The contrast was grating. While Kael felt horrible before, at least, his body had been healthy and fully functional. Now, there was a physical pain in addition to the mental one. The only part of his body he felt somewhat confident moving without too much additional discomfort was his head. Still, he needed to know where he was. The memories of his friends and family falling to ruin still haunted him. There was also the annoying beeping that had, somehow, accompanied him here. He felt exhausted from just waking up, and every move cost him a lot of energy, but what more was a little exhaustion. Thus he began to inspect his surroundings.

The roof was your pretty standard off-white tile construction interrupted by long transparent boxes, most likely housing lights. The only notable feature was a modern flat screen tv mounted to the ceiling at an angle. The thing looked huge and expensive, very expensive. Not your regular hospital equipment, that's for sure, Kael thought. The walls were the same slightly off-white color of the ceiling, but they too had something more to them. There were three pieces of artwork breaking up the monotonous color, bringing spots of color into the otherwise sterile-looking room. Kael was certainly not an art critic, but they looked pretty. There he also saw the culprit of the annoying beeping. Standing right next to his bed was a medical-looking machine, showing differently colored lines going up and down, beeping from time to time. To his left were two doors. One was half-open and revealed an unlit bathroom behind it. The other was closed. There were also a lot of drawers and other types of storage spread around the room. One such storage space was the bedside locker and nightstand to his left. The left was also where the light illuminating the room came from. A large double window, spanning most of the left wall, allowed a clear view of a small park. In the distance, Kael could see some of the more iconic highrises of the capital, thus somewhat confirming his position to still be in the city. Satisfied that he was not in immediate danger, Kael let exhaustion overwhelm him, guiding him back to sleep.

Time passed in a blur. Kael awoke from time to time, never as conscious or energetic as the first but aware enough to notice someone looking after him. The figure would visit him sometimes, talking to him in a soft voice. He also remembered snippets of someone cleaning his body softly with a wet piece of cloth. The person seemed happy when they realized that he was awake, talking a little louder and more animated, but the mental and physical stress kept Kael subdued. Thankfully, his body was healing, and on one slow afternoon, he woke up with his mind clear.

The setting sun colored his room in a mix of yellow and orange, entrancing him for a while. Once he drew his attention away from the life-giving star, he looked around his room again. He was alone, but the small stool that was half pushed under his bed suggested that someone really had taken care of him. Kael had half expected that all of this was just another version of the 'play' he had been living through for the past while, but this time it felt different. Still, he wondered, how was he even still alive? For a short moment, his mind wandered, and the emotions he had locked away in his heart threatened to emerge. Like tightening a vice, he locked them down again. There would be a time to untangle that mess, but that time was not now. Maybe he should call for someone?

He took a deep breath, or at least as deep as he was able to, and tried to shout. "Hehrkh kha!" Only now did he realize how parched his throat was. His attempt quickly ended in a coughing fit. Kael looked around the room for something to drink while tears blurred his vision. Thankfully, on the small table next to his bed was a glass of water with a straw in it. Now he only needed to move his arms and grab it. His arms felt like they were made of lead. Slowly, and with a lot of shaking, he reached out to the much-needed elixir. Before he had to find out if his weak hands could support the weight of the glass, he heard a door open. A slight breeze of fresh air played around his nose, bringing with it the smell of fresh mint. "Ah! You're awake!" Happyness and excitement easily shone through the feminine voice coming from the door. Quick steps followed, and the glass of water he had almost reached was taken out of reach. "Here, let me." Only to be brought right before his mouth. Kael wanted to thank the person offering him help, but remembering his earlier attempt, he took a drink first. He moistened his throat by slowly sipping, taking care to avoid choking on it.

Once he felt his thirst lessen and his throat stopped hurting, he gently pushed the glass, and with it the hand that held it, away. "Th, Thank you." He looked up as he spoke. Clear, deep blue eyes met his. Kael forgot to breathe for a moment. It took all of his willpower to draw his eyes away and towards the rest of her face. Curly dark red hair framed a brightly smiling face. She had a healthy, light-colored complexion that only accentuated her intense eyes and hair. He could not stop his gaze from wandering back to those expressive eyes. She was beautiful, very much so. But that was not what kept Kael's attention. Her eyes were like a deep lake, perfectly reflecting her emotions. Time seemed to stop mattering when he looked into those eyes. Finally, the magic was broken when she spoke again. "Would you like some more water?"