A scornful mother and her weeping son. That is the picture the Father would have used to describe the emotions displayed by the two staring off at each other.

The fireplace was lightly kindled to subdue the cold, and was small.

“How come you didn’t tell the others what happened?”

“I felt the need to exclude loss from their lives, for the time being at least.”

Effryn reacted quick and timidly, while Mother only responded to him in the calm, caring tone of a woman raising her child, like she always had.

“And how do you plan to tell them? Huh? They worshiped her, loved her, and you won’t tell them?!”

Anger rose as blood boiled within Effryn.

“So how do you propose to tell children their idol is gone?”

“It should come with a subtle explaining, so they can understand the concept of death.”

Effryn thought everyone deserves the right to know what happens to someone they know, although if it comes down to it, without details.

“I kindly disagree. This situation is similar to explaining to a child about their recently deceased mother. One moment, they’re there. The next, they never see them again, and are waving them off to the next life without a single understanding on what is happening.”

Mother gently brushed her words onto Effryn, with each syllable stabbing Effryn. It isn’t fair, Effryn thought, they should be told something…

A warm, gentle hand began to caress Effryn’s cheek.

“Effryn, dear, don’t worry about it. I’ll explain everything to them once they’re older. I already told the oldest Jaini and Leslo, and they took it pretty rough. But they promised to keep it in, no matter what.”

Mother's hand carefully swept away the tears slowly descending Effryn’s face. He didn’t know it at first while being filled with anger towards Mother, but somewhere in between, tears had been pouring as a downfall.

“I tried, I really did…”

She pulled Effryn towards her, allowing her to fully embrace her old child. She brushed his hair through with her fingers, easing the pain in her son.

“I know.”

“I did everything for her, and she did everything for me…

“I’m sure you both did.”

“I didn’t know what else to do then...she had to do it for me…”

“Sounds just like her.”

“And when I lost her, it was like a cursed mirrored perspective on my old life. I was alone when I came back, with no idea where I was…”

“Shhh. Rest now dear. You are only a child after all.”

Effryn couldn’t hold back anymore. Tears released as he held tightly to his Mother, and he accepted the embrace of her warmth.

“I… I loved her, Mother. No one else but her…”

“Be strong, Effryn. You have someone to look after still, don’t forget that.”

He knew there were people in the world who deeply cared about him-like Frael and Eizer. He knew it well. But it didn’t make dealing with the emptiness anymore bearable.

“Speaking of someone, there’s a brilliant little scientist who’s been waiting to see you here. You should see her.”

Mother rested Effryn upward, and wiped away any remaining wetworks.

“Y-yes ma’am.”

Thanks, momma. He thought, as he searched for the little scientist she mentioned before.

He dazed off at the passing children, each with contagious excitement.

Shouldn’t the kids be sleeping? It’s beyond past bedtime.

Usually, the Mother was heavily strict on curfew, and wanted each child sleeping by ten. The ones caught disobeying the curfew were usually punished to have cleaning duties for a month.

Yet now it seemed like the day and night cycle were merely just a myth, as the children’s laughter roared through the wooden seams.

Wait...did she know I would come back? Are the children supposed to be moral support?

Effryn wondered the possibility of Mother knowing he would make a return tonight, but felt it was more likely to be different cause. If not, then the intuition of a mother was a powerful, yet scary thing.

Thanks momma, but I have this set. I will bring back Evvryn-no matter what.

The door defending before Effryn was an old door, one he’d used many times. It’s only job was to keep things in, or out-depending on how a person were to use said door. But in this case, it was mostly used to keep pesky children out.

Attempting to open the door, the knob simply wouldn’t turn. It was locked.

Forgive me, Frael. It seems I may be one of those pesky children right now, but more advanced! I know how to get in.

Reaching into his pocket, Effryn pulled the ‘necessary item’ needed to bypass the door.

“Use skill ‘Breaking and Entering’!”

A short moment later, the door clicked, signifying it was unlocked.

Thanks credit card I found on the ground, and old door with old lock mechanism. I salute you both!

“Thief.”

For a second the ghost poked into existence, and made a quick jab towards Effryn.

“Screw you! Disappear already!”

A push of annoyance floated in Effryn, but he brushed it off, and prepared himself to enter. He lightly knocked twice to announce his presence.

“I’m coming in.”

Entering the room, Effryn saw pure darkness all around the room, except for a dimly light corner with what appeared to be a little girl slouching over the contours.

What is she… Effryn wondered the possibilities of his mind backfiring his vision, even accepting the theory for a second. But no matter how much he gazed at the spikey pearlescent girl, the candle flickered on and off as she quietly hummed a lullaby.

“E-excuse me, but what did you do to Frael?”

Effryn’s little brain gave no results to ideas on Fraels activities.

“Please leave Frael to her work. There is work needing to be finished.”

Did she not hear me right?

“Frael?”

Silence. She only tapped away at some object, and hummed away at an unfamiliar tune.

“Frae-”

“-You are still here? Frael clearly wished for you to leave, so please…”

While persisting him to leave, Frael turned around. Effryn could only describe her expression as a somber deadman, with bags under her eyes. But the moment they locked eyes, a glint flared in her iris. Her mouth gaped as if she had a million words to say, but not one left.

“E-E-E-E-Effryn! Are you really here?! Is Frael awake?! I-Err-Frael is...Uuuuuuuuu-”

Frael looked overloaded with emotions. She stumbled on her words until her brain went dead.

“Hey Frael. I’m sorry I haven’t visited in a while, but…”

“I-is that really you?!?! Effryn the mummy?!”

Remembering there were still cloth covering most of his body, Effryn shyly laughed it off.

“Yeah, even got quite the ouchie.”

“Oh...EFFY!!”

Frael leaped from her desolate corner into Effryn’s reach. He felt a heavy stream of water come down on his arms, but he ignored them.

“Gosh, you’ve grown a few inches.”

“E-Effy!”

The child he cared for ever since she arrived at the orphanage cried. But he understood. Effryn gave her his old headpats, as he hummed her an improv lullubi.

After a while of crying, Frael rested upon Effryn, while he merely kept watch of the candles flicker.

“Jeez Effy, you’re such a meanie to Frael! Why stay away from her for so long?”

“It’s not like I wanted to! I would never abandon you on purpose, I swear!”

Wanting his name cleared, Effryn attempted to convince her with headpats.

“Don’t think-Uuuuu-you can bribe me with-Uuuuu-petting!-Uuu-”

With each pat flickered a glimpse of Fraels wholesomeness, which was eating away Effryn’s insides.

Gahhh, how could I live without this blessing bestowed upon us from God as the redeeming human being?!

“Hey...Effy?”

Bringing back Effryn from his paradise regained, Frael spoke with a tone that was lowered, and she kept her head low.

“Frael still has questions, like where were you went, and where Evvy is. Mother wouldn’t say anything, assuring to her everything was alright. But Frael could see the stories in her eyes, telling me the opposite was true.”

“Frael I…”

Effryn wanted to say something to comfort her, but nothing came to mind. Only the young girl, whose strength was that to a flickering candle, was the only thing capturing his senses. Frael continued.

“And it hurt. It hurt not being told the truth. It hurt being herded to believing a different story. Momma never once told Frael something with that look in her eye before, so it made me realize it was something Mother thought Frael couldn’t hear. Or, didn’t want to hear.”

“Frael, what are you getting at?”

“Something happened, didn’t it?”

She caught on to the missing link. Mother never told her what happened, but Frael didn’t need it. She was always a bright girl, even for her age.

“Frael…”

Effryn knew it wouldn’t take her long to follow a path of clues to find out what really happened.

“Effy, let me ask one thing:Why didn’t Evvy come with you? Or put in another way, why would you leave Evvy all alone?”

And that’s exactly what made it harder for Effryn to say anything, leading her to find out the truth from pure deduction.

“Frael knows Effy. He’s kind and loving, yet you would always be attracted to Evvy wherever you go. Frael knows you always acted like a mess whenever you missed her, or she wasn’t around.”

Effryn didn’t bother coming up with anything. He remained silent, waiting for the inevitable mind of Frael to reach her conclusion. Until finally, she peaked.

“Effy didn’t come home without her, did he? That isn’t the issue. No, it’s more like Effy couldn’t come home with her.” Frael lifted her head, and looked at Effryn, huffing in the small amount of air a child her size could. Effryn could see a pained expression, but most of it was covered in a mask of exhaustion. “It’s impossible, afterall. Evvy’s gone, so there would be no way Effy could bring her home.”

Crystallization of tears began to form in the eyes, but Effryn wasn’t quite sure who’s it was.

“You’re too smart for your own good, you know that?”

Effryn wanted to scold her like a big brother, but with the raspy voice cracks, and constant sniffing, he made more a fool than an idol..

“Effy…”

“Frael…”

Effryn was sick of crying. It was the only one thing he exceeded in doing. No matter what the situation was, and if the conditions were right, he could cry to anything. And that’s why he was tired of the tears. That’s all he ever did.

He wanted to do something about something, rather than crying to something. Before there was no chance, but now… Now there was something he could do. Only him, for it required the power of the ghost to pull off.

“Don’t worry Frael, I got it under control! Just you wait, I’ll bring her back in no time!”

“Effy?”

Frael sounded confused, but Effryn didn’t blame her. Who would just right out believe in a fantasy tale, right?

“All I have to do is find some kid, make them do something, and the rest will sort itself out. I haven’t planned on what to do next, but I promise-”

“-Effy-”

“-that I’ll do something to bring her back. No matter what, if I just follow that ghost, then she’ll have to-”

“-Effy-?”

“-owe me a debt! The whole situation sounded serious enough, so I don’t doubt if I hurry this up, then Evvryn outta be back in no tim-”

“-EFFY!”

She screamed a piercing echo. One that reverberated throughout the entire orphanage multiple times.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

“What are you talking about?! Evvy’s gone; she’s dead!!”

Her words stung Effryn, but he let hope guide his words.

“Only for now she is. But once I get this done with, she’ll be back!”

“Dead is dead Effy! Freal is sure her corpse has decayed as well, so what would be the point then?!”

“I’m sure there’s a way around it, so don’t worry about that!”

Frael jumped up and angrily dug into the corner of the flickering candle. Her tiny body was shaking clearly with anger.

“Here!”

She lifted up a small headset device Effryn had seen only once in his lifetime. It was a virtual reality headset that fully worked, and he’d participated in a competition using them. Evvryn and him had won it as a prize for coming in first, but he’d been knocked unconscious before ever getting the chance to see it.

“You guys disappeared with no clues, so they had no one else to give it but to Eizer, and he decided to give it to me! And you know what, Frael wanted to do something special for you guys as a welcome home gift, so she worked day and night. Some days Frael worked on it without any naps, others she worked on it all day nonstop!”

She was crying even more now, with a strong pout expression Effryn had never seen before. She picked up the headset, and threw it at Effryn, lightly tapping his arm.

“Frael. I never meant to hurt you… I only want to support you in anyway possible.”

“Well just because your hurting doesn’t give you the right to infect Freal with it.”

…

Frael…

“Effy...can you please leave. I want to finish this up so I can finally work on something else.”

“Wait, Frael...?”

“Please Effy. Do it for me.”

Effryn had no other words. He stood lifelessly, and walked towards the door, before looking back at Freal. Her head was down, but he knew she was crying in her own way.

“I-”

-didn’t mean anything I said, yet I meant it till my death. I promise you Frael I’ll do it. Or that’s what he would have finished with. Yet Effryn’s mind prevented him from finishing, like it always had done when he was cornered.

“I’m sorry.”

Effryn mustered to whimper while looking at Frael, but no response came from her. She only remained silent in her corner with the flickering candle.

Why?

The hallway had always seemed long to Effryn, no matter how many times he went through.

Why wouldn’t you believe me?

But this time, it felt more unbearably time stretching than any other. Each step was a year, with each meter being a decade.

Frael-you’re only eleven! That’s it!

The wood croaked like the past, yet now each creek whined louder than the last.

You’re too young to understand anything! Haha, that explains it!

It made sense after all. The only thing making sense. Young. The young were indefinitely ignorant. They’re just misguided children who need to be reprimanded after any mistakes, allowing them to be shaped into societies lambs.

Of course, Effryn began understanding. lambs lose their way every once in a while. I should understand her, yet…

The creeks, the distance, the herding followers-were all ringing in his mind.

-why doesn’t she understand me? I have the key, so why not use it? Think about it in my shoes Frael, how do you think I feel? Hurt, lost, angry, sad, pissed, empty, yet of all these, I’m still me…

Eyes. They were everywhere. On his back, sides, face, watching his every move. He concluded they had to be with the broken sound of the floors, mixed in with the overextended hallway, with a touch of all the children not following orders down to the letter. He wanted to see them all, and control them. Then, maybe then, he could have things go more his way. Maybe he could get use out of the promised child, and use her soul to bring Evvryn back. He could sacrifice her for her sake. A useless brat for the world, it was brilliantly-

“Uh, Effryn? You doing okay…?”

A young boy asked. Effryn thought he knew him, yet now he couldn’t remember his name. Effryn racked his brain for a name, but only one name came to mind.

“A-are you the seed?! If you are, I need you to do something. I-I may not know exactly what, but do it! Please!”

Desperation came over Effryn as he fell to the floor, holding the child’s shirt with a tight grip.

“Effryn...your face. It’s like a nightmare, but even scarier…”

The wood croaked louder than ever, Effryn felt more distant to himself, and the seed was disobeying. At least, that’s what Effryn first thought. But the look on his face said far more than words ever could express fear.

“H-hey now… I’m sorry Gale.”

I’m still me...right?

Remembering Gales name, Effryn apologized and released his grip.

“Tell Mother and Frael I’m sorry.”

Effryn stood. He walked down the hallway once more, yet everything seemed to have calmed down outside. The wood was quieter, he reached the door in a matter of seconds, and he obeyed willingly. Everywhere was peaceful. Everywhere, except his mind.

“Wait, Effryn? Tell them sorry for what? I think you should tell them yourself if you really mean it!”

One disobeyed, but Effryn’s mind didn’t care. It only wanted to leave the home, and escape from everything.

Effryn opened the door to reveal the void of night being engulfed by the birthing sun. A bit of light bathed Effryn, yet none fully reached him.

He turned back to face Gale, who was trembling from everything happening. Effryn noticed a few heads poking from the corners, so he decided to use them as extra messengers.

“Sorry, but I’m not strong enough. Just tell them I’m sorry, especially to Frael.” Effryn tried his best to make a smile to comfort the children, and assure them everything would be alright, but he was sure a pained expression expressed itself too.

“Effr-?”

Gale spoke to break through Effryn, but trailed off as Effryn neared the door, slumping his way. He felt bad for the kid, he only wanted to help after all. But he couldn’t stand being there another moment.

“I’m heading out.” He whispered to himself, saying the lines Evvryn and him would always use when going to school. “So I’ll be home real soon.”

The sunlight had stretched to more than just the sky, reaching the buildings and people, who were now moving around in full momentum. He knew it was morning, just not the exact time. Although time was slowly losing meaning to Effryn, so why bother?

“Where are you traveling to?”

The voice of the ghost sounded in his mind. He had been walking for a while now, so the ghost had to wonder if there was another destination in mind.

“Place.”

Effryn answered back with an empty response. His mind was fried, not knowing what to do at this point.

“I was unaware you kept other destinations. Does this next one have an area for rest?”

“Yeah.”

He only knew of one other place to go. It was his last somewhere he’d gone to only a few times, and was perhaps the most reasonable place to go.

“The sky.”

The ghost was silent for a while, probably thinking about what he meant.

“You don’t mean to kill yourself, do you?”

“Kill...myself?”

Effryn hadn’t thought about it, but what if instead of trying so hard…

“-I could join her?”

...he could shortcut his way to the end without having to go through the pain. Sure, there was a chance he could bring her back, but if he would have thought of the option to join her sooner, he could have made a much quicker decision.

“No, you have yet to complete your object. Please, at least remain alive until the seed has completed its duty.”

“I don’t have to listen to you! I’m in control, not you!”

The crowd stopped their busy chatter to stare at Effryn. Whispers arose, while each one around looked at Effryn.

“What are you all looking at!”

The whispers died, making the area around him dead silent with a fury of glares. Then, a few spoke out criticizing him.

“Who does this kid think he is?!”

“He looks so dirty.”

“Why are you covered up?”

“Hey kid, do ya live in the sewers, cause you be looking like a full-on mole rat.”

The crowd erupted in laughter. Less concern for Effryn was said, and more jokes came instead. The laughing was all he could hear, filling his mind with nothing but hate.

“Shut up, all of you!” he yelled, hiding his face with his hood.

“Go back home!”

“Yeah, go to your parents run-away!”

Effryn felt a part of him snap, like a nerve being curb stomp on repeat.

“Shut the hell up! Do any of you know what I’ve been through?! I keep taking shit from everybody for no reason?!” Effryn pressed on the people who were laughing, and they stepped back, keeping their distance from what they thought as a crazed boy. “I have to deal with the ghost, then fight with one of the people I love most, and finally deal with waste of space like you!!”

His felt his pulse skyrocketing with anger. Effryn watched their eyes, each one

was a different color and shape, but they all told the same story. Stay away from him, they told.

The crowd kept their silence and walked on, to which Effryn thought they would go on their day until meeting up with their friends, and would tell the crazy incident on their way to work.

Whatever. I’ll figure things out when I get there.

Effryn continued on, on focusing on getting to his destination. .

“Humans...why gang up on you in such manner?”

“Must be nice to come and go when you want.”

Ignoring its questions, Effryn pressed on with his own.

“I’m dying to ask ghost: What do you think of humans?”

“Based on analysis of known data, humans are the lowest intelligent forces of life.” Its response was unusually quick, with a lower tone of voice than usual.

“That’s a bit rough, but we’re top of the chain. How are we the lowest?”

“No matter what occurrence may befall on humanity, death never fully follows.“

“Eh...your not making sense, but it doesn’t matter. I was just wondering. It ends here, after all.”

Effryn stopped, looking up to see a towering skyscraper still in construction. It was a place he and Eizer would often use as a chill spot to rest for hours upon end, and just talk about life.

My last home…

“Human, do you fully intend to end your life here?”

“I do.”

Effryn felt fully prepared to die. To let go everything hurting. Especially his head.

“Human, or Effryn, you still have a task needing to be finished here, do you not?”

“I lost interest in living.”

“For a few minor inconvenience, you would accept ending your life? What about our deal? Your agreement was to-”

“-Find someone else. I’m too tired to do anything.” Walking past the unfinished doors Effryn looked for the staircase. Effryn saw everything still in place, as if no work was done to complete the building. But he forgot instantly from lack of interest. “I’m too tired.”

“This is highly insensitive and selfish. You were talking with the seed, yet you give up when she erupts with anger at you? It seems you were the wrong choice in the end. And this ‘Evvryn’ human, she is that important to you? Even if she was, she’s only one human. How can one human mean so muc-”

“-HOW WOULD YOU KNOW?!?! SHE MEANT THE WORLD TO ME!!” Effryn shouted enough to crush his lungs, expressing his resentment towards the ghost. “I ONLY DID THIS FOR HER!!”

His breath was heavy, taking up every bit of his voice to scream at the non existent being around him. Since there was no physical ghost around him, Effryn looked around frantically at every angle possible to show his anger.

“You need to calm down boy. If you’re not silent, peo-”

“-I DON’T CARE ABOUT NOT HAVING TO HEAR YOU!”

Before getting a chance to finish, Effryn shut the ghost down. There was a hint of importance in her words, but Effryn wanted no more of her. He only wanted to see what life was like on the other side.

“Curse you boy, things are going to get costly if you don’t lea-”

The ghost cut out, as if Effryn was on a phone call before losing service. Then, the empty lobby erupted with a shout…

“Who the hells making so much racket?!”

Another voice went along with the first, different from the first being female.

“I think someone’s dying down th’are!”

Effryn saw a flashlight shiver on from up the stairs, slowly descending downwards. The ghost called this situation ‘costly,’ but it wasn’t much of a difference to him either way. If it meant he left, he would be content.

“Hello? Is anyone here…”

A younger man, maybe in his twenties, held a small flashlight, and shine its light to reveal Effryn. He was baggy, with ragged stretched clothes, yet he was still pretty young and looked as if he could look nice if he tried to. Effryn wondered why such a person would look like a mess, and be in such a place to begin with, but he lost he lost interest rather quick.

“Jakob, did ya getcher ass stabbed or wha…”

Next, a young girl in somewhat the same clothes followed down to investigate the noise, only to see Effryn. She held ‘Jakobs’ arm around her chest, as if she were gesturing fear.

Are they a couple…?

The two stared at Effryn, paused and looked in each other, before returning back to Effryn. Finally, Jakob broke the silence.

“So uhh...is there something we can do for you?”

Jakob spoke in ernest, while the girl spoke in an unrefined southern accent.

“What in the bucket hells are you wearing? You like a goddamn serial killer!”

“Eh?” Wondering what was so bad about the way he dressed, Effryn lifted his sleeve. It can’t be bad, it’s just my normal… It was then, he realized he looked like a reincarnation of Jack the ripper.

“‘Eh’ is more like ‘gah, your gonna die!” to me!” Bursting out in a southern laughter, she squeezed Jakobs arm.

“Hey Liz? If you don’t let go, your sure to kill my arm.”

“Aww, fine. But only because I need your arm!” With a pouty puppy eye face, she obliged while immediately reviving her previous happy demeanor.

“So anyways, who were you yelling at?”

“Yeah, you was acting death all right.”

Effryn heard the questions, but only stared at the two, who returned a questioning gaze.

“It must be nice having someone you love still standing with you.”

“What?”

“To be with her; would you do anything?”

Liz drew closer to Jakob, and whispered in his ear. They talked among themselves as Effryn could only watch. But his patience was burning out.

“I don’t care about this. I just want to reach the roof.”

Effryn walked, only looking at the floor. There was no reason to look in the eye of people he just met, even more since he had an end goal in sight.

“Sorry,” Jakob stood before Effryn, placing his arms out to stop him from going any further up. “But we live up there, and we rather not have someone like yourself visit.”

“Live here…?”

There was nothing but a few excess materials and given up buildings here. If they lived here, it would mean they technically were...

“Yep, we’re homeless! But as long as my sweet Jak’s here by my, then I know life would be breezy!”

Liz wrapped herself around Jakob more ferocious than before, and seemed to suck his life out more. But Jakob didn’t do anything. He accepted her embrace, even if he suffocated through it.

“Hey now, don’t give us the down look. We’re happy, so what’s to complain?”

“I wish I were like you two…”

Keeping his face down, Effryn wanted to be just keep moving and ignore his thoughts. But they only swarmed his mind more.

What if me and Evvryn were like this, would we be happy? What if I took that bullet for her, would she be here? Would she be a screw up like me here?

Would she love m-

-!

Effryns had no idea what happened to him; only that he was on the ground, and his face stung like crazy.

“Do you know the sacrifices we’ve made just to be with each other?!”

“Jakob, did you have to sock him?”

“Do you?!?!”

Effryn had no clue what just happened. His mind was for a moment thinking about Evvryn, then next he…

“I-I…”

“We lost our homes because our parents hated the idea of us being with each other!” Without realizing it, Jakob was in Effryns face yelling. “Mine thought Liz was too distasteful for our family standards, and hers thought we were to high class for one another!”

“I didn’t mean it like-”

“-Like what?! We abandoned homes to be with each other. We lost our families, our possessions, our lifestyles just to be with each other! Are you saying you would go through the pain we went through just for the idea of love?!”

Jakob grabbed Effryn by his shirt, and raised a fist. The look in his eye had a flare of hatred ignited.

“Jakob.”

The calming voice Liz brought his sense back, extinguishing the flare in his eye. Effryn fell down as his shirt was no longer being held, and saw Liz holding Jakob from behind.

“Calm down, Jak. I outta know how much your sister means to you, but I’m positive she’s fine.”

She caressed his hair, while softly whispering in his ear. She meant to calm him down, and she was doing just that.

“She’ll be alright, she’s was becoming a strong girl more and more each day.”

She went on and on behind Jakob, doing her best to calm him. Tears eventually rolled down his eyes, but she lightly swiped them off.

After a while, Liz picked her head and smiled at Effryn. “Sorry for that. And here, for our troubles.” She reached somewhere and showed a small brownie.

Effryn didn’t know how to respond with this gift, but she insisted he take it.

“T-thank you. And I’m sorry.”

Apologizing for the awkwardness he brought, he gobbled down the gift from Liz.

“Heh, its tangy.” He tried to force a smile to hide the sour taste from the brownie, but the laughter from liz told him he failed.

From below Liz, Jakob peered up at Effryn. “He ate it?”

“Yep!”

Effryn felt like he was being left out on something. He wondered what it was, but the taste was too sour for him to say anything.

How old was that?! But it wasn’t stale…

“What did you put in?”

“Bout five Xans plus a few others!”

“Oh man, you really show no compassion.”

“Hehe!”

Effryn slumped to the ground, holding his fingers over his eyes. He tired to keep the drowsiness away, and to keep from his eyelids from being forced to shut. But a sleepy rush completely over filled his body, slowly forcing parts of himself to stop moving and sleep.

“Sorry about this whoever you are, but I recommend you not make my Jak cry next time!”

“Uh, you gave him a little too much for there to be a next time…”

He could still understand voices, but when he tried looking at the source, nothing moved. Or wait, all he saw was dark, so what was the point in looking?

“You think he’s gonna die?”

“I don’t doubt it!”

“We should move.”

“Already on it!”

The voices shifted off, as did everything else. Effryn was scared of this feeling taking over, like a pool of emptiness being suppressed by gallons of numbness.

But after a while, he began to like it. It reminded him of the medicine Doctor Zylar had given to him-they both made Effryn think less, if only a fraction. But any help was appreciated.

But that didn’t matter to him. He heard from Liz he was sure to die. He thought he should feel scared, but why bother? He was about to off himself anyways, so might as well take this in a positive light. It felt like a much more calmer way of dying than jumping off, so he was ok with this outcome more.

Hey...maybe I can be useful in my next life…

The last thought of Effryn rang in his ears, before everything went completely numb.