Chapter 24

"Just close your eyes, the sun is going down

You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now

Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound..."

"Hmm...mmn...mmn..."

Mathieu is singing the song softly, Safe and Sound by Taylor Swift while holding Sidereae in his arms, and whenever he needs to calm Sid or Lull her to sleep, Mathieu always sings that song to her.

They're currently lying on Sid's old bed in her old room.

He wiped the dried tears on her cheek and carefully moved Sid into a comfortable position after seeing her asleep.

"You'll get sick if I let you wear your wet clothes," He murmured worriedly.

He left the bed to look for Sid's old clothes and a blanket to cover Sid.

Mathieu rummaged quietly in the drawers for a few minutes before finding a blanket and a set of clothes for Sid to wear.

It's good that Sid didn't take all her clothes when she moved to Laney's house.

Mathieu faced the sleeping Sid with clothes in his hands, and at that moment, he realized that he was now facing a dilemma.

He doesn't know how to change her clothes without looking!

Mathieu broke into a cold sweat.

He had no choice but to make the impossible possible.

"I'm sorry, Sid."

He closed his eyes and slowly removed Sid's clothes. Mathieu was careful not to touch her unnecessarily.

"Phew!" Mathieu sighed in relief.

It took him a long time to finally changed her clothes. It was such an arduous task, but thankfully he managed to pull it off. He was relieved that he won't need to worry about her getting sick.

"You must be exhausted from crying," he whispered while removing the stray hairs covering her face.

He unfolded the soft blanket and placed it over the sleeping Sid.

Then, Mathieu sat on the bed and started drying Sid's hair using the towel he had also taken from the drawer.

A somber expression occupied his eyes as he looked at his childhood friend. A lot of bruises and scratches covered her body. Her face is also swollen, in addition to the cut on her forehead.

"How dare they!" Mathieu gritted his teeth in anger. He already warned them before not to touch Sid, yet they completely ignored it.

It's also his fault for not arriving sooner. If only he was with Sid at that time, then Mathieu could've prevented this.

He took the street, which was a shortcut to the train station but was rarely used because of its creepy atmosphere.

Anxiousness poured over him when he suddenly recognized the keychain that belonged to Sid. It was lying on the ground, along with broken earphones and scattered chips on the street.

"No, no, no. What is this? Did something happen to her?"

A sense of dreadfulness swelled up. Mathieu couldn't stop himself from overthinking. His heart was beating so fast as he started calling Sid's phone.

"Am I late again this time?"

He started searching for Sid in great haste while trying to erase the negative thoughts circling in his mind.

Mathieu put his hands on his knees while catching his breath. The rain was pouring so hard, which made his worries even more. He couldn't find Sid at all. He went to her workplace, but they told him that Sid already left the restaurant.

Not only that, but he even called Laney to ask if Sid was home. However, she told him that Sid didn't come home yet.

"Where...where are you, Sid?"

There are two places that Sid might go. It's either in Elknox grave or in their old house. Mathieu was praying that Sid was there. He ran again after catching his breath and went towards the direction of Sid and Elknox's house.

"Ah, Sid!" His face brightened when he saw a familiar back standing in front of the house. Mathieu ran towards her while calling her. He couldn't help but feel relieved after finding her.

His feet halted, and the relief he felt faded as he noticed something odd. His eyes sharpened when he saw the bruises and scratches on Sid's limbs. Her clothes were dirty as if she rolled on the ground. She was limping while dragging her bag under the heavy rain.

Mathieu called her, but it looked like she couldn't hear him. He fastened his pace and stopped in front of Sid.

"What the...!" His eyes widened in shock.

Sid was a mess.

His expression crumpled when he caught sight of her blank eyes. Mathieu tried to call her name, but it seemed like Sid was in a state of dissociation.

Mathieu's heart sank.

All he could do at that moment was embrace Sid and let her cry on his shoulders.

* * *

Mathieu put down the food and drinks he bought on the table and removed them from the plastic bag.

"I wonder if Sid is still asleep," he mumbled as he walked out of the kitchen, carrying a first aid kit he bought from a nearby pharmacy.

As he arrived in front of her room, Mathieu felt a strange presence inside. He hastily opened the door in urgency and saw a man with purple hair standing beside the bed while watching Sidereae with a smirk on his face.

"You!" Mathieu said in a freezing voice.

Oneiroi moved his head in his direction. His golden eyes glowed and bent like a crescent moon.

"Eosphoros, what a surprise!" Oneiroi exclaimed. "Ah! Should I call you Mathieu instead?" he pretentiously asked with a foxy smile forming on his lips.

Mathieu didn't respond to his provocation and sharply watched every move that Oneiroi made. His face displayed intense displeasure at the current situation. Mathieu inwardly criticizes himself for being careless. His lack of power shouldn't be an excuse for allowing that bastard to get near Sid.

"Leave."

"Ah, ah. Not so fast. I am here to visit my precious contractor," Oneiroi responded cooly as he stretched his arms to reach Sid.

His long and slender fingers were about to touch Sid's forehead when suddenly a strong force blocked Oneiroi.

A large transparent-like golden hand grabbed suddenly grabbed Oneiroi and violently slammed him into the wall.

BANG!

"How dare you touch her!" Mathieu growled like an angry lion, ready to kill Oneiroi at any moment.

His bluish-gray eyes flared vividly, and Mathieu's hair grew longer, resembling a stream of melted gold.

"Keke! Hahaha!"

Oneiroi burst into laughter, seeing Mathieu's human transformation that was partly undone.

"Ahahaha. Eosphoros! What do you think will the Dreamer do if she had known that Mathieu Noor didn't exist at all? Ah, such betrayal will certainly lead Sidereae into despair," Oneiroi said in excitement.

If Sidereae falls into despair, her desire to escape reality will become stronger. It'll be easier to trap her inside the dream world, and Oneiroi would suck all her dreams until Sidereae becomes nothing but an empty shell.

"Ah, just thinking of it makes me excited," Oneiroir's face flushed in elation.

He couldn't contain himself in the thought of owning another Lirrian's soul to devour.

Gulp.

Just remembering the sweet, ecstatic taste of Lirrians' dreams is enough to make him salivate uncontrollably.

Mathieu's face was crumpled in disgust as he saw Oneiroi's revolting actions. He won't allow Sid to be taken away by that shrewd bastard. He must do everything with his power to prevent Sid from falling for Oneiroi's traps.

"You're wearing a nice expression on your face, Eosphoros," Oneiroi laughed mockingly.

"Shut up!" Mathieu tightened his grip on Oneiroi with the intent of breaking him into two.

"Do you think you can keep her away from me? Hahaha! I was able to reach Sidereae because her desire to escape was strong enough to break the barrier that you cast on her. Eosphoros, you're going to fail again this time," Oneiroi grinned with his eyes widened like a mad man.

Mathieu's face darkened.

"Oneiroi, you'll be the one who will lose," He sharply said and tried to crush Oneiroi in force.

"Hahaha, let's see who wins," Oneiroi responded and disappeared, successfully escaping Mathieu's attack.

Mathieu quickly ran towards Sid and held her hand where Oneiroi's mark was glowing vividly.

"Damn it!" Mathieu cursed in frustration. He's gotten weaker, and the proof was Oneiroi effortlessly escaping his grasp. If he wants to recover his strength, Mathieu must temporarily leave Sidereae's side.

Guilt was written on his handsome face as he tightly clasped Sid's hand.

"I'm sorry, Sid," he whispered heavily. He blames himself for failing his task of protecting the previous Lirrians. However, this time, Mathieu will do anything to save her from Oneiroi.

He'll do anything, even if it means sacrificing his own life in exchange because Sidereae was very dear to him.