Drettonus(English Version)

2. World of Nightmares

    Right after eating his meal, Vektor dresses up in casual clothes then leaves his house to visit Sych, his best friend since childhood. All he decides to take with him is an old cell phone, used for emergencies or important calls that Vektor might receive while walking.

    After about 20 minutes of walking, Vektor receives a call from his mother:

   "Hello, Vektor?"

   "Hello, mom, what's wrong?"

   "You still haven't found Sych, right?"

   "Yes, why the question?"

   "If that's the case, make sure to get back here now."

   "Hm? Did something happen?"

   "Looks like there's been an incident in the building where he lives."

   "An incident? What do you mean?"

   "It's nothing to worry about. From what I've heard, everyone in the building is evacuating safely. So just turn around and come back home."

   "If you say so... Okay, I'll be home soon."

    Vektor ends the call and decides to return home, a little uneasy about the situation:

   "(Damn, things must be complicated for Sych and his father... Hope they're okay. Well, Sych is tough, he must be safe. But still, I hope it all sorts out later...)"

    On his way home, he passes around a commercial department, where televisions are broadcasting the local news. On the news, the building where Sych lives is shown on the brink of collapse. This catches Vektor's attention, and then he decides to stop and watch the news for a moment.

    According to the news, there was an explosion in the building's power generator, which was located underground. As a result, the structure of the building became unstable and the entire building began to collapse. Fortunately, all the residents seem to have escaped the building in time, which makes Vektor feel relief, even though he feels bad at the reminder that everything inside Sych's apartment will be lost.

    However, the exact moment Vektor is ready to continue walking home, local reporters show that there is a young man asking for help from inside one of the apartments. When looking at the screens, Vektor has his mind controlled by despair. The one in danger is, without any doubt...

   "...Sych!!"

    Instinctively, Vektor starts running towards the building. As the minutes pass, Vektor sinks into the confusion of his mind as his hope slightly fades out:

   "Why is Sych the only one in there?! Couldn't he have used his power to get out of there?! No, it's not the time to think about this! I saw it with my own eyes! But what if he made it out in time after asking for help...? No, if that were the case, he would have told my mother. But didn't she said everything was okay? No, maybe she just watched the news like I did..."

    Lost in his thoughts, Vektor despairs as he wonders why he's trying to do something while his legs are growing numb and aching:

   "But still, even if I get there in time, what can I do?! I can't control my power well enough to use it...! I'm not able to do anything! Damn it... What should I do?!"

    Without ceasing to move his legs, Vektor empties his mind the moment he finds himself a few meters away from the still-standing building. A spark of hope ignites in his soul which, fueled by the accumulated despair, causes his body to literally burst into flames, as a temporary awakening of his Etykiran power.