Hospital. Drogo barely opens his eyes. At first he sees only a white ceiling. After a moment he lowers his gaze, looks around and realizes he is in a hospital. Two nurses are standing in front of him – one beside a food cart, the other near his bed. His memory returns in fragments: two strong blows in the back, the fall, the sudden appearance of an old man in front of him, then the voices of passers-by shouting and darkness. Pushing the memory aside, Drogo begins calmly assessing the situation. Where does it hurt? How long has he been here? What should he do next? He listens inwardly. The essence is silent. Probably sleeping – too much energy lost. Then a soft voice pulls him back to the present. The nurse standing beside the bed leans slightly closer and asks, Awake already, sweetheart? Does anything hurt?

Drogo’s opinion clearly does not matter to anyone, and he does not feel any desire to argue anyway. While he slowly eats the porridge, the nurses begin recounting what the ambulance doctors reported. The emergency team received a call about a man who had collapsed in the street with severe blood loss. When they arrived there was a large pool of blood on the pavement. The victim had already been turned onto his back, and beside him was a man trying to provide first aid but clearly not understanding what exactly needed to be done in that situation. When the ambulance team approached, the man immediately started explaining: I’m a doctor. I tried to give first aid. I turned the victim over to assess the situation. At first I thought the blood was coming from the nose or maybe from a head injury, but when I rolled him over I saw that the man was covered in blood. He was unconscious but breathing. His clothes had cuts in all the vital areas of the body – around sixty cuts in total. I took off my shirt and tried to find the source of the bleeding and stop it. Most of the blood seemed to be around the abdomen, so I pressed the shirt there. But when I pressed it against the body I realized there was no bleeding there – only healed scars. I kept looking for the cuts but found nothing except scars. So when the ambulance arrived I just held the victim’s head on my knees because I didn’t know what else to do.

Neither that doctor nor the ambulance team were able to find the source of the blood. The weakness you are feeling now, the nurse explains calmly, usually appears after massive blood loss, although no transfusion was required because there was no medical reason for it.

During the nurses’ story Drogo suddenly felt a wave of joy rising inside him so strongly that he could not even hide the wild grin spreading across his face. Power… if only these little people understood how good this feels. Nurse Two pulled him back to reality again. Dear, we need to collect some information about you – who you are, your name and surname, whether there are relatives we should contact. Drogo pretended that the weakness had returned and promised to explain everything later, already knowing that “later” would never come. He closed his eyes and waited until the nurses left the room. When their footsteps faded, he slowly sat up, still enjoying the feeling of triumph. But the joy suddenly shifted into something colder. My original goal has already been achieved… but now I’ve met him. I want him. The realization came quickly. My goal is under threat.

At that moment he heard a familiar voice inside his head. The essence had awakened.

So, how are you?

Looks like I survived only because of the new ability, Drogo answered inwardly. Why didn’t you sense the danger?

Because they weren’t emitting any threat. There were no emotions directed at you. Perhaps the attack was a mistake?

No, Drogo replied after a short pause. Most likely the Higher Ones received my message and started hunting me. They took their time. Too many deaths already… but at least I won’t have to search for them. They will find me themselves. But first we start with something sweeter. Let’s find that boy. Guide me through the hospital corridors to the exit.

Are you sure? You still look weak.

I said we are going.

Guided by the scents his essence picked up, Drogo managed to avoid the doctors and move down from the third floor into the main lobby. In the cloakroom he found a light jacket that roughly fit him, slipped on a pair of shoes and stepped outside.

Where are we going? the essence asked.

We need a map. I need to understand how many schools are around that waterfront.

At the nearest bus stop he studied the city map and quickly realized that there were only two schools near the embankment. Drogo considered this a success.

I understand you are already in a state of anticipation, the essence said cautiously, but you are attracting too much unwanted attention right now. I can sense the mood of the people around us.

Why?

Maybe because you are dressed a little strangely.

From a distance it looked almost absurd: a man standing near a hospital bus stop wearing a patient’s gown under a jacket and mismatched shoes. Drogo suddenly realized how ridiculous it looked and quietly slipped into the nearest alley.