His ears could heard the sound of birds as they tweeted along with the distant murmurs of people talking, filling the surrounding. The warm light of the morning sky pierced through the holes of the wooden window before setting upon his cheeks, making his eye slightly twitch.
He could smell the flowers near the window atop the table, the usual flowers that Ophelia always brought.
Wait—flowers?
Realization sets in.
Jinn's eyes twitched rapidly before his body jolted, making him rise from his bed.
Confusion evident on his face, Jinn looked left and right as he found himself in his room—the room where he had always slept in at the orphanage.
"What the...?" Jinn's eyes widened in confusion as he was bewildered as to how he can stand normally. He then bent it back and forth—there was no pain nor discomfort.
"How could this be?" Jinn muttered, before also realizing that he could also feel both of his arms.
Jinn raised both of his arms to see that not one was severed—he then touched both of his eyes—and again, not one injury.
"What the hell...?" Jinn in disbelief.
Jinn had a confused look in his face—as if all the pain he had just experienced weren't real—as if everything was just a bitter nightmare. As he continued to check his body—he heard faint footsteps from outside the door.
With a slow and gradual creak of the wooden door, Ophelia waved at Jinn with a subtle smile on her face, before coming in, to sit on his bed.
"Good morning Jinn! Had a good dream last night?" Ophelia tilted her head, both of her legs hanging at the side of the bed—swinging in anticipation.
Still confused by the situation, Jinn remarked. "W-Wait, didn't the Zeraf attack?"
"Hmm…?" Ophelia hummed as she tilted her head, putting a hand on her chin, before continuing. "Must have been a bad dream, huh?"
"Don't put too much mind to it Jinn… a dream is just a dream!" She then stood up and walked towards the door before gesturing to Jinn with her hand—beckoning him outside.
"Come on! The others are waiting for you!"
"The others…?" Jinn muttered to himself before his eyes widened. "N-Nevi!" his body flinched in realization before he ran outside the door and towards the main hall of the orphanage.
Jinn huffed as he ran down the corridor, his footsteps making multiple thuds as it hits the wooden floor—he could hear the familiar voices of his friends as he grew closer and closer.
"N-Nevi!"
He exclaimed as he continued to run, his heart going rampant in anticipation as it continued to pound within his chest.
Jinn continued to run until he arrived at the main hall, a very long singular table at the center—the sight he was always accustomed to.
Orin, Ophelia, Hector, Verhedyn, Kain, Vox, and yes—even Nevi sat close together, they laughed and smiled as they enjoyed each other's company.
A large pile of books and plates filled with food were in front of them, it was the group of friend's usual gathering where Nevi tells stories from the books she had borrowed and read.
Nevi turned her gaze towards Jinn, she then smiled before waving her hands sideways in a quick manner.
"Heya Jinn! I managed to borrow this amazing book from the local library", her voice piercing Jinn like a needle. "Let's read it together—like always!"
Her smile was as beautiful as always.
Tears running down his eyes, Jinn approached Nevi, hugging her tightly as if she was about to disappear any second. His hands trembled as his emotions took over him—yet Nevi's familiar warmth calmed him down.
"W-What are you doing so suddenly!?" Nevi blushed as her tiny arms hugged Jinn back.
Orin sighed as she looked at Jinn and her sister, Nevi.
"Hey hey hey! She won't be able to breathe if you hug her that tightly, Jinn!"
a small smile present at the edge of her lips.
Hector placed his hand on Jinn's shoulders while asking him.
"What happened, Jinn?"
he raised his eyebrow as he noticed that Jinn wasn't acting normally.
Jinn sniffed as he wiped the snot and tears from his face.
"Just a bad dream I had last night…"
"Never knew you had this side in you Jinn—normally you'd take a hit from a street thug without even wincing in pain" said Verhedyn, as he rested his legs atop the table while he twiddled a pencil along his fingers.
Ophelia placed her hand on Jinn's back.
"All people have their own weaknesses and vulnerabilities—and Jinn is no exception!"
She then looked at Verhedyn.
"Even the strongest."
Vox then approached Jinn as he fixed his glasses. "What dream was it in the first place, Jinn?"
Kain jumped atop the table. "It must be truly terrifying indeed! Like a colossal monster attacking us!"
Nevi smirked as she chuckled confidently.
"Knowing Jinn, he'd probably stand at the front to protect us!"
She then raises a spoon to mimic a sword. "Like a hero!"
"H-Hey I'd do that too!" Kain nudged Nevi, his small arms shaking Nevi's shoulders.
Verhedyn snorted sarcastically. "Yeah right"
Nevi hitting the table with both her hands exclaimed. "Ok, time for the daily story!"
Orin approached Nevi to place her head on her sister's shoulder. "What would it be this time?" her eyes looking down on the book that Nevi already had opened.
"This time, it's about a story of how a knight in shin—" Nevi's words became a mumble as Jinn only observed her face, not her words.
Then—as if disturbing their peace—a knock came from one of the windows which made Jinn startle, his heart oddly started to beat rapidly as if it knew what was coming.
As Jinn looked around to find the source of the sound, he turned his face back towards his friends.
"Did you guys hear that?"
Yet most of his friends were gone—and ominously, Nevi remained.
Upon hearing Jinn, Nevi momentarily stopped reading as she tilted her head while looking directly at Jinn. "What do you mean Jinn?" she then flips to another page of the book she is holding, before continuing. "I didn't hear a knock."
Yet for another time, a knock—no, more like repeated banging, the disturbingly loud thuds coming from the left side of Jinn.
"That sound!"
Jinn then looked at his left to see a terrifying image outside the window.
The image—no, the person he had seen outside the window—he knew who she was very well deep within his soul.
The woman's hair, crimson red in color continued to hit the window while wearing an apathetic face—her menacing aura started to seep inside the windows, giving Jinn a chill.
Yes, Jinn knew who this very person was—It was Venedix, the tyrant that brought his hometown into flames and was the indirect cause of Nevi's death.
"W-What the hell!?" In realization, Jinn jumped from his seat while walking backwards, towards Nevi.
"N-Nevi we have to run!" Jinn held Nevi's arm before turning towards her—his breath caught in his throat at what he saw.
"Y-Your scaring me Jinn…" Nevi whispered, her voice was soft yet confused—blood already flooding down her forehead, soaking the pages of the book she held.
"No… no no no!" Jinn slowly staggered towards Nevi, his legs shaking. He then tried to reach out—his hands trembling before being interrupted with a loud bang.
Each window from the house was shattered—the glass fragments flying across the area—prompting Jinn's reaction to cover Nevi with his body—their bodies thrown off balance by the force of the wind that entered through the windows.
Jinn's eyes slowly twitched open as the impact continued to ring in his ear. He looked down to check on Nevi—then everything went cold.
His pulse slowed, a chill running down his spine as his heart pounded within his chest—caused by the terrifying image in front of him.
"S-Save me Jinn…"
Her soft voice—desperate and in pain, she had a huge hole atop her forehead that horrifyingly gushed out massive amounts of blood, covering Nevi's whole face.
Jinn could feel the warmth from Nevi's body fade as coldness of death settled in.
The scene in front of Jinn made him choke on his own breath as his body trembled in horror.
"Hrmm!"
Jinn tried to let out a scream but his mouth was covered by Venedix's hands—his eyes widened before narrowing as anger seeped in him, igniting the wrath within him.
"This is the reality of war, child" Venedix eye's narrowed before continuing.
"The strong will live on, and the weak…" her eyes then gazed towards Nevi's body.
"The weak decay and die!"
Turning her body instantly, Venedix kicked Jinn with great force, sending his body across the room and into the table—breaking it as it crashed down the floor.
As Jinn struggled to move his body, he managed to get a glimpse of Venedix.
"So wake up Jinn and face reality" Venedix's body ignited, serpent like flames started to wrap around her body as it extended to the nearby furniture.
The orphanage he grew in started to burn chaotically, the furniture being consumed by the roaring flames. Among the chaos was Nevi's body, lying on the floor the same way she laid at the middle of the street when the Zeraf attacked.
"Wake up, Jinn" Another voice echoed within Jinn's mind—this one wasn't Venedix...in fact it sounded more like—
"I said—WAKE UP!'
With a loud thunk, Amaron's mechanical hand slapped Jinn, forcing him to wake up. Jinn's body jolted as he rose from the Operating table—his body drenched with sweat.
"You good kid?" Amaron checked on Jinn before continuing.
"You were screaming in your sleep!"
Tears began to fall from his eye—Jinn curled up into a ball before he started to sob quietly.
Amaron tried to pat Jinn's back as he extended his hand yet he hesitated and pulled it back. He thought that It would be better to give Jinn a time for himself instead.
Amaron muttered to himself. "I guess the dream wasn't so sweet after all…"