Chereads / Dreamshaper / Chapter 6 - Chapter 6: Awekening

Chapter 6 - Chapter 6: Awekening

Kaius drifted into consciousness slowly, feeling every muscle in his body pulsing like a steady drum. His legs, especially, throbbed in a way he'd never felt before. He groaned, lifting his head slightly. The room was blurry, and his field of view swirled in and out of focus. Purple strings… he blinked again, thinking he must still be dreaming. Thin, glowing threads seemed to trail behind his father, who was dozing off in the chair nearby, and the girl on the couch.

"What the hell is this?" Kaius thought, but the nausea rising in his stomach made it hard to think straight. Probably just some medical side effects…

With shaky legs, Kaius slowly pushed himself off the small couch. Every step felt like his bones were made of lead. He gripped the edge of the table, then the wall, and leaned heavily against a standing neon lamp. His vision still played tricks on him, but he forced himself to move.

As he inched closer to his father, Gareth stirred, opening one eye. His expression changed from confusion to relief in an instant.

"Kaius!" Gareth rushed to his son's side, gripping his shoulders. "Thank God you're awake. What happened to you? Who is this girl on the couch? Why did you bring her home?"

Kaius felt his head spinning. The bombardment of questions was too much for his foggy brain to handle. He rubbed his temples, trying to make sense of the situation. His voice was barely audible when he spoke. "The girl… she needed help…"

Gareth looked confused but didn't interrupt.

"I left the house… wanted to get some food for you…" Kaius paused, struggling to piece together the events. His memory was hazy, like a half-formed dream. "But I saw her. She was in a horrible state."

Kaius recounted the whole story to his father. He explained how he had lured the drifters and thugs away from her, how he ran into an alley, and how he somehow ended up in the Sky District. The words spilled out, but as he spoke, it felt almost like he was telling someone else's story.

Gareth's eyes widened in disbelief. "You were in the Sky District? How on earth did you get there?"

Kaius rubbed the back of his neck. "I… I really don't know. I don't remember clearly. I just… ran."

"Ran?" Gareth's voice rose with disbelief. "There's no way you could have run to the Sky District! That's… impossible."

"I know, Dad. But that's not the biggest problem right now." Kaius glanced toward the couch, where the girl lay sleeping. "She... She's the bigger problem."

Gareth's expression softened as he looked over at the mysterious girl. He sighed. "Yeah, you're right. Why was she missing her cyber parts? What was she doing out there in Edge City?"

The two of them stood in silence, pondering the girl's situation. But before they could dive deeper into the conversation, a sleepy voice interrupted them.

"Mmm… man, shut up already," the girl mumbled, her eyes still half-closed. "I want to sleep for a couple more minutes…"

Kaius and Gareth froze, then exchanged wide-eyed looks before bursting into laughter.

They couldn't believe what they were hearing.

"Well, at least she's alive," Gareth said with a chuckle, shaking his head. "We were over here thinking it was the end of the world."

Kaius snorted. "Yeah, a real sleeping princess in our shabby little kingdom."

They moved closer to the couch, gently trying to wake the girl. She stirred but kept her eyes closed, trying to pretend she was still asleep.

In her mind, the girl was panicking. "Where am I? she thought. I don't remember anything from last night… who are these guys?" "Did they kidnap me?!" A rush of paranoid thoughts filled her head. "Ugh, I bet they're some creepy perverts who dragged me here!"

Gareth noticed her stirring and decided to play some jokes on her. "So, Kaius," he said, loud enough for her to hear, "what do you think we should do with her? Maybe sell her cyber parts on the black market?"

Kaius caught on and played along, shrugging dramatically. "Yeah, Dad. Those parts are probably worth a lot. Might make us enough to buy some real food."

The girl's eyes shot wide open, pure fear spreading across her face.

"KYYyyYAaaa! Help me! Help! They're going to sell me!" she screamed, trying to scramble away but too weak to move.

Gareth quickly put his hand over her mouth. "Shh! Shh! Shh! It was a joke! It was a joke! Calm down!"

The girl stopped struggling, wide-eyed and breathless. After a moment, Gareth slowly removed his hand, and she stared at the two of them, still on edge.

"Why would you joke about something like that?" she snapped, her voice trembling with a mix of fear and anger.

Gareth raised an eyebrow. "Well, it woke you up, didn't it?"

Kaius couldn't help but laugh. "Sorry. My dad's a little twisted sometimes."

The girl huffed, still glaring at them both, but there was a hint of relief in her eyes.

"Okay, okay, let's cut the jokes," Gareth said, his tone softening. "We're not here to hurt you. We're the ones who found you. You were in pretty bad shape last night."

The girl hesitated, trying to piece together what happened. "Last night…" she murmured. "I don't remember much."

Gareth and Kaius exchanged glances. Gareth spoke up first. "Can you tell us anything about who you are? Why were you attacked? Why were your cyber parts missing?"

The girl's gaze dropped to her arm—where Gareth had attached the old-fashioned prosthetic. She ran her fingers over it, her expression a mixture of confusion and frustration. After a long pause, she finally spoke.

"My name is Sura, and I… I'm not from here," she said quietly. "I was trying to escape from the Sky District."

Gareth leaned in, frowning. "Escape? Why would someone from the Sky District be down here? People don't just 'escape' from up there."

Sura took a deep breath, still gathering her thoughts. "I was being hunted. They took my cybernetic parts because they thought they could use them to get information from them."

Kaius frowned. "Get information? By who?"

She looked up, her eyes sharp and filled with fear. "By the Council of Nobles."

Gareth's face hardened. "The Council? You're telling me you've gotten tangled up with the most powerful people in the city?"

Sura nodded slowly. "It's more complicated than that. I have something… something they don't want getting out."

Kaius leaned in, his curiosity piqued. "What kind of secret are we talking about?"

Sura paused, glancing nervously between the two of them. "It's not just a secret. It's a .... nevermind, Just... they'll kill anyone who stands in their way."

The room fell silent. Gareth's usual sarcastic demeanor dropped, replaced by something much more serious. Kaius felt a chill run down his spine. This wasn't just a random encounter. This girl was in danger—they were in danger.

"So," Gareth finally said, crossing his arms, "what are we supposed to do with you now?"

Sura's voice was barely a whisper. "I… I don't know. But if you help me, I can help you. I know things about the Sky District, about the Council. Things that could change everything."

Kaius looked at his father. There was no need for words—they both knew their lives had just gotten a whole lot more complicated.