired I was.

But besides that... in that night, it was the first time after so many tortures that I was able to dream again. I always just had nightmares ever since I got my wounds and never managed to dream anything like I did when I was younger. And it was... beautiful. I can't even describe it, it was just such a wonderful experience that I could give anything to live again. I was in peace there, in a world that no conflict ever happened and that no pain ever tried to consume us all. We were all free... RY4N and I were together, living lives similar to those that we had when we were kids, and we were so happy about it. The others also seemed as all their worries had left permanently too. And the city... it wasn't the Underground City at all. It was a city above the ground, but not the City of Above. A city of actual freedom, what we all wished to have.

But then I got woken up by my brother, very late in the morning and continued my schedule after. It wasn't anything interesting happening during the light those past days. I continued what I started in hope that I will get my answers. And I admit, I had a pretty bad mood while doing it. But the days were nothing compared to the nights. 'Cause after the previous night, I have hoped that I will be able to dream again... How foolish I was.

All those "dreams" were the same. Night 1, I was thinking that I just woke up so I began my schedule as always. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, until I got to the point of leaving the base where a small light appeared behind me. It gave such beautiful noises and it caught my attention, so I followed it wherever it led me. Probably I didn't think much about it, so it explains my decision. But when we arrived at where it wanted me to be, when I turned around and lost sight of it for just a few seconds, Demon appeared right behind me and attacked me. Then... I woke up, choking.

Night 2 was the same, but when the light appeared, I decided to not follow it again and instead, I simply ran away from it wherever I could. Yet no matter where I ran, an abyss was chasing me down, destroying the hallways of my base in order to catch me. And when it did, I found myself in the abyss, trying to find a way of escape... before Demon attacked me again out of nowhere and I woke up again, chocking harder than the first time.

Night 3 I didn't even leave my office, I just waited there when I noticed that I'm in this nightmare again, but the light appeared no matter and it also led with Demon finding me and waking me up. Because of that, I woke up during the full night, even scared my brother to death when he heard me struggling to breath, waking up in such shock and began calling assistance in no time. Two Healers came in our room and made a few weird methods of helping a suffocating body breath again for me to finally calm down and spent hours on analysing my condition to see what caused the sudden sleep suffocation. No result. It just led to me being supervised by the Healers more during the day and also finding out that my corruption is progressing the more I'm having these nightmares.

Night 4 I tried to hurt myself in order to wake up on my own when I noticed the change in the surroundings again, but I didn't succeed and still managed to get woken up by Demon. Then that day I've tried my best to stay awaken no matter how tired I was after the schedule ended, but I didn't succeed. Night 5 I tried to fight back that light with whatever I had on me, whether it was weapons or simple tools, trying to break free. Still nothing and the same story over again.

And Night 6... I just witnessed myself. After each experience, the suffocation even seemed to get worse and worse. And as a matter of fact, today... it really felt like I was about to die alone. I saw my entire life flashing before my eyes, moments from when I was a kid till the moments I lived those past days. I don't even know how I managed to survive it at this point. And I don't even know how much I can endure it anymore... So today, I will just take a break from everything to calm down and live a calm final moment in case that tomorrow I will not be able to wake up again."