“I’m beginning to feel bad about you,” Ann said after a few minutes of silence.” You are stupid, your family abandoned you two times, the first friend you made in years died, and you can’t trust your new friends because you are pathetic compared to them. Oh wait, they aren’t your friends. And You are only alive because of a massive amount of luck.”

I was beginning to feel bored, I had already accepted all those facts, and even if I hear those facts by her mouth thousands of times, nothing will change. She was just a crazy sadistic bitch, and I couldn’t care less about her opinion.

She was right, but even if I was stupid and even If I was alive only thanks to some luck, I was doing what I wanted. I was even helping a few people once in a while, and I wasn’t causing problems to anyone. I could die at any moment, but I would die doing whatever I wanted. As long as I wanted to help the survivors, I would help them, but if eventually, I got sick of it, I wouldn’t hesitate to leave them. I didn’t have any obligation to help them; I was only doing because I was feeling like it.

“It seems that your only weakness is your dysfunctional toy,” Ann said after analyzing my expression.

She was right again; usually, her words would make me mad. But since she was right, I only could feel depressed. In the last two years, I visited many doctors, but not a single one of them could find what was wrong with me. My mom was probably a better doctor than any of them, but there’s no way in hell that I could discuss that problem with my family. I was already by far the most pathetic member of the family, and I didn’t have to give them any more reasons to feel ashamed because of me. They were nice people, but I couldn’t risk it, my fears and inferiority complex were that stronger. So, I just accepted that was inevitable and decided to focus my life on everything else.

But then I found that statue, the first light that I found which could solve that problem for me. At first, I was too focused on bringing my parents to my side, so I didn't think of using that statue to cure me. But in the end, when I discovered my family was together, I decided to create the remedy to cure me, it was kind of expensive, but I would spend any amount to get rid of that problem. But, to my despair, I didn't notice any changes. The freaking statue could revive the dead and create things out of its ass, so, the problem wasn't the remedy it was me. Or I was the first creature in the entire universe who had that kind of disease or the problem wasn't only physical; it was mental too. In any case, I decided to forget about it, until now at least.

“You are so boring,” Ann said after sighing. “I guess I should start already.”

My tension rose while I saw Ann looking for my oldest memories, it seemed that she wouldn't change only a few memories, she will change all of them to make just to make sure than I will never disobey her. If she didn’t lie, my only choice was to keep focusing my mind on my real memories. It would be difficult since she would make me recall those false memories many times, but it wasn’t impossible.

A few minutes passed, but nothing happened. Ann was still looking for my oldest memories, but she didn’t find those memories, and she looked impatient.

“Did you hit your head when you were a kid or something?” Ann asked frowning. “I only found the memories when you were five years old. I don’t see anything older than that.”

That was weird, but I didn’t have to answer her. So I decided to keep quiet because maybe I could use that in my favor. However, for some reason, that worried me a little. I didn’t remember about hitting my head when I was a kid. And just like she couldn’t find any memory older than that, I couldn't remember anything before that point either. Elly and Ryan were only a few years younger than me, but I couldn’t remember the time when they were born. My oldest memory was me going to school, and they already could walk.

“No doubt about it,” Ann said with a serious expression. “You hit your head when you were a kid.”

Even though she didn’t need it, she let me see a memory where I was trying to interact with other kids in some school. They were five years old like me, and they looked like normal kids, noisy and very energetic. But I was weird, I wasn’t active, and I could barely talk like them.

“What the hell…”

That memory made me remember many other memories, since an early age I always had been very introverted. I always thought that I became a quiet kid when I noticed that I wasn’t smart like my younger siblings, and then I truly became an unsocial person when I discovered about my most shameful secret.

I wondered if those problems were connected, but I couldn’t find a link or an explanation. But that created a huge doubt in my mind.

“What is this?” Ann asked while frowning.

A few of those screens seemed like a TV tuned to a dead channel, sometimes weird images would appear, and sometimes a lot of images would appear on those screens one above each other. Ann tried to change those memories, but she was electrocuted every time she touched these screens.

“What the hell are you doing?” Ann asked showing hostility.

I wanted to say that was my secret power or my trump card, but she wouldn’t believe in that lie, I was surprised just like her, after all. Ann insisted on doing that, but nothing happened, after a few more tries she looked tired and exhausted.

“What the fuck did you do?” Asked said while punching and kicking me. “Answer me!”

She punched and kicked with all her might, but I felt nothing. It seemed that she couldn’t harm me in that place. She was furious, even when I told her that she was living a life full of lies, she didn’t become that pissed. That skill had never failed, and that was why she maintained her composure for all that time. That was a chance, but I couldn’t use something that I couldn’t understand.

After a few moments, Ann stopped and began to walk in circles, trying to find an explanation. But I could see in her eyes that she didn’t, she was impatient and looked even more tired. But I didn't know why…

Ann studied me while showing an expression full of uncertainty. It was probably the first time that skill had failed, and by looking at her pale face, she lost a massive amount of MP while she tried to change and analyze those weird screens. Ann ignored me, and then she resumed her job again. This time she looked much more focused, I could even see an odd substance leaving her body and entering the screens.

‘Is that her MP?’

She could do a lot of things inside that space, but I decided just to stay quiet and see what would happen. Maybe she would discover something and explain it to me. Or she was just obsessed about knowing why she couldn’t alter those memories.

After a few minutes observing Ann concentrated on whatever that task was, dozens of black screens appeared in front of her. She looked even more tired, but that didn’t bother her. We couldn’t see a thing inside those screens, but we could hear some small noises. Once in a while, I could hear the sound of footsteps, and sometimes I could hear the sound of something being electrocuted… those were really my memories?

“What the hell are you?” Ann asked showing a dubious expression. “Where did you spend the early five years of your life?”

I felt shivers when she asked that. What was she trying to imply by making that question? Those black screens represented the five years of my life that I couldn’t remember anything?

“Can’t you make me relive those memories? Weren’t you going to make me see them through my own eyes anyway?”

While it was a bit imprudent, I was curious about those memories. If I could relive those memories, I could find some clues.

“I can’t control those distorted memories, nor can I alter those black screens,” Ann answered.

“Why?”

“Why are you asking me?” Ann asked, annoyed. “Those memories are yours; you are the only one who can explain them.”

Since I was more confused than her, Ann decided to ignore me and try to find an explanation on her own. Again she concentrated on analyzing my memories, and again she used her MP to analyze my memories. Ann analyzed all my memories, and because of it, at the end of the process, she looked like she was about to collapse.

“This is impossible…” Ann said, and then the space around us began to crumble. “You don’t look that old.”

“What?”

Before I could notice, I was back to the real world. Ann’s guards weren’t around me anymore; they were around her because she collapsed on the ground. But the bitch still had the strength to give some orders.

“Bring me some MP potions…” Ann said with her eyes unfocused. “And kill him.”

She decided to change her plans, huh. But I wouldn’t just wait for them. That was the chance that I had waited for, I equipped the metal crossbow and tried to aim, but I dropped my weapon on the floor, my arms were numb.

‘What the hell… is this an aftereffect of her skill?’

I activated the cape’s effect, and after putting the metal crossbow inside my new backpack, I began to run. However, I fell on the ground too; I couldn’t control my legs either.

‘What the hell…’

Ann’s guards tried to find me by attacking every space around with their spears, swords, and axes, but they didn’t anything. But soon they would hit me, my legs were numb, so I got up and slowly and silently tried to get away from that place. However, that wouldn’t work forever, as soon as the crazy bitch recover MP, she will use all her skills to kill me. I had to hide somewhere and wait until I could control my body again. After that, I would have to fight; I could do that outside the hotel. Besides, she knew my secret, so she had to die. Maybe not because of that, but because she would start a war against us.

While I was walking away from that place, I looked behind, and I saw Charles giving some potions to Ann. He probably already knew that Ann would lead him to his death. But he couldn’t help and still follow and obey her commands. It was a pity because I could relate to him, but I will end up killing him too, and I already could see how.

The western part of the city didn’t have many tall buildings, but it had a lot of trees. So, I used the biggest one as a cover while I was stretching my muscles and joints. After five minutes, only a few fingers were numb, but Ann already recovered all her MP, I noticed that because I saw hundreds of head-size fireballs falling from the skill.

‘Crazy bitch, she will put the entire city on fire at this rate.’

To make matters worse, it seemed that she had excellent precision with that skill. All of her bodyguards were looking for me, but not a single fireball fall near them.

‘I should get rid of them first.’

I had nothing against them, they weren’t bad people, but I had to kill them. Otherwise, I would die instead. Maybe that was just an excuse, but if they die, they are the ones at fault for letting themselves being controlled by Ann. They were innocent, but I wasn’t that naïve to let innocent people kill me regardless of their reasons.

One fireball hit the tree so I left before the flames could burn me, I decided to move and counterattack. It seemed that Ann was using a lot of potions because the fireballs didn’t stop, I didn’t have any other option but to fight and keep an eye on the skies. Even though it was night, I could clearly see the fireballs and react before one of them could hit me.

‘Sorry buddies.’

I equipped the metal crossbow and aimed at Ann’s guards. I hesitated, maybe I didn’t have to kill them, and perhaps everything could be solved by killing Ann. But I wasn’t sure of that; I didn’t know if the effects of her skill would disappear if she dies. It would be near impossible to kill her directly with her guards alive. If I had the chance, I would help the survivors of the city, but I couldn’t put my life in danger based on such a small possibility. In the end, I pulled the trigger, and the explosive bolt destroyed the head of one of her guards.

You have killed a survivor; you have obtained his 3825 Evolution Coins.

I felt my heart sunk while I grabbed the vampire hunter’s crossbow and aimed at the heart of another guard. I killed a person who was being controlled; I killed a person who could have been saved. He probably didn’t kill and any harm to other humans, but I killed him. While I hesitated on the first, I didn’t hesitate on the second, at the moment I pulled the trigger that guard noticed me and charged with his spear ready to pierce my heart. But in the end, twelve bolts pierced his heart before he could get close enough.

You have killed a survivor; you have obtained his 2211 Evolution Coins.

“You bastard! I will kill you! I will make you eat your shit until you beg for death!” Ann shouted.”

Her threats didn’t scare me; my mind was too busy imagining what kind of punishment I would receive for killing innocents.

‘Oh, god… If there is a hell, I guess I will burn there when I die.’