Chereads / LITRPG: Etherea System / Chapter 4 - FLASHBACK II

Chapter 4 - FLASHBACK II

In a brief moment of realization, Myles tried to rush over to where his friend was to intervene. Just then he couldn't move anymore, His feet felt like lead he had been fixed once again with chains binding him this time to the ground. His feet had locked on the soil beneath. He was only able to watch the memory play out once again. Myles let out screams in anger, Struggling to break the chains as he watched Lyla being badly beaten by the thugs.

"Noo!! Stop!!! He Screamed out loud as he struggled with the chains. Lyla had gotten involved in drug dealings with the boss of the thugs, An underdog who ran a drug empire so she could make ends meet and gather enough funds to pay for her tuition and college expenses. Everything however went sideways when she had made enough money from the dirty business and wanted out.

The boss wouldn't agree and when she tried ignoring and running away, He sent thugs after her.

As Myles screamed and rattled the chains in pain, He realized that the event had already happened. He fell to his knees with his head facing down and sobbed.

Down the road was a figure who seemed to be running down to the location with the speed of the wind. It was Myles' nineteen year old counterpart, He had been coming over along the road when he sighted Lyla being beaten.

Now facing down and kneeling, Myles vocalized "I remember this day..."

Just then the men sighted Myles' nineteen year old counterpart as he approached and attempted to attack him in order to conceal their actions.

Younger Myles who had already gotten his powers a couple of years back now was approaching, still a few feet away.

On arrival, he took a mighty leap above the ground, flipping mid-air and charging down. As he landed, he smashed the hard sole of his sneakers angrily against the face of one of the thugs who was already heading towards him immediately taking him off his feet, shattering the plastic mask he wore on his face.

He proceeded to grabbing ahold of the man's head with his hand and then smashing against it the wall behind, Shattering his skull and splashing blood and brain chunks all over the pavement.

Horrified by what he had just witnessed, The other thug attempted to run away but Myles sighted him and quickly dashed over to where he stood. Tightly grabbing ahold of his neck, He ripped out his trachea(windpipe) leaving blood squirting all over his face and the body to fall to the ground.

Younger Myles' then quickly rushed over to where Lyla laid and took her up placing his hand firmly behind her head to support her neck while cleaning the blood off her face lightly with his other hand.

"Lyla" Younger Myles called out as he held her tightly in his arms rocking her back and forth slowly as life slowly slipped from her body.

"Stay with me Lyla, Don't worry, You're gonna be alright" He said to her. She lay weakly in his arms as she bled from her wounds. Just then, She drew her last breath and gave up.

When Younger Myles realized she had passed away, He let out a loud shout facing the sky as he cried for his lost friend. This caused the birds in the trees nearby to fly off.

"This was the day she died" Present day Myles said as he raised his head.

"We were supposed to get out of town."

"I was too late", Myles said as he stood up slowly now getting a hold of himself.

Once again, An overwhelming force engulfed Myles and carried him out of the view of the memory pulling him away and dropping him into a dark space.

Now there was a door, Leading into a dim room. Myles proceeded into the room. Standing by the door, He found a sick emaciated woman laying on the bed nearby in a hospital robe with her head shaved and her skin looking pale like snow.

This time, As he approached, there were no restrictions placed.

He walked up to the side of the bed and sat on the chair near the bed frame. The woman was his mother, This was the day she died of cancer which she had battled with for a very long time.

"Mum", He called out.

She opened her eyes looking straight at Myles and stretched a smile across her face.

"My boy" She said as she raised her emaciated left hand to touch his face. This caused tears to roll down His eyes.

"Soon we'll be together like old times" Caitlin added.

Myles took up her left hand and held it tightly up to against his face looking straight down at his mother.

"I won't leave you again mum" Myles said as he bowed his head and held up her hand tightly.

Just then, his grip loosen and he raised his head to discover the image of his mother disappearing like a fog clearing from the air.

Turning around swiftly, He found himself back floating in the dark void.

There were now two large spherical sources of light like the sun parallel to each other with Myles now left floating in the empty space between.

Looking up at the light ahead, He heard the voices of Lyla and Caitlin whisper his name softly, calling out to him. He was filled with confusion initially but then had visible happiness when he saw his mother and Lyla calling out to him in the sphere ahead. He leaned forward and began floating toward the sphere ahead that called out to him.

As he proceeded to the source of the light ahead he reached out and tried to touch the light. Just as he had let out his arm, He felt a distorting force like a gravitational pull get ahold of him.

The force began pulling him away gradually from the sphere. Myles was now being dragged towards the other light behind him at a high speed. With his hand still let out, Myles got further and further from the sphere in front of him till he could no longer hear the voices of Caitlin and Lyla.

Turning around, Myles realized he was being pulled by a large mist back into the light at the other side. "It's not your time yet" A voice from the mist whispered into his ear. Just as he was about colliding with the sphere behind, He heard a loud echoing voice" Wake up!!"

Just then Myles opened his eyes in the real world and found himself being moved on a strap board into a carrier chopper.

He had regained consciousness after being out for a couple of hours.

"He's awake!" One of the sentinels conveying him yelled.

The agency's sentinels had managed to track him down thanks to their advanced GeoSat location technology which pin pointed the location where the last satellite signal was transmitted through the 'XsR8'.

"Agent Nitro! You're fine now, Everything's going to be alright Myles, Hang in there"

Another sentinel said as they boarded him on the carrier and took off.