Chapter 5

"Let me go, Gloria. I believe there's no one smarter than me in the Phoenix Squad. It's safest if I go, isn't it?" Benjamin avoided Gloria and Jason's gaze, his face calm.

"But," Gloria's gaze followed Benjamin's, "you have psychological issues, don't you?"

"Who in the Phoenix Squad doesn't have them? Since that incident, can any of us truly forget our past and live peacefully? My mind is stronger than yours, so it's the best choice, isn't it?"

Jason wasn't sure how to stop Benjamin. What he said wasn't entirely wrong. With Gloria and his psychological fortitude, if they got lost in the illusion, there was a high probability they'd never escape. After all, just like Adrian, they all carried heavy burdens from that tragic event.

"So it's settled then. I'll enter Adrian's illusion and rescue him. But, if I fail, you both know what to do," Benjamin said to his two teammates without any sentimental attachment, then entered the medical room. He informed the team medic about his decision and, as per the medic's instructions, lay beside Adrian, gradually falling into deep slumber.

He would venture into the beautiful illusion that Adrian had created for himself.

In Adrian's illusion, the young boy reveled in the joy of being accepted into MIT.

"Dad, this is what you promised! If I got into MIT, you'd buy me the latest Steam game console and the vintage car!"

Ecstatic, Adrian texted his mother about his acceptance and rushed out of his room, holding his phone to present the acceptance message to his father's eyes.

"Too close!" Adrian's father pushed the phone back, feigning calm. "Calm down, Adrian. But I have to say, you're so brilliant! Steam isn't the best gift, you know? Your mother and I decided to give you a Caucasian Shepherd dog, the largest dog in the world. Imagine walking around with a dog taller than you. You'd be quite a spectacle!"

Although pretending to be composed and maintaining a fatherly image, the slight upward curl of his lips revealed his underlying delight.

At that moment, Adrian's mother entered with a bag of snacks, a stack of pizzas, and fried chicken. She seemed to perform magic as she produced a dozen beers from behind her back and waved them in front of the two men.

Their eyes, captivated by the charming woman who always seemed to understand what they were thinking, couldn't tear away from her.

Time passed swiftly in Adrian's illusion, and he remained oblivious to the false world he was living in.

Soon, in his illusion, it was time to start school.

"My child, you've grown up so fast," Adrian's mother gazed tearfully at Adrian outside MIT, with his father beside her. He clung to his mother while his father pretended to look elsewhere, keeping up his act. He clutched his mother's hand tightly, and his warmth comforted Adrian.

"Mom, I'm eighteen now. Stop looking at me as if I were a child."

Adrian moved to his mother's other side, mimicking his father's action, draping his arm over her shoulder and placing his hand on his father's arm. The touch of his father's arm made him feel secure.

Just as they entered the campus together, Adrian felt a pair of eyes on him from the shadows. An eerie, cold gaze sent shivers down his spine, like being stared at by a venomous snake. Adrian scanned the area but found nothing unusual. In the distance, the sunlight illuminated many young people sitting on the grass, chatting happily with friends.

As the evening came, something strange occurred again. Adrian looked into the mirror to wash his face, and when he raised it, he saw a horrifying scene reflected in the mirror. It was a dark, damp cave, and a young man with rectangular glasses knelt, head bowed. Surrounding him were lifeless bodies, blood spattered on the walls.

But as Adrian tried to examine the scene closely, the mirror returned to normal.

Curious, he reached out and touched the peculiar mirror. His hand seemed to pass right through it. It was cold, like touching a curtain of water, sending an unpleasant shiver down his spine. Then, the space inside the mirror exerted a strong pull on him, like a vortex trying to suck him in.

"Mom! Dad! Help me! Help!" Adrian shouted loudly, but no one answered. The bathroom was eerily silent.

"Is anyone there? Help!" Adrian's cries didn't bring his parents to his aid, and he was exhausted from resisting the mirror's pull. Just as he relaxed, he was suddenly drawn into the mirror.

Adrian's eyes were closed, and he gradually opened them to find the man he had seen in the mirror.

The man remained in the same position, on his knees with his head bowed. He had blood all over his white shirt and shattered glasses, fists clenched. His face, obscured by blood, was unrecognizable.

Adrian stared at the eerie scene, his heart pounding with fear. He glanced around but saw no exit.

"Courage, Adrian, you can do this. Don't be afraid," Adrian whispered to himself, trying to reassure himself. As he approached the man cautiously, extending his hand, the man suddenly collapsed.

Adrian noticed a broken blade in the man's abdomen. "Sir, are you okay? What happened? Do you need help?"

"You can call me Benjamin. As for who I am, you'll know once we get out," Benjamin replied calmly. His gaze was fixed on the broken blade, and a trace of pain flickered in his eyes. "Can you help me with something? I need you to remove this blade from my body."

"Are you sure? Won't you die if I do that?" Adrian's eyes widened in disbelief. "I've never met you before."

"It doesn't matter," Benjamin said, seemingly indifferent to his own life. "I'll shut down all my senses so I won't feel pain. You can help me with confidence. This is just a minor injury; it won't kill me." Benjamin's response lacked concern for his own life.