Chapter 2: II
I still felt the burn left by the blinding light as I opened my eyes and discovered the place where I am at.
The poor condition that this place is in suggests that I should be in one of the makeshift resting rooms that is built above the site.
I felt the surge of weakness when I tried to move out of bed. I positioned myself to lean against the pillow and rested.
I could not recall how I actually got here but I know how tiring it was to carefully transport a 25 year old unconscious man from there to here, a hundred meters above.
I couldn't remember exactly if I passed out or not but I remembered that before I got here, I was watching those moving drawings from that book.
Then, I can't remember what happened next after that blinding light covered my sight.
I removed the blanket covering me with my tiny little hands and moved my little feet out of bed.
Tiny?
Little?
"What the..." Struck at the revelation, I blurted out.
I immediately covered my mouth when I said that.
My voice?
The door of the room opened and a lady entered the room wearing a dress, an apron, and a cap made of cloth - clothing that resembles the ones that were used by nurses during the medieval period.
She saw me sitting on the bed looking at her. She was startled at first but then smiled and greeted.
"You're awake." Her high-pitch, lady-like, voice sounded as she approached me.
"How are you feeling?" She said a s she checked up on me. She touched my forehead to check for fevers maybe, then my neck, and patted my sides.
What's happening?
Where am I?
With wide eyes open I looked around the room again and realization upon realization struck me.
Those old looking stone walls aren't possible to put together in just a matter of days.
If I really were inside in one of the makeshift rooms above the site, wasn't it supposed to be filled with only the essential furniture?
I saw cabinets, dressers, a full body mirror, and even the whole floor is covered by a carpet.
Most of all...
I looked at myself - to my tiny body.
I'm a child?
The lady was startled with the sudden change in my behavior. I was brought back to the matter at hand when she asked,
"Are you okay?"
I haven't processed all these sudden changes yet that the moment she tried to touch me again, I panicked.
"Don't touch me!" I blurted out and flicked away her reaching hands. I tried to put some distance between me and her as a great deal of confusion formed in my mind.
"It's okay, you're alright." She comforted and tried to reach her hands out once again but stopped midway when she saw the look I have on my face.
I must be dreaming, am I?
Can I get out if I try to harm myself?
I pinched myself hard and knew that the pain I felt after can't be more real.
No, there are still cases where people feel the pain but still remain trapped in their dreams, I thought.
I could not focus myself to listen to what that lady was saying. The only thing I have in my mind now is how to get out of this dream, this nightmare.
Unconsciously, my breathing started to speed up as a thought appeared on my mind.
Could I not be dreaming?
Impossible!
If this is not inside a dream, I don't have any other explanation of the situation I am in.
"We have brought you here..." I wasn't able to follow what she was saying because at that time, I'm looking at the door that she came from.
Before she could react, I gathered the strength that I could muster and sprinted for the door.
"Don't!..." I heard her scream from behind me but I did not look back and focused on the task of getting out of this room.
I was able to get out and saw a narrow hallway lit by small lamps hanging on its walls. I must've just taken a few steps when I felt my body turn weak and fell.
Just before I fell to the floor, I saw two other women, dressed in the same clothing with the lady in my room, ran quickly to my side and helped me stand up.
The lady from before catches up and I was able to see the distress expression on her face as she immediately began to apologize.
"What happened? Didn't I tell you to look after him?" The other lady raised her voice as she berated the lady.
I struggled to get out of their hold but the weakness I feel all over my body made it hard.
Just a little more and I would be able to reach the end of the hall and probably end this bad dream.
The lady who berated must've noticed my reaction as she sat and leveled herself to my face.
"Everything is okay, Kael. You've just woken up and your body is still too weak." She explained.
That was the last thing I could remember as my eyes started to feel heavy and I lost consciousness.
"He's waking up."
I heard a hushed voice of a woman as I opened my eyes. I felt so weak and tired as I attempted to move my body.
Have I finally woken up?
I surveyed the room once again and saw familiar faces.
A sense of dread formed within me when I discovered that I am still in the same room, lying against this same wooden bed.
The first reaction that I did was to make some distance between me and the woman sitting beside the bed.
The moment I moved far too sudden though, I felt a pang of pain on my body.
"Careful, you're still healing." The woman beside my bed said.
She was just about to come near me but decided otherwise. She turned to one of the ladies standing beside her and instructed, "Go get his food and a set of clean clothes."
The two ladies left the room, leaving me and the woman alone.
"Kael." She called.
Kael?
All these changes are keeping me so confused and overloaded. I can see a lot of unfamiliar things and faces that keep me feeling nervous and unsafe.
I buried myself beneath the blankets. I tried to calm myself down and listen to whatever she is about to say.
"Kael." She called again.
I felt someone touch me from beyond the blanket.
The moment I step on the age of 16, I mostly spend my time reading research materials, journals, and a lot of books and became a promising archaeologist by the age of 23. By 24, I met Ben. Like me he became successful in his field of work in his early twenties. Coupled with his family's connection and wealth, he was able to build a name for himself. He has this passion of helping others who have the talent but just don't have the resources to do what they want.
He has invested a lot in me while I trace a rumored city with the information that I have gathered from the time I began my obsession of finding this city.
I don't remember what pushed me to pursue this career but reading how the olden times are described in books, it captivated that sleeping desire within me.
I am not good with socializing but I know how to talk to people professionally. Casual talks aren't just my thing, Ben and Alison are much better than me in that area.
I have lived my life alone and I mostly talk to people that I already know, that is why I usually have a hard time dealing with the situation of having a stranger in the same room as I.
No one has ever touched me so sudden and without consent.
I know that their touches are out of care but it felt so strange, so unfamiliar.
I shifted my body to one side to indicate that I don't welcome her touch and I felt that she retracted her hands a moment later.
"I know you're confused and scared but trust me, you're already safe." She explained in a slow and a caring tone.
I forced myself to calm down to think. I am starting to get tired of this dream. I can't wait for it to end.
I just wish to wake up and find myself on a hospital bed or back in the comfort of my home.
"What happened to me?" I heard a childish voice escaped from my mouth. It was weak and a bit hoarse but it's definitely a sound that belongs to a child.
I heard a change in the tone of her voice after I spoke, there was joy and relief in them.
"Do you remember anything before waking up?" She asked me.
I tried to sit against the pillows and slowly move the part of the blanket that covers my face away. I prepared myself and took the scene that greeted me.
The room is still the same as I remember and she, the woman, still remains sitting by the side of the bed.
She has a smile that is constantly plastered on her face, has the right amount of fat that suits her well and a motherly feel that made it easier for me to take things.
In reply to her question, I just shook my head. I honestly don't know what to answer to what she has just asked.
I saw the change in her expression as that smile felt a little sad and worried.
"It's okay. Take things slowly, you're safe. No one would be able to harm you here." She comforted me. "I'm Zane."
"What happened to me?" I got a little more courage to ask when I knew that it was only just us in the room and her presence doesn't make me feel uncomfortable.
She contemplated for a moment but her reply is not what I wanted, "No, you should rest first. At least eat something first, before I tell you anything." She said.
I turned my gaze away from her and remained silent.
"Kael? Is something wrong?" She asked.
"Nothing." I muttered and covered myself again with the blanket and lay down on one side.
I must've stayed in that position for a while until I heard the sound of the door opening and a loud voice started to fill the room.
"Where is he?" I heard a man's anxious voice said.
I heard no one reply to his question. The next thing I knew, I was taken out of bed and was pinned in a tight hug.
"Thank the Gods, you have already woken up, Kael!" The man said with a sense of great relief.
He took me out of his embrace to study my face but was taken aback when he saw how startled and scared I looked at that moment.
"Get away from me!" I yelled when I recovered from the sudden change and tried to push him away.
The man did not make it too hard for me as he just remained there confused as I scrambled to the very edge of the bed.
"You're scaring him!" The woman berated the man and dragged him out of bed.
"What happened to him, Zane?" The man asked with confusion and worry in his voice.
The woman shook her head and with a sad tone, she replied.
"He can't remember a thing, Gohen."
Weekly Power Status
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