"Master, master," two frightened voices echoed in Osim's mind.
Osim tried to find words to encourage them, but his mind was in shambles.
"Master's body is in critical condition. It can't sustain us. We are going into hibernation," declared Sophia for the second time.
Upon hearing this message, one last thought crossed Osim's mind, "Is this the end?" and he lost consciousness.
Outside the chamber, a hooded figure stood intently observing. The figure wore a black cloak adorned with numerous golden markings and held a black magic staff with a blood-red crystal at its head. All attention was focused on the chamber. The figure could see clearly inside, as the liquid transformed into a transparent, water-like substance, allowing an unobstructed view.
Within the chamber, there was nothing but the transparent liquid. Yes, it was the same chamber where Osim had lived through those bizarre 10 days. But where was he now? He should have been inside the chamber. However, the chamber was only filled with transparent liquid. So, where was he?
The figure continued to stand, unwavering, despite the lack of anything intriguing. All focus remained fixed inside the chamber.
Tick. Tock. Time slipped away. After a long while, a sinister grin spread across the figure's face, although there was no one present to be frightened. The cause of this grin was visible in the center of the chamber—a molecular distortion within the liquid. The distortion grew larger and larger, expanding beyond the size of a grain. From within the rapidly enlarging distortion, something tiny began to form. As the distortion grew exponentially, that something also grew, continuously changing shape. After a few more minutes, the distortion swelled to the size of a football, and the something within became proportionally large, resembling a round meatball—a literal meatball. Several tentacles sprouted from the meatball, growing thicker and more substantial with each passing moment.
The figure devoured the entire process unfolding within the chamber, akin to a hungry shark.
After a couple of minutes, for the first time, the figure moved. It approached the chamber, bending over as its left eye's monocle nearly touched the glass-like surface. The figure observed intently through the monocle for quite some time.
Satisfied with its curiosity, the figure straightened up and took a few steps back.
"Hehehe! Hahaha!", The sound of maniacal laughter erupted from the figure's mouth.
Inside the chamber, the distortion had ceased moments ago. Now, on the chamber floor, lay a tiny baby peacefully sleeping, its right thumb nestled inside its mouth.
The figure's laughter gradually subsided, it looked to the chamber again and tapped the floor with its staff. Delicate patterns illuminated the chamber floor beneath the child, and the liquid gradually receded into the patterns. The figure did not linger to witness the process as it turned around and walked toward the door.
####
A teenager sat at his table, engrossed in a book. Suddenly, a loud voice came from behind him.
"Why didn't you get the chance? The neighbor's child got admitted to..." The voice gradually faded away.
The scenery shifted. The teenager was now sitting at a dining table, eating and glancing at the television. A voice sounded from the opposite side.
"Look at him, at your age he's earning money playing football, and what about you? Still eating at your dad's hotel." This time, the voice was sarcastic.
The scenery changed once more.
A boy, resembling the teenager, entered through the main door.
"Dad, look, I got the first position!" He was genuinely happy for achieving first place, as he had always settled for third before.
"Okay. You need to be first next time as well. Don't lose to him," his father responded in a flat tone.
The scenery shifted again, but it felt strangely familiar.
"I told you, he became arrogant after getting first place and stopped studying," the voice became angrier. A woman stood beside the boy, holding his report card, which showed he had come in third.
The scenery changed once more.
"Dad, let me do this," the teenage version of the boy said.
"No, you'll only make it worse," the voice persisted, even after struggling to fix the thing in front of him for a while.
The scenery shifted once more.
"Look at you, you've grown so much, yet you can't do anything. At your age, I was serving the country," the voice said sarcastically.
The scenery changed again.
"You're useless. Nothing good will come from you. You're just a waste of money," the voice berated.
The scenery returned to the first scene. This time, the teenager was writing something on a piece of paper. After finishing, he stood up from the table, grabbed his backpack from the bed, and left the room. The words "Thank you for everything" were glaring from the paper.
As he walked along the sidewalk, he noticed a school bus approaching from the opposite side. When the bus drew near, a little girl inside began waving her hand through the window, trying to catch his attention. He stood there, motionless, before finally raising his hand forcefully. While comically waving his hand, he couldn't help but wonder, "Did I do the right thing?"
### #
Osim abruptly opened his eyes, his mind filled with a fleeting thought noticing the bright white light, "Is this heaven? After taking me through hell, are they rewarding me now?"
"Welcome back, sir," a familiar voice broke through his thoughts, grounding him in reality.
"Hope, is that you?" Osim asked, seeking confirmation.
"Yes, sir," Hope replied.
"Are you here in heaven with me?" Osim inquired.
"Sir, we are in a room," Hope clarified, dashing his expectations.
With Hope's reminder, Osim finally focused on his surroundings.
The roof was covered with old wooden sheets, and there was no fan or air conditioning. He didn't feel hot or cold, so it didn't bother him. The walls seemed to be made of stone, devoid of any decoration except for bulb-like structures that emitted a white light, illuminating the room. It appeared that he was in a closed room, as there were no signs of windows or doors on the walls. He couldn't even see the floor, as he was surrounded by wooden walls. Osim attempted to get up to see clearly but found himself unable to do so. He then tried to roll to the side but struggled greatly, barely managing to roll to the left before returning to his previous position. Panting, he gazed upwards.
"It's difficult," Osim thought to himself.
Osim redirected his attention to Hope."Earlier, you mentioned that we are in a room. How do you know, Hope?"
"The main system upgraded me after I deactivated. I now have some advanced decision-making capabilities, including image processing," Hope explained.
"That's good," Osim replied, feeling pleased. "So, how much time will it take for Sophia and Hikma to wake up?"
"You need to supply sufficient energy to activate them," Hope replied.
"Can I do that by eating more food?" Osim inquired.
"Yes, the system can absorb the excess energy to charge up," Hope confirmed.
"Good, then let's find some food," Osim declared, determined to wake them up as early as possible. He made another attempt to roll, and just as he was on the verge of success, he lost his focus and rolled back again, distracted by the sound of something heavy sliding. Shifting his focus towards the sound, he noticed a stone slab moving in the middle of the right-side wall. Curious to see who or what awaited him outside, he peered closely at the opening. He caught sight of a shadow just beyond the opening, but before he could discern the face, something else caught his attention. "Why am I feeling wet?" he wondered, realizing for the first time that his private parts were covered by a white cloth.