It hurts... I' ve never felt such pain in my life. My voice trembled as I tried to comprehend the agony searing through my body. My stomach had been cut so deeply that I could see the glint of bone beneath the blood that covered everything.
"I don't understand... Why is this happening to me? If this is a dream, someone, please wake me up. Ugh, it hurts so much!" Tears blurred my vision as the monster loomed closer. Despite the unbearable pain and my inability to stand, I forced myself to crawl, each movement a desperate attempt to survive.
"Stay away, monster! I don't want to die! I haven't even proposed to her yet..." My breath came in ragged gasps as I clawed at the ground, dragging myself inch by inch. My chest heaved, every breath harder to take. "I can't breathe... Is this how it ends?"
The monster grinned, its sharp teeth glinting as its glowing eyes glimmered with malice. Slowly, it extended a clawed hand toward me, savoring my desperation. "Damn it... Am I going to be its dinner?" I thought bitterly. My vision blurred further, and the world around me started to fade.
Just as the darkness began to consume me, I saw a silhouette in the distance. A faint glimmer of hope flickered in my heart before everything went black.
***********************
"Agh..." A groan escaped my lips as I blinked, staring up at an unfamiliar white ceiling. "Huh? Where am I?" My voice was hoarse, shaky. The sterile smell of antiseptic filled the air. "Did I... die?"
I sat up abruptly, ignoring the dizziness that threatened to pull me back down. My hand instinctively went to my stomach. "What? No wound?" I whispered, staring at my unscathed abdomen in disbelief. "What's going on?"
Before I could make sense of anything, a woman's voice interrupted my thoughts. "Oh, you' re awake. You must be hungry. Please wait a moment," she said, pulling out her phone. She was a nurse, dressed in a pristine white uniform. Her black hair was tied neatly in a bun, and her glasses gave her a sharp, professional air.
"Ami, the patient in room 103 just woke up. Bring him something nutritious," she instructed over the phone before turning back to me. Her tone was cool and businesslike as she continued, "You were unconscious for two days. You' re lucky-Miss Janith saved you. If she hadn't intervened when she did, you wouldn't have made it."
"Wait... it wasn't a dream?" I whispered, my heart sinking. The memory of the monster's claws and my own helplessness resurfaced vividly. "What happened to the monster that attacked me?"
"Don't worry," she replied, her expression calm, almost indifferent. "It was a D-level monster. Miss Janith, an A-level Guardian, dealt with it easily."
"Guardian? Level?" I asked, confusion clouding my mind. "What are you talking about?"
"You should rest," the nurse said, brushing off my questions. "Oh, and we tried contacting your parents, but... you should know what happened to them. We managed to reach your uncle, but he's overseas and won't be able to visit anytime soon." With that, she turned and left, leaving me alone with my spiraling thoughts.
"What happened to my parents? What did she mean by 'I should know'?" My chest tightened as fear and uncertainty gripped me. I stared at the ceiling, my mind racing with questions that had no answers.
About fifteen minutes later, the door creaked open, and a different nurse entered. She wore a pink uniform, her bright blue eyes and pink hair adding a touch of warmth to the otherwise sterile room.
"Hello, Ais. Does your body still hurt?" she asked gently, wheeling in a tray of food.
"Not much anymore, I replied, sitting up with some effort. "Thank you, but I can manage on my own."
"Alright, but don't overexert yourself," she cautioned, her voice soft with concern.
I ate the meal she brought, grateful for the comforting flavors. As I finished, she smiled brightly. "How was the food? I made it myself. Erina called me while I was in the kitchen and asked me to bring it to you."
"It was delicious. Thank you," I said sincerely.
"You're welcome! Oh, I'm Ami, by the way," she introduced herself warmly. "I saw your name on the chart-room 103."
"Ami..." I hesitated before asking, "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course. What is it?" she replied, though her cheerful demeanor faltered slightly when she noticed the seriousness in my tone.
"The other nurse... She mentioned my parents, but she didn't explain anything. She said I should already know..." My voice wavered as I forced the words out.
Ami's brow furrowed in confusion. "Your parents? Let me check." She stood, dialing a number on her phone.
"Hello, Erina? I' m with the patient in room 103," Ami said. "He's asking about his parents. Do you know anything?"
A pause. Then Erina's voice replied, tinged with concern. "His parents? Doesn't he know? Or... did he lose his memory?"
"I'm not sure. But do you know what happened to them?" Ami pressed.
There was a longer silence before Erina finally answered. "I contacted the police while trying to reach them. They informed me his parents and younger sister died a year and a half ago... in a spatial crack incident caused by a monster."
Ami's face fell as she absorbed the words. She turned back to me hesitantly, her expression unreadable. "Ais... I-"
"No," I interrupted, shaking my head. My voice trembled, barely above a whisper. "That can't be true. She's lying. I just saw my mom this morning. My dad went to work early. They're fine... They have to be fine."
Before I realized it, tears spilled down my cheeks. Ami gently wrapped her arms around me, her embrace warm and comforting. "It's okay, Ais. I don't know what's going on either, but you look scared and confused. Just breathe. It' Il be alright."
Her soft voice broke through my denial, and I finally let myself cry.
"I don't understand... I was just going to school like always, and then that monster came out of nowhere. It almost killed me. And now you're telling me my family is gone? None of this makes sense..."
Ami held me until my sobs subsided, her presence soothing and maternal.
After a while, she spoke gently. "I' II do everything I can to help you figure this out. For now, you need to rest, okay? You've been through a lot."
I nodded weakly, exhaustion taking over. "Thank you, Ami..."
"Of course. Just sleep now. I' II look into everything while you rest," she promised with a kind smile.
As I closed my eyes, her words were the last thing I clung to before drifting into an uneasy sleep.