"Adam, are you sure you're alright?" asked Adam's mom.

To Adam, it felt like she asked every five minutes. He understood why she kept harping on it and was trying not to get annoyed or angry. She asked out of concern and love, but it was still grating on him.

The abduction by the Red Clan speaker had kept him away from the base for almost two weeks. Or maybe over two weeks? Honestly, Adam wasn't quite sure since the Rift Menu didn't use Earth time and with all the conflict that Jackson had experienced recently, time blended as it passed. His friends had worked to get stronger, not always seeing the changes of days, while Jackson had scrambled to put together defenses and deal with General Carmichael's antagonism.

Now that he was back and the fighting had ended for now, people looked at him and saw the flaws. They noticed his wincing when he tried to use high level physical strength. A few spars at the training area failed to hide the loss of control he would briefly experience when fighting. Everyone noticed that he couldn't get enough food, even worse than when the [System] first arrived.

It surprised Adam that people even pointed out that he was wearing more clothes, covering his body instead of forgetting to put on shirts or running around in only shorts. The girls had noticed his decreased muscle mass and for the last three days his mother had been babying him. He wasn't a hulking brute like Gregor, but even his lean frame looked slightly emaciated from all the imprisoned time without eating.

Adam shifted slightly on the sofa. His mother was holding his right hand, and frequently would reach up and stroke his arm, hair, or face, to reassure herself that he was there and still her son. Emily was tightly hugging his other arm and leaning against him. Her desire to follow him around at all times was almost as frustrating as his mother insisting on taking care of him.

With his father on the other side of Emily, they sat watching Christmas movies on a Rift Menu display. They had been downloaded by Jordan Lane before the invasions happened. This was their fourth movie just today.

Before the current movie they had eaten a nice lunch including a spread of duck, or whatever bird animal the meat came from, various fruits, vegetables, and potato dishes, followed by cake. Lots of cake. Adam ate three cakes by himself to balance out the two large birds he had devoured. As much as his mom wanted to be the one caring for him, they had quickly realized they needed his chefs back to keep up with his caloric catch up.

"I told you, mom. I'm fine now." Adam sighed a bit too much as he spoke, unable to keep the frustration hidden.

"I know what you said, but you keep trembling. It isn't unusual for people who went through what you did to have severe trauma to address. There is no shame in the emotions you might be feeling."

"The trembling isn't from emotions. I told you, it's from damage to my soul," said Adam flippantly.

His mom sat up a little straighter and Adam could feel her own hand trembling as it clasped his own.

"That doesn't strike you as even worse?" his mother asked with a quiver in her voice and tears forming in her eyes. "How does someone even fix that?"

Adam shrugged, not showing the same level of concern. "I'll figure it out or I won't. I have a few ideas to try later. Either way, it won't stop me from doing the things I must."

"That isn't good enough, Adam!" his mom suddenly snapped. While it came across as anger, Adam still knew it was just fear and concern. Frustration at not knowing how to help him. "You know what? Until you heal, I forbid you from fighting. I FORBID IT!"

Turning his head, Adam looked at her. Then he smiled. "You know you can't do that, right?"

"I know," conceded his mom, deflating as she sniffled while holding back tears. "I'm just so scared for you. You keep running around getting hurt, and there is nothing I can do about it."

"There is nothing anyone can do about it," added Adam. "We probably have billions of humans dead to the invaders. Billions! Not to be egotistical, but the only reason our city survived was because of me and the corruption. All the hurts and pain I've felt had been to protect you guys."

"It isn't just your responsibility," said his dad.

"It might not be just my responsibility, but without me and my unique situation it would have failed. It's why I've spent so much time strengthening others."

"Even so, we can't even imagine the horrors you faced as a captive of that witch!" spat his mom.

"I told you, it wasn't so bad. I was unconscious for most of it and gained more from it than I lost."

"I've watched enough sci-fi movies to be concerned, son," said his dad. "Are you sure they didn't implant anything in you? No worms crawling around in your brain, or red and blue pills jammed down your throat?"

Adam sighed. "No worms or pills or suggestive messages. You were there when they ran me through the CT scan. They even ran tests on my blood."

His dad chuckled. "Yeah, and I saw you considering biting them when they did."

"I was hungry, I needed more blood."

"Maybe they turned you into a vampire too," Emily said, without relinquishing her grip on him. His mother gasped.

"That isn't helping, sis. Besides, that isn't really how their species works." Adam's mother went to argue, but Adam cut her off. "Overall, everything worked out. The…captivity…helped me grow stronger, even if my soul was injured at the end. I was able to take the mind witch out of play. We sent the Scyrric packing for now and we've gotten new allies. I was able to break free and make it back in time to rescue Emily and save the city. Let's just count our blessings and get back to the movie. In the Christmas spirit, right?"

His mother gave him a discontent grimace but cuddled closer. Throughout the rest of the movie and the next one before they had a large dinner, she stopped pushing the issue. All these Christmas movies were making him want to hurry to the Sentinel planning meeting scheduled for the next day.

***

Adam's forehead slammed against the raised portion of the meeting tabletop in aggravation, and he released a loud sigh.

"I'm just saying, Adam," said Colonel Davian while trying to speak softly, "that we have a military psychologist who has experience with POWs. General Gervin wanted to make sure we had the support for these hard times and sent her with us. There is no shame in it."

Raising his head to look at General Carmichael, who had signed a [System] contract along with all his officers, Adam asked, "And you?"

"I question your sanity more from sitting on that giant throne than anything else," Carmichael muttered.

"Wasn't my choice," said Adam, nodding towards Tom, who smiled proudly and waved.

"In seriousness," said Carmichael while chewing on his lip in thought. "During war time a lot of atrocities can happen, and soldiers can't just take a break from the battlefield to worry about mental health."

"Right!" exclaimed Adam, spreading his arms out in emphasis.

"Which is why it's important to take care of these things during the quiet times, like right now," continued Carmichael gruffly, displeased at being interrupted. "There doesn't seem to be anything you're urgently needed for, so take some time to make sure you're right in the head. No one wants to see a soldier, let alone a leader, snap when the tension gets too high."

Adam took a deep breath and looked around the room. He saw anxious faces, concerned faces, sympathetic faces, and of course Randall and Joseph not paying attention.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

"Fine," surrendered Adam, wanting to alleviate the heavy atmosphere. "I'll meet with the therapist. See if she has time for me today. I still have things I need to do."

***

Adam sat in an office towards the edge of the base, where the local high school used to be. It was rebuilt as a medical facility, focusing on quarantining and working with people who suffered at the hands of the invaders. The office had been arranged with some comfortable seats, plants, and more nature-oriented decorations. The lone window in the room looked out over a track and field area, where people were currently training their skills.

"I am doctor Pozemski," said the woman in front of him. She was in her fifties and had been a military doctor her whole career. Her hair was faded white, though Adam imagined that such a put together woman, still in a neat suit even in this new world, probably used to dye her hair when it was easier to achieve.

"I'm Adam Clemens. People thought I should talk with you over my recent captivity."

"Yes, there are many people concerned for you. I can't say I've ever had a general request my services specifically."

"I'm just called The General due to a prank from my friend," said Adam, waving off the title. "You can call me Adam."

Dr. Pozemski's lips tightened a little. "I was actually referring to General Carmichael. He wanted to make sure you were taken care of, considering that you and your group are no less than the saviors of this city. It's also a first that one of your friends made me sign a [System] contract. I was hesitant to give control to such an unknown entity, but the terms weren't any different than my usual privacy policy, so I went ahead with it.

"You have nothing to worry about either. I am used to working under confidential conditions as well and recognize that someone with your leadership position and access to military information needs to be able to speak knowing it won't leave this office. The [System] contract does take it a little further, so please feel free to be open with me. Consider this a safe and open space."

"Ok, good to know," nodded Adam. "Though I hope you don't mind if I use the Rift Menu to cancel sound in the area so nothing can be overheard."

Dr. Pozemski frowned and looked around. "It's possible to control sound on the base?"

"Oh, I can control almost anything within our territory. Reality will do nearly anything I want. I could even invert gravity and have us live in the clouds. I, and those I assign permission to, can watch anything that has ever happened within the territory, no matter how long ago."

"That is a scary amount of power," said the doctor.

Adam shrugged. "We only use it to keep people safe."

"Isn't that what a lot of authoritarian governments claim?" Once more Adam shrugged at her questions.

"Moving on," continued Dr. Pozemski with a few hurried glances at Adam before turning to a notebook in front of her, "I've been told you were captured and spent almost two weeks as their prisoner. A lot can happen during that time. People want me to help check for any hidden, or not so hidden, traumas that might have happened during your ordeals. Why don't you start with how you were captured."

"Sure," said Adam hesitantly. He was a bit nervous talking with her, but didn't really feel he had much to hide. "I was out testing some possible skills…"

"By yourself?" she interrupted.

"Mostly. There were some Leputi watching from a safe distance, but I didn't want anyone hurt by what I did. Anyway, I ran into the Red Clan speaker. She represented the race paying the most to steal our world and has been causing us problems for a while. When I went to attack her, somehow, she shut down most of my strength and then this big lizard man hit me hard enough to fly down the street."

"She shut down your strength?" asked the doctor while scrunching her forehead. "Did that make you feel powerless?"

"Not really. What I mostly felt was all the broken bones, punctured lung, and the layers of skin that had been scraped away by the asphalt."

"You were that injured from the attack? That level of harm and pain is enough to cause significant trauma," explained the doctor with concern.

Again, Adam shrugged, showing a surprising amount of apathy. "Sure, it hurt more than normal since I didn't have my rage to reduce how much pain I felt, but really, it was par for the course for me."

Then a window appeared and began showing various scenes of Adam getting hurt. It played images of him losing his fingers to the goblins and being stabbed repeated, the gun shot in his neck, the time he burned off his own skin and lost his arm trying to enter the Testudinate rift, as well as other violent and gruesome scenes.

By the time the window disappeared, Dr. Pozemski was breathing heavily over top of a trashcan, clearly trying not to be sick.

"How could you…when they did that…shouldn't be possible…" she stumbled over her words before taking a few deep breathes to calm herself. "Experiences like that could drive people insane. To cause nightmares for life. No body would be immune to that level of harm."

"Meh," was Adam's response.

"Meh?" she asked.

"Well, I kind of have a corrupt soul and it seems to numb me. If anything, it forces me into those situations. But really, I just want to protect my family."

"A corrupt soul? Is that slang for something?"

"Of course not. The soul is where the [System] places your skills and class, as well as containing a lot of who you are. Mine is all jumbled from when it arrived, so I don't actually have skills or a class, even though I do have powers. That's the reason the Red Clan speaker wanted to capture me in the first place."

"Because of this corruption?"

"Yes. They call me and aberration since I've been able to fight them back. They want to study me."

"And did they study you when they captured you?" Pozemski asked, her curiosity overcoming her professionalism as she leaned forward.

"Probably? Like I've told everyone, I wasn't exactly conscious, so there isn't any trauma. They physically healed me during the time too, so there was no pain. Instead, I spent my time in her memories."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I can watch people's memories, and I accidentally went into hers when I was attacked," said Adam. Pozemski almost laughed, thinking it was a joke, but seeing how serious his face was she gulped instead.

"You can watch people's memories?"

"Yes."

"Anyone's?"

"Yes."

"Have you watched mine?"

"No."

"But you could if you wanted?"

"Yes."

Dr. Pozemski released a huge breath. "That is quite terrifying."

There was another shrug by Adam, once more brushing it off. "It's useful in checking for invader influence in people. Plus, once I was able to change a friend's memories to help him deal with his own trauma."

The eyes of the doctor narrowed as she stared at Adam.

"You can change memories?" she asked.

"Sure."

"Anyone's?"

"If I want to. But don't worry, it's a very rare and high tiered power," reassured Adam unconvincingly. "So outside of me, it's unlikely for you to meet someone else with it."

"But you can do it."

"Yes."

"Anytime you feel like it?"

"Of course."

A shiver went down Dr. Pozemski's spine. She had scooted her chair a few inches away from Adam while clutching the trashcan as if it were a shield.

"Ok. More concerning things," she continued, while trying not to look directly at Adam. "Anyway, how did you regain consciousness and escape?"

"One of the memories I was watching showed my sister captured and about to die. That got me angry enough to wake up. Then I killed the speaker's minion and shattered her memories," explained Adam.

"Shattered her memories? Like giving her a mental breakdown?" warily asked the doctor.

"No. I literally went into her soul and destroyed all her memories. I couldn't kill her without harming myself, and with no memories she's just a breathing mannequin."

"Let me get this straight," Dr. Pozemski interrupted, grasping at the few points of that incomplete explanation that she understood. "You can not only watch and alter people's memories, but you can destroy all of them? Essentially destroying who they are?"

"Oh, yeah," confirmed Adam with a proud nod.

"And you can do all this because your soul is corrupt? I don't suppose you also hear voices?" asked the doctor flippantly, feeling frazzled as she looked around nervously. This conversation was so far beyond what she was used to that she had lost her professionalism. Adam still seemed oblivious to it as he continued to answer her questions.

"Just the one," answered Adam honestly.

"One what?"

"One voice."

"A voice talks to you from the corruption in your soul?"

The line of her lips was getting tighter and her eyes kept narrowing.

"Yes. Well, it's my own voice from the future."

"Does the voice tell you what to do?" she asked, peeking at him hesitantly.

"Yes."

"And it is your own voice?"

"Yes."

"But a future you?"

"Uh-huh."

"What does your future voice say?"

Adam took a deep breath. He had never revealed information about the voice to others, besides his closest friends.

"The voice tells me to conquer."

"To conquer what?"

"Everything. People, places, and battles."

Dr. Pozemski stood and took a step backwards while eyeing the door. "A voice tells you to conquer everything, and you have the power to control reality within your territory, which keeps expanding as you take over alien bases? You can watch and alter people's memories, and even shatter their souls? All while also having the physical prowess to slaughter an army by yourself?"

"Pretty much," Adam nodded, feeling a little proud of himself when he heard it all laid out directly.

***

Colonel Davian was waiting in what used to be the main office of the school. He knew he didn't need to be here, but he had been with Adam since the beginning and cared for the young man. It wasn't just out of obligation that he wanted to make sure Adam was alright. Adam might be the backbone of their defense against the invaders, but he was also young and experiencing new things without a lifetime of memories to help guide him. Helping him grow and deal with difficulties was something the older generations should do.

Adam had been in with Dr. Pozemski for about half an hour when the door swung open with a little too much vigor. Then the doctor quickly, but gently, closed it, making sure she was on the outside of it before turning to the office assistant.

"Janine, cancel all my appointments for today," said Pozemski in a rush. She was breathing heavily and her eyes looked terrified, like the hounds of hell were chasing her. "On second thought, cancel them for the week."

Her darting eyes landed on the colonel, and she walked over to him where she gave a tight salute.

"Sir! I request a change of assignment. Permission to go on the expedition to Washington."

Davian looked at her, noticing the tremble as she tried to stand still. Then he looked back at the office door that Adam was opening. The doctor didn't wait for the colonel to respond. At the sound of the door opening, she practically shrieked as she ran from the room.

Adam, on the other hand, casually closed the door and strode up to Davian.

"Adam, what did you do?" he asked.

"What do you mean? I just talked to her about the abduction," answered Adam.

"Did it help?"

"I don't know. Dr. Pozemski said I was doing great and then left in a rush. I guess she has other people to see."

Adam left the room with his hands in his pockets, whistling casually to himself.

"Oh, Adam," Davian said quietly while facepalming.

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