Gradually, a thin thread silently started to weave its silky fibres around Johannes' heart.
It tightened step by step, a ruthless grip that made him feel as if he would suffocate. It reminded him of the time when he initially gained his breathing ability.
Even though he was not in danger, it felt worse than back then.
"I'm sorry. When I try to speak my mind, it always comes out wrong." Her voice sounded pitiful.
A long silence occurred, and Johannes felt as if he had gazed into nothingness - as if he had stared too long into the abyss and was now greeted back by its gaze.
"Please forget what I said. What d-did you want to talk about in the first place?" She quickly added as if she did not want Johannes to reply. It was not like he wanted to respond anyway.
"I was about to tell you something and ask you to come over." Johannes' voice was very reluctant. He was unsure whether he wanted to see her right now, but there was no other way.
"Should I come now? I would love to. I will come as soon as possible." Her voice had got hasted. To him, it felt like she was trying to overcompensate right now.
"I mean… You can if it is fine for you to see me." This sounded more snarky than he originally intended. But Johannes knew he had the right to be if he wanted to. Thus, he did not speak any further.
"Listen, I'm sorry. I will definitely visit you. Let's say in half an hour? I will bring Naime, too."
Johannes' mother's house was nearby, an act of love by Johannes' father, who did not want his son to be too far away from him.
"Sure. Later." Johannes hung up the phone, and a loud sigh left his mouth. His body felt tense, almost as if he was being hunted. Not that he knew how that felt. However, that is what he imagined it to feel like.
In addition to that, a cold chill ran a marathon on his spine - leaving his anxiety almost at an all-time high.
Johannes did not want to see her now and fretted about her imminent visit.
He struggled to cope with what had just happened, the weight of the situation pressing down on him. Wordings like these had led to countless fights before, each adding to his burden.
Did she really just drop this?
To calm down, he searched for a distraction. Slightly glancing at his overbed table, his hand grabbed the most important electronic device he had.
Johannes picked up his trusty mobile, which overheated at times, and browsed through the various videos on social media offered him as if they had been carefully placed on a luxurious plate. While his phone was certainly not the newest, it was one his father had bought.
One nimble swipe after the other led him to a live stream being held by the Diver's Association. It was unusual for them to stream.
100,000 concurrent views? Did a group clear a massive dungeon again?
The Diver's Association was created to make Divers national assets and to control them to some extent.
What might sound greedy was founded for a reason. The initial days of Divers could be compared to America's Wild West. Not everyone who received an awakening was a good sport.
Many of those abused their powers in an attempt to increase their wealth and influence. After a group of unknown Divers tried to storm the government, new rules had to be implemented.
As the live stream continued, Johannes' gaze was glued onto his small screen. It was as if he forgot the earlier damage his mother had done to his mental health. Because his hero had been entering his screen.
There he was. Siegfried von Hammerstein, the number #15 Diver in the country. He was SS-Rank, which meant he was one of the best Divers to have ever existed.
His hair was long and blonde, and a slight stubble had manifested on his chin. Not only was he taller than 1,90 metres, but he was also incredibly muscular - even for his size.
It felt as if someone had chiselled a statue into marble. Due to his awakening, intense workouts, and proper nutrition, he maintained a low body fat percentage.
His short-sleeved black shirt was not buttoned up; instead, he wore a white T-shirt under it. For pants, he wore black chino pants that looked both stretchy and comfy. Siegfried's small golden earrings rounded up his look.
I hope he did not enter the dungeon again in this outfit. He should wear his armour more often.
In an attempt at a public stunt, he sometimes omitted his armour. This was only possible because he was that strong.
Siegfried stood on a stage in front of the huge portal towering over the houses that vanished into the background. The portal's colour was a mixture of crimson and cotton, merging together in a swirl of dye.
There were golden banners around the gate that resembled Siegfried's guild, Goldlocke. The banners were rectangular and pictured a dark griffin.
But it was not only Siegfried who stood on the wooden stage. Martin Espenlaub, number #26, menacingly stared into the crowd of reporters. Another name he was known for was Siegfried's best friend, which sounded like a sidekick
Ohhh, she is there too!
His stare wandered onto the other Divers in the background.