Monsterous Man

You are looking at a man who appears as hideous as a monster.

He was the man with Eva that you saw in your dream. Of course, he's older now, and his age is showing in his face and skin.

(WHIZZ)

[

Argh...

The pain in your chest suddenly hits you...

And your lungs seem much weaker from all of the coughing and sneezing you've suffered lately.

Rubbing your chest to ease the pain, you keep staring at him in surprise.

Thankfully, he speaks to you first.

[Monsterous Man]

Does my appearance bother you?

So, you know Eva... Huh?

He sounded weak, as if he did not have enough energy to talk.

Umm... Ahchoo!

Do you know a man by the name of Oliver Hilpert?

Oliver? Well, I don't think so.

What does he have to do with anything?

You have given him Oliver's novel, <The Crow of the Fate>, explaining strange events that have happened to you.

....................

He squinted his eyes in curiosity and looked through a few pages of the book quietly. Then he opened his mouth as he handed the book back to you.

I'm surprised that the story in this book is... It's similar to my life story. Very similar.

[Zid]

My name is Zid. Tell me what you want from me. I want to know more about this book.

Did you notice that our villagers look different?

Human curiosity has led to great achievements and contributions, but there is a point where knowledge may be too much to handle.

Everyone in this village is a runaway... We are victims of what happens when people play God, seek out forbidden knowledge, and toy with life.

We have no choice but hide here because they are too powerful for us to speak out against... And we know that isn't right.

I was a normal man once, but poverty made me lose my pride, self-esteem, and identity.

I was sick and tired of worrying about food everyday, and I volunteered to be a test subject in some experiment.

I no longer had to worry about starving, but my life as a 'human' ended that day.

At first, Eva and I were the only ones here, but others joined us, and we formed a small settlement.

Now I'm the oldest villager, and feel the heavy responsibility of protecting others.

The laboratory in which Eva and I were being tested was not ordinary.

It was built to test and duplicate God's power of creation.

They failed to achieve their objective, and caused a series of unfortunate events

by trying to manipulate materials that were difficult to even examine.

They believed their research would open a whole new world for mankind...

Eva was one of them... Although she wasn't kind, she at least sympathized for me because I sold myself out of poverty.

She had a man who loved her so much...

His name was Sefakiest, and he always supported her research.

He... Killed himself in despair after Eva was turned into a mutant just like me... She wanted him to use her as his test subject.

No one expected him to end his life so easily when he was the most enthusiastic researcher of all.

Then somebody set the laboratory on fire. I assume you've seen that in your dream. The fire completely burned down the building.

Eva and I were able to escape before we could be found, and then settled down here. After all, we can't just mingle with ordinary humans.

Eva managed to save one of the test subjects which actually grew up into a normal looking human, but he was actually perfect.

That boy ran away when he was about 10. I guess he hit puberty... You know boys and girls at that age.

Eva couldn't forget him. She was waiting for his return inside this dark cave. For a while, he was sending letters without his address, but then they stopped coming. That's when Eva disappeared.

I found a giant black feather in her room after she left.

I don't know why, but... I believe Eva no longer exists...

Hmm...

Maybe Oliver is Eva's boy...

No, he's too young to be him because it happened a long time ago...

.........................

I guess it's just an old memory... Why should I care? Why should anyone?

Zid stopped talking, and then lowered his head. After the pause, he opened his mouth again.

Now I'm too old to remember even Eva or the boy.

My purpose in life is to protect the other villagers. They have lives ahead of them, living inside this dark cave.

The book was interesting, but I'm sure that guy, Oliver, experienced the same thing that happened to you.

Even if he has something to do with Eva, it's too late to do anything for her.

Think about it: who can save us from this dark cave, even if Eva or that boy is still alive? The answer is nobody.

.................................

I'm so sorry for not being much help.

You'd better wake up from the dream, and move on with your life.

...Sadly everything is nothing but a dream...

If you really feel sorry for us, please do not let others know where we are.

Zid turned his head away from you. You're still not sure if all of this is really happening. It's all so surreal...

Frustrated by the conversation with Zid, you have decided to go back to Morocc and forget everything.

Zid seemed to have lost his interest in the book.

You have decided to deliver the book to Benjamin of Morocc.

Don't look at my face...