Finn felt a warm light caress his skin. His world had been engulfed in darkness for far too long. Everything was so black… so cold… If this was the underworld, then he prayed for God to redeem him back to purgatory. If God didn't want to answer his call, then the devil would do. Finn hated the dark, so when the light finally came back to his world, the young man reached out with an agonising cry.
Huurrrghhh!!! Haaarrrgghhhh!!! Huurrrghhh!!! Haaarrrgghhhh!!!
Finn broke out with heavy breaths. He sat upon a comfy white bed, surrounded by pristine medical lights. The ward that he was in was the size of a regular high-rise apartment. Vast enough to hold a king-sized bed, a fridge, a kitchen, space for a mattress and a master bathroom. It was a luxurious place for a patient to recuperate, and Finn hadn't experienced such extravagance before. However, the man's attention wasn't focused on the amenities.
"Finn?! Finn!!! You're finally awake!!!" An ethereal voice called out to him. It was so sublime and angelic that the man still assumed that he was dreaming. However, the warm touch of a woman informed him that it was all real. His head pivoted to the side, and the gorgeous face of a blonde elf came to view. Her ears were twitching like an excited puppy's and her eyes of weariness morphed into one of relief.
"Yvette?" Finn asked, his entire being still a little drowsy.
"Yeap," the busty blonde elf replied, nodding her symmetrical head.
"Urghhh..." A throbbing headache pulsated through the S-Ranker's head. Finn examined his body, only to find that it was entirely stiff and sore. Bruises that should have been there had been healed by the S-Class Healer seated right before him, but his internals was still in a mess. Tanking the onslaught by the Demon Guardian was something that the S-Ranker had severely underestimated.
"Relax, there's no need to rush!" Yvette placed her right hand over Finn's broad chest and gently pushed him down. "Take your time. You're still in shock." Finn had much more placed into his strength stat that Yvette could ever hope to have and yet, the man's body was being moved around with ease. It showed how weakened the S-Ranker really was.
"Huurrghhh..." Finn groaned. He laid down on the fluffy pillow and allowed the S-Class Healer to examine his physical state. Yvette was just a visitor and technically, not Finn's doctor. However, no one doubted her ability to treat the bed-ridden man. Her soft hands gently stroked the man's body as her healing touch examined every nook and cranny. It made sense that Finn would be heavily wounded after the battle against the Demon Guardian. The Boss was a foe that the mighty Elder Dragons, whose bodies were as tough as diamonds, had failed to defeat.
Finn's vision slowly recovered, and he no longer saw the world through a blurred lens. He raised both his arms and carefully examined all ten of his fingers. They were bandaged, but at least they were intact. "Urghhh… I'm alive?"
"Hehe, that's right!" Yvette beamed, her smile alone was capable of healing a million injured soldiers. "You've been asleep for almost three days now… Honestly, it was getting a little worrying…" The elf dropped her head, and her sharp, pointed ears followed suit. Being in a coma was no joke, and staying there for three days could only mean the worst. Fortunately, Finn was still breathing normally, and his vital signs were showing signs of recovery. Else, the doctors may have been tempted to pull the plug.
"Not to worry! I've checked, you're injured quite badly but most definitely alive!"
"Ah… That's good..." Finn's entire body was numb and heavy. He gazed up at the ceiling, allowing his entire body weight to sink down upon his mattress. "A hospital… If I'm here, that must mean that the battle's over..."
"Yeah," Yvette replied with the same radiant smile.
"So… Did we win?" Even when he was battered and blue, the S-Ranker still cared about the outcome of the S-Class Dungeon Raid. Finn had passed out and wasn't able to witness the end of the battle.
Yvette's smile quickly evaporated. Her eyelids rose slightly as the sides of her lips furled downwards. Her petite shoulders dropped, and her back fell straight into the hospital chair. "Yeah… We've won..."
"Really?! That's great news!!!" Finn cheered. His head was still planted on the pillow; therefore, he couldn't notice the shift in Yvette's expression. However, the gentle giant could sense that something was off when the elf hadn't replied to him. "What's the matter?"
"We've won… But it came at too great a cost..." The blonde beauty sighed. "Half of our force had been annihilated. Those that perished… Their bodies buried under the gravel of the S-Class Dungeon… Their families and friends… They'll have to live on without them..."
"H-Half, you say..." Finn's eyes widened, and his face turned pale white. S-Rankers were known to be resilient, the toughest of the tough. The Raid Force that Yudonia had put together was undoubtedly the most professional force in their modern history. They could very well put up a good fight against the bigger countries top-tier talents. Yet, that said force… Had just lost half of their members…
"Did Luke and Aria..."
"No," Yvette shook her head at Finn's obvious worry. "Both of them are fine. In fact, they've been visiting your ward every single day. Aria just left, and Luke should be arriving in an hour or two."
"That's good..." Finn heaved out a huge sigh of relief.
"But… So many of our comrades have perished… Finn, I hear you were close to Clint, the sabre-wielding Berserker..."
"Don't tell me, he..."
"I'm sorry..." Yvette just shook her head. "There are also many more… Many more people that we fought with and knew personally as comrades that had perished that day." It was the first time that Yvette had lost so many people that she knew in such a short time. Many of those that died were her patients, back during the days where she worked as a Healing Saint. She knew the majority of them and had shared countless memories with them.
When treating their wounds, the S-Rankers would make small talk by discussing their personal life, their work… Basically, anything that came to their mind. Furthermore, given her excellent looks and profession, it was easy for other S-Rankers to let down their guard. Therefore, Yvette was close to many of the perished. The first time she ran through the list of deceased, Yvette's eyes sweated profusely with no buffer, as all of those wonderful memories resurfaced.
It was hard… Losing those that she once cared for… So, Yvette didn't dare to fathom how their families were faring at the moment.
"Yvette..." Finn exhaled, deeply releasing the constraints on his chest. He looked at the crystal clear eyes of the gorgeous elf. They were filled with empathy and a certain degree of guilt. Finn had seen that look many times before, back when he first raided the S-Class Dungeon in Gondor, alongside Aria and Luke. Aria had the exact same expression when so many of her comrades died within the compounds of the dungeon.
There were a thousand gestures that Finn could do, a million words that he could say; but ultimately, the only one that could help Yvette out of her abyss of despair… was herself.
Recovery took time, and mental scars tend to stay longer than physical ones. Finn knew that all too well after his bitter experience in Gondor's S-Class Dungeon. So, to help a fellow grieving soul, Finn placed his hands over Yvette's, drawing out a single yelp of surprise from the elf. "Don't worry… It's all going to be alright..."
"..." The blonde beauty looked stunned for a moment. What kind of face was she making that it triggered Finn to hold her hand? Was she really that pitiful? A few seconds passed, and Yvette's despondent frown was uplifted back to her radiant smile.
"What the hell..." Yvette grabbed Finn's warm and burly hand as her eyes began to mist. "I'm supposed to be the one that's treating you… Not the other way around..."
"Doesn't matter," the injured Paladin chuckled. "We're both damaged people. Treating each other sounds like the good thing to do..."
"Haha, I guess you're right!" Yvette's face beamed. Any man who viewed this sight would have their breath taken away, and Finn was no exception. He swore to God that flowers bloomed whenever the elf smiled, and her half-sad, half-jovial expression was one that tugged straight at his heartstrings.
'That smile ain't fair...' Finn held to his lower lip as Yvette gently tucked his hand back into the mattress. He wanted to hold the maiden's hand for just a little longer, but not everyone could get their wish.
"Now, where were we..." Yvette reverted back to her storyteller mode, narrating the aftermaths of the S-Class Dungeon clear. "Right after we've cleared the dungeon and opened the final door, the world shook."
"Shook?"
"Yes, shook! Quite literally, in fact!" The blonde elf clenched her fist and punched the air. "Earthquakes, seaquakes, volcanic eruptions, tornadoes, hurricanes… They all occurred after the planet trembled as the tilt of our axis was moved by a degree! It's the worst natural disaster in modern history. Buildings all over the world fell victim to the tremors that followed, and billions, if not trillions of dollars were lost by the malfunctioning power grids." Yvette shivered as she began to recollect the activities that followed after the S-Class Dungeon was cleared. It was a miracle that Yudonia's power supply was still up and running after the whole disaster that was the first day.
"And the earth shook because we..."
"... opened the S-Class Dungeon reward!" Yvette completed Finn's sentence. "And that's the worst part..." The elf took one big mouthful of air in.
"What laid at the end of the S-Class Dungeon… What Yudonia had got for opening Pandora's Box… Is a man from another time!!!"