Jamal woke to a loud creak. He was in a small room, with a window to the left of him, a door on his right, and the room dark. He was placed in a small bed, and when he tried to get back up, a sharp piercing pain forced him back down. Was he at the hospital? He looked around, to see himself connected to an antique machine making all the noise, a wire running inside him. What the heck was this?
He heard a door open slightly, as a person in a white coat peeked inside. They stared at each other for a few seconds, until they closed it back. Jamal continued to stare into the darkness. Did he win the tournament? He took out those two girls that fused, which he didn't even know was possible. There was no one else that he saw unless they were hiding under a rock, but by the time he took them on, about three were standing, and he went through all of them. I must have really won this thing, as the pain around his body ached. How hurt was I?
Jamal was about to doze off after staring into the silence for what felt like years until a knock had occurred. He strained himself back up and called out who it was weakly. Dang, that fighting really weakened me. The door had opened, with Ula rushing towards him, wearing some type of splint, a doctor watching from the hallway.
"You're still alive!" she grinned.
He was about to respond back to her when she kissed him lovingly. He didn't fight it and they stayed stuck to one another until she had pulled back from him after a minute.
"Of course I lived? How could I die in a tournament, let alone this one? I'm not that injured, right?" he laughed off.
The doctor by the door, cleared his throat, Ula's face slowly changing as she backed away.
"If you'll give us a moment, Miss Mere." the doctor asked.
She nodded and backed out of the room.
"What happened?" he asked, as the doctor closed the door.
"How are you and how do you feel, Mister Wrint?" the doctor asked him.
How did he know his last name? The only time it was ever asked was when he was in school, and that was a year ago. Then again, he was the doctor, so it wouldn't have been that hard to get this information.
"Um, I guess I'm doing and feeling alright, but I'm still hurt. Is something wrong?" Jamal replied.
Taking a deep breath, the doctor told him, "I'm going to be honest with you, we thought you almost died."
"Wait, what! This has to be a misunderstanding?" Jamal said in surprise.
Dead? Was Leon really trying to kill him? He couldn't have died.
"Your heart stopped beating for four minutes when you arrived to the hospital. After the match, your body began to smoke again, and it was difficult to move you here. Several of your organs we're bleeding inside, and we had to use some of the most severe healing powers to stop it. Without it, we would have had to use old-fashioned surgery, which would have given you a fifteen percent survival rate."
Jamal almost stopped breathing. No way was he that close to death.
"You're very lucky people with powers that powerful were in the area. You were out for three whole days. Now, as of right now, it seems that you are oxygen levels are high enough that you don't need assistance. Your back, on the other hand, has been strained from the pressure of your fight and so we provided you a special type of brace to revert it back into its previous position. I'll give you about a week before it can go off, and you can return to light training again."
"Light training? How long will it take before I can fight normally?" Jamal had to know.
"Anywhere between three to eight months. It's up to how your body wants to heal on it's own. You can't rush it and we can't heal it any further before you ask."
Three months at the earliest was not something he needed to hear. What was he suppose to do during that time?
"There's also some more bad news. But it doesn't have to do with your body or your injuries. Jamal, I hate to say this, but we're at war."
His mouth dropped. Did he hear him wrong?
"Did you say war? I must have heard you wrong?"
"No, I mean it. Our nation is under attack, and we got to move you further into the country along with the rest of the injured. That's why I wanted to check on you earlier, because if you were still out, some of the doctors wanted to leave you here."
"But why would we have to leave here? They can't be that close to us? We're the strongest nation in the world."
"Well, twenty miles away says otherwise, and with what I've been told, they'll be here by tomorrow. I'm sorry."
Jamal looked at his injured body. His nation was being invaded and he was hurt. He couldn't do anything but hope for the best.
"Did I win though?" he asked him.
"Oh, that! You did win, and you got the grand prize for your division. Hold on, let me go grab it for you." the doctor said closing the door, leaving him by himself again.
Jamal listened to the creaking of the machine starting up again, as a grey fluid went into his body. I wonder how Leon is doing? Surely he must be doing worst, he thought. A few minutes later, the doctor returned, carrying a large box in his hands.
"Here it is. It's suppose to be some type of gloves that enhances your powers vastly. Put it on." the doc explained, handing it to him.
Jamal grabbed it, and lifted up the lid. Instead, were a pair of gloves and thin wires connected tightly to the side. How was it suppose to work, he questioned, as he slide them onto his hands. It lit a light orange, before shaping to fit him comfortable.
"Woah, this is amazing!" Jamal said with pride.
"Yes, I must admit it is something special." the doctor said with honesty.
Jamal put it back in the box, and put it to the side. He couldn't wait to test it after the war, once Saputa's army was completely mobilized. The future would be bright for him afterwards.
"Now, you need to get back to rest. When you wake up again, we'll most likely be stopping at your hometown of Deiram. That will be about a five day trip, before we continue on our journey to the capital."
Jamal began to feel a bit more tired, as a green liquid was being injected into him by the machine.
"Why would the trip be taking so long? It only took us five hours to get here." he began to doze.
"Only because they are fortifying the main road leading to it and so you guys will have to go around. It's time to sleep Jamal. Your journey doesn't end here."
What did he mean by that, he questioned, as his eyes began to close and he fell back asleep.