Villain Saving System (BL)
Chapter 395 - 7.85 Cedric’s Decision (Extra)

Chapter 395: 7.85 Cedric’s Decision (Extra)

While the two lovebirds were immersed in each other’s warmth under the cover of the blanket, in another city, on the top floor of one of the biggest hospitals, another person was currently jerking awake from a nightmare.

Cedric stared up blankly at the ceiling, the remnants of a sob escaping his quivering lips. Tears trailed down the corner of his eyes before disappearing into his hair and drenching the pillow case. He was gripping onto the blanket so tightly that his knuckles turned white, trembling. ’Run, run, run!’ His mind screamed at him, causing his paralyzed body to spasm once in a while.

Slowly, the terror from the nightmare faded away and his pupils grew focused on the familiar ceiling that had always greeted him this past week. Almost in reflex, he started to do the breathing technique that his doctor had taught him. Soon enough, the numbness on his entire body receded, and he was able to feel himself again. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. "Everything has ended, Cedric... They are not here. You are safe, you are very safe here." he murmured to himself.

That’s right, the incident that day had indeed passed and he had been taken to a safe place. But still... every time he closed his eyes, that man’s face would always surface; the attractive face he had admired these past few months yet in a blink of an eye, it had morphed into the very subject of his nightmare. His frosty eyes, the terrifying twist of his lips, his body that wouldn’t stop moving... but above all was that pair of mirthful crimson eyes that glowed like the devil. They had always plagued every single one of his nightmares and as always, he would be startled awake when those crimson eyes landed on him.

Cedric heaved out a sigh and rubbed the tears away from his face. One glance at the clock told him that it was still 3 am in the morning. He slowly propped himself up and hissed at the sensation that tugged on his lower half.

It had been one week and the doctor had assured him that he would recover fully, that he wouldn’t have a problem with sexual intercourse in the future... but after that day, could he even have sex with another man without being reminded of the terror he had gone through? Could he even love someone else again...?

"Poor you..." A childish voice shattered the silence and broke the train of Cedric’s thoughts. "You have really suffered so much."

Cedric gasped in shock and his head snapped to the direction of the voice to find... a little girl? Cedric blinked a few times yet the scene in front of him remained unchanged. The curtain fluttered along with the wind — how? He remembered he had shut the windows before he went to sleep earlier — and sitting on the windowsill with her legs swinging in midair was a little girl in twin pigtails. Under the moonlight, her body was shimmering almost in a divine way, causing Cedric’s eyes to widen in awe.

"You... Who are you? Am I still dreaming...?"

The girl’s light giggles echoed throughout the room. "Yep, that’s right. You are indeed dreaming! As for me..." She tapped her chin in a contemplating look and it was then that Cedric finally noticed a small bouquet of yellow daffodils in her hand, each petals round and vibrant in color. "Just call me Bianca, okay? After all, that’s the name my parents have given me."

"Bianca..." Cedric tilted his head, confused. "If this is a dream, what are you doing here?"

"I am here to apologize." Bianca suddenly jumped from the windowsill and Cedric was shocked into standing up. Even though the girl claimed that this was a dream, she was still a child and this was the twenty fifth floor! What if she had fallen?!

"Ah, ah, stay there." Bianca landed lightly on her feet. She crossed the room to push Cedric back to the bed. "You are still recovering. You shouldn’t move around so quickly like this."

Cedric could sense that something was off. For starters, this little girl Bianca had suddenly appeared on his window on the twenty fifth floor and the way she acted and talked did not line up with her age. Instead... she sounded like a fully mature adult. Not to mention that she knew who Cedric was and what he had gone through.

But this is a dream, isn’t it? A voice inside him spoke. So what are you thinking so hard about?

"This is a dream...?" Cedric’s eyes landed on Bianca’s small hands that were clasping his. It was warm, just like how a normal human felt. Since that day, no one had ever touched Cedric except for the nurses and doctor even then they had always tried not to do it outside examination sessions. Maybe that was why Bianca’s touch was searing. The hot temperature startled him, almost like he had forgotten how it felt to be touched just for the sake of it. "But I can feel the temperature of your skin... Wait— what did you say just now? You are here to apologize? For what?" Cedric’s nose wrinkled in confusion. "But I don’t know you."

Bianca stared at him quietly with those large doe silver eyes of hers. The longer Cedric looked at her, the more he found her familiar. But he was sure he had not seen her before...

"You’re a kind man, Cedric." She suddenly said, surprising the other.

"H–Huh...?" Cedric blinked, taken aback. Where did that come from?

"You’re kind, gentle and considerate. That’s why you had difficulty refusing your best friend’s invitation even though your gut feelings have forbidden you to go."

Cedric could no longer think of the mystery that shrouded Bianca because his attention was pulled to what the little girl had said. A bitter smile curled upon his lips. Well if this was a dream, there was nothing wrong with pouring out his deepest feelings, right...?

"You’re wrong." Cedric said in a quiet voice, his head tipped low. "I went there because I was jealous of how close Regius was with Zion. I went there because I wanted to be closer to Zion, to catch a glimpse of his glamorous world... It was no one’s fault but myself."

Cedric shouldn’t have been too greedy. He had lived twenty two years of his life in contentment. Even though he was an orphan, even though he had to take many part time jobs to cover his tuition and loan, he had been happy.

His life was simple, sometimes arduous yet every single day was fulfilling.

But then, he met Zion and the ugly monster called ’greediness’ latched itself on the root of his heart. He started to desire what was not meant to be his and in the end... he had to pay the price. He wouldn’t meet Zion again for the rest of his life and not only that, he had also lost his best friend!

"I am such a bad friend, am I not...?" Cedric buried his face into his palms and sobbed, tears dripping between the gaps of his fingers. "I am actually relieved that Regius doesn’t come here to visit me. I don’t know how I can see him without being reminded of Zion... without being reminded of the pain I have gone through that day..."

Bianca did not say anything during his emotional outburst. She merely climbed up the bed and hugged Cedric to her small body, patting his head like how one would pat a crying child. So warm... Cedric thought dazedly. This was merely a dream so how could this little girl feel so warm and comforting? It was as if she was not only embracing Cedric’s body but also his wounded and broken heart...

"You are a very kind soul," Bianca said after his cries had receded into occasional sniffling and sobs. "Even now, you have never blamed anyone for the suffering you’re going through... even though nothing is your fault." She caught Cedric by surprise when she grabbed his face, forcing Cedric to look into her solemn eyes. Cedric stared at her blankly as if he was being hypnotized. "Listen to me, okay? Nothing is your fault. You are just being in the wrong time, with the wrong people... You don’t deserve to go through this trauma, Cedric. Nobody does."

Bianca suddenly put on a constipated look and grimaced. "Well, I know Daddy can be vicious sometimes. He is merciless when it comes to Mommy’s enemies—"

Cedric blinked his tears away. Daddy and Mommy...? What was—

Alas, before he could ask anything about that, Bianca suddenly clasped her mouth shut with an ’uh-oh’ look as if she had just blurted out something she shouldn’t. Then she flicked her pigtail with flourish as if nothing happened. "Ehem, what I mean to say is... I am here to give you the salvation you deserve!"

"Sal...vation...?"

"That’s right!" Bianca snapped her fingers, energized. Like this, she actually looked kinda her age. Childish and excited. The thought that slipped into Cedric’s mind, unbidden, was instantly shattered when the little girl continued, "I will give you two choices. First, I can wipe your traumatic memory. You will start a new life in another city and finally meet a guy that will cherish you, love you and treat you right. It’s an absolute happy ending!"

Cedric was so bamboozled that he could give no other reaction other than staring dumbly at the overexcited girl.

"Second," Bianca continued, this time her tone was more solemn and serious. "I can send you back to the time before the incident. This time, you’re in charge of your own fate. You can refuse to go to the charity auction, or you can exact your revenge on the man who has done this to you."

Bubbles of laughter arose in Cedric’s throat, but to his own ears it sounded quite hysterical. "You’re... joking, aren’t you?"

"Look at me." Bianca shoved her face forward until the distance between them was less than an inch. Cedric almost got cross-eyed struggling to see her. "Look into my eyes. Do I look like I am joking?"

No, Bianca looked completely serious. But it was that exact reason that almost caused Cedric to lose his mind. Had he knocked his head against the bedpost before he went to sleep earlier? Was that why he could conjure up such a bizarre dream? The ability to turn back time...? That sounded utterly absurd! He must have read too many fantasy novels during his stay in the hospital!

"So you like to read fantasy novels...?" Bianca teased, amused.

Cedric snapped his head up, his eyes widening in disbelief. Had he said that sentence out loud?!

"Nope!" Bianca popped the ’p’ and showed a grin at Cedric’s horrified look. "You’re right, I can indeed read your mind. This is a dream, remember?"

Right, right, this was a dream. Anything was possible in a dream... Cedric told himself again and again as he clutched onto his thundering heartbeat. Goodness... that almost shocked him to death.

"Choose carefully, Cedric." Bianca patted his shoulder and gave a reassuring smile. For some reason, it managed to calm Cedric’s anxious mind just like magic. "You only have one opportunity to change your life forever."

Cedric swallowed thickly and said, hesitant. "Then what if... I don’t choose?"

That answer of his must be so unexpected because for the very first time, Bianca showed a dumbfounded look. She dug into her ears and said incredulously. "Repeat it again?"

Cedric took in a deep breath, quietly steeling himself. If this was real, then he would lose his only opportunity to ’change his life’ as Bianca had said. But no matter how he pondered about it...

"You know, I don’t have any memories of my real parents. But I think I was quite fortunate because the director of the orphanage I was taken in was a very kind lady. She treated me like her own son. I used to be a crybaby, a weak and easily bullied child. But not even once has she given up on me." Cedric’s eyes watered as the happy memories flooded his mind. The corner of his lips ticked upward and warmth flooded his heart like how it always did whenever he recalled her. "She always told me to get up, to face my own fear and defeat them. Once, I remembered her words and when the other kids came back to bully me, I fought back. I lost two of my teeth, but at least after that... no one dared to bully me anymore."

He lifted his eyes to show a watery smile. "Everything I have is built on what she has taught me. I will not be ’Cedric’ without everything I have experienced. Be it the good or the bad, happy or terrifying events... all of them have shaped who I am today."

"Thank you so much, Bianca." Cedric wiped his tears and sniffled. "But I think I will pass up on your mouth-watering offer. Rather than forgetting them, I want to defeat this monster inside me and win. Only then will I come out stronger. I have some regrets in my life... but I will learn not to dwell on them too much. Maybe it will take time; days, months, years... but someday, I want to look back and be proud of the decision I have made today."

Bianca asked for the last time. "You won’t regret it? You don’t wish to take your revenge? Are you sure?"

Cedric was not certain. He might even regret it in an instant when he woke up later but... "Even if I regret it in the future, I think... that is what makes me a human." Cedric chuckled wetly and reached out to pat Bianca’s head. "Are we all not made up of uncertainty and possibilities?"

Bianca stared at him unblinkingly so long that Cedric got anxious. "Um... did I say something wrong?"

She snapped to her senses and shook her head so hard that her pigtails slapped against her chubby cheeks. "No!" She beamed brightly. "You are really the true protagonist! Thank you, Cedric, I have learned a lot from you about humans today! As expected, my experience is still sorely lacking!"

The sentence Bianca blurted out sounded wrong in more ways than one but once again, Cedric reminded himself that it was all a dream and a dream did not have to be logical.

"So, um..." He fiddled with his fingers, strangely nervous all of a sudden. "The first choice you’re talking about... Do you mean that someday in the future, I will..." Cedric swallowed past the lump on his throat. His tone was tentative, full of hope. "I will meet someone who cherishes me, loves me and treats me right? Is that true...?"

"Oh, Cedric..." Bianca cooed and gathered him into a tight embrace as much as her small body could manage. It baffled him to be treated like a child. "Of course, I assure you, you will be able to find great love in the future!"

The tension on Cedric’s body loosened and he finally allowed himself to lean into Bianca’s warmth. A genuine smile spread across his face. "That’s all I need to hear. Thank you so much..."

"Do not worry, I will give you my blessing!"

"That’s very kind of you..." Cedric couldn’t help but chuckle. Now that all his worries had been washed away and he had gotten a chance to let out his true feelings, he became sleepy very soon. He murmured into Bianca’s shoulder. "Will you come... and visit me in my dream again...?"

Bianca seemed to be saying something but unfortunately, Cedric had succumbed to his drowsiness and fell into a deep slumber.

.

It was the best sleep he had had in ages. He couldn’t remember the last time he had woken up all soft and relaxed without being plagued by nightmares, at least not after the incident. He sat up and stretched his waist. Even though his body was still aching in a few places, he actually felt... energized, almost as if he could run around the hospital twice.

"Good morning, Cedric." The nurse knocked on the door and paused when he took in Cedric’s face. "Oh? You look so much better today! Do you have a good night’s sleep?"

Cedric nodded happily. "I seem to have dreamed about something good but..." he tilted his head and dug into his memories to no avail. He could only admit sadly. "I don’t remember what it is about. Something like... a little girl with twin pigtails?"

"That’s common." The nurse smiled softly. "It’s okay, you don’t need to—" She paused when her gaze landed on the nightstand. A quiet gasp escaped her lips. "Oh my God, Cedric. That’s beautiful! Did you have a visitor just now?"

Cedric followed her line of sight in confusion and he was startled to find a small bouquet of yellow daffodils sitting on top of the nightstand. The flowers swayed as if dancing to an invisible tune, fresh dew clinging onto each vibrant petals. It was cute and breathtaking at the same time.

Cedric was speechless. Where did this bouquet come from? And why did it seem kinda familiar somehow?

The nurse took the bouquet and gently placed it into a vase. "Do you know what this flower means, Cedric?"

Cedric shook his head. "What does it mean?"

"New beginnings and hope." The nurse grinned. *Whoever sends you this must really be wishing for your well-being."

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A/N: fyi Cedric has obtained restraining order against Zion so Zion will not be able to get close to him anymore. And ofc all hospital bills are sent to Cobalt Fang Clan.

Five more Chapters until the end of this arc. Are you ready?

Last but not least, thank you so much VitaminCdotC for the magic castle! Bonus Chapters will be released after we get to the new arc, k? ^^