I slowly opened my eyes.
"No." I slowly moved my hand towards my right eye. I had no vision in that eye.
"Bandages?" My right eye was covered with bandages. Probably due that my field of vision was narrower than what I used to.
"Burak? Are you awake?"
I turned my head to where voice came from. Face of a middle aged woman greeted me. Her eyes were reddened. From crying? Realizing I was awake she threw herself to me. I opened my arms and accepted her.
"You are alive. You are alive."
She repeated those words. She sounded like she was having problems accepting it.
"Mother. I am okay."
She started to cry. Not a silent sobbing. Loud screaming.
"I was so afraid! I was sure that you… You…"
I rubbed her back.
"It is okay, Mother."
I couldn't say anything beyond that. I wanted be clever. Say things to sound cool. Say things to calm her down. But none came. She cried in my arms for around 30 minutes. All I could do to calm her down was rubbing her back and saying "I am okay." repeatedly like a machine. I felt pathetic for making her worry like this. I felt pathetic for not being stronger.
"I promised you. I will always come back. I am back."
I pushed down that dammed lump in my throat. I will not cry. I will not cry in front of her. I will not make her worry even more. We stayed like that until I heard a knock. I raised my head. A man wearing a white robe entered the room. My mother didn't react. She was too busy crying.
"I can come in if you want."
He said with a calm voice. My mother gained some of her composure. She straightened her body.
"No. Please check his condition!"
Her voice cracked mid-sentence. Doctor came towards me.
"Firstly, how are you feeling? Any pain or discomfort?"
My hand went to my right hand when he mentioned pain.
"Is your eye hurts?"
I took a look in my mothers face. I didn't wanted to admit it in front of her.
"Just slight discomfort."
"I understand. Let's check it."
After some tests doctor started to talk.
"You were given potions by Edward Walker. Most of your wounds healed with them. But your right eye… It seems like it lost all of its functions."
"Edward Walker?"
I reacted more to his name than the fact that I lost my eye. A British S ranked hunter! What he was doing in Turkey?
"What do you mean by that! Is he blind in one eye? Isn't there a surgery or something like that!"
Mother talked like a machine gun. Doctor shook his head.
"I am sorry. Whatever caused that wound, did it with a strong mana. We asked some healer type Gifted to look but they were unsuccessful. We can't even extract the eye because mana could spread to other parts."
"But it can't…"
I put my hand on her shoulder.
"It is okay. What's gone is gone."
"Don't say that!"
"I am really sorry. Do you want some painkillers for pain?"
I shook my head.
"I don't really like pills."
"I understand. Most of your other wounds are healed. We will keep you here for one more day, just in case. You can leave after that. Nurses will check on you in later hours."
I nodded. When he turned around and was about to leave, I opened my mouth.
"What about others? Do you have any information about them? Leyla and Doğukan?"
He turned around and looked at me with bitter expression. I clenched my fist.
"I am sorry."
I felt one warm tear run down on my face.
"Burak…"
I wiped that tear away, roughly.
"Eyelash got into my eye."
Fuck.
Fuck.
You dumb son of a bitch. You couldn't even die with your comrades. You couldn't even…
"Is my phone on you?"
I asked to Mother. She shook her head.
"Yes." She handed me my phone. I opened it and searched one number.
"Principal."
"Burak. You are awake. What are relie…"
"Why is Edward Walker here?"
A moment of silence.
"That's classified information."
So he wanted to play like that.
"Where is he right now?"
"He already left."
Lying son of a bitch.
"Where is he now?"
"I said to you, he left. If it is about potions…"
"Where is he?"
"Why are you asking this? Burak…"
I ended the call. I got up from my bed.
"Burak?"
"You shouldn't get up!"
I ignored both of them.
"I have a job to do."
Edward Walker. That girl. They had answers. And I had a lot of questions.
"Call the security! He is not himself!"
Doctor screamed behind me. When security came to stop me I fired a look at him. With patients clothes on me I got out of the hospital.
"Mother, don't chase me. I have a job to do."
"Go back! You are not even healed!"
I hated that I had to worry her. But I had to find him right now. If he actually went back to his country, then I would be fucked.
"Why don't you listen your mother, young man?"
A familiar noise.
"Edward Walker!"
I couldn't detect him? I looked at him. A sharply dressed man in his 60. Two swords hang from his side. His hair and beard was pure white. Despite his age and white hair his body exuded power. Enough power to make me feel shivers even though he just stood there.
"I wanted to check on you since you were badly wounded but it seems like you are fine. Being young is surely nice."
He caressed his beard.
"Burak, who is he?"
My mother didn't knew English so she was in dark.
"Mother, go inside."
He was dangerous. Not only he was a S ranked hunter with several times more experience than me, he also had secrets. I remembered him in Dire Wolf's Nest! Despite my worries he handed the flowers he held to my mother and tipped his hat in a gentlemanly manner.
"Let's go inside and stop worrying your mother, young man. Then I would explain things to you."