"What does all this mean?"
While that question occupies his thinking, Anas turns after his mother leaves and stares at the book in deep thought.
He is trying to interpret the nightmare or the unconscious and incomprehensible scribbles.
But unfortunately... he understands nothing.
He sighs then opens the book again and stares at the scribbles closely.
His brown eyes leaning to black notice something that makes the situation worse.
The scribbles... are not as he thought at first glance.
They are not random.
Every line, every word, and everything written has a pattern... a strange pattern.
Where everything meets and forms... a human heart with extreme precision.
Anas stares in astonishment while thinking: 'Did I draw this without awareness from me?' he wondered with great curiosity.
But it did not last long before a voice begins whispering in his ear:
"Choose me, give me blood, give me blood please."
The whisper was a familiar voice...
It is the voice of the mysterious entity.
He puts his hand on his face and laughs:
"Heh, heheh, hahahahaha. Oh? You want me to choose you?"
His features suddenly turn to a cold analytical killing calm and he continues:
"And why would I choose you? I do not even know what you are. Why would I give you my blood? I have no desire to do something I do not understand, you nobody."
Suddenly the low feminine whisper turns into that laughter again:
"Ha ha ha, heh heh, good, good. You are not afraid of me. You are the suitable one without doubt."
The voice becomes silent for a moment.
Anas tilts his head while trying to understand the source of the voice or the meaning of its words.
But the voice does not leave him space to arrange his thoughts and continues in a serious tone:
"I have made my decision."
The voice speaks with a sharp possessive tone:
"I will not leave you. Whether you choose me or not... I will not leave you, not after I found you. Your blood belongs to me now."
Suddenly the writing, scribbles, and symbols begin leaking into his right hand.
They crawl very slowly through his veins.
The symbols climb on his hand as if they merge with his body.
His eyes widen and his thinking goes away for a moment while he tries to think of an explanation for the phenomenon.
But his instinct was calm and this was not a threat.
That made his intuition tremble... and quickly he tries to pull his hand away.
But...
No use.
His entire body is stiff.
As if something or someone is hugging him... but with such strong force that he cannot escape.
All he can move are his eyes and his mind that does not calm down despite his attempt to calm.
The pain is severe, and worse he cannot scream nor open his mouth.
He only suffers in silence.
After the entire shape moves to the back of his hand he feels...
A very hot sensation from the back of his hand, extremely hot.
When he stares at the back of his hand he sees that those scribbles, words, and nonsense have become...
A black heart with a red eye inside it that looks as if it is... staring at him... with a victorious gaze?
The color of the veins on the back of his right hand has become black forming that strange shape.
At the moment he is released from the feeling of restraint he begins
gasping strongly and falls on his knees.
The pain is still present but it is less than before.
He restrains himself strongly so that he does not scream.
He presses his teeth together so strongly that a thin line of blood flows from the corners of his mouth.
"Damn you, what is all this pain?... You trash, what are you?" he thinks loudly inside his mind.
But nothing answers him except the silence of the room.
He leans on the wall while trying to stand. The pain still fills his head with headache but he refuses to call his mother or anyone to help him.
He walks toward the bathroom with heavy steps and great effort.
When he reaches the bathroom and stares at the mirror he sees...
A woman with white hair, red eyes, and her entire body surrounded by black fire.
She hugs him from behind his back and smiles.
Quickly his eyes widen greatly, his features turn cold.
And whoosh.
He grabs his toothbrush quickly and targets the woman's eye with a fast twist.
But...
There is no blood, not even collision force... rather there is no existence of anything behind him.
"Were they illusions? Am I sick?"
He places his hand on his forehead and finds that his temperature is normal.
Except the headache that has begun to fade.
Everything in his body is normal.
His face returns to normal and he places his index finger on his mouth and his thumb on his chin and thinks:
"I am not sick, and there is nothing wrong with me. Did I not wake up well yet or did I go insane?"
He tilts his head and finds his father coming out of the bathing basin without clothes or towels.
A man in the late forties, his hair is black and his eyes are black.
He is a version of Anas although he is slightly taller than him and possesses a relatively muscular body.
He saw everything.
The father's eyes narrow and he grabs Anas's wrist and stares at him with a look of examination and evaluation.
"Hmm. I know you are eccentric. But the way you held the brush, the sharp twist... I do not think you told me before that you train in using a dagger." the father says with narrow eyes.
Before Anas opens his mouth the father lifts Anas's shirt and stares at his body. His eyes widen slightly.
"Well, I did not expect you to be the type who practices exercise."
The father comments with clear surprise on his face.
Anas's thin body was in the end not only thin.
His muscles were defined and visible, something no one saw because of his constant avoidance of fighting and his clothes that show nothing except thinness.
The father smiles while releasing Anas's hand.
Anas quickly moves to place his hand in his pocket to hide the mark.
'I have no desire to be interrogated because I put a tattoo I did not ask for. If he sees it he will think I waste money on a stupid tattoo that benefits nothing, so I will not allow him to see it.'
Anas was thinking while his father hits Anas's back with controlled force:
"Very good. So that is why you refused to go lift weights? I thought you prefer books over strength but in truth you are a good eccentric. Do not tell me there is some girl you want to attract so you train until your body becomes like this?"
Anas stares at his father with a thoughtful look.
A short silence dominates before he smiles and says:
"Yes, there is a girl. And I wish to marry her. I am glad you exposed me, father. I was thinking that we do not have money for the condition and the wedding so I hid the matter. But it seems I will not need that anymore."
The father freezes for a moment.
He did not expect this strange answer from a boy only 18 years old.
He smiles a tense smile and covers himself with towels while leaving but says before exiting:
"It was just a joke. You do not even have a job and not even your own house. You should slow down."
He looks at Anas over his shoulder and continues:
"Keep your love for her until you become able to carry responsibility. Just do not do anything with her. Especially do not make her become pregnant from you. I will not consider you my son if you do that. Even if we are commoners we do not create prostitutes for society."
The father leaves after his explicit warning.
Anas sighs internally after the father leaves:
'Good. What I read in psychology about counterattack worked. You thought I would deny the matter and become embarrassed. But I am unpredictable even for you, father.'
He wears his clothes: a gray shirt, black trousers, his black coat, and black shoes.
He leaves the bathroom heading toward the kitchen to eat breakfast while thinking:
'I will ignore all this nonsense for now. Now I will perhaps search for a job truly after breakfast. But what job would suit me? Rather, would anyone accept an eccentric to work with him?'
While the future occupies his thinking.
BOOOOM
The sound of a loud explosion echoes in the place and screaming and panic begin.