Everything felt more real now that I was awake, the feeling of fur against my chest, the bunched up material under me that seemed to be bedding. With a breath, a white mist fell from my lips, my body shivering being both cold and wet. It seemed like during my small coma I was sweating profusely, a small puddle had formed along the bed that it couldn't absorb yet.
The people in the room ran out when I yelled at them, probably to tell someone else about the fact that I had awoken. With a burst of creation magic, I turned both the fur and the soaked bedding into an outfit to cover myself from the cold. Not bothering to put much effort into it, since there was probably clothes near me I just created a fur robe that wrapped around me to the knees.
As I started to walk I knew something was wrong with my body, a few punches in the air confirmed what I was thinking. The coma had somehow strengthened my body, or maybe the poison, either way, my body felt as though it could swim up steam with the salmon.
With a smile, I slowly tied my robe shut, to look for clothes which much to my frustration and amazement none of them fit me anymore. Throwing down a large amount of like-colored fabrics, most of them silk or animal furs. There was a surprising amount of dark blue in the outfits, so I took that and the dark reds to make myself an outfit using my creation magic.
Knowing a little bit about men's fashion as my maids dressed me when I was in this world, I stylized the clothes after monks. Three layers under my robes, a silk undertunic, followed by a fabric tunic, and lastly a thin layer of fur in two strips that went over my shoulder fitted with a belt.
With the robe over the outfit, I looked like I should be at a convention somewhere, but considering the look of those in my memories I shouldn't stand out too much. Spreading leather along the coat I made it look like a warm duster, with two deep pockets for holding various materials in the front and a gun holster added to the inside.
The clothes took several minutes to make before I was satisfied with the whole thing. A few moments later there was a lady dressed in a three-piece dress came walking in. She gave me an approving once over before straightening her shrug as if waiting for something. I could tell she was nervous, she was worried about me as she had every right to be.
As I stood there I took a look at her, she wore purple silk for every part of her gown minus the corset which seemed to be made of black feathers. Her hair was tied up and proper in a bun, which made me smirk as she seemed to be trying too hard to look professional. The freckles across her cheeks and nose made her face seem a little too childish for all her efforts though.
The actual dress itself was long, and down to her ankles with a slit along the side to help with movement. A vest lay above it undone to show off the work of the corset she was wearing. Her shrug over her shoulders was a velvet red and grey, that really brought your eyes to the paleness of her skin. It seemed as if each piece of cloth on her body was there to distract you from her face.
"Even if you want to hide it, your youth isn't something to run away from." Gripping some silverware, I changed it into a blade. Tucking them into my sleeves for future use made me feel a lot better. Like a pistol in the dimly lit streets, my knife was my ward against evil, even if I could summon weapons to my side an already drawn karambit was twice as valuable.
Seeing the knives the lady had a surprised look on her face, it was well known that I was a bit of a pacifist performing to let others walk in front while I trailed behind. Her curiosity was shattered by my words, however, "I won't speak ill of your short stature if you won't speak of my youthful appearance."
A smirk came to my lips as I nodded, many maids would be reprimanded if they spoke to their masters this way, but we had been master and maid since I was seven and her eleven. The whole pretense of superiority went away quicker than it could be made since she was the one who spanked me when I got out of hand.
Obviously not recently, due to age, and my body being in a coma for quite some time. Neither of my lifetimes had I been into spanking, so there was no reason for me to pursue that any longer.
"It's good that you're awake though, " Her voice was soft as she lowered her head a bit embarrassed. "I missed you."
I nodded my head and reached out my hand to pat her head. Taking out the pin holding her hair in place, I let her dark brown hair fall to her shoulders. "You look more mature this way."
Before we're shipped I must let you know she was like a little sister to me, there were no intimate feelings at all. I can almost guarantee that she felt the same for me, thinking of me as a little brother. Yes, we both felt as though we were the mature one of the situation too, and neither of us would back down.
She blushed more and turned away so I wouldn't see the small smile on her lips, "Of course you'd say that, the others seem to like my hair managed."
"Emily, how many times do I have to tell you, other than your big brother all other males are idiots." She scoffed at the mention of big brother but didn't refute. They had this conversation a hundred times, and I felt a slight bit of comfort in knowing that everything was still the same between us even though I was gone so long.
"The healers would like to check you over, and given the pressure your father put on them they'll probably strangle you if you say no." With that, a tray of food came in and Emily excused herself. Two other servants dressed in black and white butler uniforms wheeled in a cart with several dishes on it.
They were once my favorite dishes, but some things didn't look as good now as when I didn't know about curry, ice cream, or popcorn alligator. Looking at the aged boar meat soaked in white wine, and injected with garlic cloves only made me stubbornly miss junk food.
Despite my inner protest, the food was amazing with just the right hints of everything. I wasn't satisfied though, I wanted more since I felt as though I was starving, something was missing from this food.
After five more trays of food, only one actually satisfied my body, making me fill my stomach more than the empty substance that littered my plate before. It was a beast of low tier called a horned rabbit, these creatures were hunted almost as much as regular animals, some even domesticated.
Confirming my guess, I ordered seven more dishes with low tiered beasts, and devoured them feeling finally full. Mana was the missing ingredient to the other snacks I ate before. After eating several pounds of meat all the servants looked at me with a bit of fear, thinking their young master had been replaced by a beast.
It did make me feel rather stiff, so I asked a servant to get me several herbs to create one of the pills I made for the Lucius. A slight burning sensation on my shoulder let me know that he was still there listening. "Don't worry, these pills are for me. I might finally have empathy for you!"
Gathering two more servants I had them look for materials that I needed for my alchemy table. Including an already put together stone table that could fit against my wall. After ordering around about ten servants into different tasks, the healers had gathered and were walking to my room. One of the men made me instinctually touch my karambit, ready to strike him should the moment come.
His eyes held in them indifference, defiance, and around him was a mist of death energy that clung to his body like tar. As he walked to me, I felt an unstoppable chill run down my body as his lips peeled back into a smile, offering his hand to me. The shadows slowly became thicker around me as my foot slid back into the defensive, mana welling in certain spots on my body ready to summon my armor.
"You can see..." Those words broke the spell, as now I was just starting at a youth of at most twenty-three, his Phoenix red hair tied back in a knot using golden string. His eyes shined like two candles as he looked at me, the smile on his lips standing out with his pale skin and green lipstick.
Raising his hand once more, my hand was grabbed firmly before he shook. "My name is Lotus, but you can call me Lo if you like. My.. friends call me Lo."
As his hand left mine I felt a piece of paper in my grip, this made me shiver because of a much more primal fear. Though I didn't let my expressions change as I slipped the paper into my pocket, my eyes not leaving the pretty boy. The energy of death was still there clinging to him but it wasnt as oppressive and hungry as it was before.
Whatever the guy did I wasn't going to see it again if he didn't want me to see it. With a smile I reached out to shake the other person's hand but he shook his head. "I'm just a slave, don't bother noticing me."
My smile froze a bit, 'What freaks did my father let cast magic on my defenseless body?"