The Listener in the jar scared Heda out of her wits. I could see it in her eyes, and the way her shoulders trembled. Friede had long turned her head away from the jar. Twice already, she had run toward an empty corner of the lab and retched. Sylens stood a fair distance away from us, frowning.
As for me, my mind had simply stopped working. I stared at Heda blankly. The word Listener had haunted me for years. Upon hearing Heda utter the words, memories flooded my mind. The anguish and horror I experienced were the things that stood out the most.
And so, I stared at Heda, living through those emotions without really going through my memories. I felt sharp needles piercing my heart. With every breath I took, I felt the pain intensify. Faces of the people I cared for long ago zoomed past my eye.
I recognized their dead eyes, staring at me. I could hear their silent cry: "Why?" They would all scream as their faces materialized before me. "Why?"
