Chapter 70: What Kind of Person Do You Want to Become?

He now found himself inside a car, the one his uncle and aunt usually drove. Only Ben and Peter were there, parked in a parking lot right next to a fast-food restaurant.

Each of them had a bag filled with food from the restaurant in front of them. Burgers, fries, drinks, sauces… a true paradise. Yet once again, Peter was far from feeling any joy. On the contrary, he seemed even more lost than before.

Thinking back on everything that had just happened, he discreetly and violently pinched his leg, on the verge of losing his mind. Was all of this nothing more than some completely twisted dream? And if it was… how the hell was he supposed to wake up?!

— "H-How… how did I get here? Just before, I was—"

— "You ready to dig into this, Peter?" Ben asked with a big smile.

Despite his question, Ben already had all his attention focused on the food and seemed starving. He calmly began taking the contents out of his bag, with Peter soon doing the same, and the two of them ate in silence.

From time to time, his uncle glanced at him with a small paternal smile that, despite everything racing through Peter's mind, still managed to bring him a little comfort. Yet even though Peter was doing his best not to show anything, Ben had already noticed that something was wrong.

Once they had finished their meal, Peter remained silent for a few moments before finally speaking.

— "Hey, Uncle Ben… can I talk to you about something?"

— "Yeah, of course. What's going on?"

— "This is probably going to sound really weird… but I think… I think I'm in a dream."

His uncle slightly raised an eyebrow, as though he wasn't sure he had properly understood what Peter had just told him.

— "In a dream? You mean right now?"

Peter slowly nodded.

— "I don't know what's happening, but first I was with you at the park, then at home, then at school, and now I'm with you again in this place even though I don't even remember coming here. I feel like my mind is buried under this huge fog and I have no control over anything. And I…"

Peter stopped. The words suddenly seemed harder to say, as though he himself was afraid to admit just how overwhelmed he truly felt by the entire situation. After a brief hesitation, he finally finished his sentence.

— "And I don't know what to do…"

His uncle didn't answer immediately. He watched him carefully in silence, analyzing both his words and the expressions crossing his face.

— "During those moments, I hear this really strange voice in my head that keeps telling me the same thing over and over."

— "And what does it tell you…?"

Peter's expression hardened slightly. This time, he looked his uncle directly in the eyes, holding his gaze for a long, heavy moment before answering.

— "...To kill. To kill them all."

Hearing such words coming from Peter… from this child he had watched grow up, would probably have been enough to shock any parent or adult. Yet Ben didn't flinch or overreact. He remained perfectly calm.

— "Has something happened recently? Have you been having problems at school? Did someone hurt you?"

— "Y-Yeah… but I don't know if any of it is real. So does it even matter? I'm lost, Uncle Ben! I feel like I'm here without really being here at the same time. There's this strange feeling deep inside me that I can't understand! It's like… like I'm feeling—"

— "An overwhelming anger?"

Peter froze. From the very beginning, he had been unable to find the right word for what he was feeling, and now his uncle had suddenly done it for him. The very moment Ben spoke those words, it became obvious. A truth that had been right in front of him all along, yet one he had been unable to see for himself.

Faced with Peter's silence and the stunned expression that had appeared on his face, Ben immediately understood that he had hit the mark.

— "Do you… do you think I'm a bad person? I never thought I was someone like that, but I think that's it… I really am angry. It's just that…"

— "You don't really understand why?"

Once again, Peter was surprised. His uncle had managed to put into words exactly what Peter himself couldn't. After a few moments, the surprise gradually faded from his face, replaced by a much darker, more thoughtful expression. He looked away and stared outside through the car window.

— "You're not a bad person, Peter. Far from it. You're probably one of the kindest boys there is."

Hearing words that sounded exactly like the kind of cliché a parent, an adult, or anyone trying to comfort someone might say, Peter couldn't hold back a quiet sigh.

— "Remember when you saved that police officer from the man with those strange shockwaves. Or when you saved that woman and her baby while she was surrounded by armed men. And when you helped all the employees escape from an entire building just before it collapsed."

As Ben listed those different acts, Peter slowly turned his attention away from the window and back toward him. His expression grew confused, his eyebrows gradually furrowing.

— "What is he talking about…?" Peter thought, perplexed.

— "Peter… you asked me if having thoughts like that makes you a bad person. And I don't think one mistake defines who someone is. In life, everyone will be faced with choices. Some will be easy. Others… much less so. And sometimes, you'll make the right choice. Other times… you'll make the wrong one. But what matters… is what you do afterward. And above all… you must never forget or lose sight of the person you want to become."

Ben's gaze then became much more serious and profound, giving his words a very particular weight. The person he wanted to become… Peter remained silent for several long seconds, the question echoing through his mind as he searched for the answer himself. Then, after one final hesitation, he finally parted his lips.

— "I… I think I want to…"

And suddenly… everything went black.

TO BE CONTINUED.