The door leading inside the room slowly creaked open. The sunlight shone through the window, revealing a young, dashing man stepping inside the room. Mires(Libertas) eyes instantly widened in shock! How could this be?

The man had fair skin and under the sunlight, his hair shined gold-like. His casual clothing fluttered with each of his steps inside. Seeing Mires(Libertas) awake, he chuckled delight as he caringly said, "You are pretty early awake. Don't you still want to sleep for a while longer?"

Awaken by his words, Mires(Libertas) gazed with hopeful eyes at the man he once admired. Involuntarily, his eyes watered up. However, as the man walked towards him, he stepped back in fear. The image of how this man repeatedly stabbed through him flashed by in Mires'(Libertas) head.

The man froze as he noticed Mires(Libertas) trembling. Sighing, he took a step back before he soothingly said, "I am sorry. Did something happen? Can I help you with something? Everything is fine. I am here. I will help you. You can tell me anything you want."

The man paused for a second before continued, "However, if you don't want to tell, then it's fine. You don't have to tell me anything. You can tell me whenever you feel now is the right moment. I will be there for you. Call me if you need anything from me."

Another image flashed in his head. He was alone in the kitchen while shoving convenience food down his throat. Involuntarily, he began to cry. Despite knowing that everything had only happened in his 'dream', his heart still did whatever it wanted.

Just as the man wanted to step out of the room, he heard Mires(Libertas) crying. Startled, he turned around before he ran towards Mires(Libertas). Embracing him, he patted at his back. Following, he spoke soothingly, "Everything will be fine. Everything is now fine. You don't have to fear anything. I am here."

Under the soothing pats Mires(Libertas) gradually calmed down. Should he tell the man about that dream? After hesitating for a moment, he shook his head, declining the idea. Soon his eyelids grew heavier, and he fell exhausted asleep. The man gently smiled as he continued to pat for a while longer. Subsequently, he lifted Mires(Libertas) and carried him back to the bed.

Looking at the rising sun, he still quickly let the jalousie down before he swiftly left the room. Time quietly passed. The sun rose high, sending burning rays down at the earth. However, none of them hit Mires(Libertas) due to the jalousie in their way.

Although the jalousie threw cooling shades at Mires(Libertas), he still moved unwell around on the bed. It seemed like he had a bad nightmare….

….

….It was dark in Mires(Libertas) dream. Someone walked in the distance, away from him. Frowning, he looked at the person. Surprisingly, it was Igor. Delighted, he shouted after him, but Igor ignored him. After Mires(Libertas) yelled again, Igor turned around and asked, "Who are you?"

Stunned, Mires(Libertas) replied puzzled, "Libertas. Anyway, where are you going?"

Igor shook his head as he retorted, "No. YOU aren't His Excellency. YOU are Mires and not Libertas."

After Igor said that, he turned around and walked away. Then Caesar appeared out of thin air. Following him, Judas, Petro, the monkey-brothers, the founder, Marcus, Maria and a lot more emerged one by one out of nothing, surrounding him. However, every single one of them had their backs directed at Mires(Libertas).

Whenever Mires(Libertas) looked at them, they began slowly walking away. It didn't matter how fast or where he ran to, he could never reach anyone. Despairing, he stood still on the spot. Resigning, his head drooped low. In the end, he was alone, again.

However, at this moment, a light appeared in front of him. Just as hope resurfaced in Mires'(Libertas) eyes, he saw his bullies inside the light. With dimmed eyes, he began to chuckle, laughing hysterical to himself.

Suddenly, someone patted on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw the teacher, his stepfather. With a bright smile, he chased the bullies away. After the bullies disappeared, a woman walked beside the teacher.

At this moment, everything had changed. The gentle teacher took out a knife and repeatedly stabbed through him. The woman looked silently down at him. Mires(Libertas) laughed hysterical, despairing as countless holes formed on his body.

A sword appeared, and it instantly slashed across the throat of the teacher and the woman beside him. Six heads fell to the ground. Seeing them, Mires(Libertas) broke out in an even louder hysterical laughing….

….

….Either he killed, or others would kill him. That is such a cruel world… our world….

….

….Mires(Libertas) wrinkled his nose as he smelled something delicious in the air. Groaning, Mires(Libertas) slowly opened his eyes. Dazed, he raised his hand in front of his face, looking at it. Then he muttered, "Why did dream from the dream I had?"

After shaking his head, he sighed softly. Standing up, he stretched his body before he quickly changed his clothes. Subsequently, he opened the door and took in another deep breath, relishing on the savoury smell in the air.

Shortly afterwards, he peeked into the kitchen. The man had just laid two filled plates on the table before he finally saw Mires(Libertas). He chuckled a little whenever Mires(Libertas) peeked inside the room. Smiling, he waved his hand at Mires(Libertas). Then he said, "What are you standing there for? You don't have to be shy. We are a family now. Come in. Lunch is ready. We can eat now."

Nodding, Mires(Libertas) entered the room. Sitting down on a chair, he then spoke, "Mr Wilson, why did you adopt me? And please don't say that Chinese saying again. Nowadays, no one will act like that."

Mr Wilson first began to eat as he hesitated to answer the question. Sighing, he replied gently, "Although teachers nowadays aren't well respected like in the ancient times of China, nevertheless, I still like the saying: 'One day a teacher, for a life a father'. However, you are indeed right. I didn't adopt you because of that saying."

He paused for a moment to eat another bite from his plate. Then he continued to speak, "I adopted you because of my regret. I regretted not to have acted earlier. We knew that they still bullied you. However, you ceased to complain about it after some time has passed. Hence, we threw it to the backs of our mind and didn't care about it any longer. Then I heard about your situation at home."

With a guilty gaze, Mr Wilson looked up. He saw a shocked and stunned expression on Mires'(Libertas) face. Then guilty, he said in a hoarse voice, "I am sorry. I really should have acted earlier."

His gaze wandered back to the plate as he laid the cutlery back on the table. His hunger had vanished. Pleadingly, he asked, "Anyway, I adopted you because I wish to make it up to you. Will you at least give me that chance?"

Mires(Libertas) looked dumbfounded at the man. Why did this talk feel like a deja-vu? Did he have a similar conversation in the past? No! Where then? While he thought about that, he replied to Mr Wilson, "It is fine…."

Suddenly Mires(Libertas) remembered, where he already had this conversation. Oddly enough, it has already happened once in his dream. Then was that dream truly only a simple dream?

Frowning, he opened his mouth. At the same, time a thought flashed in his mind, 'Maybe it wasn't a dream. Maybe I have travelled back in time. Then does that mean that Mr Wilson had indeed killed me? And I too have cruelly killed?'

With that realization, Libertas' mind froze. However, his body continued to act on its own. Hence, he smiled weakly before he involuntarily spoke the same words he once had in his 'dream', "Mr Wilson, thank you. You have done enough. After all, I don't have to suffer at home any longer, right?"

Sighing, Mr Wilson looked at Libertas with pitying eyes as he retorted, "No! You don't have to suffer at school too. I have applied a school change for you. From today onwards you will go to another school."

Libertas silently nodded before he resumed to eat. While his appearance seemed calm, his mist just broke once more apart. That had happened in his 'dream' too. Now, he was almost sure that his 'dream' had really happened.

Listlessly, he observed how his body acted on its own. It spoke, it laughed, all on its own. Strangely, it acted exactly in the same way, he had done in his dream. Moreover, the time seemed to pass even faster than usual. It was like as if he was watching a show several times of its typical pace.

Furthermore, despite that he felt every touch and emotion his body goes through, it still felt very far away. It felt like as if he missed a single step to regain control over his own body, but somehow he could never cross that single step.

The day passed, and soon his body finally went to the new school. Then he entered his new class and met there with his new classmates. Despite that Libertas inwardly despaired as he saw the familiar faces, here again, his body acted, like usual, as he had done in his 'dream'.

Although he still called it a 'dream', he already knew by now, that so-called 'dream' was in truth not a dream, but something… real! Everything had really happened.

Mr Wilson had truly killed him, and likewise, he too had cruelly killed.