Joan Eve felt a tightness in his chest before finally opening his eyes, gasping for breath.
"Joan!" Madelyn and Dunn rushed to his side, a mix of surprise and panic in their eyes.
For the past few days, the duo had been sitting in silence inside the old city hall, witnessing their two colleagues, Joan Eve and Asa Amerta, sitting calmly with their eyes closed through meals, drinks, and even arguments.
"Wa… ter," Joan requested in a hoarse voice, and both teammates quickly handed him water.
"What happened in there?" Dunn asked urgently, earning an annoyed push from Madelyn.
"How are you feeling, Joan? Is everything okay?" she asked with genuine concern, causing Dunn to roll his eyes in frustration.
It's Joan Eve, the most powerful man in the white pillar—what could happen to him that he won't be okay? What a useless question.
Joan Eve didn't immediately answer. Instead, he massaged his head with his thumb and index finger, attempting to alleviate the heavy headache he felt.
His gaze shifted to Asa Amerta, still in her meditative pose, yet to wake from her dream.
What transpired in the dream was something Joan never wished anyone would experience, not even his worst enemy.
To love someone so earnestly only to end up having to let them go in the worst way possible—how cruel is that?
Losing someone we love always feels painful. It's like someone thrusting the dullest sword into our chest and slowly prying our flesh to take our heart.
Joan didn't expect to feel this again in his life.
Panic and sadness crawled through his entire body as he stared at Asa Amerta across from him.
Amidst his emotional turmoil, he also wondered how Mia's life unfolded after Heya left her.
Joan Eve took a deep breath, attempting to compose himself as the vivid memories of the dream lingered in his mind. Madelyn and Dunn exchanged worried glances, sensing the weight of the experience Joan had just endured.
"I saw... a flood," Joan finally spoke, his voice strained. "The underground city, submerged. Mia, Heya, everyone... struggling against the rising water."
Madelyn's eyes widened with concern, and Dunn's dismissive expression shifted to one of genuine worry and confusion towards the mention of unknown names, Mia and Heya.
"And big sis? Asa?" Madelyn asked, her voice softer, recognizing that Joan is still in a shaken state, not yet stable, so it is better to just ask the important question first and questioned about the new names which is Mia and Heya later when he is in a more stable state.
Joan's gaze returned to Asa, who remained lost in her own dreamscape. "She's still there, in the dream. I saw her, but it's like we were trapped in a different reality, unable to wake, unable to control our own actions and words. We were just there, as a witness trapped in a body of the ancestors of this land."
Dunn squinted his eyes, "So, you're trapped inside the body of someone named Heya, and Asa is trapped inside the body of a person named Mia?"
Joan nodded in agreement. He was slightly impressed with how quickly Dunn processed the information accurately.
Joan hesitated, contemplating how to convey the inexplicable connection between their dreams and the impending crisis in the underground city. "The dream felt too real. Mia was terrified, and Heya... he was doing everything he could to protect her."
Madelyn's concern deepened, and she exchanged a worried glance with Dunn and then back to Asa who is still having her eyes closed.
"Then," she turned to Joan again, "Do you think big sis is safe now there as Mia?" Madelyn asked.
"Yeah," Joan answered with certainty, "I am sure she is fine."
Madelyn sighed in relief, the tension in the room dissipating slightly. The enigmatic connection between their dreams and the unfolding events in the underground city remained a puzzle for now, but Joan's assurance about Asa's safety brought a momentary sense of reassurance.
"So, what do we do now?" Dunn asked.
"Let's wait for Asa to wake up from his dream first," Joan replied weakly.
Madelyn had known Joan for quite some time, and this was the first time she had seen Joan so fatigued. She looked at him with concern and asked, "Do you want to sleep for a bit? Take a rest first, and when big sis wakes up, we'll wake you too."
Joan hesitated a bit initially. He wasn't the type of person to rest when tired, nor was he the type to get tired.
Since joining the White Pillar, Joan had always been busy, whether it was training or work. He kept Himself occupied so that he wouldn't feel anything physically or mentally.
After a few months, Joan didn't even need to try anymore not to feel anything. Automatically, he forgot how to feel. To strengthen his immunity to those feelings, Joan always kept himself busy, and this led him to become the most accomplished person in the White Pillar and eventually the trusted person of Theodore Dillon.
But this time, he truly felt exhausted. A few minutes of rest would surely help him regain his energy, so in the end, Joan surrendered to the fatigue and nodded, "I'll take a short nap. If anything happens, please wake me up."
Madelyn nodded understandingly, recognizing the rare vulnerability in Joan's fatigue. She gestured to a nearby corner of the city hall where a makeshift resting area had been set up with some blankets and cushions.
"Rest well, Joan. We'll keep an eye on Asa, and if anything happens, we'll wake you up," she assured him.
With a faint smile, Joan made his way to the designated resting area and settled down.
He gazed up at the old city hall. It looked exactly like it did in the dream, now feeling like his own past life—only a little older.
This was a place that used to shelter the people of The Blood Drops clan from any catastrophe. A place where everyone learned and even held festivals on important dates.
There used to be a little boy who asked about saving his pets, attending the seminar Mia held in this very room too.
Nostalgic feelings surged in his heart like a bitter candy that left a strong aftertaste.
There were so many lives and hopes drowned in this very underground town.
There was her, and there was him too.
Everything felt so real that his heart couldn't help but ache.
"I am sorry," he whispered, "I love you," he said as he slipped into sleep, unsure if it was Heya's words or his own.