Ken woke up drenched in sweat. At first he could not move a single muscle. He didn’t know why but he was shaken to the bones. While trying to calm down his rapid breathing, he tried to remember the nightmare that was still sending cold shivers down his back. However, all that came to mind was a swirling darkness and something clenching his throat making him unable to breath. There was nothing that he could reason away. Nothing for which he could devise a strategy to be able to escape. Just plain fear choking him.<br/>After a while, he managed to turn on the lights. A last remaining bit of superstition to chase away the bad. Slowly the feeling in his limbs started to come back. He got out of bed and did some stretching to get rid of the stiffness and in order to become fully awake, as that is the best way to get rid of nightmares. Afterwards Kenji went back to bed and not before long he fell into a dreamless sleep.<br/>He was woken up quite crudely by someone knocking on his door. “Get your lazy ass out of bed already and make breakfast!” Ken looked at nis clock, six o’clock in the morning. More than half an hour earlier than the usual breakfast time. More knocking. “I said get up you lazy good for nothing or I’ll kick you out!” It seems like his father got up with his right leg this morning. “I am coming already,” he said grumpy. “Don’t talk back and do something remotely useful for once!” Stomping footsteps went away from the door. Kenji lifted himself from his bed and took a deep breath. He has to contain his emotions. Showing even the littlest bit of either positive or negative emotions is just going to trigger him more. If only he had any financial support to move out of this place. He was forbidden to work while studying because if he had time for work then he could use that time to study as well. He did take up part time jobs during his breaks. But he had to give away half of his savings because his family supported him soo much already... and the other little half was just enough for some clothes and other small necessities. Ken had longsince vowed to get a job, any job, as soon as he is done studying and get as far away from this place as possible. And when that other thing is over, but that shouldn’t take much longer. Hopefully.<br/>Kenji went downstairs to get yelled at and insulted some more while he catered to every need of his family. Afterwards he checked his email and found out that the university was closed for a few more days. So he spent his time training in different locations, studying in the public library and doing his patrols. The last one without any result.