PART 7 :-
THE NIGHTMARE OF FUTURE
MC perspective :-
[At the academy, while Bright is going to attend his classes.]
Why are all the rooms empty!!? Did something happen!!!? Where are Bond and Dex!!? They said they were waiting for me. But where are they!!?
Every room is empty. Silence is everywhere—a kind of silence I have never experienced before.
"Mini!!!? Where are you!!!?"
[At that very moment, fire touches his feet.]
What's going on!!!? Fire!!? Where did it come from!?
[Bright starts following the trail of fire.]
What happened today!!!?
"Bond!!! Where are you!!!?"
What is that!!!?
[Bright sees blood covering the floor.]
What's going on!!!? Why is there blood everywhere!!?
[Black mist begins to spread and surround the area.]
Black mist!!!! That woman!!!!
[Bright starts running toward the fire as fast as he can.]
"Mini!!!!!"
[Bright finds Minidra lying on the floor, her body covered in blood and flames.]
"What happened to you!!!?? Answer me!"
[Bright is confused and emotionally shattered. Then, he sees Bond standing there.]
"Bond!!!"
I finally found Bond.
"What happened here!!!?"
[Bond grabs Bright by the collar and begins speaking in a low, painful voice.]
"You got here too late!!! Why are you late!!!! Why didn't you tell us what you've been hiding all this time!!!? You don't know what happened!!!?
It was you who burned everyone!!!!" Bond says as blood comes out of his mouth.
[Bright looks around and sees countless burned bodies lying on the ground.]
"If you had just told us about that, we would have kept our distance from you… and maybe we could have saved…"
[Bond's hand, which was gripping Bright's collar, falls limp. He stops breathing.]
"Bond!!!! I'm sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry! Sorry…!"
[Grief and sadness begin to overwhelm Bright's emotions.]
"I'm sorry I have to leave you... but you'll be alright. No one is going to hurt you."
That voice again!!! Whose voice is that!!!!?
"Who are you!!!!?"
"You may hate me or love me, but you can't ignore me. Nor will I let you."
[A different voice than before. A massive burning bird, formed entirely from flames, appears in front of him.]
"Kill your emotions and let me have you. I will avenge every pain and suffering you have endured."
"I don't want to hear any of your words!!!!! Leave now!!!"
[A ring-shaped light appears in front of Bright's chest. Massive amounts of light begin pouring out from it. Without realizing it, Bright awakens a rare power.]
"Hah… hah… hah…!!!"
[With that, Bright finally wakes up. He starts panting heavily.]
I finally woke up. I'm panting so heavily.
The nightmare again… It's the fifth time in a row.
The last time I had continuous nightmares like this was when I was in the Joyful.
What was that voice again!!?
I heard it for the second time. Why was she apologizing!!!??? Whom was she apologizing to!!!??? Who is she!!!? Why can I hear her but can't see her!!?
And what did that fire want to tell me!!!?
There are so many questions, but I don't know the answer to even one of them.
That's even more frustrating.
[Bright comes out for a walk in the middle of the night.]
Relax. It's just a dream. Everything is going to be all right.
"Is your nightmare over!!!?"
"Yeah… Wait, how do you know that!!!!? And when did you get here!!?"
"I know everything. I also knew you would come out for a walk."
He is seriously scary sometimes…
"I'm much scarier."
Ehee… He even understands my thoughts.
"So, how was your nightmare going!???"
"Not good. Today, I didn't even realize I was in a dream until I woke up. It felt so real, or—"
"Or it's the future that's going to happen."
Silence grips me.
"I'm afraid…"
"Everyone should be if they were in your place."
"You're wrong, Juha. I'm not afraid of that power or what it could do. I'm afraid that they might leave me after knowing about it."
"Hmm… Now I'll tell you something important.
In this world, we are always afraid of losing something we love. And because of that fear, we become selfish. In that selfishness, we lose ourselves.
So, in a world where you can become anything, be kind. Kind enough to never lose yourself."
"How can I overcome this fear, then!?"
"Accept yourself first. When you can accept yourself, you can overcome anything.
You should go to sleep now. That's more important."
I finally said goodnight to him and returned to my room.
....
PART 8 :-
NIGHTMARE OF PAST
Bond perspective :-
[Bond, at the age of seven.]
"That flower smells so sweet, Mamma."
[Bond sits in his mother's arms, looking at the flower garden.]
"Does my cutie like them!?"
"Yeah… haaah… ha!! I love these flowers. They always remind me of you and Papa."
[Suddenly, everything changes. Bond finds himself in a room filled with darkness.]
"What's going on!!??"
"Where are you, Mamma!!!?? Papa!!!!? Why aren't either of you answering!!!!!!?"
[Bond begins breathing heavily. Then, he finally sees someone.]
"Papa? Is that you, Papa!!!?"
Why is he lying there unconscious?
Where is all this blood coming from?
"Gotcha!!"
[Someone grabs Bond's hand from behind.]
"Hey—who are you!!!? Let me gooo!!! I'll call Mamma if you hurt me!"
"Look over there, kid."
[Bond looks toward the other side of the room and sees his mother's dead body.]
"Mammaaaaaa!!!!!! What did you do to her!!?????? Let me goooo!!!! Let me see my mother!!!!"
"She's dead, stupid. Your screaming isn't going to bring her back."
[They put shackles on Bond and throw him into a truck.]
It's too dark here.
I can't even see anything.
Where am I?
[Bond begins to notice several other children, all around his height.]
"Hey! Put me down!"
"Stay quiet, you piece of shit."
[An employee takes Bond into a laboratory.]
"Give him a test-subject name and begin the processing."
[A man hidden in the shadows watches Bond from another room.]
"But, sir, shouldn't we make him unconscious first!????"
"Nah… If he doesn't feel the pain, he won't survive the future experiments."
"Commander, begin Processing Level One."
[They force a glowing, white-hot metal instrument onto his hand, searing a permanent row of numbers into his flesh.]
"Aaaaaaaah…!"
[Bond screams in unbearable pain.]
"From now on, you are Project 3K34. That is your name now.
And now, the start of a better future."
[They attach wires to him and begin the electric shock.]
"Aaaahhhhhh…!"
---
"Hah… hah… hah…"
[Bond finally wakes from his nightmare, but the panic attack doesn't stop.]
"THUD!!!!"
[He rolls out of bed and crashes onto the floor.]
"Hah… hah… hah…"
[His panic refuses to subside. He clutches his chest as if he can barely breathe.]
"Stop! Stop! Stooooopppp!"
"It's alright. You're safe now. No one is going to touch you. I'm here. Calm down."
[At that moment, Bond hears his Shisho's words echoing in his mind.]
"Hah… hah… hah…"
"Haaah… haaah…"
[His breathing gradually slows as he finally begins to calm down.]
"Huuuh…"
"Mamma…"
[He finally remembers his mother's face, and the memory calms him completely.]
Why does this stupid old man's voice calm me down!!?
It's almost like…
It reminds me of Mamma.
[Bond's past memorie.]
"Waaaaaah…"
"Ara ara… it's alright. I'm here now. No one is going to scare you anymore, my cutie."
"I was so afraid in that darkness. I thought a ghost might eat me… Hic… sniff… hic…"
"Do you want to look at some flowers!?"
"Hmm…"
"Then let's go…"
[While looking at the flowers.]
"Bond, what do you think when you look at my face?"
"Safe… Hehehe… I feel like nothing can hurt me."
"Listen, Bond. Whenever you feel frightened or afraid of anything, just remember me. Then you will never be afraid again."
---
[Bond is in Lyra's Vault, working.]
"Hey, you slowpokes! How much longer do you need to finish that!!!?"
"Hey—we're not machines…" Dex complains.
"Bond, take that electric wire over here."
[The moment Bond looks at the wire, his expression changes.]
"Hah… hah… hah…"
[Bond starts breathing rapidly. The memories come rushing back. Those shadows return again.]
"How does it feel when you get an electric shock!!?"
[Bond begins sweating from fear. His eyes tremble as he is dragged back into the memories of his past trauma.]
[Without saying a word, Sagurd steps into his space.]
[He doesn't pull away or offer empty words of reassurance. Instead, the old man gently wraps his arms around the boy, pulling Bond's rigid body against his chest. One broad, warm hand comes up to rest tenderly against the back of Bond's head, shielding him from the rest of the world.]
Suddenly, a warm, steady presence kneels beside me, cutting through the icy grip of my anxiety.
"It's alright. You're safe now. No one is going to touch you. I'm here. Calm down."
That voice!!!
It's so warm… so calm.
That gentle voice feels like safety.
[Bond stiffens at first, his eyes still wide with lingering fear. But the steady rise and fall of Sagurd's chest and the firm, protective hand resting against his head slowly begin to ground him.
The terrifying shadows of his past gradually recede, leaving behind only the quiet comfort of a father's embrace.]
[In the present time.]
Flowers don't smell sweet anymore, Mamma.
I can't forget the past, Mamma. Neither your final moments… nor the torture I endured.
I promised myself they would never forget either.
They will remember their fall… just as I remember mine.
....
PART 9 :-
THE CLASH OF FEAR
Bond perspective :-
I finally relaxed. It's difficult when I have a nightmare. Mother's face always calms me down, but it usually takes some time. However, today, I managed to calm down much faster.
Hmm… where is Bright!??? He's not someone who would walk out at this hour.
Should I go for a walk!??
[Bond goes out for a walk as well.]
Who's talking there!???
It's Bright and his master. What are they talking about at this hour!!??
"So, how is your nightmare going!???"
Bright has nightmares too!???
"I'm afraid…"
What kind of power do you have that makes you this afraid? Is it something similar to my past trauma?
"You're wrong, Juha. I'm not afraid of that power or what it could do. I'm afraid that they might leave me after knowing about it."
This is it!???
After all this time, you think I might leave you?
You think I'll follow in the footsteps of the others?
[Bond leaves the place and goes back to his bed.]
....
MC perspective :-
[The next day, while they are both returning from the academy.]
"You're quite today."
"Am I!!? I might've thought we were in a competition to see who could stay mute the longest."
"Where did that come from!!?"
I'm actually shocked. Is he angry? When he's angry, he talks like that.
"From you!!!!"
"From me!!!???? What are you talking about!!?"
"I'm talking about the things you didn't talk about."
"I didn't talk about anything!??"
I'm a bit confused now.
"You didn't tell me a bunch of things."
"And you said it was okay."
"Yeah, I said it was okay. But I never thought the situation had gone this far."
"What situation!!!?"
"Ohhh… don't act stupid now. You thought I wouldn't realize!!!???? I know you're hiding something—something that can kill you… and can kill everyone around you."
"Aam…"
"If it wasn't that terrifying, you would never have taken it so seriously. It took away your smile. And that incident during the trial made it clear that you're in danger."
"I'm not in danger…"
How do I tell him I'm not the one in danger?
I'm the danger to all of you.
"That's… that's exactly what I'm talking about. You've stopped telling me everything. If you can't open up, you'll lose yourself."
[He leaves me after saying that.]
Well… I think I created this situation. It's my fault from the very beginning. I should have cleared things up.
I didn't.
[The wind suddenly starts hitting me hard, almost as if it's telling me to follow it.]
And where is it taking me!!?
To the forest.
....
Bond perspective :-
Ahhh… I messed up. I was so frustrated that I yelled at him at the time when I should have stayed with him. It's his fault as well. What does he think!??? We don't care about him!??? He is the one who started it.
"Aa…"
[At the moment he clashes with a stranger.]
"Be careful, boy. Are you daydreaming!!?? Or did you intentionally push me!!!"
[That person started to leave.]
I grabbed his hand.
"Leave after giving me back my wallet."
"What!?? A kid is accusing me of being a thief now!??"
"Look, I'm in a very bad mood. And if you don't cooperate, I will make sure you regret that."
"What's with those eyes!!?"
[Bond's eyes glare into his with such terrifying intensity that it makes the man scared.]
[Bond also leaves that place and goes to Lyra's Vault.]
....