Nightmare

Emir tried to rush towards the man, his heart pounding with fear and confusion.

But as he reached out to take back his body...

He felt a sudden jolt of pain as if he was being torn apart from the inside.

It was worse than what he experienced during the mutation unlock. 

The pain was so intense that he fell to the ground, writhing in absolute agony.

Unlike what he grew used to, this pain felt more akin to the shredding of his spirit.

His heart.

And while he lay there, helplessly spasming on the ground...

The man and the baby vanished into thin air, leaving him alone in the dark, deserted street.

Emir already knew that he could never undo what had been done.

That he could never give his new family what they had lost.

But he also understood that it wasn't his fault.

He was involved in something that he had no control over.

Absolutely none.

The dream slowly faded, and he woke up with a start.

He lay in bed for a few moments, taking deep breaths and trying to settle down his raging heart.

Emir knew he couldn't let the dream affect him too much, or it would ruin everything he planned for.

Slowly, he got out of bed and began to get dressed.

As he wore his clothes, the memories of the nightmare continued to replay in his mind.

It was like a movie stuck on repeat.

However, he forced himself to accept it and move on, as he usually did.

Emir then made his way to the kitchen and saw the duo bustling about, preparing breakfast.

For a moment, he felt a sense of relief.

They greeted him with warm smiles, to which he returned.

He sat down at the table, ready to eat, and that's when his mother spoke up:

"Dear, are you sure about not attending school?"

"Yep, we both know that it would be a waste of time."

Laura looked at him with a mix of concern and understanding.

"Alright then, I'll walk Lily to school in a little while, if you want to go for a walk as well then make sure to stick to this district."

"Yep."

"Never go near the gates."

"Yep, yep."

"I know how smart you are, and that you don't need me to tell you this, but let a mother worry about her son alright?"

He nodded.

"Yeah, of course, Mom."

…

After breakfast, he went outside to take a walk and clear his head.

As he walked through the small town, the boy once again witnessed how different it was compared to the world he came from.

There were no skyscrapers or bustling crowds, just small two and three-story houses.

Well, at least in the area his house was in.

The middle of the sector was where the Elite lived, and it was blocked off from outside access.

'It's almost surreal to think that just five years ago, I was living in a completely different world...'

During his walk, he saw a group of children playing in a nearby park.

Since this was an A-labelled sector, a park was built.

A luxury that not many sectors had.

Plant life was supported here due to that massive dome covering the place.

It was filled with old-world technology.

'It's a real shame that old-world tech isn't accessible to the public.' 

Before his eyes, the kids were laughing and shouting, carefree and happy.

He couldn't help but smile at the sight, feeling a sense of nostalgia for a childhood that was long gone.

With each step he got closer to them, the ground beneath his feet crunched softly, and he could hear the distant sound of rustling leaves.

The children soon noticed him and stopped playing.

They stared at him curiously, and he realized that he must have looked strange to them.

As he was dressed in a plain black outfit, and his hair was a messy mop of black.

Emir waved at them and continued walking, passing the park, until he reached the edge.

The gate was some distance away to his right.

He raised his hand to touch the dome that separated him from the ruins of the old world looming in the distance.

It was a stark contrast to the peaceful sector...

A reminder of the danger that lurked outside.

'Although this dome surrounding us looks like glass, I'm sure it's far from it.'

'Probably a mirror-like TV screen that shows the outside world as a camera would.'

'Whatever though...'

'I'll see what the outside world truly looks like soon enough.'

Emir turned back and began walking towards his house.

The journey home took no less than 30 minutes.

But before he crossed the door, he stared at the two-story house of theirs.

Looking at it, one might not think that he was in a different world.

Their house appeared to be like any other in his past life.

'I guess it makes sense though...'

'A house will only be that... a house.' 

Stepping inside, the familiar scent of home filled his senses.

His mother had always been meticulous about keeping the place clean and tidy.

It showed.

Emir made his way to the living room, where his mother was sitting on the couch, watching the news on the holoscreen.

"Hey, Mom."

He greeted as he sat down on the armchair next to her.

She turned to him and smiled.

"Hey, sweetie... How was your walk?"

"It was good... I guess," he said after showing a smile.

"I even went to the edge of the sector but as you'd expect there was not much going on…"

He paused for a moment.

It was then that he finally realized something.

His way of speaking reverted to that of his memories...

But then he just shrugged it off and thought:

'Who cares... I don't need to hide everything.'

'And if they find it weird then they'll just need to get used to it...' 

"Anyways... You come across anything interesting in the news?" He inquired, referring to the old world beyond the dome.

Whilst he spoke, he sensed his mother's gaze lingering on him briefly before returning to the holoscreen. 

Laura shook her head, her expression turning serious.

"No, the UEF has been tight-lipped about everything new."

"Though, they've been enforcing stricter rules and regulations lately, which makes me think something big might be happening." She continued, her voice filled with concern.

Emir nodded thoughtfully.

During his walk, he observed heightened security measures and a sense of tension in the sector.

This might've gone unnoticed by an average person, but he was anything but that.

He wondered what was going on behind the scenes, yet he knew better than to push his mother for more information.

Laura knew less than even him.

So they sat in silence for a while, watching the news on the holoscreen.

As the day turned into night, they ate dinner, and then he retired to his room, thinking about many things as usual.