Everyone forgot everything that happened. Anas's request had been something strange for everyone without exception.
With expressions of astonishment mixed with terror apparent on their faces, everyone was staring at Anas as if he were... something strange and incomprehensible.
Lilian stepped forward while she was trying to maintain her smile.
"Are you serious?"
She stared at Leona and Edward and Naivy and laughed nervously.
"Is... was his injury in his head? Maybe we should take him to the doctor quickly."
Anas heard Lilian's words, so he tilted his head to the side.
"I am sure that my words were clear."
Lilian frowned slightly.
"What did you not understand in the word nightmare? It is a nightmare."
Lilian felt as if she were speaking with a child with a hard head.
Even Anas's companions did not know what they should say.
And after a short moment of silence...
"Are you mocking me?"
Everyone turned to see Sera while she was speaking while trembling.
"My two friends... my two friends died in a moment as if they were nothing... and you say that you want to see that monster?"
Sera fell silent for a moment then exploded.
"Have you gone mad?! If you want to go to see it then go alone! In the first place, how are you acting as if nothing happened?! Two people died here moments ago! They... they had dreams, loved ones who want to meet them, hope they want to live, they were smiling moments ago, and now..." she clenched her teeth then lowered her gaze to the ground, "and now there is not even anything left that we can bury of them..."
Tears began to flow from her eyes without stopping while she clasped her hands to her chest and sobbed intensely.
"Why do we have to suffer to this extent?! What is our fault?! Everything was taken from us! Everything..."
"Sera..." a whisper slipped from Lilian and Caroline.
Everyone lowered their gaze to the ground while they were clenching their teeth because reality stands beside Sera no matter how harsh the truth is.
But...
Anas did not, rather he stood and began to stare at the place around him.
And thanks to his enhanced vision, he stared at the traces of blood present everywhere and finally found the pattern.
There were successive drops of a viscous red liquid mixed with some black passing in a straight line toward the giant hole in the surface of the sewers.
'Why did I not notice this earlier?'
He did not notice the hole or even the rays of sunlight emanating from it, and this was strange in an unnatural way.
For a person who analyzes everything at all times, not noticing something obvious like this was suspicious, and moreover he feels as if there is something missing, something important that he must remember but he could not know.
'What was it, I wonder?'
Everyone was staring at Anas and what he was doing except Sera who was still crying.
Anas had started walking toward the opening as if the matter did not concern him.
But... after several steps he stopped in the middle of his movement.
He felt a tremendous pressure. As if his body would be crushed, every muscle in his body hurts him.
He pressed his jaw very hard, to the point that blood would have flowed, but... the blood did not flow. Rather there was a burning sensation burning in his chest as if a blazing ember was igniting in it.
'Painful! Painful!'
The pain is intense, to the point of madness. But the matter did not stop at this limit, for he felt a touch on his shoulder.
Anas strongly wanted to turn to know who was touching him but the pain was controlling his body, even his right eye was also burning with that pain.
His breathing was rapid but he had no means to calm it. Rather he was being tormented doubly because of the excessive exhaustion of his body. And there was no one who had approached him and touched him.
Was his feeling merely hallucinations?
The group began to stare at Anas frozen in his movement.
Tension was filling the place.
Anas and Sera had completely distracted the group with this stark contradiction.
The seven were in a state not to be envied.
⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅
But under this pressure, something was accumulating beneath the surface, accumulating slowly then...
"Damn you all! Shut up and let us go toward a safe place!" Naivy shouted which made everyone return to reality.
"You are sad about your two friends? Then live for them. And you, Anas, you want to see that thing? Then you must stare from afar and in full health, do you want to become a breakfast for a stupid monster? I know that you do not want that so let us go to the doctor!"
Sera raised her head finally.
Naivy's words were like a slap of awakening for her, rather it was the slap that everyone needed.
Naivy made the group return from the abyss but she did not affect Anas.
Frozen in his place, he looked like a statue. But under that stillness, the pain was burning him as if he were in hell.
'Wake up, wake up to reality! Will you freeze because of some damned pain only?!'
Anas's desire to regain control is great, but he could not, so that feeling swelled in his chest more and more which made Anas raise his hand automatically and press on his chest strongly.
His nails dug in causing some scratches in his chest but... the pain is present while the wounds are not present.
Everyone thinks that Anas is ignoring them, ignorant of what is happening to him.
All that they see is a boy in his black coat facing them with his back with clear arrogance.
Edward stared at him then something appeared in his eyes, it was a decision.
He did not want to be here especially since darkness will fall after a little while. He wants to stay alive and protect his family, or what remains of it... his sister.
"Anas, if you do not want us, and you will leave us for your selfish desires every time... then we will continue without you, rather continuing without you will be better for us because searching for a doctor for you is tiring and annoying in itself. Without you we will focus on survival. So decide now, either with us or not."
Many thoughts were filling Anas's head at that time, for he had heard Edward's words... but it was the last of his concerns at that moment. For what puzzled him the most was that the pain does not end and at the same time does not end him.
Edward waited for a few seconds waiting for Anas's answer.
But he did not speak so Edward considered it as an answer. So he turned and began to walk toward the depths of the sewers.
Leona hesitated for a moment then she stood and held the edge of her brother's shirt.
"Wait Edward, he helped us, he gave us food, he saved us, we owe him."
"No."
Anas's voice was clear and firm. His features were sharp in an unusual way.
"We took care of him until he stood up and now we are equal. As for saving us, he is the reason for us being exposed to the attack in the first place, I do not owe a selfish one like him anything, come my sister. Let us go."
Edward's argument seemed strong and made Leona hesitate in what she was doing.
But in the end Edward was right according to his perspective. They had not spent since meeting Anas except approximately a day, they did not have what binds them to him except a few moments while they are brother and sister.
Leona grasped the edge of her dress but she began to walk behind her brother.
Lilian stared at Anas for a few seconds then she began to follow Edward because it was logical, she will not follow a fool who wants to meet danger by his own will. And with Lilian's departure, Caroline and Sera followed her in silence.
Everyone left and the echo of their footsteps began to disappear slowly in the darkness of the sewers.
But one person remained.
It is Naivy. Although she met him a short time ago, she did not forget Anas's treatment of her, and she was not ready to leave him, for for some reason... she was feeling that Anas was not alright so she began to approach him with light steps before she froze when she saw him panting with difficulty while he was holding a weapon in his hand...