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To my horror, black smoke — no, a familiar shadow — began pouring into the room, engulfing his small form.

I screamed and dove for him — desperate to shield or help in some way.

Once more, I only moved through him, though, and the shadow plunged the room into darkness.

I was left with only his frantic and pained screams.

"Gods!" I yelled. "Jaiel! I'm here, Jaiel!"

A warm hand gripped my wrist. "This was a mistake." The warped voice pierced through the vision. "I will take you out —"

"NO," I screamed, eyes burning. "I — I need to see this — to be here for him. No matter how terrible it is!"

"Very well," the cloaked man said.

Then the darkness gave way to a dimly lit cell.

The boy huddled in the corner of yet another metal room, knees to his chest, long hair covering his face, Fae ears poking out between the strands.

I looked on in disgust as more men and women in lab coats watched him through a glass window from another room.

My fists clenched at my sides.

Their faces were emotionless, clipboards in their hands.

They were monsters. All of them …

One man nodded, and I turned to see the only door into the room slide open.

Young-Jaiel lifted his head, horror twisting his face as a gods-damned ghoul stepped into the cell.

Once more, young-Jaiel began to scream, clawing at the metal walls to get out.

The creature — skin bulging and hanging in strips from its skeletal frame — limped towards him. I watched, helpless, as Jaiel's fingers turned bloody — yet still he tried to dig his way out through the metal.

But just as every other time … there was no escape.

"You fucking assholes!" I screamed, heart aching, as Jaiel convulsed, and darkness began flowing out of his eyes and mouth and hands.

It reached out to the ghoul … and those FUCKING scientists smiled and shook hands, pleased with the results.

The memory ended, and I sat broken on an empty street of the memory city — rain pelting down on me.

How. How did he survive? Let alone laugh and tease like he did?

Fuck!!

"I can see this hurts you," the cloaked man said, standing just in front of me. "You've seen enough already. Let's skip the next dream. We'll visit happier moments instead."

I shook my head and pulled myself up. Jaiel had been through so much. The least I could do was bear witness to it.

There was one more metal door just ahead.

In it was a small window, and a slot at the bottom to pass food to the occupant.

I pushed past the cloaked man, throat so tight I could barely breathe. But I forced myself to grasp the handle and push the door open.

Jaiel was curled up on the floorin a tiny, dirty cell.