Three days had passed since Oliver returned to this world from the miniature realm. The city was still in the process of recovering from the monster attack that had devastated it.
Workers were tirelessly clearing up the destruction, but the emotional scars were deeper than the physical ones. The final statistics had been released, and they were shocking—11,450 people had died, and 7,672 were injured.
The city was in a state of collective mourning, struggling to come to terms with the enormity of the loss.
During these days, Oliver hadn't been involved in anything major. He had quietly taken care of some personal matters, like burying the bodies of the father and daughter in the city cemetery.
As for Justin's parents, Oliver didn't feel it was his place to make a decision on what to do with their remains. Instead, he had their bodies sent to the hospital morgue, where they would be frozen until Justin woke up and could decide for himself.
Most of the time, Oliver stayed at home, sitting in silence, lost in thought. He occasionally visited Justin in the hospital, but beyond that, he kept to himself, contemplating everything that had transpired.
---
Sitting alone in his room, with no one to disturb him, Oliver finally had the peace of mind to think clearly about what had happened. He kept asking himself over and over,
'What did I do wrong? Where did everything go wrong?'
After gaining the world treasure, Oliver had experienced a significant increase in power. But with that power came arrogance. He began to see himself as the greatest, looking down on the miniature humans as if they were mere insects.
He no longer regarded them as living beings with their own lives and stories. Instead, he saw them as lambs, expendable in his quest for power.
In the name of testing his strength, he had committed genocide, wiping out millions of lives and destroying dozens of cities.
When he finally returned to his world, confident in his abilities, reality delivered a harsh slap in the face. If he hadn't spent so much time in the miniature world, if he had simply destroyed the Kano capital and returned immediately, he could have prevented many casualties. He wouldn't have to carry this heavy guilt.
But he knew that drowning himself in self-pity wouldn't help. The damage was done, and there was no undoing it.
During these three days, Oliver made a resolution. From now on, he would always consider the consequences of his actions before making any decisions. When necessary, he would kill, and he would do so without hesitation or mercy.
But he would no longer involve innocent people. He had already caused enough harm.
As for the miniature world, Oliver decided to support Luis and the Azov Kingdom. He would keep a low profile, working behind the scenes and only intervening when absolutely necessary, like when those miniature humans encountered dangers they couldn't overcome on their own.
And as for the world treasure, Oliver allowed himself a small, grim smile. 'Of course, I'll take it all,' he thought.
---
Time passed slowly as Oliver sat in his room, browsing his phone and watching videos. He skimmed through various news channels, his mind only half-engaged with the content. Then, a notification popped up on his screen:
[Patient No. 60, Justin, has woken up.]
The moment he saw it, Oliver sprang into action. He jumped out of bed, dashed into the street, and flagged down a taxi. His heart pounded in his chest as the taxi sped toward the hospital. When he finally arrived, he rushed through the hospital corridors until he reached Justin's ward.
He stood at the door for a moment, catching his breath. Relief washed over him, knowing that Justin had finally woken up. But as he entered the room, his relief was tempered by the sight that greeted him.
Justin was lying on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. His face was devoid of emotion, and Oliver felt a deep ache in his chest.
'He's really been through so much,' Oliver thought, standing silently by Justin's side.
He wanted to say something, anything, but the words wouldn't come.
For a while, the room was filled with heavy silence. Finally, Justin broke it.
"Oliver, the doctor said that I can't walk again," Justin's voice was flat, but the hatred in his eyes was unmistakable.
"How can I avenge my mom and dad now? I'm hopeless." His anger slowly melted away, replaced by tears. His face crumpled as he began to cry, overwhelmed by grief.
Oliver stood there, feeling helpless. He could see how close Justin was to falling into despair, how easy it would be for him to go down a dark path.
"D-Don't worry, Justin," Oliver stammered, trying to find the right words to comfort him.
"In the Awakening, one month from now, you might awaken a strong combat talent. It could make you even stronger."
"But... but what if I can't awaken a combat talent?" Justin's voice was filled with despair, his tears still flowing.
"Don't think like that," Oliver urged, struggling to keep his voice steady.
"Don't be discouraged. According to the history of the Human Federation, a person has a chance to awaken talent four times. If your first talent isn't strong, you can try again. Don't lose hope."
As he spoke, Oliver felt incredibly awkward. He wasn't used to giving motivational speeches, and trying to sound passionate was almost painful for him. But he knew he had to try, for Justin's sake.
Just as he was about to continue, the door to the ward burst open, and a girl rushed in, her face filled with worry. She ran straight to Justin, completely ignoring Oliver, and threw her arms around him.
"Justin, I've been so worried!" she exclaimed, her voice breathless with emotion. "Thank God you're okay. If something bad had happened to you, I don't know what I would've done."
Oliver was taken aback. The girl was Lily, a classmate of his and Justin's. She and Justin had been close friends since childhood, almost like boyfriend and girlfriend, but not quite.
Seeing the way they interacted, Oliver smiled to himself. He gave Justin a silent thumbs up and quietly left the room, deciding to leave the comforting to Lily. She would be better at it than he ever could be.
---
Now that Justin had woken up and Lily was there to support him, Oliver allowed his mind to drift back to the miniature world. He began to think of a plan.
'How can I support the Azov Kingdom and help them build a strong realm?' he wondered, his thoughts swirling. 'Destruction is easy, but protection is hard.'
As he considered this, a brilliant idea began to form in his mind.
(end of chapter)
(
guys am i getting carried way, like writing a lot about side characters? i just dont want to create a one dimensional character, and want to have each character have their own story and goal.
If i get carried away writing a little too much and it feels awkward just comment me.
)