Chapter 20 – "The Search for Answers"

As chaos still engulfed the place, Marcus felt something strange following him. It seemed someone had noticed him, and he wasn't comfortable with that. But he soon realized that he didn't have a sword, and he wasn't in a position to attack anyone. It wasn't the right time for that, and he began to question, "Why am I still here? Why fight?"

While deep in thought, he decided to run away. He thought about escaping this senseless chaos. "If I'm staying, the only goal should be to escape." He began to sneak quietly between the people, but suddenly, he felt something unsettling: someone was watching him closely.

His heart raced, but Marcus quickly decided to run. He increased his speed, watching the horizon. There was a settlement in the distance, as announced by the voice in the announcement. He felt the need to reach it, so he accelerated again. Running was his solution.

When he finally reached the settlement, he lowered himself inside, wondering what he would encounter there. His mind was confused: "What will happen if I start searching here?" He walked through the streets, asking random people for information. The first person he spoke to replied kindly, "Oh, you're one of the testers?" But Marcus quickly ignored him and continued asking others.

But something strange happened. No one responded. He began to feel frustrated and hopeless. Time passed, and he sat down at the nearest spot he could find. He decided to activate his ability and put himself in listening mode. He tried to catch any conversation that might help him, but all he heard were murmurs and casual conversations between people.

While he was lost in his frustration, and continuing to observe his surroundings, he suddenly felt something unexpected. When he turned suddenly to his right, he saw someone smiling at him and waving their hand, sitting beside him on the same bench. Marcus was stunned, but the person greeted him, saying, "Dreams."

Despite the internal shock Marcus felt, he continued to think about a world where a sword could be embodied as part of his head. He was still confused. What was so surprising about someone suddenly sitting next to him? But he looked at the person and simply said, "Hello."