The same wall we had all considered unbreakable currently had a crevice the size of a giant in the area we were standing in.From the ground, it rose all the way up, revealing a path that no-one had seen before now.The wind draft we felt was coming from this gap and even though it had an inviting vibe, like as though asking us to enter, we dared not do so.It was a unilateral agreement the moment we saw the crevice.Why you might ask?Well, it was simple actually.A chill ran up my spine the moment I saw the gap and the longer I stared at it, the more I realized that it wasn’t my imagination.Whatever was beyond this dark crevice was so dangerous that the danger had materialized into a cold chill that permeated our skin and kept us rooted in place.It was terrifying, especially when we saw the fog casually enveloping the area beyond the crevice.Now it wasn’t as thick as I recalled it was during the last trial I experienced but one thing I do know was that it was no less dangerous.I
“Ahem.” I coughed awkwardly due to the silence that reigned even after I had spoken up.It was clear they expected more and if I didn’t oblige, would I really be worthy of the position of leader?Okay, that’s a lame ass excuse but I definitely have to say something.I’m feeling really uncomfortable right now.“Right now, we have to focus on ensuring our survival in this Nightmare that seems to have no escape but do not be afraid for we have discovered an escape route. It is filled with untold dangers but we do believe that it is the only way out of here.” I took a pause to catch my breath at which point the crowd finally reacted.“There’s a way out?”“I thought we’d be trapped here till death.”“Awesome. Richard was indeed right. Jeremy Walker is worthy of being our leader!”“I can’t wait!”A flurry of excited voices rang out as the cadets showed their joy at the news.It brought a smile to my face but also caused my heart to ache.I had only told them half of the truth.But could I h
“Jerry!” Lincoln called out to me as he quickly approached.I noticed the worried expression he had on his face and after confirming the stern expressions from the others behind him, starting from Richard, it struck me that something must have happened.There was no need for there to be such a tense atmosphere if there was nothing wrong.Thus, I unwittingly grew worried.Had there been another attack while we were away?No, that’s not possible.The way the others celebrated obviously showed that nothing bad had happened after we gave chase.So that means it’s only the few members of the so called council as well as Richard and Lincoln that knew what was going on.Hmm, that makes it even worse.Something that had to be hidden from the public would more or less have to be on the same level of the crevice we found at the wall.But then my curiosity to find out what it was had pulled up quite a number of blanks.“Is everything okay?” I subtly asked with my voice lowered.Lincoln pursed hi
“How is that possible?” Leah asked with a shocked expression.Not only her, but myself, Isabella and Reginald had similar expressions.How was it that what happened just the night before had been quickly forgotten like it were a lie?Did that make any sense?I can understand the terrain changing since it is still just the nightmares of the Dreamer.But what about us, the inhabitants?We are still independent of the Dreamer so how come?“We don’t know how.” Richard spoke with an unsettled look. “We tried to remind them but they only looked at us like clowns that didn’t know what we were saying.“It was later on we realized that only Stigma Bearers still had their memories… well at least, majority of them.” He ended his talk as he glanced at Lincoln and then at Reginald.True to his words, it seemed it were only Stigma Bearers that were unaffected, but why were Lincoln and Reginald not affected?Was it because of their relatively high ranking?No, that can’t be it.It was then that Linc
“With each new generation, the effectiveness of the serum weakens until it’s completely non-exist within them. According to what was said, it’s a means they use to establish control… whatever that means.” Richard spoke candidly, not bothering to leave out the details.Obviously since almost everyone here, excluding Reginald and Lincoln and a few others, had ties to the Great families, there was no need for him to hide his knowledge.In any case, who would he hide it for?He could end up waking up tomorrow, having forgotten everything.I guess the terrifying thought that we could lose our memories has made us more forthcoming in sharing what we know.After all, what’s the point of hording secrets only to end up forgetting about it?Might as well tell the world.Anyway, Lincoln pursed his lips as he continued his explanation. “See… so it’s not actually weird that Brother Jerry can understand the Otherworldly.”At this point, he paused to glance at Veronica who quickly averted her eyes b
“The second thing is the fact that the Dreamer would devour us in a set order. No matter what, it would try it’s hardest not to break that order as it could affect it negatively, so that works to our advantage.” I paused to catch my breath while a council member asked.“How do we do that?”Smiling at the question, I replied. “It’s simple actually. Those that are next on line are to be kept under watch for the next few days. We can’t be sure of when the Dreamer would attack again, after all, we can’t guess how long it would take for it to digest the energy of those it had eaten. It could be a day, it could be a week. Nevertheless, we can’t allow the sacrifices of those that died to be in vain. No matter what, we have to prevent the tragedy of last night from repeating itself.“That’s our duty as leaders.”Wow, I can’t believe I said that.Pretty cringe actually.Hah, but I’m not wrong though.I guess I’m just sharing what I truly feel. It’s not right that we allow the Dreamer to mess w
“At this points we can be sure that the Dreamer is much more cunning than we assumed. If we let our guards down, we might all end up dying without knowing why.” Richard said.I couldn’t agree more.Even beyond all that madness and chaos the Otherworldly had an intelligence that scared the crap out of me.It would be okay if they were senseless, but for some reason, they happen to use their heads as well.I don’t know why but sometimes I just get the feeling that the Otherworldly were perfectly created to wipe out the human race.We aren’t superior in any way whatsoever.“What now?” Leah suddenly asked, jolting me from my thoughts.I pursed my lips, realizing I had spaced out for a bit too long. “We can’t waste more time sitting around here. We need to start making plans on passing the crevice. We have already been there and I can assure you that we cannot return without a reasonable plan else we’d end up going to our deaths.”Richard nodded. “But before that, we have to figure out the
“We are being manipulated?”As I heard that question, a part of me broke.It was painful no matter how they thought about it.I could understand their emotions.Even though we tried to be strong, the truth was that we were scared.Scared that we’d never get the chance to run away.That we’d never get the chance to escape.“How can we win when we are already lost?”At first they had thought it was a lie but the more I convinced them, the more they realized that even the fact that they thought we were lying was just the Dreamer causing them to remain ignorant.Maybe it was because of their lack of control over spirit.No, that’s clearly the reason why the Dreamer targets them.If we let things be, they might end up falling completely into the control of the Dreamer.What then?So might as well get the alert now.Let them understand just how dangerous the situation was.The others might say I’m reckless for doing something like this but if I could do this again, I would.There’s no need