A/N: Sorry for the delay. I got busy with the Anthology. Happy reading!

ANTECEDENT: CHAPTER 12

MIDNIGHT had been experiencing sporadic headaches ever since his last psychotherapy session with Silvanus. His head would throb and pulsate, as if a jackhammer was drilling into his skull, but the pain would vanish as quickly as it came. Since those headaches were tolerable, he brushed them off and let the days slip by without giving them much thought.

However, as days passed, he noticed his headaches were becoming frequent. Upon returning to Silvanus' laboratory, he informed Silvanus about it.

"I know it's a side effect of the hypnosis, but I find it odd. I never had headaches this severe before, even though I was under hypnosis a couple times a week for nearly a decade."

Silvanus leaned back in his seat while listening to Midnight. "It's because we are unearthing your buried memories that could exhaust the brain. Those memories were buried for a reason. Also, your hypnosis before focused on planting thoughts and ideas in your head, not the other way around." He sighed. "Imagine this, when you were young, your brain was like a verdant forest. Then it got exposed to toxic chemicals and substances. Everything withered, and the soil became dry until it became a barren land. Now, we are trying to plow that hard, dry soil to see what kind of toxic chemicals it absorbed. And the process is going to hurt the soil."

Midnight looked at his hands and became silent. He was lost in thought for a full minute before he looked up at Silvanus and spoke.

"Let's continue our session." He was determined to know what happened to him. Pain was something he was already used to.

Silvanus nodded and set a schedule for tomorrow for the psychotherapy to let Midnight have a good rest after prescribing him a medication for his headaches.

When the next day came, Midnight prepared water and food for Loki before going out of his room for the psychotherapy.

Silvanus was already ready when he arrived at his laboratory, and he was immediately hooked up to different machines that would monitor his body.

Shortly after they started, Midnight once again entered the familiar empty hallway and the equally familiar hypnosis room.

When his brow furrowed, Silvanus take note of it, but did not stop.

"Just listen to my voice. What you're seeing now is a memory. It's not the present. It already passed. Focus on me."

Midnight tried his best to listen to Silvanus, but the scene in front of him felt too real that his hands started trembling.

Fear and nervousness combined as he kept hearing those words that had been engraved into his mind.

'Only your father is right. Only listen to your father. Never go against him if you want your brother to be safe.'

These words were repeated countless times until he couldn't extricate his mind from it anymore. From mere words to becoming his belief and his own law.

Yes. His father was right. Father shouldn't be questioned. I have to be obedient to keep my brother safe.

"—night! Midnight!"

Midnight continued to drown in his own memory, caging him from the present, imprisoning him in his own mind.

Frightened. Desperation. Obedience.

"Midnight! Snap out of it!"

Midnight's heartbeat was raising to a dangerous level. He was trembling. He was lost. And Silvanus had to end the psychotherapy before they could delve deeper into his past.

"Midnight, I will count from one to five. In each count, you will be a little more awake." Silvanus started his countdown and, at the count of five, Midnight was fully awake, but he was clutching his head in pain.

With excruciating throbbing pain coursing throughout his brain, he crawled out of bed and make his way, trembling, to the trash bin, where he emptied his stomach in a torrent of vomit.

Silvanus quickly rushed to Midnight's side, gently patting his back. After Midnight finished vomiting, Silvanus guided him to the bathroom to rinse his mouth and then offered him a glass of water.

Midnight looked pale, his face contorted in pain as he tightly clenched his head and gritted his teeth.

Silvanus said nothing and just accompanied Midnight, making sure his condition wouldn't get worse. Fortunately, in less than an hour, his headache subsided, and he was now able to relax a little.

Only then did Silvanus let out a relieve breath. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay." Midnight's voice was hoarse as he responded. His throat was dry. There was still throbbing in his head, but it had become bearable.

Silvanus took a deep breath. "If this happened again, call me, okay? For now, rest."

Midnight nodded, and he was sent back to his room to rest.

Throughout the day, he couldn't count how many times his head throbbed and felt nauseous, but he held it in and endured it.

It wasn't the most painful thing he had ever experienced, and this wasn't the first time he endured a severe pain like this alone.

But just as he thought he was alone, the phone Dominick lent him rang.

He reached for it and answered the call without looking at who it was. Only a handful of people had this number, after all.

"Midnight, we heard from Dr. Silvanus. Are you okay?" It was Happy's voice, and she sounded worried.

In the background, Midnight could hear Dominick and Klaus arguing.

"Let's go get him. He's surely in pain."

"My lord, that's why the little lord is in Dr. Silvanus' laboratory. So his health could be monitored."

"I know that. But wouldn't it be more comfortable here in the house instead?"

"Then should we get him?"

"I'll ask Silvanus."

Midnight's head was pounding painfully, but he felt a little better somehow.

"Midnight? Can you hear me?" Happy's voice was still laced with worry.

"Hmm." He hummed. "I'm okay..."

"Kid, don't lie!" Dominick clicked his tongue. "You sounded sick."

"No. I'm fine." He was used to being alone, especially when he's in pain.

"Fine, my ass. We're taking you home. You hear me?"

Midnight wanted to reject the idea, but for reasons he couldn't comprehend, he couldn't open his mouth to reject it.

At the back of his mind, that couldn't comprehend his own feelings, he wanted the company. He didn't want to be alone. Even if Dominick's family were rowdy and noisy and would always drag him around, he didn't mind at all.

At that moment, he wanted to see those noisy people, so he answered, "okay."

"Good. Wait for us." Dominick motioned to his daughter to keep talking to Midnight as they leave to fetch them.

Happy nodded and even though the topic she opened always ended up awkwardly stopping, she kept opening topics one after another.

Then suddenly, Midnight asked in a low voice. "Why are you still talking to me? I know I'm not an easy person to talk to. It's okay, you can hang up now."

Happy answered straightforwardly. "Because I don't want you to be alone."

Such a short sentence made Midnight's mind cleared up. And for some reason, he felt an emotion that he only felt when he was with his big brother.

"...thank you."

Happy smiled. "Welcome. Anyway, I have nothing better to do. Let's keep talking?"

"Hmm...Okay."

Midnight agreed, but it was mostly Happy talking on the line. Only an intermittent meowing could be heard from Midnight's end, because Loki was nestled close to Midnight.

Midnight didn't know how the call ended, because he fell asleep midway. But when he woke up, the call had already ended, and Dominick arrived in the laboratory with Klaus.

He didn't know what Dominick and Silvanus spoke about, but when he was about to leave with Loki, Silvanus rode in the helicopter with them.

Midnight only found out what's going on after they landed.

"I'm staying on the farm for a while," Silvanus told Midnight as he saw Midnight looking at his backpack blankly. "The laboratory will continue to function without me. I can just work remotely for a bit. I'm focusing all my attention on you. This is what I and Dominick decided on."

Midnight just nodded, not showing any interest at all after that. He then entered the house and went straight to his bedroom. He freed Loki from its cat carrier bag that had good soundproofing to not let the helicopter noise affect it.

"Go play." He told the cat.

However, Loki stuck to him and didn't leave. Even joining him on the bed to rest.

Shortly after, In the living room, Silvanus and Dominick were talking about Midnight's condition.

"Is there anything we can do?" Since he already decided to help, Dominick didn't want to be half-hearted about it. "He doesn't really talk to us that much."

After a couple of sessions, Silvanus had already understood Midnight's temperament. "He's like a lone wolf, Dominick. He's been alone for so long that he's already used to it."

"Then what do you suggest we do?"

"Accompany him." Silvanus answered with a shrug. "Don't let him be alone. Show him that he can trust you."

Dominick frowned and clicked his tongue. "Even if I did all that, based on your opinion, he would still go back to his father, yes?"

Silvanus nodded.

"Let's focus on that part." Dominick recalled Midnight's face filled with excruciating pain. "Let's focus our attention on severing his ties with that asshole father of his."

Silvanus did not answer. He, of all people, knew how dangerous it was to dissuade Midnight's mind. It had already been messed up so badly, so to do something to his brain at this time would be close to risking his sanity for something uncertain to work.

"Where is he?" Dominick asked when Klaus entered the living room.

"Sleeping." Klaus checked as he passed Midnight's bedroom a moment ago.

"Put me in the room next to midnight," Silvanus requested. "His headache would only get worse from now on. I'll monitor him."

Dominick instantly agreed before sighing. "That kid is making me worry. I'm so close to calling his big brother."

Silvanus advised Dominick against it. "He might really break if we do that."

Dominick sighed heavily. "It's frustrating. We all know what's good for him, but we can't do anything against his will. It's like choosing between doing what we think is right for him and having morals."

It's just like being part of the Orgánosi. They all believe they're doing the right thing for the people and for what they believed in, but even though they're punishing and killing bad people, it's still against social norms and morals.

But however dirty the work was and how much it questioned their morality, they had to do what they must do—it's being the lesser of two evils.

"I thought of something." Suddenly, Klaus spoke.

Silvanus and Dominick turned to him with a 'what?' expression on their faces.

"Remember that app—Alone?"

Dominick and Silvanus were giving a 'yeah, what about it' look.

Klaus continued. "It's an app developed by the Orgánosi for its members who want someone to talk to. It's part of their mental health project. Everyone is using nicknames. The whole app is encrypted and wouldn't collect data, so everything is really anonymous."

"You want Midnight to try 'Alone'?" Silvanus clarified.

Klaus shrugged. "It might help."

However, Dominick was worried. "Orgánosi member can be...weird, example, Silvanus." Silvanus grimaced at Dominick. "What if they say something to Midnight and that kid takes it seriously?"

"I doubt that." Silvanus said. "Except for his father and big brother, nobody could Influence him to that extent."

"So?" Dominick turned to Silvanus. "Let's ask him to try it?"

Silvanus took a deep breath. "We can try. It might help him talk to like-minded people."

"Alright!" Dominick was now pumped that they're something they could do. "I will talk to that kid tomorrow." He glanced at Klaus. "Take Silvanus to his room. I'll go visit my princess before sleeping."

Klaus slightly bowed to Dominick. "Yes, my lord." Then he gestured to Silvanus to follow him upstairs.

MIDNIGHT WOKE up with a pounding headache, but it wasn't the most painful thing he had endured so he got up as if nothing was wrong, brush his teeth, took a bath, change then went down to the dining room.

So that's why I didn't see it when I woke up, Midnight thought when he saw Loki being fed by Happy.

He sat on the vacant chair next to Silvanus.

"How's your sleep?" Silvanus asked, sounding like a doctor that he was.

"It's okay."

"No headaches?"

"Bearable." He answered.

Silvanus didn't buy it. "Tell the truth."

"It's bearable." Midnight repeated with his emotionless voice, and started eating.

Silvanus didn't ask anymore. Meanwhile, Dominick gestured to Klaus to speak about the app 'Alone'.

Klaus subtly nodded and cleared his throat. "My lord, have you heard of that app young people use these days?"

Dominick played along. "What app?"

"It's called 'Alone'." Klaus sounded so natural that no one would notice this was rehearsed. "It's an app for people who feel alone and want someone to talk to. This app has been popular over the years because, as they say, it's easy to talk to strangers."

Dominick nodded and glanced at Midnight. "Night, how about you try it? You're always in your room. If you're bored, you can talk to other people in the comfort of your darkroom. How about it?"

Midnight stopped eating to look up at Dominick and Klaus. He had a feeling that this entire conversation was meant by these two to be heard by him. How could he fail to grasp their true intentions when they mentioned what kind of app it was?

"I don't like talking to people." He spoke.

"We know." Dominick sipped his coffee. "But it's no harm trying. If you really don't like it after a week, then you can uninstall it. Just try."

Midnight really wanted to reject the idea. It was tiring to talk to people, especially when he had nothing to talk about. However, seeing how eager these two were, as if just by him downloading that app could make them reach the high heavens, he compromised.

"One week. And I'll uninstall it."

When did he start considering the happiness of these people?

Dominick and Klaus grinned. Silvanus was smiling as well.

Midnight may end up uninstalling the app after a week, but the experience he'll gain would remain. That's what matters to the three.

"Try talking to people there," Silvanus said to Midnight. "I'm not saying to actively look for someone to talk to, but if someone came and wants to talk to you, you can try. You can also just read random posts in there. But if you got bored, then do whatever you want. No need to force yourself, okay?"

Midnight silently nodded and resumed eating.

Then, a few hours after breakfast, some of Silvanus' portable equipments in the laboratory was transported to the farm. Afraid that Midnight might suffer severe headache again, Silvanus scheduled their next psychotherapy to the following day.

As for the butler, he was the one who guided Midnight on how to install and use the app. Klaus actually had no prior knowledge of this app, but last night, he slept late maneuvering this app that made him feel really old. It was frustrating, but if this could help the little lord, then his frustration was a small matter.

In half an hour, Midnight managed to learn everything about the app and Klaus let him be.

Staring at the app, Midnight's whole being didn't want to open or interact with it, but he already agreed to do it earlier, so, closing his eyes and bracing himself, he tapped the app open.

It had a simple and clean interface. Aside from posting texts and messaging, it had nothing. Aside from that, everyone was anonymous. A user can't even post or send photos to avoid exposing their real identity. It was just really an app for expressing one's thoughts without thinking of anything else.

Even when signing up, the app didn't ask about his name, age, or gender. It just asked for a username. That's it.

Thus, it was expected to read a lot of raunchy posts and weird comments. But Midnight also found some interesting posts about cats and motivational words.

One post caught his attention.

It says, 'There is freedom in being alone.'

It was posted by GodFavoredMe.

Midnight had always been alone. He enjoyed solitude at the same abhorred it. So, reading this post, he couldn't help leaving a comment.

'Lie.'

After tapping send, he closed the app and turn his phone off because he could feel a severe headache coming.

Grabbing the headache medicine Silvanus gave him, he ran to the bathroom, sat on the tile floor, his back against the cold tile wall. He clutched his head and grimaced in pain.

After thirty minutes writhing in pain, and his headache finally subsided. But the effect of the medicine was dizziness and vomiting.

After this episode, he crawled back to his bed and sleep. But even in his sleep, he endured a bone-chilling nightmare. It was so frightening that he called for his big brother countless times, but he never arrived. He never cared.

When he woke up, he was surprised to see a white ceiling and a white wall.

What happened?

He remembered falling asleep. And then...nothing.

He move his body to get up, but was stopped by Klaus, who was sitting close to the bed.

"Don't move around, little lord. I will call the doctor. You might pass out again."

"P-pass out?" His throat was dry and his voice sounded hoarse.

Klaus nodded. "We tried waking you up, but you just wouldn't budge. We got worried, so we took you here."

Midnight frowned. "How many hours was I out?"

Klaus looked at Midnight exasperatedly and answered, "Two days. You've been unconscious for two days, little lord."

Midnight's lips parted in shock as he watched the butler leave the room to get the doctor.

Alone in the room, he stared at the white ceiling and couldn't help thinking about the long dream he had.

No. Not a dream, but a nightmare.

But I can't remember it. What was it? What was it that made me so scared?

But, however much he ransack his mind, there was nothing. He couldn't remember anything about that nightmare.

Just...what was it?

CECELIB | C.C.