"Give me one reason why I shouldn't call the police!"
Rain's father was berating him while Rain's explanations were falling onto deaf ears. He had to hold back gritting his teeth; after all, what did they know? They weren't her family — he was!
Gods.. what was he even thinking? His head was so far up his ass that he couldn't even admit the truth. He was in the wrong, he knew he was in the wrong, yet still...
He scratched his head awkwardly before an idea popped into his head. This could change the trajectory of his reveal a little, but it was better than nothing.
'The truth is.. I'm an awakened apart of Lady Changing Star's cohort. When your daughter found that out, she requested me to train her.'
Of course he was lying — about the training part — and of course Rain didn't know he was an awakened or in Nephis's cohort. Rain's eyes shot open; she almost said something but managed to keep her mouth closed.
Her father also had eyes like saucers. Her mother was a lot calmer than her father and surprisingly didn't seem too taken aback.
Well, a little white lie didn't hurt anybody.
---
It took hours of 'explanation' and convincing, but eventually they believed me. They were still pissed that I was helping her skip school, but you can't win it all.
In all honesty, he didn't even know why he was doing this. He wasn't planning on truly contacting her for a while, so why? Well, he knew why.
If he didn't, he would have most likely gone insane.
Cassie's face was lingering in his mind as he stepped into the shower. The water cascaded down his body like little bugs crawling over his skin. But the way he was feeling at the moment, it felt as if they were inside his skin as well.
He leaned on the shower wall, sliding down. The water ran down his face, forcing him to close his eyes and hold his breath unless he wanted to breathe in water.
Was this a form of meditation? He hopes it is. Because the reason he's doing this is because his body feels as if it's already drowning even without the water. His movements feel sluggish, his mind is hazy, his breaths feel heavy, like an elephant is stepping on his chest.
Whatever an elephant is.
Well, the sister and brother reunion can be put on hold. He's made pretty good progress; the next on the list should be Professor Julius.
He stood up, washed up, before getting out of the shower and turning on the small lamp that hovered over the desk in the bedroom. Sadly, Professor Julius didn't have any sort of mobile device, so the only way to schedule a meeting was through letter like an old-fashioned peasant.
That reminds him — Professor Julius was most likely alive before the world fell to the Nightmare Spell. Then there are those like him who don't know of a world without the spell. He wonders...
Shaking his head, he began to write the letter.
---
'Dear Professor Julius, I'm sorry for not visiting as soon as I had gotten out of the Dream Realm. You most likely know, but the place I was sent wasn't very forgiving. With that said, I also learned a lot — about the Dream Realm, that is. Of course it was a collective effort, as Lady Changing Star had told me a lot she saw on her journey. Still, I'd take most of the credit, of course, after all I'm an excellent record keeper.
In all honesty it's been hard.
I feel lost; it's as if I'm currently at a crossroad. I have two decisions I can make, and both will end up with pain for a collective. Even after that, there is another choice I have to make that would cause even more.
Despite me only recently legally turning into an adult, is this what it is like? Of course I've always had responsibility, but this time it's different. Maybe it's because my choices don't only affect me anymore.
Despite anything I say, the true reason I'm reaching out to you isn't for some thanks—well, it is, but at the same time it's for something else.
I'd like to talk.
You're the wisest person I know, the most brilliant person I know, and the person who understands this world the most that I know.
If possible, even if it's just for a little while, I'd like to have a talk once more.
Not as a student and teacher but rather—
A talk as adults.'
A smile spread across the man's face as he finished reading the letter. His wrinkled features enhanced the feeling of joy on his face.
He wasted no time sending a letter back, and just days later, on the bench watching over a pond—
They had met.