Chapter 38: Nightmare.
Aiden stood frozen, his breath shallow and uneven, as the strange whisper echoed throughout the room. Each beat of that monstrous heart sent a shiver through his body, slow and heavy, shaking his resolve.
The air felt suffocating, the sound pressing against his chest like a weight he could not lift.
The whispers called again. "Aiden... come here..."They grew louder with every second, seeping into his ears, crawling down his spine, and flooding into his mind. His limbs trembled, and for a brief moment, he couldn't even breathe.
Fear had wrapped itself around him like a snake. His body wouldn't move no matter how hard he tried. The terror within him felt motionless; it was something his heart couldn't resist. Yet his thoughts raced fiercely. I have to save them. I have to save Mom and Dad...
But his legs wouldn't move. His hands, shaking violently, his body refused to obey. He wanted to run forward, to drag them out of that strange room — yet his body betrayed him.
Aiden gritted his teeth. He could see his parents standing there in front of that black, pulsating heart, their faces emotionless and pale, eyes closed. They looked trapped between life and death. And still... he could not move.
Then, amidst that helplessness, a thought appeared in his mind. Wait... why am I still awake?
He stared at his trembling hands. Mom and Dad are stronger than me... far stronger...If that thing had subdued both of them, then how could Aiden be awake when he was far weaker than both of them?
His breathing slowed, his eyes widening as the realization struck him. Why...?
His mind replayed all the strange nights he had spent haunted by that whisper. That voice... the one in my dreams... could it be connected to me?
His pulse quickened as he whispered, "Is it because of that strange voice...?" he whispered under his breath. "Are we connected somehow? Is that why it doesn't affect me...?"
A small flicker of hope sparked inside him. The fear didn't vanish, but Aiden was full of determination to save his parents. He clenched his fists, forcing his feet to move.
And so, step by step, Aiden entered the room.
The moment his foot crossed the threshold, the whispers erupted even more loudly. It no longer spoke softly; it screamed like a maniac."Yes... yes... Aiden... come here!"
The sound made his ears ring, yet he didn't stop. Every step closer felt like walking through a dark abyss. His body shuddered as the oppressive mana of the heart pressed down on him, testing him, probing him — but he refused to bend.
He moved slowly, each step echoing faintly against the cold ground. The figures of his parents stood before him, still unmoving, their bodies trembling faintly as if caught in an endless nightmare.
When he reached them, he saw their faces clearly. His mother's eyes were closed, but tears streamed silently down her cheeks. Her lips trembled as if she were crying in her sleep. His father's expression was different — broken. His face was twisted in agony, his brow furrowed deeply as if enduring pain beyond imagination.
"Mom... Dad..." Aiden whispered, his voice trembling. He placed his shaking hands on their shoulders. Their bodies were cold, rigid, and unresponsive. They didn't react. They didn't even flinch.
He shook them slightly, desperation rising in his throat as he said. "Please... wake up..." But there was no response — only the steady and relentless beating of that black heart behind them.
Aiden's chest tightened. His parents — the strongest people he knew — stood there, trapped and helpless, while he, the weakest among them, remained awake. The thought burned inside him. No. I can't let it continue like this. I can't lose them.
Then, an idea flickered in his mind. His training, his experience — all of it surfaced in that desperate moment."If that voice truly is connected to me," he muttered softly, "then maybe our mana is connected too. If I inject a thought parasite... maybe... just maybe I can counter that strange heart's mana and wake them up."
His hands glowed faintly as he began to conjure two thought parasites in his hands. The faint blue aura shimmered around his palms as he conjured the parasites — thin strands of mana were swirling like mist between his fingers.
He took a deep breath as he whispered. "Please work..."
He pressed his glowing hand against his father's chest. The mana strings seeped through his skin and entered deep within. A moment later, Aiden felt it — a link forming, thin but real, connecting his consciousness to his father's.
Immediately, he felt resistance. A wave of chaotic mana surged against his own, almost throwing him off balance. The connection flickered, like a candle in the wind, but Aiden didn't let go. He held firm, teeth gritted, pushing his will forward towards his fathers caunciousness.
"Come on... come on..." he whispered.
Seconds felt like an eternity. Then suddenly, the connection was made. The link stabilized. Aiden gasped — the connection was complete.
Relief filled his chest. It worked.
He closed his eyes and focused on his father's consciousness. His mind sank deeper, pulled into the flow of thoughts that weren't his own. The world around him blurred — until he found himself standing inside Jonathan's dream, which had trapped him inside.
The air thoughts inside his father's mind were heavy and cold. The ground was dark, soaked in something that looked like blood. And in front of him, he saw a sight that froze his very soul as a shiver ran down his spine.
His own body lay there, motionless, drenched in crimson blood. There was a gaping hole in his chest — right where his heart should have been. Beside him lay his mother's lifeless body, her white dress soaked in blood.
And beside the two of them sat Jonathan, broken and hollow, clutching their corpses in his trembling arms. His face was full of despair — his eyes sunken, his mouth hanging open as if the grief had stolen his voice forever.
Aiden's stopped breathing. He staggered back, his mind trembling. Father... this is what he's seeing...
He could feel Jonathan's thoughts — endless waves of pain, loss, sorrow, and regret. The nightmare wasn't killing him physically, but it was breaking his spirit piece by piece.
Aiden's jaw tightened. No... I can't let him stay trapped in this...
He took a deep breath and concentrated his mind as he transferred a thought. "Dad... listen to me... It's not real." He focused all his energy on shaping a single thought, pouring it into the connection..
He transferred his thoughts into his father's consciousness again: This is an illusion. The heart is controlling your mind. Wake up... It's not real... none of this is real.
Suddenly, a light burst through the nightmare. Jonathan flinched. For a moment, his eyes flickered, the despair within them trembling as if shaken.
Aiden watched closely, maintaining the connection steady as he repeated the message again and again. It's not real, Dad. Please... wake up.
As he repeated this, a change began to take place. The darkness began to recede, the blood on the ground evaporating into mist. Jonathan blinked rapidly, confusion flashing across his face before he whispered in disbelief, "It's not real... It's just a dream..."
At this moment, the connection between them suddenly broke.
Aiden gasped as his consciousness was pushed back into his body. He stumbled slightly, his breath heavy. When he lifted his eyes, he saw Jonathan move.
His father's eyes opened slowly. He looked around in a daze before his gaze locked onto Aiden. "Aiden..." Jonathan's voice cracked, both shock and relief contained in it.
Then his expression hardened as he realized where they were, as he said. "What are you doing here?!" he said sharply, his tone filled with concern. "I told you not to come! It's dangerous!"
Aiden didn't even flinch this time. He looked straight into his father's eyes, his own voice steady and resolute as he replied. "Dad... I can't leave you and Mom alone down here. If anything happens to either of you, I don't want to live in this world. I'll stay with you — even if I die in the process."
Jonathan was completely surprised because this was the first time in his life that Aiden had talked back to him.
The words rang in the air, filled with emotion. Jonathan froze, completely speechless. For a moment, there was only silence — a father staring at his son, realizing just how much he had grown.
Finally, Jonathan exhaled, the weight in his chest softening as he said. "How long... how long have we been here?"
Aiden replied softly, "It's been forty-five minutes."
Jonathan's eyes widened in disbelief. "Forty-five minutes? That can't be... it felt like hours..."
He turned his gaze toward the black heart that pulsed rhythmically at the back of the room. It was floating in the air.
His expression darkened as he said. "Aiden, that is the artifact your mother's parents gave her... It's of unknown origin. No one knows where it came from or how it was made. It has been passed down through her family for almost a thousand years. No one even knows how to use it."
He took a slow, deliberate breath. "But in all that time... it never once moved. Never reacted to mana. But tonight... it awakened. I think the moment your mother and I entered the basement, it cast an illusion on us — not like any illusion I've ever seen. It created a nightmare that broke our will, not by force, but by despair."
He clenched his fists tightly as he continued. "Aiden, listen to me. I need you to wake your mother before its seal is fully released. If it breaks completely... it will be a disaster for the entire world."
Aiden nodded without hesitation. "Yes, Dad."
He turned toward his mother. Her face was still wet with tears, her expression twisted in pain. He steadied his breathing, summoning the same spell again. A faint blue light gathered in his hands as he moved his hand forward.
He pressed his glowing hand against her arm, letting the mana flow into her body. A few seconds later, he felt it — the familiar feeling of a connection forming between their minds.
His heartbeat quickened as the link stabilized. Then, just as before, he closed his eyes and allowed his consciousness to enter her mind.
And what he saw inside left him completely speechless.
Author's Note: Every whisper carries the weight of a truth untold. Sometimes, the sound that calls to you in the dark isn't madness — it's destiny itself. Sometimes, the darkness we fear most isn't outside — it's what lies asleep within us, waiting to wake.