Zachary was quite happy. Hell, he hadn't been this happy since he got accepted at the academy four years ago.
He was currently 15 years old, and he had his age quite present because today was his birthday.
He didn't pay much attention to his birthday—he wasn't used to celebrating it, after all. His mom, at most, in an attempt to act as a housewife, used to cook him something that looked like pancakes but tasted like dull batter...
Still, they were some of the best things he had tasted.
But to Zachary's surprise, it wasn't his mom's pancakes that reminded him of his birthday. It was his father's invitation to the cinema in the afternoon. The relationship with his father had deteriorated over the years.
In the end, he wasn't able to discover what had caused his father's alienation toward him, but with a pained heart, he had come to terms with it. But to his shock, that distant father asked him if he wanted to see a movie with him and his mother. In surprise, he could only nod.
"Great, I'll just go quickly to talk with Professor Austin about the new research your mother and I are working on."
His father turned around and walked to the door when he stopped.
"And... happy birthday, son."
He said with a slightly trembling voice as he walked through the door.
Zachary was dumbfounded. He had grown accustomed to his father's distance, but now, this same distant father was closing that gap on his own.
He didn't know how to react. He felt sadness and anger for all the years he had been trying to get close to his father. He wanted to reject the invitation, maybe even leave his father standing at the cinema.
But he quickly reconsidered. His mother would also go with them. Despite everything, he had always been close to her.
He replayed the brief conversation with his father in his mind when he noticed something: his father's trembling voice.
He was mad and hurt by this attempt, but deep down, he was also conflicted by his father's voice. Despite the anger and pain in his heart, deep inside, he still longed for familial love.
So, he made the decision to follow his desire. It might be a little late, but he could still try to build a relationship with his father.
'Myself' watched as Zachary's opaque soul shone with newfound hope. He could feel how his muffled self was reigniting with weak vigor.
"Sigh..."
'Myself' could only shake his head at this sight. He didn't know what had caused the change in Aaron, but he could feel it was sincere.
'Myself' was unable to determine how, but Aaron had become aware of the deterioration his son's mind was going through. Maybe he knew he was the cause of this; probably not.
The point was that Aaron knew he needed to stop his self-pity act. Maybe he couldn't become the awakened figure his son saw him as, but he could still become the father Zachary desperately needed.
A realization that, sadly, came too late. But Aaron was determined to correct the damage his ignorance had caused.
'Myself' accompanied Zachary as he chose what to wear. It was his birthday, after all; he needed to look good.
"What a twisted sense of humor this whole world has," 'Myself' murmured.
"Zachary's ego is so fragile at this point in time, and yet, if things continue to develop as I'm seeing right now, with enough time, Zachary would have been able to build a normal self..."
'Myself' continued as he sat on a chair in Zachary's bedroom.
"But I already know the end of this story... Zachary's sense of self was never able to reignite, despite Aaron's late notice of his son's state, despite his attempt to form a steady relationship between them. It all failed in the end, but how did it happen?"
'Myself' walked with Zachary and his mother. They had agreed beforehand with Aaron to meet in a coffee shop before the movie, to grab a quick lunch.
"To be honest, I was quite surprised by father's invitation this morning."
Zachary suddenly said to his mother as they continued to walk.
It was kind of strange for both of them to have this kind of time between them. Usually, his mother, Sophia, tried to maintain a semblance of normalcy, dropping all pretenses of her awakening during the day, acting as a normal housewife.
Despite being a part of her spouse's research, she rarely worked on them in the Waking World, fully committing herself to her role as a homemaker.
At least, that was what she tried. Despite all her efforts, she was still kind of awkward around the household chores, and it was Zachary's job to make sure his mother didn't create more disasters than she was cleaning. That's how both of them shared their time, so walking peacefully to the cinema was a breath of fresh air for them.
"Oh, Zacky..."
Sophia slowed as she turned to her son with a tender look.
"You shouldn't misunderstand your father's actions."
She began, studying Zachary's expression.
"I want to make it clear that I'm not underestimating your feelings. I have always clashed with Aaron about the way he acts in front of you. He loves you dearly. It's just... he is not able to bring himself to show it."
Zachary stopped in his tracks. He remembered the looks his father gave him every time he asked him something. 'Were those the looks someone who loves you dearly would give you?' He asked himself.
Sophia quickly added, "You should see the way he acts while he is in the Dream Realm. He always..."
But she stopped, letting out a sad sigh.
"Look, son, despite wanting to, it's not my place to talk about this. You should hear what your father has to say from him. He planned this day just for this. I know it's not my place to ask such a thing, but..."
She looked at him with a tired but determined smile.
"I hope you can at least give him the opportunity to explain himself. I know that he failed you when you needed him the most. It's just... he is trying to correct his mistakes. It's a little late to try, but at least he is trying. I'm not asking you to forgive him—that's beyond me. Just... listen to him, please."
Sophia ended while giving Zachary a hug.
Zachary didn't know how to answer. He thought he had already come to terms with his father's actions.
But seeing how his heart was in turmoil yet again, it seemed he hadn't forsaken the feelings he had against his father. Still, he could feel he was hoping to close the gap between himself and his father.
"Sure, mom."
He said with a weak smile, but this time, it reached his eyes.
They continued walking in calm silence and finally reached the coffee shop. Outside stood Aaron awkwardly, checking his communicator from time to time to track the hour.
'Myself' followed them, watching as Aaron and Zachary greeted each other awkwardly, and as Sophia gave a slight smile at the sight. That's why 'Myself' noticed it first.
A Nightmare Gate.
'Myself' could only watch silently.
"How cruel, just as Zachary was on the doorstep of self-realization, this happens."
'Myself' remembered a quote he read long ago:
"'Thus age, fruit, and catastrophe fall, without warning, in the midst of everything.' Truly, the Nightmare Spell has a cursed sense of humor, even evil."
It took them by surprise, but 'Myself' could feel every emotion of those involved.
Zachary was confused. The Gate's existence hadn't fully registered in his mind, but he knew something was wrong.
His parents were different. Before the Gate fully formed, they felt The Call.
Aaron was dumbstruck. He had resolved to correct things with Zachary, but as if fate were mocking him, a Gate opened. Sophia was as shocked as her husband. The difference was that she was more worried about Zachary.
'Myself' could only watch from the sidelines as everything unfolded with surprising speed.
He felt the steeled determination that both Aaron and Sophia felt at the moment, and the fear that gripped Zachary's stomach as he watched his parents run toward the Gate while Aaron screamed at him.
"Run!"
The disgust Zachary felt towards himself as he ran without looking back.
Everything happened so quickly that even 'Myself,' watching from outside, was surprised. Zachary found himself back at his house, unsure how he had returned. The thing was, he was back. He stood in the empty hall of his house and silently made his way to the couch, where he sat slowly. He stayed there for a long time.
'Myself' noticed something quickly, and he couldn't help but give a resigned sigh.
"It seems Zachary's sense of self finally gave up trying to form itself. The shock of the situation, the hope for a truthful conversation with his father that never came... The loss of such longing... It's different to not have something than to realize you'll never be able to have it... The loss of his mother."
With such things in mind, he wasn't surprised to watch as the rest of Zachary's memories developed quickly, as if Zachary were living on autopilot.
"It seems Zachary gave up on living entirely; he was merely reacting to life."
'Myself' thought with sadness.
Things escalated quickly. The same day of the incident, the news of his parents' demise arrived. There were no bodies to identify. The officials were only able to claim their deaths by the signals their communicators gave, showing their presence at the scene.
That same night, Zachary completed the death procedures for his parents. He arranged for a small plaque with their names to be placed in a less-than-pleasant part of the funeral home.
He received the small savings his parents had set aside. With all the chaos and deaths surrounding the Nightmare Gate, the government wasn't able to help every single person. Zachary only received minimal support and a pat on the back.
The tuition for the academy had only been paid for a year. So, after it expired, he dropped out. Since his citizen rank had been granted through his parents' status as awakened, and since he was underage, his citizenship dropped to the first rank, only slightly above the people from the outskirts.
Zachary had to move out of his home since his parents' savings weren't enough to cover the costs. He rented a small studio apartment near the outer wall that separated NQSC from the outskirts. He began working full time at a small convenience store, barely making enough to sustain himself.
He continued living as a shell of himself for two years, when he began suffering from the first symptoms of the Spell.
'Myself' stood silently, watching as Zachary entered the police station, ready to face the First Nightmare.
He closed his eyes, and when he opened them, he found himself back in the Mental World. The fog that formed Zachary's Soul was even weaker than it had been at the beginning, if that was even possible.
"Welcome back," Zachary said with a tired voice.