Chapter 2: You're the Dinner I've Chosen

It felt like Emily had a long dream. She dreamt of Benjamin holding her, flying in the ink-blue night sky. A gentle breeze brushed past them, carrying the remnants of clouds. At the end of the sky hung a crimson moon, like a massive disc, adding vibrant colors to the night.

Nestled in Benjamin's arms, inhaling his peculiar metallic scent mixed with unfamiliar floral notes, Emily didn't feel nauseous at all. Instead, she felt an inexplicable sense of comfort, like a long-lost family member without any doubts or reservations...

In a haze, Olivia's eyes welled up like walnut shells, Ava furrowed her brows, Charlotte tightly pursed her lips, and William wore an anxious expression. They all overlapped and intertwined, creating a bewildering sight for Emily, yet Benjamin was conspicuously absent.

"Where is Benjamin?" Emily abruptly sat up, her eyes filled with self-blame and fear, her voice trembling uncontrollably.

"He's fine!" Olivia, wiping away her tears, smiled and playfully hit Emily's shoulder. "You're still concerned about others!"

"How... can he be fine?" Emily vividly remembered crashing into a large truck at a speed of 200 miles per hour. She clearly remembered the immense pain that surged through her body before losing consciousness, as if her bones and blood were being torn apart, piercing her heart and lungs. And yet...

Anxiously, Emily lowered her head and checked her entire body, afraid that she might be missing a part, which would be tantamount to losing her life! But there was nothing, not even a scratch, except for a slight soreness in her neck. She touched it with her hand, feeling smooth, but it inexplicably hurt. Japanese cars were notoriously unreliable in terms of their exteriors, and even if William had modified it well, it couldn't have emerged unscathed from such a massive accident. She never believed that fate would be particularly kind to her.

Besides that, there seemed to be a mysterious force churning and boiling deep within her body, as if it were breaking free from some kind of constraint, undergoing a rebirth...

"Emily, don't worry. Benjamin said he was tired and went back to sleep. Trust me!" Olivia proudly praised William's car as if it were her own, vouching for its performance.

"A minor accident?" Emily questioned in confusion. Could a collision at 200 miles per hour with a large truck still be considered a minor accident? Did they only consider it a major accident if someone died? "Then why were you crying?"

"Olivia saw how frightened you were and how long you were unconscious. She cried all night!" Charlotte said sarcastically, her lips pursed as if she could hold two oil bottles between them.

A warm current flowed through Emily's body. She grabbed Olivia's hand and held it tightly...

In the following days, Emily tried to find out what happened to Benjamin, but Cyberville College, they said, was neither big nor small, accommodating thousands of people. Where could she possibly find him? No one knew his contact information, and no one could even confirm if he was a student at Cyberville College.

Someone as remarkable-looking as Benjamin would have become the focus of the entire school if he were a student at Cyberville College. But he seemed to have appeared out of thin air, and Emily even felt a bit confused. Did this person... really exist? Even the soreness in her neck had disappeared, as if this person had only appeared in her dreams.

Just when Emily was about to give up, at the foot of a towering lush poplar tree, the place where she first saw Benjamin

, he appeared once again. His tall figure lazily leaned against the trunk, as if waiting for someone.

Emily's footsteps gradually slowed down. She wanted to walk past him in haste, afraid of being completely ignored like the last time, her self-esteem shattered, infecting her entire being and crumbling her confidence.

She lowered her head, quickened her pace, hoping to pass him, but unexpectedly, a deep and mysterious voice, as profound as the sea, pierced her eardrums, calling out her name...

"Emily!" Benjamin called again when Emily didn't respond, bringing her thoughts back.

"Hey, long time no see!" Emily tried her best to make her smile appear natural, but the tense muscles on her face betrayed her nervousness.

"I have a question to ask you!" They simultaneously spoke in unison and then smiled at each other, easing Emily's emotions.

"Shall we find a place to sit?" Benjamin suggested.

"Sure!"

Emily took Benjamin to a Western restaurant not far from Cyberville College. The ambiance here was elegant, but most importantly, it was quiet. She needed to uncover the truth. The doubts that haunted her daily were like roots that kept growing, and the more she tried to avoid thinking about them, the more they plagued her. Her dreams at night became increasingly intense, constantly reminding her of that incident. No, not the accident involving a car crash, but the unexpected event where she emerged unscathed. She couldn't help but wonder why.

"What would you like to eat? It's my treat!" Emily pushed the menu towards Benjamin, who politely pushed it back, saying, "I'm not hungry, you go ahead and order."

Emily looked at him with suspicion, realizing that it was already late, and her own worries had caused her to miss dinner.

Emily didn't insist and casually ordered a glass of juice and a plate of spaghetti, taking the menu back into her hands.

Benjamin sat across from her, observing her closely. Eventually, he realized that she had indeed ordered her meal as expected, which only deepened the perplexity in his eyes.

"What are you?" Benjamin couldn't resist asking once the waiter had walked away with the menu.

Emily widened her eyes, for this was precisely what she wanted to ask.

Seeing the intensity of the doubt in Emily's eyes, even more profound than his own, Benjamin finally succumbed. It seemed that she didn't know either. It had been countless years, and he had lost the ability to feel pain. However, this time, this kind of agony had been tearing him apart for days on end. It appeared that ultimately, he wouldn't be able to find the answers.

"Was it really just a minor accident that day?" Emily's memories had already started to fade. She distinctly remembered racing at 200 miles per hour, but Olivia and the others insisted it was just a minor accident. Perhaps that was the only reasonable explanation because otherwise, it was impossible for her to come out unscathed.

Benjamin didn't answer Emily's question. Instead, he abruptly grabbed her hand and picked up the knife with its chilling blade turned upward from the table. Before Emily could react, he forcefully made a cut on the back of her hand. She could even feel the sound of the blade cutting through her bones.

"You're insane!" Emily forcefully pulled back her injured hand, only to realize that Benjamin wasn't looking at her. Instead, he was focused intently on her injured hand.

Emily lowered her head and observed as her entire hand turned a dark purple. The wound on it was visibly healing at a rapid pace, as if a force from deep within her body was gathering at the site of the injury. Within a few breaths' time, her hand was smooth and unblemished again, the purple hue gradually fading away. Apart from the bloodstains left on the golden napkin, which served as evidence of her injury, there was no trace of the wound to be found.

"What's happening?" Emily raised her head and asked.

"Did it hurt?" Benjamin asked as well.

Emily slowly shook her head. She only felt the sharpness of the knife as it tore through flesh and reached the bone marrow, but she didn't feel any pain from that sharpness.

The waiter brought Emily's pasta dish, and Benjamin quickly concealed the bloodstained napkin, astonishing Emily with his speed. She looked at the waiter's calm face, evidently unaware of Benjamin's action.

Benjamin asked the waiter for an empty glass and produced a bag from somewhere. He bit open a corner, and Emily caught a whiff of a metallic scent that instantly reminded her of the metallic aroma she had experienced in her dreams while nestled in his embrace. It was exactly the same scent, somewhat tangy, but strangely enough, she didn't find it repulsive. Instead...

But was it really... just a dream?

The crimson liquid slowly flowed into the glass through the opening, and Benjamin poured only a small amount before handing it to Emily.

Emily obediently took it and sniffed beneath her nose. Suddenly, she pushed it away in terror, causing the blood-red liquid to spill across the table, staining the golden napkin and tablecloth.

"This is... this is..." Emily pointed at the bloodstained mess, her eyes filled with fear. "This is... human blood..."

"What blood type?" Benjamin immediately asked.

Emily trembled as she replied, "A... A type..."

"Was it a man or a woman?" Benjamin continued questioning.

"A man!" Emily affirmed with certainty. The fear in her voice diminished slightly, but another kind of fear surged within her. Why did she know these things? It was as if she had an innate ability to distinguish any type of blood, without ever making a mistake.

"Come with me!" Benjamin grabbed Emily's hand, and the waiter promptly approached. "You haven't paid yet!" Just as she was about to mention the red mess on the table, Benjamin seized her shoulder, gazing into her eyes and calmly said, "It's tomato juice!"

The waiter's gaze became unfocused, and she repeated in a dazed manner, "It's tomato juice... it's tomato juice..."

"You must personally clean it up, without anyone finding out!" Benjamin continued staring into her eyes as he spoke.

"I must personally clean it up, without anyone finding out..." the waiter continued repeating.

"Let's go!" Benjamin released the waiter and took hold of Emily's hand. Naturally, he didn't feel anything amiss as he pulled her out of the restaurant.

Once outside, Benjamin didn't mention where they were going. Instead, he led Emily through the streets of Cyberville, circling for what seemed like miles. It wasn't until 2 a.m., with no one in sight, that they finally stopped in front of the Toyland Building.

In the past, just walking down a single street would have made Emily complain and cry about tired feet. But today, after walking countless roads, she felt no fatigue at all. In fact, she felt energized throughout her entire body.

"Are you ready?" Benjamin asked Emily with a smile on his face.

"For what?" Emily asked, puzzled.

Just as Emily was about to speak, she felt a cold sensation around her waist. Benjamin unexpectedly wrapped his arms around her and with a sudden kick, they soared into the sky, ascending several dozen stories high. Using the exterior air conditioning units of the building, they made a series of leaps until they reached the top of the Toyland Building.

The Toyland Building was the tallest structure in Cyberville, standing at 69 floors. Standing on the rooftop, Emily experienced for the first time the chilling sensation of being at a great height. The piercing wind tousled her hair, wild and unruly, yet she didn't feel cold as she faced the gusts.

Benjamin stood at the edge of the rooftop, releasing his hold on Emily's waist. In the depths of his eyes, a peculiar smile emerged, sending shivers down Emily's spine.

"Actually... you are the chosen dinner for me," Benjamin whispered softly into Emily's ear, as if his voice came from a distant place.

Emily hadn't even had a chance to feel nervous about the ambiguous distance between them when two large palms forcefully pushed her off the building...