Probing Visions 1

Chapter 10 (Part 3)

     As Jean discerned the face of the man drawn across the glass screen of the invention, everything around him came to a crashing halt. The world felt as if it had frozen, and the feeling hit down like a mountain-sized boulder. Everything felt like a dream, and Jean couldn't immediately accept or comprehend the sight he was seeing.

     Jean's breath ceased, and his heart jumped out of his chest. His legs went numb, and his knees shook violently. Sweat dripped down from his forehead, and his eyes glistened under the starlight. As he took in some breath, his throat felt lodged with an unseen rock.

     On the glass screen of the invention, a foggy portrait of Professor Lenszcen whirled. The epiphany felt as if a million knives were stabbing Jean, and it was stinging through his soul. Jean couldn't breathe, his throat crushed by the weight of the unexpected revelation.

     Jean takes a deep breath through his nose, ultimately falling into a state of hyperventilation. As he refuses to accept the truth, his heart races with uncertainty and questions. But now, he receives answers, and he finally knows why the professor acted strangely around him.

     The sense of betrayal crushes Jean, akin to a mountain lying atop his head. The air feels suffocating, and Jean cannot sense the air passing through his nose. Despite knowing he must remain quiet, Jean wants to crumble on the floor and yell his lungs out. The truth that reveals itself before him, sharp and stinging, penetrates his entire being, pulling him down to the pit of despair.

     As Jean slowly gains acceptance and understanding of the revelation, his breathing slows. Gradually, his heartbeat calms down, and his spine droops like a bent spring. Jean's eyebrows arch with surprise and worry, his handsome face wrinkled by disgust. However, he cannot do anything but accept the truth.

     With his eyes locked on the picture of Professor Lenszcen, Jean's ears perk up, catching the sudden squeak of a doorknob behind him. Surprised, Jean leaps on his toes and gasps, his eyes widening and his hair rising. Swiftly, he turns to face the office door and watches it swing open.

     Standing in the doorway is none other than Professor Lenszcen. As he opens the door, he immediately meets Jean's gaze, and the unexpected event prompts his eyes to widen. As Professor Lenszcen's eyes rove past Jean, he sees his invention displaying a picture of his face.

     Professor Lenszcen's world crashes, like a ship colliding with an iceberg head-on. He feels like crumbling to the floor as the air around him crushes him. His heartbeat races like a vicious eagle on a flight, and his jaw quivers with fear and apprehension.

     Knowing his secrets have finally stepped onto the light, Professor Lenszcen freezes in the doorway and stands still like a motionless statue. He contemplates the existence of everything surrounding him, wondering if he is in his waking life. He wants to shatter like a fallen glass, but all he can do is stare at his invention.

     As his brows arch with concern, Professor Lenszcen glances at Jean. Professor Lenszcen's eyes gleam with a silent plea, a call to remain silent. However, deep within his core, he feels like screaming, having all the desire to just sob like a wife weeping for her deceased husband.

"P-professor..."

"Jean..."

     Jean and Professor Lenszcen's eyes lock on each other, their gazes fixed intently on their pupils. Though they wish to move, they find their joints and nerves immobilized with trepidation. Staring deeply into each other's eyes, Jean and Professor Lenszcen's breaths hitch, caught in their throats.

     Knitting his brows together, Professor Lenszcen breaks free from the confines of his fear. With a puffed chest that can intimidate anyone, he approaches Jean. Meanwhile, frozen with apprehension, Jean remains in his position, wondering what could happen between him and the professor, whom he finally knew to be his biological father.