Chapter 13: A little bit understanding of himself
– Nero, my son, you must survive at all costs.
– Even if the odds are one in a hundred, one in a thousand, you must never stop striving to survive, Nero.
– It may seem foolish, meaningless, but giving up on life is something that must never happen.
– You can live. You must believe without a doubt that you can survive, Nero.
Orphelia Adams
°°°
Nero woke up the next morning after dreaming of his late mother. Her loving touch and the many pieces of advice she had given him filled his mind. She was the only one who truly loved him; if it weren’t for her, he would have died a long time ago. Thinking about her words, his will never wavered. It was because of her that he never hated his own existence.
Shaking his head to clear his mind, he focused on his current state and couldn’t help but frown.
"I never thought I’d end up in this state after using my eyes’ ability on myself," he mumbled before moving into the bathroom to clean his bloodied clothes and then taking a long, refreshing bath.
Thirty minutes later, he was dressed in another set of clothes. He did not immediately go downstairs to eat breakfast; first, he needed to understand what exactly had happened to him last night.
Sitting in silence, he recalled everything that had transpired, from the moment he used his eyes’ ability on himself through the mirror to the discovery of the world beyond the tangled lines—the nine stars sealed by black chains—and lastly, the vortex nestled where his core should have been, if he ever had one.
Grouping those elements together, he began to draw a complete picture.