After apologizing again and again to the traumatized nurse, with my sister covering her face with both hands the whole time I was doing so, my shackles were finally removed.
I was told that they had been for my own safety. Because whenever I woke up, I supposedly flailed wildly, injuring not only myself and the nurses, but also tearing off all the cables and tubes that were attached to my body.
Now, this surprised me for three reasons.
First, I had no idea how serious my injuries really were. After being handed a report on the condition of my body, I couldn't help but doubt my eyes. For it was written there in black on white that not only did I have severe internal bleeding and suffer a traumatic brain injury, but I was also found to have nearly 50 broken bones scattered throughout my body.
Since I had no recollection of suffering any kind of injury, this came as quite a surprise to me.
Second, an even bigger shock was the fact that I was unconscious – for almost an entire month at that. While I could only remember one incident, I allegedly kept waking up, screaming in pain within that time period until I was sedated again and sent into an induced coma.
The doctors could not explain why I was feeling that way. I was on pain medication the whole time and it was also not common for unconscious patients to wake up so frequently.
I suspected it had something to do with that black screen hovering over my head and the strange voice I began hearing a while ago, but of course, I couldn't tell anyone. At least not without proof. After all, the thing disappeared when the nurse came in and hasn't reappeared since.
I had many questions that I needed answers to, but one at a time.
Further in context…
I was treated intensively during the last 30 days. This included the use of many vita-juices and even hiring a healer, which would explain why I felt completely healthy after only a month despite these serious injuries.
But the biggest shock was yet to come. Third, when I anxiously asked about the cost of the whole treatment, knowing full well that I had no health insurance, I was told thath I don’t need to worry about it. A person who wished to remain anonymous had already covered all the costs for me.
Now, how could I explain this? Even low-grade vita-juices were incredibly valuable healing potions. The price for a bottle started at 10 silver coins. Depending on the purity and quality, the price for a vial could go up to several hundred silver coins. For vita-juices of the highest level, which could restore even whole limbs in a few seconds, you even had to put several gold coins on the table – meaning several thousand silver coins.
While they could save your life in critical situations, they were definitely not something a simple Mendax like me could afford.
Considering the severity of my injuries, one could fairly quickly conclude that one or two low-level vita-juices were not enough. So... what? A hunter specialized in healing was even hired to treat me? I didn't even want to think about the price of such an endeavor.
Why would anyone have gone to the immeasurable expense of helping me? It's not like I have a lot of friends.
Aside from Oren and the old hunters from the bar, there really wasn't anyone I could call a friend.
'Could Oren possibly have...?'
I wondered if maybe Oren did possess more money than he showed.
But in the next moment, I shook my head. Although I believed that Oren would have helped me if he could, I knew that he couldn't.
Because he spent all his money on alcohol, he didn't even have enough left over to renovate his shabby bar. Heck, he didn't even have a working toilet. Also, the cost of hiring a healer was, simply put, beyond enormous. Even the value of a mana-crystal paled in comparison. This was because there were so few hunters with healing abilities.
Besides, if Oren or one of his friends really were my donors, they would surely rub it in my face – and not remain anonymous.
There was no point in worrying about it now. I decided to think about it later and first be grateful that an unknown person had probably saved my life.
Apart from that, my head was not able to work properly at the moment anyway. Because while I was sitting on my bed, brooding, dagger-like glances were permanently piercing me from the side.
»M, Mia... Do you have to stare at me like that? You're scaring your brother.«
»…«
Without answering, my sister continued to glare at me with an emotionless face and folded arms.
»You know that my work is not entirely safe. Accidents happen on the construction site at the wall, it can't be avoided. Sometimes there are even monsters. This time there–«
»Stop it.«
Just as I was about to give her the explanation for my injuries that I came up with while she was out of the room, she interrupted me sharply.
»Isn't it enough already?«
At my sister's strict tone, an uneasy feeling slowly spread through me.
»What do you mean?« I asked cautiously.
»You don't really think after what happened I'd sit here and listen to your bullshit once more, do you?«
And that feeling turned into foreboding.
»Mia, listen to me. I–«
»No, you will listen to me now,« she said as she balled her hands into fists.
»How stupid do you think I am? Do you think just because I've been pretending not to notice until now that the act would always pull?«
My premonition was confirmed. The day I feared had finally arrived.
»You work at the construction site? Every week you come home injured. All over your body, you have bruises, cuts, broken bones... You've been in the hospital so many times, it could be your second home! And what... all you can think of is: I work for a big construction company. It's dangerous at the wall? Accidents happen?!«
I avoided her eyes.
»You think I forgot that you became an Awakened four years ago? You think just because I'm 17, I'm naive and stupid and can't put 1 and 1 together?«
»Mia, please... calm down.«
»How could you seriously think I would buy that crap for even a second?«
»But then, why did you–«
»Why did I not say anything if I already knew? Isn’t that obvious? Because I also knew how hard you were trying! Of course, I still didn't agree with it, but how could I complain when I knew you were doing it all for me?«
I closed my eyes.
»No, I didn't say anything. I was waiting. I waited and hoped that one day, you would tell me on your own.«
I heard Mia stand up and walk towards me.
»Since our parents died, we only had each other in this world. We had only us. You and me, that's all there was. I thought if I waited long enough, you would understand that we could be a team. That you didn't have to play the role of a father for a pitiful little girl. That you can depend on me, too.«
Her footsteps came to a stop in front of me.
»That you would realize that I would understand and support you, no matter what.«
Then she grabbed me by the shoulder, forcing me to open my eyes again. Her face was inches away from mine. I looked into her big, brown eyes.
»But brother.«
Her eyes showed that she couldn't be more serious.
»My patience has run out.«
She walked back and sat back down in the chair. Then she continued calmly…
»There are exactly two options now.«
She raised her index and middle fingers in the air, forming a V-sign.
»Option one.« she wiggled her middle finger, »You stop working as a Mendax immediately and find another job.«
I didn't answer.
»Or,« she said after wiggling her middle finger, »I’ll drop out of school right now and start working.«
Then my sister crossed her arms in front of her chest and stared at me again as if waiting for an immediate answer.
For a few seconds, neither of us said a word.
Then.
»Pfffft…«
...I couldn't suppress a laugh.
Instantly, Mia frowned and anger made its way into her expression again.
»You think that's funny?«
»No... it's just… We truly are siblings, aren’t we?«
»What the heck is that supposed to mean now?«
I shook my head slightly. Then I sat up straight and looked my sister in the eye.
»I wasn't laughing at your words. I was laughing at myself. At how ignorant and stupid I was.«
»…«
»Thank you, Mia. I understand what you are trying to say.«
As my sister continued to stare at me coldly, she still didn't seem convinced.
»Can you leave me alone for a while, please? I have a lot to think about.«
I smiled gently at her.
»Soon I'll tell you everything, I promise.«
♦
After Mia left the hospital somewhat reluctantly – probably only out of consideration for the fact that I had just recently woken up from a coma – I was alone in the room again.
My sister's words were still in my head, but I had to approach things in the right order.
First, I had to remember what had happened.
Since it was so hectic after I woke up, with one event following another, I didn't have time to think about it in more detail yet. About what actually transpired a month ago in the Manto-Forest and about how surreal it all seemed.
I have already learned from the nurse that Ralf and I were found near the north gate of the Potsdam city wall. I had no idea how we got there. But at least I now knew, that Ralf had survived. He had woken up already a few days after the admission and had allegedly even visited me a few times during my coma.
Before he was discharged two weeks ago, he had told the hospital everything he could remember. Unfortunately, his memories of the end of the expedition were also missing. He said he did not know who or what had saved him.
So that wasn’t really helpful.
I too could remember that I was on an expedition with 3 other hunters in the Manto-Forest – Ralf being one of them.
We encountered only a few goblins at first. The hunters quickly took care of them and we even found a mana-crystal. Then, as we were making our way back, two hobgoblins suddenly appeared. Monsters that shouldn't be in this forest. The team panicked, but Tobi, their leader, talked courage into them. However, he eventually betrayed his comrades and ran away, alone.
Left for dead, I was overcome with despair. I saw Aileen being killed before my eyes and Ralf was also about to lose his life too.
Then my memories became blurred. All I remembered was that I was overcome by a strange feeling.
I don't think it was necessarily a good feeling. Much more I felt... indifference.
I no longer felt anger, nor did I feel fear or despair. My head was clear and I knew what I had to do.
But what was it that I did?
No matter how many times I thought about it, at this point my memories were practically non-existent.
The only thing I kept thinking about was...
»Excuse me?« I asked when a thought popped up in my head.
»Y–Yes?«
The nurse with the short-trimmed blond hair and the red lipstick, who had just entered the room with a food tray, stopped abruptly again.
Her voice sounded a little shaky and her neck was slightly flushed as if she was still uncomfortable with the image she saw when she entered the room a few hours prior.
»Were any things dropped off for me?«
»Any things?« she asked, confused.
»Yes, a vest, for example. Or... a weapon?«
»Ah. You mean your personal items that we received when you were admitted.«
After she made sure that I was not going to say anything… funny, the nurse cleared her throat briefly and relaxed her expression. Then she placed the tray with my supper on the small table beside it.
»It's like you say. Your magic backpack and spear have been dropped off for you and are ready at the front desk. The vest and the bracers you wore were too damaged to be restored, but you can have the remains if you like.«
»Ah, no. It’s fine. But you said, a spear and… a backpack?«
»That's right. We asked the other hunter – Ralf was his name, I believe – about them, but he said they were yours.«
»Is… that so.« I fell in thought.
»Was that information not correct?«
»Hmm? Oh, no. It’s alright. Could I go and get them?«
»I will bring them to you. Do you have any other questions?«
»No. Thank you.«
After that, the nurse nodded and left the room again. Before doing so, she told me that the hospital could not force a patient to stay, but they would strongly recommend me to stay at least another week to be on the safe side – especially since the costs for this were already covered.
Of course, I could not do that.
Now that some of my questions were answered and the chaos in my head was partially resolved, I had to be on my way.
I wolfed down the food the nurse had brought me on a tray and then got up from the bed.
After all, I had a promise to keep.
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