Chapter 14: A World in Chaos (2)


    Edmund knew if he would tell them about Attributes it would nt a seed of greed within them. But this was an obstacle that needed to be ovee as soon as possible.


    "So these Dreamers would get stronger with time. Would they be stronger than an average human being?" A General asked.


    But there was another person in the room who had understood the delicacy of the situation.


    "Edmund, give us your honest opinion, what should we do in this situation?" Mr. President asked.


    The General didn''t wait for Edmund to finish and said, "Sir, I think we must conscript them. Who knows what they will do after getting stronger?"


    Most of the Generals had been thinking of the same thing. Even if this statement hade out of greed, no one in the room could say it was wrong. Random people with strange powers were like ticking time bombs. The road could have been turning in either right or wrong direction any day.


    But Edmund hadn''t thought like that. He had decided that he shouldn''t go against the Government for now. As surviving and bing stronger in random situations had already be his basic instincts. Yet his choice of words would dictate the life of many and he couldn''t run away from this. He stood up and gave a nce to everyone there.


    Security personnel had stepped towards him as Edmund stood up, but a look from Mr. President stopped them at their ce.


    "RECORD."


    An eerie breeze filled the room, and the magical symbols in Edmund''s took aback everyone in the eyes of the young man.


    Edmund looked at the screen and gravely said, "I believe, like me, every Dreamer can see a timer on the System. And it roughly left us with 159 hours out of the time that I could see. And unlike me, many Dreamers are just as confused about this as you are. Now nobody is sure about the purpose of the timer, but we can rte it to the Dungeons."


    Even the Generals felt deep fear of the unknown after seeing that horrible looking ck-film and misty light.


    Edmund continued, "It would be better for the Government to have a better understanding of the situation and wait until that time. The Government can also make a central tform where one can upload all the information about the location of these statues. Then you can invite the Dreamers to register themselves if they want."


    Without mentioning the General, he said, "And conscripting them at the moment of confusion and chaos will be the end of all humanity."


    All members fell silent, listening to the undeniable facts.


    "Very well, Mr. Edmund, I want you to cooperate with the Secretary of Defense on this essential task."


    Mr. President was not about to let go of the biggest opportunity he had chanced upon. Using the face and knowledge of this young man, they could control the situation and could also make sure nothing unexpected happens.


    But Edmund didn''t share these motives.


    "I''m sorry, Sir. I want to spend the rest of the week preparing myself for the Dungeon. But if the country needs any information that I could share, then I would happily cooperate."


    The officials dropped Edmund at his home. And, as usual, he opened his console for somete-night gaming. He yed for a little more than an hour and then suddenly closed his eyes. An unseen wave surrounded his entire apartment. Edmund made sure that no one had been spying on him. He used the unmonitored channel to contact one of his friends.


    Edmund: I have done whatever I could. The rest is on them.


    Samael: Humph! You are being too optimistic, Edmund. Let''s say they would agree with your suggestion, but what about the other countries?


    Edmund: Sigh. That''s what I''m worried about the most. Did you check the inte? Some governments are already using the missing reports to hunt down the Dreamers.


    Samael: I say fuck the government.


    Edmund: No, we don''t know what''s going to happen in theing week. The situation can also turn into, as some people are calling it. An End of Time.


    Samael: I don''t know, man. I''ve contacted those whom I could. You were right; it gave all of them that thing. ALL OF THEM.


    Edmund: What do we say about the survival games?


    Samael: The better the Starter-Pack, the more the difficulty.


    Edmund: Yes.


    Samael: Eddy, we are fucked.


    Edmund put down the mobile and looked at hisputer screen. The American Government had just issued an official statement to all the Dreamers.


    ''Every Dreamer starting tomorrow can ess the app of American Dreamer Association or ADA. It is in development as the news is being released. And Dreamers can register their ss and apply for any help. The Government will also provide financial aid to the Dreamers if necessary. And we would provide all the information, from reliable sources, to them free of cost.''


    A small smile found its way to his face. It wasn''t enough, but it was better than nothing. Like everyone, he also had a dream. And if he survives this ordeal, then he would turn it into reality. His eyes shone with runic symbols and his hand reached into the void. He took a deep fiery breath and a blood-red Mage''s robe had appeared in his hands.


    <strong>*</strong>


    In an unknown space.


    Aldrich went to his tent and sat down for his daily meditation.


    ''This is a dream, this is a dream, this Wait a minute, something is wrong!'' A thought shed through him.


    [


    Life Analyzation Failed


    Re-initiating Dream Phase


    Iteration: 3rd


    ]


    The only thing some people could do was wait. Some were waiting for their chance, some were waiting for their inevitable death.


    And yet, ironically, none had thought about which happened next.


    <strong>*</strong>


    8 June 2020


    02:00 AM


    Washington D. C.


    "You don''t have to be around me all the time," Edmund said, scrutinizing the two ck-suited agents.


    One of them said, "We are just following our orders, Sir. Please don''t mind us."


    "We also have cleared the area around the statue of your own choice. Nothing will impede the entire process." The other also chimed in.


    Edmund didn''t want to be the subject of constant observation. But the pros were outweighing the cons by a huge margin. Not only was the Government providing him ess to a statue for himself, but they had also fetched all the people from all over the world. People who he had rmended.


    In return, the only thing he had to do was to make a video of everything that would happen within the Dungeon. And he was sure that he wasn''t the only one who was suitable for this job. There were even soldiers who had be Dreamers. The only thing which allowed him to enjoy this ''service'' was his decision-making skills.


    "Ok, whatever. Let''s go, it''s better to be there an hour before the deadline," Edmund replied.


    Only 1 hour remained to hit the deadline and in 1 hour it would be the 1 week anniversary of the Night of awakening. The ADA, aka American Dreamer Association, had be the most retweeted and shared article in the world. Not only Dreamers, but evenmon citizens had be fans of the organisation.


    ''It would take some time to verify all the Dreamers on the app. A local hub for verification would be the best bet for this,'' Edmund thought, passing his time in the ck BMW.


    It didn''t take them long to reach their destination, Meridian Hill Park. Ever since the ghastly ck transparent film had covered the famous statues in the park, it had been looking like ruins. But fortunately, or unfortunately, only one statue was under the pir of muddy-yellow light. Whether it was a mist, a curtain, or liquid, no one knew. The only confirmed thing was its base color; Yellow.


    Millions of people had gone missing that ''Night'', butpared to the number of statues, that number was nothing. And yet Edmund was sure, unlike him, some Dreamers were just hiding somewhere. But could they hide from the shes of the Timer? Edmund wasn''t sure, but he had decided it was best to face the problem. If he can''t adapt, he had better die.


    "Sir, we have arrived." The agent said, taking out Edmund from his stupor.


    Edmund saw a man standing at the front gate as he stepped out of the car. In his blue shorts and white shirt, he must have looked like a middle-schooler, if it wasn''t for his height and build. Broad wasn''t a term that would have done justice to his chest. But without hisical dressing, at first sight, anyone could mistake him for a wrestler.


    "Samael, how was the flight?" Edmund asked, shaking hands.


    Samael, like Edmund, was a Pro-gamer. His build, as he proimed, was a nature''s gift to him.


    "By flight, do you mean the jet that came to pick me up? How do you think it was?" Samael replied, grinning from ear to ear.


    The agents followed them in, finding their way to the Yellow pir. Soldiers had already encircled the statue along with 20 other Dreamers. As they saw Samaeling with the ''face'' of the ADA, a wave of murmur washed over all the presented individuals.


    Edmund sighed, "And that''s why I had argued against the idea of using my profile on the App''s homepage."


    "Well, you had iting. Now face the consequence, Mr. Celebrity. Haha," Samael said.


    Edmund raised his head, and for the first time, he questioned his actions. ''What if everything goes wrong? Wouldn''t I be the reason for their death?'' thoughts like these flooded his mind. Anyone could have questioned their decisions and even their lives if they were to see that statue. One could have called it nothing but the Death Incarnate.


    This was the statue of one of history''s gifts to the future, an Italian Poet, a writer, a philosopher, and promulgated by the Pope himself, ''Pride and Glory of Humanity'' Dante Alighieri.