Kai woke up from a deep sleep, feeling refreshed. Despite waking up, he had no desire to leave his bed. He simply lay there, gazing at the ceiling, recollecting the memories from the previous night.
"What was that? I can't even remember them correctly. Fire, pain, blood... What were all those things? Was it just a dream after all?" he wondered to himself.
He slowly stood up but lost his balance, falling to his knees and struggling to catch his breath. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead. After a few minutes, he regained his composure and stood up. However, a sense of fear began to take hold in his mind.
"What was that? Was it really just a nightmare?" he questioned, as he cautiously walked towards the door and opened it slowly. Everything appeared to be normal. Suddenly, his shoulder started to ache, causing him to exclaim, "Ouch... That hurts!"
Caught off guard by the pain, he became anxious, wondering where his mother was and what time it was. As the pain spread from his shoulders to his head, legs, and chest, Kai fainted and collapsed on the floor.
When he woke up again, he felt incredibly tired. He found himself in his bed, hearing voices outside. He attempted to call out to his mother, but no words escaped his mouth. He tried to move, but failed. With all his might, he attempted to make noise, his face turning red as veins bulged, yet he remained silent.
Some time passed, and his mother entered the room, noticing that her son was awake. To Kai's surprise, his mother rushed in and slapped him, causing him to lose consciousness once again.
When he woke up again, he felt a heaviness and noticed wetness on his belly. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was his mother's head resting on his belly, and it seemed she had been crying, dampening his clothes. She sat on a nearby stool.
Overwhelmed, he shut his eyes and tried to recall what happened during his previous awakening. He vaguely remembered his mother coming over and patting his cheeks, which caused a faint pain.
"What was that?" Kai wondered to himself. Suddenly, his mother called out to him, facing his legs as she spoke.
"I know it hurts, your cheeks. I know you have many questions for me. You're not fully recovered yet. You need to sleep a few more days. I'll tell you everything when you wake up. So, close your eyes for me. Mom has something to do."
Kai now understood that something significant was happening. After hearing his mother's words, he became even more anxious about what was transpiring outside. However, he trusted his mother more than anything, so he closed his eyes.
Suddenly, he felt a weight lifted from his belly, and he felt lighter. He took a deep breath, intending to open his eyes, but before he could, his head grew numb, and he fell back asleep.
When he woke up next, it was nighttime. He slowly opened his eyes, gazing at the ceiling, waiting for something to happen. Fortunately or unfortunately, nothing occurred. He attempted to move his hand, starting with his fingers, and it worked perfectly. Lifting his hand to his face, he inspected it. Suddenly, he noticed a small insect moving in the room. Despite its tiny size and distance from him, he was acutely aware of its every movement, as if time had slowed down. Then, abruptly, it stopped.
"What's going on? Am I ill? Am I hallucinating?" Kai thought, perplexed. He gradually sat up in bed, and his head began to throb. He covered his ears with his hands, and his vision started to blur, and within seconds, his vision completely vanished. Even though his eyes were wide open, he saw nothing. He felt his hand move on its own, reaching out to both ends, and then...
*Clap!*
He hit himself
He felt a sharp pain in his cheeks, leaving a red handprint. Slowly, his vision returned, and he muttered to himself, "Damn! That was close."
With determination, Kai stood up and began to move. He took his first step, pausing for a moment, but nothing happened. Gradually, he ventured out of his room and into the main hall. At first glance, the hall appeared empty, but upon further inspection, he realized everything was packed. Suddenly, his mother entered the hall.
Upon seeing her, Kai instinctively covered his face with both hands in an X shape and screamed, "Mom, please don't hurt me!"
Kayal wasn't surprised by her son's awakening , she had anticipated it. However, her words froze her for a moment. She composed herself and said, "Don't worry, my boy, hitting is over. But you are not allowed to leave or peek outside for the next few days. You must agree to this, not as a request, but as a command from your mother. Will you accept?"
Kai pondered for a minute, his mind racing to understand what had happened. He desperately wanted to know what was going on, yet he didn't want to defy his mother. In the end, he made a decision.
"Fine," he replied reluctantly. "But you have to tell me what is happening outside and why I am under house arrest. Is that okay?"
"Well, I will eventually tell you everything, but now is not the right time. I have some unfinished work. However, I can tell you this much.. because of you, almost 40% of everything in this village have died or gone," Layla revealed. She left the house after uttering those shocking words, leaving Kai stunned in the hallway, unable to move!