Phase 22 “The Ignorance”
Dominique was a bright teenager who possessed the mind of a genius. Such a gift allowed him to complete his studies more quickly and qualify for a scholarship, for which he was very grateful. He would be able to work and support his parents financially so that he would not have to trouble them as much. He yearned for the opportunity to repay his parents for all the affection they had bestowed upon him from the time he was born until now.
His youth was happy, or, to be more precise, it was brimming with bright sunshine. He was born into a family that was well-off financially and enjoyed a pleasant lifestyle. When he was five years old, his parents surprised him with a sweet and innocent younger sister who immediately won his heart. Things were perfect back then. They looked like a perfect family. He was quite close to them, but when he went away for his studies in a university in a new town, things started to change.
It was not that he was over-scheduled, rather, he was simply enjoying the sensation of having so much freedom. The pressure to be a good son and big brother was always on him back home, but now he was free to be himself. He was his own man, and most of the people in his life looked up to and admired him because of his impeccable reputation. Obviously, Dominique was not perfect; he had a wide variety of shortcomings. He simply was very good at concealing it.
Did you know that this smart young man used to watch porn nearly every night? And did you know he rarely contacted his family and told them that he was busy? He was a selfish teen who only wanted to be free. He thought it was a waste of time to talk to people. People only developed relationships with one another because they were dependent on one another for survival. They were unable to exist on their own since they craved the benefits of community. That was what Dominique thought. No one really knew how his mind worked, either. Blame the genius curse and genius gift.
Yet after meeting an oncologist called Allen, he opened his eyes and learned about love. How enjoyable it was to build relationships with others. If Allen made him think of his mom, Kaien made him think of his dad. Friends like Nathan and Benji helped him remember how vital it is to have a social circle. They were the ones who helped him see that he was wrong, that he was selfish, and that he was a fool. Since then, he started to contact his family more and keep in closer touch with the people he cared about.
In Dominique's eyes, Kaien, Allen, Benji, and Nathan were all members of his family and he loved them so much. He was concerned for their safety and would do anything to protect them. So he did his best to study the creature, the cure and improve his ability to help the group. To give the others more time to rest, he made an effort to complete most of the report. What if, despite his greatest efforts, it was not enough in the end?
He was frail and helpless. Even after months of training with Kaien and Allen, he could not fight as well as they could. Even Benji and Nathan are more skilled and could fight better in battle than he is now. He had a lot of strength, but fighting might not have been his thing. He felt most comfortable taking a backseat role, albeit an important one, and lending his support to the team. But now what? He had failed. He had failed himself, he had failed his friends. To make matters worse for his allies, Dominique had let the enemy capture him. He could no longer support his friends. He was stupid. He should not let his guard down.
“You are the reason for everything that has happened. You imbecile! You're the one who brought all of this into existence!”
Dominique's inner monologue was rudely interrupted by the sound of a voice that reverberated within him. Dominique made an effort to open his eyes, and when he did, he saw that he was surrounded by a divine darkness. He was confused at first and mistakenly believed he was dead but suddenly his head started to hurt so horribly. He shouted and yelled for help but no one came to help him. Only him, his darkness, his misery, and his racing heartbeat as hundreds of pictures assaulted his sense of sanity were the only things that remained.
A fragment of memories from the past. Piece of history that has been forgotten. The forbidden memories.