"What's wrong?" Bell asked after I clutched my head between my hands.

What's wrong? I too, want to know that.

"Nothing." I said between my teeth.

Breath in.

A searing pain hammered my head with each pulse my heart made. I focused on my breath was rugged, taking deep and slow heaves, trying to regulate it.

What the fuck happened?

What did the drugs do to me?

My gift did activate. I know it activated, but it was briskly shut down. What the fuck did it do to me?

Something like that isn't supposed to happen. Either the drugs would have an effect on my ability, a positive one, or it won't. Those were my guesses after inquiring as much as I could from Zane and Bell.

I know it had side effects, but shutting down my ability...

Did they lie...

I looked through my fingers at the woman sitting across from me. Her brows creased and the hint of curiosity was still present in her eyes as they focused on me.

Improbable, but I can't rule it out.

I can't think of any reason why would they deceive me. It's counterproductive and irrational. The only semblance of a basis I can think of would be jealousy. I have a superpower and they don't, it's enough incentive for an immature person to act on it.

But it doesn't fit.

I might not have a full grasp on the team members' characters, but none of them strike me as immature or ignorant enough to be susceptible to jealousy. Granted Eric isn't an exemplary person with emotional maturity but quite frankly nothing he did until now is out of a sense. Besides he was the first to be against the team proposing the drug.

Nevertheless, not being able to come up with a reason for them to deceive me, in no way proves they didn't. It just proves my ignorance.

In the end, it all boils down to knowing and not knowing.

My breath steadied down and I readied myself to try once more. Be it the drug having a serious negative effect on my gift or this team's schemes, I need to first asses the damage.

Besides, if they have indeed done something, I should be more careful than ever. Accusing them or voicing any suspicion even with valid proof is foolish.

I steeled myself and with a long breath, I pushed once more. All the emotions, distress, anger, and anxiety were driven down.

Click.

I heard the click announcing the activation but... nothing.

Nothing at all, the metallic click was heard inside my head but that's it. No blue light, no cooling feel, and no progress bar or data showing up. It's just a click.

This is bad.

I could feel a knot forming in my stomach as I tried once more. Deep breath, teeth gritted, and...

Click.

Nothing.

Click.

Nothing.

Click.

Nothing.

Click.

Nothing.

It's like turning on a light switch when the light bulb is dead.

This is fucking the...

The realization settled.

My only asset in this fucking world is broken.

I felt a hand gently squeeze my left shoulder "Hey Dumdum, take it easy yo-"

"Don't touch me!" I flung her hand away with my left, ignoring the pain radiating from my back. I looked at her with undisguised anger in my eyes.

"Easy!" Taking a step back, she raised both arms with open palms she said with a harmless smile "just trying to help."

I sighed, attempting to keep my emotions in check. I panicked too quickly and made such an amateur mistake that could have worsened my situation even more.

"It's alright, I'm fine," I shook my head slowly and displayed a regretful smile, "I think the drug doesn't work on my gift."

"Oh, so you don't need to shoot to test if it works on your precise shooting, huh?"

I snapped my head at her, the smile dropped from my face replaced by a cold intimidating look. I noticed her flinching a little before I opened my mouth, "I need some time alone," I gazed briefly at the door "if you would."

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

We stared at each other for a moment, before she ceded. Nodding with a sigh, she walked to the door "I will be at the canteen or my room, find me if you want to talk."

"Mm-hmm."

Hearing the doors closing I let out a long breath as I buried myself on the couch. The injury on my back did sting but it's tolerable. Then I placed my feet on the table beside the chess set.

I looked at the ceiling, my thought replaying what happened in the last three minutes.

That is supposed to be an oversaturated energy drink, it should not have such a drastic effect on my gift. If it is indeed what they say it is, it's highly unlikely for it to break my gift.

And...

Why do I feel like I am missing something? It's there, I can feel it, a grating feeling at the back of my mind. Like when you are searching for the pen that is right in front of you.

Irritating.

I sighed, my thoughts were not all in one place.

What should I do now?... I need to calm down first and...

Keep it a secret.

They should never discover I lost my ability. In the first place, they allowed me to come along only because I'm an ability user. I can but don't want to imagine their reaction and what they will do when they learn I am not a valuable burden anymore but merely a burden.

"Who is down for some fun?!" I opened my eyes, when did I close them? I turned my head to the door. Zane with two glass bottles, one in each hand. The ever-present smile is still on his mug as he raised the bottle high.

He looked around the room, "What? Ms. Mira not here?"

"... mm-hmm."

"It's just us men then." He shrugged and walked in, to sit right beside me, he put one bottle on the table before he started removing the cork of the other glass bottle with a corkscrew "this my friend is the secret to happiness." he said at my inquiring gaze.

The words of every drunkard.

"Alcohol?"

"Not just any alcohol," he shook his head "this one was made of sincerity, devotion, and love of one single, unique person with the pure intention of the night... I had to exert some effort to obtain it."

I narrowed my eyes "You stole it?

"Woah! that is a strong word, my friend. I uh... borrowed it."

"That isn't how it works," I smiled faintly "you can't borrow a consumable."

Technically you can, but not in the sense he meant.

"If so then," he mulled for a brief moment before he grabbed the glass bottle on the table and handed it over to me "I must make sure you won't snitch on me."

Oh, I see. You believe that turning me into an accomplice I won't talk.

"I don't drink."

It's true. Alcohol removes the hold and restraints I have on myself. For some, it is that very reason why they drink, yet for me losing my control is awful. Who knows what I would say or do with the alcohol's influence?

Hence why I was quite surprised that despite my words and thoughts my left hand moved on its own and gasped at the neck of the dark green bottle.

"Fret not," he winked, "As long as you don't talk I won't either."

Wherever. I will take it as an opportunity to get some information.

I pondered before I extended the bottle's finish in his direction. To which then he removed the crock before storing his small corkscrew in his pocket.

"Cheers!"

"... cheers."

He knocked his glass bottle against mine before he start gobbling. I brought the glass bottle to my mouth and took a preparatory sip. It's a bit sour but mostly sweet. I'm not a connoisseur of alcoholic beverages but this indeed tastes wonderful.

And so a drinking night started right when I needed it... I will never admit that, however.

Though, I didn't forget the actual reason why I'm breaking my rule to never drink, minutes after I lost the only advantage I have in this world. I attempted to pry any useful information from Zane while not giving any myself. And the keyword here is useful. Because wherever is coming out of his mouth is more bullshit than anything close to that keyword.

Nevertheless, I did learn and most parts confirmed some relatively useful ones. The Great Disconnection for instance one such piece of information that I was merely given the name of. I speculate it had something to do with communication and electricity. I was half right on that.

From, what Zane implied, the Great Disconnection is the day every form of communication was cut. And that happened all over the world not just in the Solonoy Empire. A bit late but I finally got the name of the country we are in.

The Great Disconnection though wouldn't be so great if it was a question of clipped cables. Cellphones, radio, internet, no form of communication work anymore. Had it been merely the internet and the cell phones it would be attributed to issues with satellites or antennas. Yet radio transmission and reception aren't working either.

I was astounded. A world without instant communication is a chaotic world. And no discussing that, it's a fact. Even if you don't count the superpower users and the monsters. Instant communication is an indispensable requirement for the modern world.

"... Solonoy, Solonoy," Zane laughed, a hint of bitterness hidden in it "the name of our great empire... it was a spunky place to grow in."

"Was?" I raised an eyebrow.

He gave me a long look, his smile dropped "you are lucky, Victor," he took a sip from his bottle, "ignorance is bliss... may be not so bad after all. The excuse they love to use for keeping remote places like your village in the dark. What do you think, were they right? Were they... wrong?"

I took a sip from my glass bottle to cull the frustration of having my question dodged "I don't know," I would need more context to answer such a question if answering was a necessity in the first place. But from my experience, the cliche question of right and wrong usually revolves around one's own perspective.

"What about you?" so I send it back to him "do you think they are in the right or in the wrong?"

"I... I don't know what to think anymore," he drank more, "not after the gods opened the gate."

"What gate?"

"The gate for people to own more than they are allowed."

"The blessing?"

"A blessing?" he laughed "they call it a blessing," his voice dripped down "but a curse for the world."

"There are monsters out there," I said after another sip, I frowned once I noticed half of the bottle was gone "people need the blessing to fight back."

"Yeah, perhaps... it's just that some are blind and can't differentiate."

"Mm-hmm," I rested my head on the couch.

"... the things like the Night of Castille end up happening."

"Night of Castille?" I'm starting to feel like a parrot.

He laughed again "they might really be right, ignorance is a bliss."

He didn't say anything after that. Seconds turned to minutes, and at some point, I thought he passed out. However after what I perceived to be ten minutes or is it thirty? He echoed "Solonoy, Solonoy," with bitterness and anger in his voice "that is all there is to it... a name and people who live in denial."

"... are you one of them," I asked unconsciously as my gaze unfocused on the ceiling.

"Maybe, I don't know... but it's our doings, we did this to ourselves."

"You did nothing wrong, it's the monsters," Come to think of it, I didn't ask where they come from, I thought as I closed my eyes.

"Who knows... really, the Welvians aren't faring too well either, though they are way better than... our shattered country."

"Mm-hmm,"

Silence reigned the room. I waited for him to speak more, and waited. The wait prolonged before long I felt my consciousness fading slowly. Sleep is calling for me. Strange how it works, I just woke up after two days of sleep but I still want to sleep. A part of me wants to resist but I didn't, and let the sleep take me away since my drinking partner didn't talk he is probably asleep too.

No matter, I did glean important information on this world, information that I will process calmly tomorrow. And who knows, I might be able to get more information from this first friend of this world later on.

No, I didn't.

That was the last time I talked with him.

When I awoke, I was alone in a world of red.