Caren opened his eyes and yawned.
He stood up, walked toward the mirror, and looked at his reflection.
He let out a sigh.
It wasn’t a dream.
He wasn’t in that desert anymore.
Caren walked toward the door and opened it.
Then he walked out.
In front of him was another door, and there were more when he looked around.
All of them belonged to other Upside Downers.
Caren looked at his hands.
He still didn’t know how to use his Chosen Abilities, and that was a big problem.
He had tried many things.
Shouting, moving his hands in the air, and…
but none of them worked at all.
Caren started walking, passed all the doors, and reached a large one.
When he opened it, he found himself in a big room filled with other Upside Downers.
They were eating hamburgers with joy, as if it were their last easy meal.
Caren walked toward the food counter.
He got his food and then sat down at an empty table.
The hamburger looked good.
“I can treat myself to just one dinner.”
Then he ate eagerly.
It was his first meal since he had been in that fucking desert, so he didn’t care what people would think.
Caren stopped eating and turned his gaze.
Someone was staring at him.
Her eyes were red, like blood.
They were so beautiful that they could catch anyone’s attention.
“Umm.”
Caren had become a little savage.
Ren had explained to him the effect that place could have on people’s minds.
He was more selfish than before and could do anything to survive.
He also didn’t want to kill himself anymore.
“That place was really strange.”
But he felt uncomfortable whenever that girl was around.
Caren stared at her for a few seconds.
Then he noticed that the girl had nothing to eat.
“You don’t like hamburgers?”
The girl frowned slightly.
“That’s not it.”
Caren tilted his head in confusion.
Why did this girl look kind of sad?
“Are you shy to ask for food?”
The girl also stared at him in confusion, a hint of hope in her gaze.
“You don’t know?”
Caren sighed.
Was he missing something?
Well, he could understand why he didn’t know.
There were lots of things he didn’t know.
That had always been a problem for him.
“Should I know?”
The girl’s eyes widened slightly before a faint smile appeared on her lips.
Her red eyes brightened slightly.
It wasn’t much, but even that small change was noticeable.
“Can you get the food for me?
For some reason, I can’t.”
Caren shrugged.
There was no harm in doing that.
Of course, there had to be a good reason why they didn’t like her.
But…
it could be the first step toward finding a new home.
All the relationships he made there could be another step toward his goal.
Caren stood up and forced a smile.
Then he walked toward the food counter again.
He glanced back at her.
If he was helping her, that meant he wasn’t completely savage.
If Caren had stayed in that place for as long as Ren had, would he have suffered the same fate?
“Guess we’ll never know.”
Caren brought a hamburger to her, then continued eating.
The girl stared at Caren, then forced a smile.
“Thanks.”
Caren just nodded and didn’t answer.
He could ask her about the Water Core, but he didn’t trust her at all.
Caren looked at all the other Upside Downers.
“Can I kill them all?”
His eyes widened.
Why had he even thought about that?
Of course he couldn’t.
Besides not being able to use his Chosen Abilities, he couldn’t kill everyone.
There was no reason to do that.
After eating, Caren immediately left for his room before doing anything stupid.
Once he reached his room, he sat on his bed and started at the floor with wide eyes.
“Come on, Caren.
You don’t have to become a monster.
Or you won’t be able to find a home.
No, you don’t”
He just needed something to distract himself.
And what better way than trying to activate his Chosen Abilities?
He slowly closed his eyes and focused.
Focused on his Chosen Name.
“There must be a way.
But how?”
Again, he felt like he had no shape.
It was as if his body was no longer solid, as if it couldn’t be touched.
Just tiny atomic particles suspended in the air.
It felt really good.
Like he no longer had any worries or responsibilities.
He was free when he made his aura appear.
He didn’t feel like he was becoming a wild beast.
Wild beast?
That might have been a little too much.
Maybe he should call it selfishness instead?
It would be easier to control that way.
“It’s not a new thing.
I was always selfish.”
His thoughts drifted toward Ren.
She would be happy to see him like that, fighting with himself.
That psycho woman would definitely be happy.
Caren sank deeper into himself.
His mind, already sharpened by the Darkness, was absorbing the sharpness it had gained.
Then he felt something.
His mind could sense lots of tiny things.
He couldn’t see them or physically touch them, but he could understand them and shape them…
well, not all of them.
Just a few.
He focused on a small corner of his bed.
He moved some of those tiny things and changed something in that corner.
Then Caren opened his eyes and touched it.
But he quickly pulled his hand back.
A small cut had appeared on his finger.
“I…
I did it!”
He jumped off his bed, a big smile on his face, he stared at that corner.
“I really did it!”
Caren looked at the cut on his hand again.
He pouted.
“Now, how do I make the bed go back to normal?”