The entire hospital was in chaos with the sudden appearance and disappearance of the smothering pressure.
Many tables and equipment were lying upside down after people fell on them. As people regained their wits back, they started correcting the mess they have unconsciously created.
Many patients and staff were still sweating profusely at the sudden close encounter with death. None of them could understand what has happened and why.
"Just what was that pressure?!" A senior doctor in a cabin questioned.
"I have never felt so helpless in my entire life," The nurse in the room muttered while wiping the sweat from her face.
"It was like my right to breathe was taken away," An old patient said with fear evident in his voice.
"Just who is responsible for this?!" A young staff member questioned her senior.
"No idea but let’s rejoice," the senior staff answered, "Death is definitely close than I ever thought."
"Y-yeah."
"We need to see if the patient in VIP ward is fine or not," A senior doctor on a lower floor said, "She is the daughter of a senator and if anything happens to her...our life would turn to hell."
"Let’s go!"
...
VIP Ward.
Kiba was barely standing with his hands clutching his head. His body was trembling with bolts of red current and vibrations from the ring and the bracelet jolting his nervous system.
Some distance away, a small drone was attacking Kiba with high-frequency sound waves. The combined might of three simultaneous attacks made him suffer through a severe headache.
"Urgh," Kiba’s thoughts were in mess. All he wanted was to kill but a side of him disagreed with the proposal.
His eyes were half-open. Inside his half-blue and half-golden pupils, a faint trace of gray marked its sinister presence. The gray was continuously struggling with the half-blue for supremacy.
[[Recall what you seek in life.]] Claudia’s voice entered his ears like a whisper.
"What I seek," Kiba closed his eyes as memories flashed inside his mind.
-----
*
Twelve years old.
On a street outside the slum.
A dozen men in black stood with their mouths wide open. Their eyes were filled with disbelief as they witnessed the scene in front of their eyes.
Some distance away from them, an otherworldly beautiful woman in a red dress was crouching in front of a kid in rags clothing.
The woman has auburn hairs reaching her shoulders, making a sharp contrast with her creamy white skin tone. Her eyes were sparkling like a galaxy carrying a depth no human could ever grasp.
The woman was Veronica and the kid in front of her was Zed. Veronica slowly placed a finger on his forehead.
"The greatest gift in this world is Eternal Wisdom Of Dream," Veronica said as a ray of violet light originated from the tip of her finger, "A wisdom from The Creator."
"The Creator?" Zed was mesmerized by her sweet voice.
"Yes," Veronica smiled while her eyes were filled with reverence and even love. She shook her head as the ray of violet light entered his forehead.
"The first step in the path of dreams is seeking what you desire," Veronica retraced her finger, "Remember the desire should be yours and not others."
"My desire..."
---
Fourteen years old.
Zed left the slum temporarily with great efforts to reach a certain part of the city. He arrived in front of a shop and looked at the banner.
"Misty Ice Cream House."
He observed the pictures of ice cream and licked his lips unconsciously.
"Mint chocolate chip, rocky road, blue moon, stracciatella, tutti frutti, butter pecan, raspberry ripple..."
Each variety of ice cream seemed more delicious than others. Just the pictures alone made his mouth water.
He stepped in front of the glass window to take a peek inside. On the counter, a woman took down the orders of customers.
The children pestered their parents for their favorite flavor, and they laughed merrily when the ice creams arrived. The parents smiled in delight at the reactions of their children.
Many couples were sitting together in a cozy environment. A girl in twenties took a scoop of ice cream from the hand of her boyfriend.
At the corner, an old couple was licking on an ice cream cone. A young couple laughed at the love between the old couple and promised to follow their leads.
Outside, Zed didn’t focus on the promises of couples or the joy of children. He only gazed at the ice creams.
"Haah," He gave a self-deprecating smile as he took out his saving from the pocket. The saving was nothing more than a few coins and he knew he could barely afford the cheapest flavor.
"I desire a day when I don’t have to worry about money for eating something I crave," Zed turned his head away from the shop, "Till then I would save every penny to afford to live in the city."
With his newfound determination, he suppressed his craving and walked away.
"Not today but someday in future for sure," Zed gave a final glance at the shop, "I would taste the best delicacies the world has to offer."
----
Fifteen years old.
On the outskirts of the slum.
Zed jumped through a window to enter the living room of an apartment. The room was dark but Zed didn’t switch on the light.
His intent was to steal and he didn’t dare do anything which could get him caught.
Sss
He clenched his fist and a small fire enveloped his hand. The fire was enough to allow him to see through the darkness.
He silently stepped forward to collect anything valuable in the room. As he moved around the room, he heard a muffled sound.
He was surprised for he believed the residents were out.
"Oooo"
The sound turned loud and he could make out the words spoken.
"Ahh...don’t stop."
Zed was startled by the voice. There were obvious traces of pain in the voice but yet the speaker seemed to be asking for more.
"The voice definitely belongs to a woman," Zed moved closer to the source of the sound.
"Oh god!"
Zed gulped down as he arrived in front of the door to the bedroom. The door was open with light from inside covering the corridor.
The voice was now fully clear.
"FASTER!"
Zed didn’t know why but the voice tantalized his senses. He tried to suppress the strange feeling inside his body.
"Just what is going on?" Zed thought before gazing through the half-open door.
Inside, on a bed, a woman was sitting above a man. The woman was naked with eyes closed.
"I’m getting close," She was moving up and down at a fast pace. Her face was carrying an expression a mixture of pain and pleasure.
"This is..." Zed felt a part of his body turning hard and erect, "...sex."
He has only heard about it in the slums.
From what he knew, there were brothels where women offered their bodies to men for a sum of money.
He never understood why men would spend a fortune in brothels. He believed it was idiotic to spend such money for few hours with prostitutes, but after glancing at the scene inside the bedroom, and the feeling boiling inside his body, he understood the reason.
"I was wrong," He focused his eyes on the breasts of the women and the uneasy feeling in his body turned stronger.
Her plump breasts and the dark nipples felt like a source of ultimate bliss. His conjecture turned stronger as his eyes moved down on her pink foldings.
Her naked figure made him feel weak but yet for unknown reasons, he felt this weakness was the best feeling in the world.
"No, I’m not supposed to see this," Zed thought but yet his eyes were glued to her gorgeous curves.
"I might get caught," He shook his head with great determination and turned around.
Zed quickly returned to the living room. Without wasting any time, he collected everything which could make him some money.
A few minutes later~
He walked towards the window with a large bag in his hand. He gave a final glance at the direction of the bedroom.
"Someday I would make love with the most beautiful women out there."
He jumped down from the window with his loot after ensuring he has left no clues.
"In future, I would still invade other’s home but not for money or items! I would seek something more valuable!"
That fateful night, he didn’t leave the apartment with mere loot but a dream.
Alas, what he considered a dream would become a nightmare to all men...