He runs backwards in fear. His face hits the wall. His glasses broke. He can't believe what he is seeing.
"What the thing is that?" Joseph raised the question in his mind. He looks at Martha. She is sitting on the stool like a statue, no reaction, no movement. A blue ball is floating in mid-air. A spoon is from a nearby table, which is stopped in mid-air. It should have fallen to the floor, but stopped in mid-air. He realises that the time has stopped.
The doctor speaks into the silence of the temporal rift, answering the question Joseph is too stunned to ask: "I know what you will ask me. This is the World of Souls. This world was known for its chaos, but now all wars have ended. Where I, Johan, Jennifer, and others were born here. Your mother is the garden of the World of Life, and your father is the general of the World of Souls. Your father is the person who maintains the peace in this world."
"Why didn't they tell me? Why…" Joseph questions the doctor, his voice a cracked whisper. He sinks onto the floor, utterly shocked.
"That question is also in my mind," the doctor replies. "Forget that now, Mr. Jones is trying to kill Anni by using some Oneirons. That is the immediate crisis.
The nurse tells Joseph, "They are also like us, but we use our powers to maintain the mana of the 3 worlds, the source of our power, but they use them for their own motives."
She forms another black ball of energy in her hand. With a determined squeeze, she crushes it with her fist. The portal is fading out like fog.
"I am Freya, from Tessarids, and he is Dr.Arthur Smith from Chronos."
Then the doctor insists to Joseph, "We just need a simple favour from you. Tell your brother about that. Oneiros can try to kill her at any time. They are so strong. Oneirons can control people while they are asleep. "
"Why, my brother? You are also powerful. Why can't you protect her?"
Freya shortly replies to him, "Our powers are not for fighting."
Dr. Arthur sits down on his knees, levelling his gaze with Joseph. "Forgive me, I forgot that you are just a young boy who has been protected. Your brother and sister tried their best to save you from these horrific realities. We saw the pain, the cruelty, the fear. They are truly brave to save and hide you from that. In these situations, I am the one who thinks a thousand times before taking a step. But…"
He takes a deep, ragged breath. He expresses his feelings loudly, his voice shaking with sudden, powerful anger. "When I see innocent humans suffering at the hands of entities which are unknown to them, I break inside! I question myself! Why do I have these powers?"
Joseph's fear is gone, replaced by an unfamiliar surge of conviction. Every single word Dr. Arthur speaks burns inside Joseph.
"Joseph Bennet, your brother, is the only one who made me realise that I was born with this power to save them. If my life ends up for that, I will save them. I will do everything to save her. A little and innocent life is dying."
"You can go now," Dr. Arthur allows him.
He stands and quickly takes the ball back into his hand. Suddenly, Martha starts to move. The spoon fell on the floor.
Joseph doesn't look anywhere; his steps are mechanical as he shuffles into the hospital corridor, shocked and numb.
On his way out, he passes the operating room. He glimpses unconscious Anni through the window. She is silent, eyes closed, with an oxygen mask covering her mouth. The steady rhythm of her heart pumps across the monitor.
Suddenly, a single tear slips from Anni's eye. Her body lies still, but her mind is fighting, and he wants to stay alive. Joseph forces himself to keep walking.
One of his classmates stops him. "What did the doctor say?"
"Nothing much. He just wants to know about her family and stuff. You know, since it's a suicide case. The doctor says she's okay. Don't worry. Ok, I am going to my home and take care of her." He lied to the classmate.
The student goes silent. Joseph moves slowly toward the hospital entrance. Just as he reaches the gate, he turns back. Dr. Arthur is watching him from the office window. Joseph turns back again and steps out of the hospital.
Dr. Arthur closes the window. He speaks to the nurse: "Take Martha to her friends. And don't let her see Anni. She is not mentally prepared for that."
Following the orders, Nurse Freya guides Martha out of the room and into the corridor.
"Take care of David after me," Dr. Arthur commands in a cold, flat tone.
Nurse Freya starts to weep, but she wipes the tears away instantly with the back of her hand, forcing a professional composure.
As Martha catches sight of her friends, she collapses into instant, wrenching sobs. They rush toward her, pulling her into a desperate embrace. They offer what comfort they can, though the grief is contagious; several of them are crying right along with her. Crying for their friend.