Xalen had worked so hard, his body quickly succumbed to sleep. The hard part came later, as the scenes in his mind developed. His dreams were filled with scenes of faceless men and women. They gave voice to the dark, wicked fears hidden in his conscious mind that he didn’t want to revisit. Obviously, his unconscious mind held no such reservations. “Look at him,” wheezed a woman. “He has no heart.” Xalen looked down, suddenly aware that he was shirtless. The metal circle at the center of his chest glowed a bright silver. “He’s a freak,” added the voice of another woman. More faceless forms rose from the ground. The black and white apparitions grew in number, until they completely encircled him. They yelled at him, taunting him with his deepest insecurities. “Someone with no heart can never trully feel.” “Born a monster. Always a monster.”
