And nothing was there. Nothing was in front of him. Only darkness filled his vision.
'Ah, yes.'
Then he realised.
That he was more pathetic than he thought.
Back when he felt had wallowed in self pity, when he felt too weak to do anything, out of desperation to escape from the world,
He had passed out.
So that he can delay the inevitable for as long as possible, so that he can cling onto the false hope that he wouldn't need to kill his father.
Kael released a hollow laugh.
Now all that he could do was sit and wait, in this darkness filled world, to wake up.
There was truly nothing he could do in the world of unconsciousness.
Except - "You are not pathetic. To muster up the courage to face your weakness, you were strong." A voice behind him assured.
Kael quickly turned around, to see who had spoken behind.
There, standing behind him, pure white light that took the shape of a child was petting Kael's head.
"Wh-what do you mean? And who are you?"
"I mean that you should stand proud for your bravery. As for who I am?" The child pointed at himself. "Let's just say that I might be the response from fate who was moved by your grit."
Kael was confused. "What do you mean?"
For some reason, the light emitted by the child felt familiar. Then, as he thought back, he suddenly realised why. This child has the same glow as the crystal when he first found it.
"Are you… that crystal?"
The boy laughed. "I am most definitely not the crystal. Rather, I am the entity that resides within the crystal, which you happen to absorb."
Kael was yet again confused. Nevertheless, he accepted it and moved on.
"Were you the voice in my head just now?"
"Yes, and no. What you were debating was your own internal thoughts. I only guided these thoughts out to your upper consciousness."
"So why do you help me?" Kael asked.
The child sighed. "The truth is, the moment you absorbed me, some part of me became a part of you. Thus, helping you is also helping myself."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I am the arcane energy flowing within your body.
"Huh?"
The boy sighed. "Looks like you really don't know much. Listen up. Arcana is what you people call magic. Magic exists in the world. And through absorbing me, you gained magical capability."
Kael's head spun. Magic? In this world? Him?
"Yes Kael. You have magic."
There was a long pause, where the child allowed Kael to sort out his thoughts.
Biting his lip bitterly, Kael responded: "That's great and all, but how is it going to save me right now?"
To this question, the child smiled.
"Kael, havn't you noticed?" the child tapped Kael's head. "You have already been saved."
"The government has already rescued you from the truck. You are in safe hands."
"How do you know for sure?"
"Kael, I am a part of you. I know everything that you know. I can see everything that you see. I know what is happening to your body right as we speak."
"So… we're safe?"
Somehow the thought brought the tears back into his eyes.
"Yes Kael, you're safe."
Kael looked down at his hands.
"Does this mean that what my father went through, and my cries for help, weren't useless?"
The child affirmed to him; "Yes Kael, it all paid off in the end. Like I said from the start, you should stand proud, for you have become strong."
The tears once again dripped down Kael's face.
"Does that mean that what my father tried to teach me that time wasn't for nothing? Have our struggles finally been answered?"
"Yes Kael." The child answered. "You can feel at peace now-"
Suddenly, Kael bent down and hugged the child.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you …"
The child seemed taken aback at the sudden turn of events. "Kael, it wasn't me that saved you from your immediate fate."
But Kael didn't listen, and his hug only grew tighter, as he continued crying and thanking the child.
The child, seeing the unresponsiveness, sighed and hugged back, speaking words of affirmation into Kael's ears.
"You can rest well, your nightmare is over."
On that day, the two individuals that were part of Kael began to understand each other a little bit better.
—--------------------
Kael opened his eyes.
"!!!"
He sat up.
He remembered slowly losing consciousness as he bawled his eyes out in the child's arms.
Now, looking around the room, he confirmed that he has indeed returned back to reality.
The alien sensation that covered the lower half of his body, the unfamiliar scent and the sheer cleanliness and tidiness of the room, the common colour of light blue and white that was present on the walls and the curtains, sights all new Kael, and definitely the farthest thing from the dark, dingy alleyways of Garbage City.
In front of him was a door. No other beds were in the room. In fact, the room seemed like it had been made to house only 1 patient at a time.
He looked down, where a light blue blanket covered his body, Beneath the blanket was an unfamiliar feeling bedsheet.
Comfort. The unfamiliar feeling was comfort.
The bed he slept in at the Garbage city was spongy and uncomfortable, but this bed was soft and cozy.
He looked to the left and right. On both sides, strange metal structures stood tall, hanging down bags connected to small strings that were taped onto parts of Kael's body.
On the right, there was a small grey tray table, and on the table, there was… there was…
With a yelp, Kael pushed down the tray table and jumped away, falling out of bed. The tools on the metal tray spilled over into the floor.
He lay on the floor for a few minutes, staring mindlessly at the ceiling. Then, he slowly got up and turned around.
In front of him, at the back of his bed, was a shuttered window.
Kael's heart palpitated faster and faster as he took a few steps closer.
Then, reaching out a trembling hand, he touched the shutters.
He put out his other hand, and each hand grabbed a shutter.
Kael took a deep breath.
And pulled the shutters open.
And as Kael stared at the scenery beyond, he widened his eyes.
The city unfolded beneath him like a living painting.
There were high rise buildings. There were vehicles that flew in the air. In the distance, he could make out a Gigantic tower. Down in the streets, people in all sorts of attire went about their day.
It was the famous scene that the government facilities always had pictures of.
He was free from Garbage city.
Now he was in the Inner city.