"Who was it Dave?" Natalie asked from the other room.
"It was just Ryan giving me a heads up. I'm going to have to work overtime today." He answered.
Natalie stepped into the living room. She stood at about five feet and a half tall with a thin figure, long and straight black hair complete with a worried expression instead of her usual composure. "Are you going to be alright? You've been feeling sick since yesterday."
David Smith stood from the couch and looked into her deep brown eyes with his pale blue ones. He was a few inches taller with short brown hair and an average build. He brought his fist over his mouth and coughed once. "I'll be fine. Ryan will be there too, I can always count on him."
David and Natalie had been partners for 13 years. Most religions died out 20 years ago and since then couples would become "partners" through a Union ceremony. Two years after their Union they had a child; a boy that they named Silvester.
"Are you still going to make it to Silver's coming-of-age?" Natalie asked David.
"I can't be sure…" he said. "I might be able to use my condition as an excuse to leave early."
Their son had eventually acquired the nickname Silver as a shortened version of his first name, but also because of his unusual gray eyes. Having just turned 12 years-old, he was now old enough for Spirit extraction, which is referred to as a coming-of-age ceremony for the younger generation.
Natalie poked her head out of the living room and shouted up the stairway: "Silver! Get off your computer and come down! It's time to leave for school!" She then turned back to David pointed her finger at him and whispered: "Not a word about this. You know how important it is for him that you be there since you're always at work. So just shut up and make it there on time."
Silver came bustling down the stairs. He wore his clean clothes and carried in his hands the school's tablet. His arms moved about in excitement as he spoke. "I can hardly wait anymore, mom! What do you think it'll be like?"
"Be careful, you're gonna drop your tablet." His mother warned.
Her son kept his arms still, but could barely contain himself. "I hope it'll be as strong as dad's."
David's eyebrows rose. "Oh? And how would you know about mine?"
"Mom told me it was the strongest ever!"
Natalie gave her partner a guilty smile and hurriedly ushered their son towards the front door.
Silver turned to face his father as he walked out the door and eagerly waved at him. "See you tonight, dad!"
The door closed behind his son and his partner, leaving David alone. He sighed and coughed silently.
* * *
Silver and Natalie sat first in a long line of chairs filled with other children and their respective parents. There was a variety of expressions spread among them, ranging from excitement all the way to fear. The young Silver, though, felt particularly anxious sitting with his arms crossed. "Where's dad? It's almost our turn and he said he'd be here."
"I don't know." His mother answered. "I can't call him because he might be busy. What happened to you, anyway? You were so excited before we came here."
The long wait in line had given Silver too much time to think. Before his mind was filled with only the good possibilities, now he was tormented by all the bad ones. "What if it's a bad or a weak Spirit, mom?"
Natalie put a hand on her son's shoulder. "Don't say things like that. Just believe in yourself and it'll be a great spirit, okay?"
At that moment, the door beside them opened and a short gray-haired middle-aged man in a lab coat stepped out. He signaled to them. "Silvester Smith?"
Natalie nodded and stood, as did Silver. They followed the man and entered the very large room with a high ceiling where a brain explorer was attached. A stretcher lied underneath with wires hanging about to some screens nearby. Silver felt very small in this room, not helping his current mindset. There were a few more people in lab coats going about their business, but he and his mom focused on the one that brought them in.
The doctor took a glass and poured in a dark-red liquid. He then turned around to face Silver and Natalie. "Alright, let's get right to it since we still have a lot of people waiting." He handed the glass to Silver. "You're going to have to drink this. You're a man now so I'm not going to sugar-coat this: it's not magic fairy nectar, it's not wine either. It's Nocturnum, although a very small dose, it'll put you to sleep for about 15 minutes. When you wake up, the extraction will be finished, Mrs. Smith here will help us fill out some paperwork and you can be on your way."
Natalie was slightly amazed. "Wow. The process is much simpler than back in my day."
The short man smiled with pride. "We've worked very hard over the years to make it easier for the children." Then he looked at Silver. "Well, what're we waiting for? Let's get started." He said, gesturing at the glass.
When Natalie saw her son's hesitation she put her hand on his head to comfort him. "Go on, Silver, it'll be fine."
Silver nodded, then swallowed his doubts and the contents of the glass at the same time. A heavy taste of iron filled his mouth and every sensation went numb. Everything went black…
When Silver's consciousness came back, it took a few minutes before he actually opened his eyes. The brain explorer was above him and voices could be heard across the room. There was still a prominent taste of iron on his tongue giving him an urge to spit. He bit the feeling down and started moving his arms in an attempt to get into a sitting position. As soon as he succeeded, though, he was greeted by a bustling chest-to-the-face from his mother's sudden bone-crushing hug.
"I'm so proud of you." She said as she choked him. "It's a great Spirit." After a moment she realized that she was hugging Silver too hard, so she let him go and apologized. "I know you still feel woozy, but we have to go fill those papers, come on." She helped him to his feet and dragged him to the desk where the short doctor waited.
"Alright," The man said. "Now that we completed all the personal information we'll fill out the Spirit paperwork." He turned a screen for Silver to see, then started writing. "Appearance… Twin-headed lion, two tails, four legs."
Silver tugged Natalie's sleeve. "Mom, what's a lion?"
"They were known as 'King of beasts', but went extinct 100 years ago." She answered.
Silver's eyes stayed glued to the screen. Something about it prevented him from looking away. The lion's heads looked opposite ways, their sharp teeth clenched as if they were straining. Muscles bulged on every part of the body except for the tails. It's no wonder it was called a king; it generated an aura of power and ferocity beyond compare.
"Color…" The doctor continued. "Yellow fur, golden mane, white teeth, blank eyes. Sealed into… ornamental key. What is it made of?"
"Pure gold." Natalie replied. "It's a family heirloom passed down from my mother."
The doctor nodded in approval. "A very fitting item for the Spirit then. Made. Of. Pure. Gold." He handed the sheets to Silver and pointed at the bottom line. "Sign here."
Silver still looked at the screen.
"Oops, I forgot." The doctor closed the screen, snapping Silver out of his daze. "This always happens." He took the sheets back after they were signed and handed a small pouch to Natalie. "Here's the key. I suggest you only hand it over to your son at the time when you teach him how to use it. Mr. Smith will take care of that I take it?"
Silver's happiness suddenly faded at the mention of his missing father.
Natalie shot a mean glare at the doctor and passed her hand across her throat in a cutting motion.
The doctor nervously adjusted his lab coat. "Sorry… In any case, have a good evening." He said, gesturing for them to leave.
Natalie stood and took Silver's hand, making him follow her out of the room. She walked with fury in her swift steps, forcing her son to run to keep up.
"What do you think held up dad?" Silver asked her.
"I don't know, but one thing's for sure: he's not getting off scot-free this time!"
~ ~ ~
David Smith dialed the number on his wrist-watch and coughed. He heard the ringing through his earpiece.
~ ~ ~
Natalie halted as her wrist-watch made a sound and its light blinked, signaling an incoming call. "That must be him." She let go of Silver's hand, grabbed the earpiece in her pocket and put it in place. She then touched the center of the watch to answer the call. "Hello?"
~ ~ ~
"Oh, hi." David said, then coughed again. "We need an ambulance here. Yes it's an emergency. We're on Main Street, between 3rd and 4th. It's a big accident; I don't know how many injured. Thank you, please hurry."
~ ~ ~
Silver watched as his mother confirmed her identity with the caller. He watched as she shouted, demanding answers. He still watched as anguish took over her, as she put her hand over her mouth and tears formed in the corners of the eyes. Fear gripped him.
"Alright, we'll be there as soon as we can." Natalie had barely got that last sentence out of her mouth; her throat was so tight she felt choked and her chest was filled with pain.
Silver tugged at her sleeve. "What's wrong, mom?"
She wiped her eyes with a fist and put the earpiece away in her pocket. Then she crouched to Silver's height and put her hands on his shoulders. "Dad got in an accident… and he's not doing so well. We're just going to take a little trip to the hospital to check up on him, okay?"
Silver nodded and took his mother's hand again as they left the clinic in silence.
* * *
David Smith lay on his back on the hospital bed. His right leg was broken and he wore bloodied bandages on his arms, legs and across a huge gash from his left shoulder to his right hip. There were also some minor scratches on his face which were left unattended. Natalie sat beside him, slumped on him with her head buried in her arms and constantly sobbing. Occasionally she would burst in anger and repeatedly hit David's chest with her fists, wailing on about his stupidity.
Silver sat on the opposite side of the bed, hands on his knees barely believing what his eyes were seeing. At some point he noticed that the blood was overflowing the bandages and was freely staining the bed and dripping on the floor, to which he asked: "Mom, why did they stop changing dad's bandages?" Instead of getting an answer he just made his mom cry harder.
Natalie couldn't gather the courage to tell her son. The doctors didn't know what happened; they arrived at the scene and found David in this state surrounded by four dead bodies… some of them in multiple pieces. They tried all they could, but he had already lost too much blood and a few of his organs had been torn apart. Natalie was told that, although he was still alive, it wouldn't be long before he passed away. How could she face their son and tell him that? So she cried, sobbed, hit and protested, yet David still wouldn't open his eyes.
A nurse opened the door and poked her head inside. "Um… Mrs. Smith? We have a situation here… there's a couple of men that want to see Mr. Smith but are refusing to identify themselves. Dr. McKay's trying to tell them that it's forbidden to visit without being immediate family, yet they keep insisting. They say they're from his workplace…" Faint shouting could be heard beyond the door.
As soon as 'workplace' was mentioned, Natalie's head suddenly sprang up. She stood from the bedside and said: "I'll go have a little… talk with them." Then she pointed Silver with her bloodstained hand. "You stay here and watch over him."
Silver nodded and watched his mother exit with the nurse, leaving him alone in the room except for the lonely beeping of the heart-monitor. He sighed and touched his father's bandaged arm. "What happened to you, dad?"
All of a sudden, David's eyes opened wide and his arm snapped up to grab Silver's hand. The monitor's beeping rhythm increased, then David's head slowly turned to look at his terrified son. The wide eyes stared strongly and his lips parted: "I was… betrayed!" he said with the meanest scowl Silver had ever seen. David clenched his teeth and, with a herculean effort, moved his other arm. His heart-rate accelerated even more as he reached for something in his pocket. He took it out and put it in his son's hands, then forcefully closed them over it. He coughed up blood, spraying it on his own chest and chin. "Take it… Take it and keep it on you at all times." His hands shook, overlapping his son's hands. "Don't let them find it… Don't let anyone find it! Do you understand?"
Silver was frozen in place. The object in his hands was cold. His father was using the last of his strength to give it to him. The wide eyes stared at him pleadingly, unblinking, as if filled with madness…
"Do you understand!?" David shook their hands violently.
He hadn't shouted, but the words held so much force it shook Silver out of his numbness. He nodded.
David sighed and let his arms go limp. "Good…" The beeping monitor slowed. He coughed again and more blood sprayed out. He let out a final breath and closed his eyes. The monitor's rhythm stopped and became a long, unending note.
Death. A concept Silver knew of, yet never experienced. "Dad?" He knew no answer would come. Restlessness took him over; he feared he would go crazy if he didn't move. He put the cold object in his pocket and stood. He walked away from his father, went towards the door and opened it, stepping in the hallway.
Natalie's voice could easily be heard from the other end. "You heartless bastards! Get out! GET OUT NOW!" She came stomping back and froze when she saw Silver. "What're you doing? I told you to watch over…" She didn't finish. Her son was outside of the room, his head hung low and through the open door behind a dreadful sound came. Natalie shook her head in disbelief. "No…" Tears formed in her eyes. "No. No, no, no, no…" She went in the room and witnessed the sight. "No!"
Silver couldn't watch as his mother cried behind him.
The nurse and the doctor came back and realized the situation. They looked at Natalie inside. "It's so heartbreaking to see the Lady of Peace in such a state." The nurse mentioned.
"Indeed." The doctor responded.
Silver was shaking, suppressing his emotions, and the nurse put her arms around him in an attempt to comfort him.
The sound of something breaking came from the room and the heart monitor's sound coincidentally ceased, followed by Natalie's scream. Dr. McKay frowned. "This is bad…"
"Why did you just die!?" Something else broke.
The doctor quickly closed the door and the curtains. "She's having an aggressive reaction!" The hallway gradually became brighter, as if the lights were being turned on, but they were already on before. "Get the boy out of here and cover his eyes. Hurry!"
The nurse covered Silver's face with her arm and ran, dragging him with her in haste. The light became stronger by the second, soon even the nurse's arm wasn't enough to block it completely.
Natalie's screams could still be heard as they ran away. "You think I'll let you go, Dave!? What about your son!? What about your PROMISES!? WHAT ABOUT ME!?" The burst of light peaked at that moment. Everything became white and hot.
The nurse fell to her knees, crying out in pain, but her arm stayed tight around Silver's head. Soon after, the light went out. The nurse let go of him and she clutched at her eyes. The doctor reached them a few moments later. "Dr. McKay?" She asked. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine." He answered. "I wrapped my head with her black coat nearby. What about you two?"
"I don't know about the boy, but my eyes are really dry." She tried opening them. "I can't see anything…"
The doctor took a closer look at her eyes. "It seems to be only temporary blindness; you were pretty far after all. The boy seems fine, stay with him. I have to check on Mrs. Smith since she's in a state of shock." The nurse nodded and he left them to go back where he came from.
She sat on the floor, disoriented by her lack of vision. "Are your eyes alright, Silvester?"
"I'm okay…" He said. It was only thanks to her that he had been spared, and because of that she suffered. She wore an expression of relief though, not pain. At that moment, Silver realized she couldn't see and he could look at what his father had given him. He grabbed the object in his pocket and held it up in his palm to observe it. It was a silver ball… with an eye carved into it, looking directly at him.