Maybe it really happened.... Maybe this isn't anything but a dream. I couldn't know if it was or wasn't. I couldn't feel anythingat all. It seemed like a lot of time has passed, or maybe no time at all. I felt that I was in some kind of a comfy and warm place, but I didn't know if what I was feeling was warmth or cold. Maybe these two at the same time.
When I opened my eyes, it was dark, and little lights were glowing ahead. I was scared, where was I? I tried to reorganize my memories. I almost couldn't focus my sight, but I distinguish enough to realize that wasn't a Hospital Room, where I was before had heard from Siever he was about to poison me… I stood quickly, but do that gave me regrets soon.
My head spinned violently, and I got serious dizzy and nauseated.
"It's better for you to stay quiet." someone said a serious and calmly voice beside me.
It was Siever. So that's it… he really came back to get me and now I was in his Spaceship, going to who knows Where...
"Argh... I thought you was gonna kill me! I really thought that you had poisoned me" I barged pressing my temples, trying to make everything around me stop spinning.
"But i did poisoned you…" he said quietly, "It already passed some days since you was conscious the last time, and now you are legally dead."
"What?" I was astonished. I must have heard that wrong since I was still a little stunned.
"When I came back, I injected a paralysing drug on you. This drug, in people like you, is capable of completely paralyze all metabolic and vital functions for a short period of time. It's pretty dangerous in the hands of those who don't know how to use it."
Unbelievable. I heard all plan that Siever got in action, while he "killed me". He had waited for the desperate reaction of Daril, who did not know anything about this part of the plan, to alarm the doctors and make everything more reliable. The drug was apparently undetectable to the medicine level on my planet, so I was simply reported as dead because of some unknown disease.
After that, he tracked down my father and explained everything to him, giving a assurance that my life would be preserved, as well as an encrypted statement confessing that he had taken me, and smuggled my body from inside the coffin just before being cremated. So he just put me on the ship and clandestinely left the planet's atmosphere. Before I awoke, he had given me an antidote, which allowed me to regain consciousness as we flew swiftly across the galaxy to his home.
"...So now all that is left is to call your father, show him that you are alive, and you will be completely under my guardianship" he said giving me a interplanetary communication pen.
I knew well about the technologies used in the most advanced planets and the richest parts of my own planet. But to know and read about it was only by distraction, a useless information learned only to waste time. I definitely would not know how to use that. Siever foresaw that, so he made the call himself, and as soon as Daril answered, he handed me the communicator."
"What a relief" he said "I was afraid I was so afraid to had made a terrible mistake. How are you?
"I'm actually doing a little bit better now" I said, trying to sound optimistic. But even moving was still a tremendous effort, and my whole body was still aching, I could not see right and I it was getting harder for me to breathe, but when I remembered how I was feeling at the hospital, I think it was really much better. At least I did not feel so cold in that overwhelming way.
Siever had the courtesy to not getting into our conversation. Daril explained from his point of view the same facts Siever had told me about my "death." I still felt a slight resentment disguised in his voice as he spoke of Siever. Maybe he'd been upset that this guy had made him believe his daughter had really died.
We talked a little, Dad asked me some questions about things we did together, and we remembered things that only we knew, as if hoping to confirm that this really was me. After a while, I realized he did not want to hang up. Siever had to interfere to say that we probably would not be able to communicate for a long time, and that it would be nice to keep the fact that I was still alive in secret from everyone till the day I could return for good.
We talked until I could no more, and then when I said goodbye to my father, Siever continued the rest of the journey in silence. I did not cry anymore. I did not see need or desire to do it. I felt so tired and sleepy that the pain was seeming unreal, just like everything else. I imagined what lay ahead of me. Siever probably would not answer any questions I asked about it, so I did not bother to ask. The only thing that really bothered me now was hunger.
I barely had arrived at this thought, and to my surprise Siever offered me a pack of cereal. I was intrigued by the fact that he seemed to always be guessing what I wanted somehow.
"Even if…" I started to talk, a little tense "... even if I survive, and get better, I can't go back to my family or live in my homeworld, right?"
I already knew the answer. He already had explained to me when he talked about security matters.
"You can go back to see them if you want" he said to my surprise, "but you can't take too long in that. It's not good for us to draw attention, or stall time in some inferior place. Even more so with all your relatives believing you're dead now."
Then I remembered the Emperor. Probably the most important person in the entire galaxy. I felt small and insignificant... a mere toy or tool in his and Siever's hands. At least Siever had tried to avoid look to melike that and now he was trying to help.
"Where are we? Going back to that Palace?" I asked wishing not going back there. I didn't want to meet Marco again.
"We're going to my House." Siever replied, "There I have more structure for doing anything in my personal lab."
"And where's your house?" I insisted.
"I prepared one in the Imperial Conglomerate. In Keret, but in a district near the Royal Palace, that you saw earlier" he explained, briefly distracted. "Try to move a little" then he suggested, already grabbing my wrist with his hand and painfully shaking it "if you don't try to warm up yourself a little, it'll be much worse."
"Don't do that... it's annoying me" I barged moaning in pain. I felt a little raged, thinking that he was purposely hurting me. Although, the touch of his skin really was a unique relieve. The warmth exchange between the Relics was irreplaceable.
"Don't grumble. You'll feel better if you move your arms, come on!"
I felt ridiculous sitting there in darkness while my arms was shaken by Siever.
"At least turn on the lights" I complained. Siever did not answer quickly. He turned to me and with his free hand he started to make random gestures right to my face "What are you doing?" I asked, kinda annoyed.
"The lights... had always been lit."
I felt a little of panic.
"What? I see everything like I am in the dark!" I lift my hands and rubbed my eyes "What's going on?"
Siever smiled, so I calmed down. He probably had some explanation for this. It must be a briefly simpton, he answered:
"Your eyes must be dying" he said. I heard in shock. He was again giving bad news as he was commenting something obvious. "You actual lifespan depends of my presence beside you, and the time that I took to grant your father's requests consumed a lot of that."
"I'll become blind?" I asked as I panicking more and more.
"Only if you want, since, as the all galaxy must know, I'm a medicine genius" Siever calmly said. "If depends on me, you'll be perfectly functional when I finish…" He turn back to the ship panel, and I could felt a little turbulence.
"And what's really gonna happen to me?" I didn't know if I want to hear the answer for that. Siever keep quiet for a long time. I already gave up hearing any answer, when he finally open his mouth.
"Since you told me that you want to live, I'll do everything it's need to grant it. I do not think it's going to be so hard this time.…"
"This time? What do you mean by 'this time'?"
I definitely was feeling more and more nervous.
"I already did this before... once" he explained. "The last guardian of the Creation Relic was a Brard too, and a quite frail one.
"The one from my past life…" I exhaled. This idea about continue living other person's life annoyed me so much.
"I was already a very good doctor that time" he continued to ignoring my comments "but it was difficult for me, because I did not know what to do from the start... I had to find out on the way, but it turned out alright in the end…"
"Although in the end, she died anyway" I mumbled. I know it was a cruel remark, but I didn't felt sympathetic now.
"Yeah... in the end, it's what happens to everyone" he replied apathetic. I felt a little guilty and resentment in his voice. I imagined that he had tried to uncover that he was affected by my commentary.
"How she died?" I wanted to know.
He didn't answered immediately again. He kept himself quiet for a long time. I imagined that he wasn't even breathing, because of the silence. At the end, he said:
"She wanted to... she couldn't take it anymore so decided to give up."
I felt his anger through those words. But I didn't felt it was with me… Did he imagined that at some point, despite his effort to help, I would gave up and choose to die too?
"Why…"
"Enough with the questions!" he abruptly interrupt me. He was definitely vexed.
I ended up getting irritated too.
"I'm not that person!" I scolded angry, "I'm just me! Don't think I have reasons to give up my life."
For some reason Siever found it very funny and spent a lot of time laughing. I could only feel puzzled when he finally stopped to speak:
"We arrived…" he came down and opened the ship's door for me "ow we'll see how much pain you can take before saying that again!"