"Sunny, are you in there?"
Laying under his blanket, he lay with an expression of contemplation, his eyes still burning with the memory of the dream. He was hesitant to respond; his mind was still trying to process everything that happened in his dream.
Finally, he responded slowly, "I'm here, Lei." His heart was still heavy with the thoughts that occupied his mind. After receiving a newfound resolve to confront his father and apologize, there is another problem lingering inside of him that still needs to be answered on his own terms.
She sighed loudly behind the door, softening her tone. "There is another news in regards to those murders; everyone is watching in the living room, and you should come see it with us. It's important for all of us to know," she said, her voice full of concern and the urgency of her words seeping through the cracks in the door.
His heart sank; the last thing he wanted to do was facing the others after what had transpired between him and his father: "Again...?" Whispering under his breath, he felt sick in his stomach if this was related to him again.
With a worrying thought of his powers haunting down those he never met makes him feel dangerous to everyone around him, including his own precious family. "I'll come by; just give me a moment of privacy to get ready," he replied, his voice barely above a whisper.
Surprised, she wanted to know more of his reason. "Are you doing okay? You seem..." she trailed off, not wanting to pry anymore after yesterday. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to call me okay?" The change of topic was abrupt, but Lei was willing to respect his privacy, hoping that he would open up soon in regards to his problems.
"See you, Lei."
Hearing her fading footsteps away from the door, he took a deep breath, preparing himself to face the music and the consequences of his actions. "Am I dangerous?" He asked himself, wondering if his mere existence could pose a threat to those around him, "Have I been one all along?"
Being responsible for causing death to others, including his own loved ones, made him shudder. While he isn't sure of what his powers can do, they seem to be automatically activated when there is a threat to his livelihood.
Looking at the ceiling, there is another possibility of why she told me about another news story related to the mass murders: "Were they associated with Elvis crooks?" It would make sense; his Esper abilities don't just randomly kill people from the get-go; they have to have a reason for doing so. And with that explanation, he can link his powers to the criminal organization that caused all this trouble in the first place.
If Elvis is the owner of a large group or a member of a syndicate that is running rampant in the city, then it's possible that his powers are somehow linked to them. However, does it justify killing others just because they are connected to them?
Is it morally right to be the judge and executioner when they only had intent to kill him? Living constantly changes one's experiences, and some may not be overly awful human beings that deserve death at moment's notice. So he must consider this carefully before jumping to conclusions.
Getting up from his bed, he sat thoughtfully on the edge, his eyes scanning the room with a mixture of guilt, fear, and confusion. "What am I going to do?" Staring down at his own feet, he asks himself if he could continue living like this anymore.
The longer he waited, the higher the chance he was going to get caught one way or another. Based on what he had heard from Lei, it is no coincidence that those deaths will continue to increase because of him or not, as some would blame it on him.
Whether those deaths are the result of activating his Esper powers or not, what matters in the end is that he is losing his time by staying here longer than he should.
He needs to leave the Ark now before things escalate any further, before he becomes a scapegoat, and before he hurts anyone else because of his nature.
But where would he go? More importantly, how could he leave the Ark without getting caught? It's nearly impossible to reach their highly secured headquarters without being caught.
On the other hand, it is still possible for him to just walk inside while letting his powers do the work for him. The problem, however, still lies in what could happen when the Angeloids tried to stop him by any means necessary, even if it might cause an international incident.
Worse still, he doesn't want to imagine them dying because of him. "I have to find a way to control my powers," he sighed, his voice filled with frustration. "Or else..." he trailed off, his thoughts racing with the possibilities of what could happen if he let himself go unchecked.
Standing up from his bed, he cautiously walked forward before placing his hand on the door knob. As he was about to turn it, an uneasy feeling suddenly stopped him from continuing further.
"I want to spend more time with my family," but when the entire authorities are currently investigating him, it could be at any moment or time that he will get found.
Even if he has good intentions of controlling his powers, he could still accidentally hurt someone. "I must leave the Ark now," he whispered to himself, his voice barely audible.
Deep down, he wants to spend at least the remaining time with his beloved family and apologize to Nelson for his own wrongdoings. But the reality hits him hard: he can't stay here any longer than he should, lest he cause more harm to others, especially those he loves.
"The decision is made, then," he said, his voice firm with determination. "I must leave the Ark now, before it's too late," confirming his choice of words and actions in leaving his home.
He then stepped away from the door, letting out a low sigh from his stressed mind. "I hope they would understand," he prayed silently, hoping his family would forgive him for his sudden departure.
Glancing at his side, he could see the morning sunlight piercing through his window, its rays illuminating the dust particles floating in the air. "Sneaking out of my home isn't a good idea when angeloids are known to have excellent detection implants," he said, contemplating his own escape plan.
"But jumping out of the window to the concrete floor is a stupid way to escape when he is currently in a very high place in this building," he reasoned, thinking of the safest way to leave the Ark without getting caught.
Walking towards the window, he opened it slowly, hearing the sound of the wind whistling outside the bedroom. "Currently, were residing in a thirty-foot-tall section of this hotel," Sunny said, calculating the distance between the window and the ground below. "It will be completely fatal once I jump from here," he concluded, shaking his head in dismay.
"However, if my powers had protected me from Elvis, then there is still a possibility this will also work out for me." He stepped back once more, his eyes scanning the room, searching for something to help him safely reach the ground floor or at least reduce his chances of getting killed.
The first thing he has to do is write a farewell letter to his loved ones, explaining his reasons for leaving and the importance of his journey to find his true self. "Maybe this is the only way I can give them some sense of peace," he said, his tone heavy with sadness.
"I hope Nelson doesn't take it too personally in blaming himself." Turning around, he went to his desk, grabbing a piece of paper and a pen as he began writing, his heart beating faster with the weight of his decision to leave them behind.
Every stroke of his pen on the paper felt like a stab to his heart, each word a painful reminder of the life he is leaving behind. "I'm sorry everyone," he said, his body trembling with emotion from his heart. "My love for you all is the only thing that keeps me going." He continued writing, the words flowing from his heart onto the page. "I promise to come back and make things right with everyone."
Pausing to take a deep breath, his eyes were welling up with tears. "Please forgive me." Finishing up, his spirit began breaking with emotion before he folded the letter and placed it above the pillow of his bed.
His soul, mind, and heart are aching terribly from his own decision to leave them behind, but he knows he must push forward. "I'll come back." Filled with conviction in his own words, he felt a glimmer of hope from his resolve to fix his mistakes. "I'll come back and make it right."
Repeating his own mantra, he took a deep breath, steadying himself. "It's time to leave this place and find my own path." Heading to the open window, he looks down at the empty streets below, giving him the opportunity to jump out of his bedroom without anyone seeing.
Before he does, Sunny is afraid of the thought of dying. "What if I actually die from this?" Turning his body around, he glances everywhere in his room to find something—anything to reduce the chance of death—but no item or object at this height can save him from the fall.
"There is only one thing left to do," he said, his voice courageously determined, "to trust my powers to save me." He closed his eyes, feeling the rush of adrenaline as he prepared to leap from the window.
But he couldn't, no matter how much he tried. "Dammit! My legs!" Looking down, he cursed himself at the sight. "I'm afraid... I am afraid of dying," he admitted to himself, his voice cracking with fear. "Is this what those guys felt when they were brutally killed one by one after they tried to kill me?"
Perhaps it is Karma showing him the consequences of his own actions: "Is this my punishment for trying to play god?" He pondered, his thoughts spiraling downward with the weight of his guilt and shame.
"No, I must face my fears," he said, mustering all his strength to stand up against his own doubts. "I must be brave," he repeated, his voice growing stronger with each passing second, "for my family, for myself, and for the future I dream of becoming." Gulping down his saliva, he tightened his fists as he turned to the window before poking his head out in the open.
"It's still terrifying!"
The mere sight of the streets below made his belly painfully twist with fear. "But I must do this," he said, determination pushing him to do the impossible.
His stupid! Stupid, fucking stupid! Sunny swore at himself, his body trembling with rage, his eyes burning in what he has to do, "I might die from this or worse." If he does survive from this, his bones will obviously break, and crawling through the public streets like that can cause many suspicions from walking bystanders.
"I need to do it," he says, encouraging himself, cracking with fear of what he is about to do. "I must do it," he repeated again, his heart pounding in his chest. "I will do it," stating the fact that he will not let his own fear dictate his actions; he will not be held captive by his own phobia.
"You can do it, Sunny; just close your eyes and jump."
Motivating himself to take the plunge, he shut his eyes tight, fingers gripping the windowsill along with his whole body trembling with fear.
"Here goes nothing," he whispered to himself before letting go of the sill and plummeting down to the ground with his soul screaming in terror from the air whipping past his ears like an angry banshee.
He can feel his lungs burning from the tense situation he got himself into, and his skin was prickled with the wind mercilessly rushing by.
Truly, this is one of the most idiotic things in his life he has done, and yet he had to do it. "I can't believe I did this," he thought, his eyes still shut while the rushing wind was still whipping around him. He is going to die; he knows it.
There is a 0.0001% chance of survival despite putting his trust in his powers. "If there is a god out there, don't let me die," he prayed, begging for his life. "Please, just give me another chance," he pleaded desperately, not wanting to die in such a stupid manner of his own choosing.
Suddenly, the sounds of a moving wind passing around him immediately stopped. "Huh?" Opening his eyes, he was met with the soft white mattress of the ground.
"What the...?" Getting up, he quickly became astonished at the sight below him. "Where did this come from?" Sunny doesn't have any words for this other than that he is standing on what seems to be just a left-over bed. "I never seen or did this before I plunged down to the ground," he said, his voice filled with shock and surprise.
Then it clicked him. "Oh, right," his eyes widened in realization as a smile spread across his face. "My powers protected me," he said, his voice filled with relief and gratitude.
"I'm alive," he added, his tone showering with joy and happiness. "This is a good start." Jumping out of the mattress, he turned and looked at the city around him. "Now I need to find a way of getting into that building without getting caught, or at least sneak in unnoticed," he said, his mind racing with ideas and plans of what to do next.
