"What do you miss the most?" She asked him, her delicate fingers still twirling the petals of a strange flower in her hands.
"Hmm?" He paused for a moment, his thoughts suddenly returning to the present. His gaze shifted from the distant mountains to the girl beside him.
"From your world, what do you miss the most other than your family?" She turned around to look at him "What are you going to do first when we get back?"
Her golden eyes shined brightly with curiosity and love. Though at first, he found them eerie, now he was comfortable just staring into them. He couldn't help but linger in their gaze, feeling as though he could get lost in them forever. Her light brown hair had started to grow out and covered half of her face, obstructing her features from view. She kept it short for convenience as they would barely get any time to rest but he yearned to see it fluttering behind her again. He pushed it aside to see the scar still visible, not fully healed yet but it could not take away from her majestic beauty. The simple tunic and trousers she wore did nothing to hide the fact that she was captivating. He could smell the subtle scent of the flowers which had never been his favorite but now held a special place in his heart. Whenever they went too long without finding any, he would start to miss them because to him they reminded him of her.
"Honestly, I want to eat my favorite food and just sleep on my bed for a few days. I miss the mundane things I never paid attention to before." He murmured as he ran his fingers through her hair.
She giggled at his response, "Really? That's it?"
He nodded in confirmation "Yeah, I just want to relax for a bit."
Her voice took on a teasing tone as she spoke again, "Well, if you sleep for too long, I'll have to wake you up then."
He raised an eyebrow playfully, inviting her to explain further "Oh? How would you do it?"
She leaned in closer to him, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
She opened her lips ever so slightly as if to speak - but nothing came out.
"Ayanna?" Confused, he called out to her only to find that even the sounds of nature around them had faded away into distant murmurs of people talking. It grew louder until everything descended into darkness.
"...or now, we just have to wait and see".
He slowly opened his eyes to drive away the darkness. The place looked unfamiliar, completely different from what he had grown accustomed to. He saw strange stone structure illuminated by glowing lights and unfamiliar equipment scattered around. The air smelled odd and made him feel nauseous. As he slowly scanned his surroundings for clues, his gaze settled on two figures clothed in strange attire having a heated conversation. They rushed over to his side when they noticed him. The woman on the left, eyes swollen from crying, spoke first.
"Thank god you woke up! I was so worried when they said they couldn't tell what was going on," she said, concern etched across her face.
The other woman stepped closer and gently asked, "How are you feeling, Dan?"
Dan didn't answer; he understood the words but his mind was elsewhere. He recalled a fleeting memory of a girl surrounded by flowers—something that felt incredibly important—yet it seemed to get further away as he tried harder to grasp onto it. Finally giving up, he let go of the thought and instead focused on his environment. He realized he was in a hospital room and had no recollection of how he got there.
"You feel any pain anywhere?" The doctor continued with her questions.
He assessed his body with his eyes and hands and came to the conclusion that everything felt fine.
"No, nothing seems to hurt" He replied.
"That's good," she said. "Luckily you only have some minor scratches and bruises but passing out for such a long time is still rather strange."
"What happened to me?"
The doctor seemed surprised and looked at the other woman who had concern written all over her face before responding slowly after a moment's pause.
"You tried to jump in front of a bus. It's truly miraculous that you weren't hurt badly."
It took a few seconds for Dan to understand the implication of the statement. He was stunned and confused as he couldn't remember any of it.
The doctor saw his bewildered expression and asked "You don't remember the...accident?"
Dan could only shake his head. The doctor examined him closely for any signs of concussion.
"You don't have any physical injuries so memory loss is surprising" she said after some time "But it could just be due to being unconscious for such an extended period. Take lots of rest, that will help your mental state return to normal"
"I would also advise seeking help from professionals. Your life is precious. You have people who care about you." She gestured to the woman beside her.
Dan glanced over at the other woman; she seemed older but not as much as the doctor. He couldn't quite place her face even when he could see her up close. Her eyes were filled with tears, red and puffy from crying. She had shoulder-length brown hair streaked with grey. As he kept trying to gather his elusive memories she spoke in a tearful voice.
"Why didn't you talk to me? We'll get you help - please don't do that ever again." Her words were sincere and pleading. He could feel her love and it gave him familiar comfort.
After a few seconds passed with him trying to make sense of this feeling, Dan's memory began to slowly return. His stepmother. That was who she was. He felt a sense of shame and confusion that he couldn't remember her more clearly. She had always treated him as her own son, even after what happened to his own father.
"I am sorry, I don't know what came over me. I am fine. I will not do it again. I am really sorry for worrying you" He pushed out the words with effort even if he couldn't remember anything about the accident. His stepmother seemed relieved but still worried, her hand clutching his own tightly. Dan realized that he must have put her through a lot, especially with his memory loss. He made a silent promise to himself to do better.
Even though her presence gave him comfort, a strange feeling of confusion still lingered in the back of his mind. What else had he forgotten? What other aspects of his life had slipped away?
"We will keep you under observation to check for any long-term effects. I would advise you to keep resting for now" The doctor interjected gesturing to Dan's mother, who wished him well and walked outside. As soon as they left, Dan started to gather his thoughts. His mind was foggy and he had a hard time remembering what happened. He slowly tried to recall the events leading up to the accident.
Suddenly, a memory flashed in his mind. He remembered walking to work as usual but something happened when he tried to cross a road. His mind went blank and he stood motionless as a bus speeded on to him. He recalled the feeling of his bones breaking and his vision moving too fast for him to register anything. He immediately checked out his body in detail and felt relief. He had no injuries but he noticed that his right arm felt strange and foreign to him. He flexed it a few times, trying to get a sense of its movement and control. He let it go as he saw his mother come in.
They had a light conversation and he told her to go home as he was fine, it didn't go well as he expected. She was finally convinced after he told her he would rest at home for few days. She informed him that Audrey was on her way so she would let her know of his condition. He thanked her as she left.
Dan decided to take some rest and closed his eyes. As he did so, he saw a faint white image in his mind. It wasn't blinding, but it was definitely there. He closed and opened his eyes multiple times, but the image remained. He concentrated on the image, trying to make out what it was. As he did, he realized that there were strange markings on it which were surrounded by multiple concentric circles. The circles themselves were made up of more symbols. The writing was unlike anything he'd ever seen before. It looked almost like an ancient script, but familiar at the same time.
Dan's curiosity was piqued and he continued to focus on the image. He felt a strange sensation in his right arm, a tingling, as he did so. He opened his eyes and looked down at his arm. It was normal, but the sensation persisted. He continued to examine the image, trying to decipher the strange writing on it. Suddenly, the image disappeared, leaving him in darkness. Dan rubbed his eyes, wondering if it was just his imagination playing tricks on him. He looked up to see a nurse entering his room, interrupting his thoughts. As she was examined his condition, he let her know about his arm. He also thought about mentioning the image but decided against it. They already had doubts over his mental state, he didn't want make it worse for himself. It could just have been a temporary thing. The nurse went out after sometime to inform the doctor. After a thorough examination, the doctor concluded that there was nothing wrong with his hand, but suggested he get a scan before being discharged.
Dan couldn't shake the feeling of strangeness he had experienced with the image. But with his health being the top priority at the moment, he decided to put it aside for the time being and focus on getting better.
The next day, Dan was getting ready when his mother came into the room, her eyes lit with worry.
"Do you remember anything now?" she asked after they hugged and exchanged greetings. He wanted to tell the truth, but knew it will only hurt her more so he lied and said yes. The scans had come back blank, so he was allowed to leave with her. As they drove away, Dan felt relieved and thankful that his mother was there with him as he couldn't remember where they were going without her guidance.
"It's good to see you home after so long". His mother said as they stepped inside the house.
Dan smiled and agreed with his mother. He felt a sense of comfort being back in his childhood home. He took off his shoes and looked around the familiar surroundings of the living room. The sofa where he spent hours watching TV and playing video games with his sister, the coffee table where he and his friends used to play board games, and the family portrait hanging on the wall. It reminded him of the happiness they all once shared. Until his father abandoned them, that memory brought him a strange feeling. He used to get angry and sad at the thought of him but now he felt nothing. He sat down as his mother brought him a cup of coffee.
"How are you feeling right now?" she asked, looking at him with concern.
Dan took a sip and replied, "Much better now, thank you."
His mother gave a faint smile but her voice held an undertone of worry when she spoke again.
"About what the doctor said, remember you can receive help whenever you are ready. I am always here for you"
Dan nodded slowly; he knew that his mom was suggesting that he should see a therapist about his issues - although he had repeatedly tried to explain to them that he didn't attempt suicide.
"Thanks mom" Dan began slowly, taking a moment to choose his next words carefully "For now, I'll take some rest over the next few days and figure out what to do after that" He could sense some tension leaving her body as she listened to him speak.
"Okay," she replied, her tone tinged with hope "I think it'd be a great opportunity for you to talk with Audrey when she arrives tomorrow."
The anxiety that usually welled up inside him at the prospect of facing his sister after all this time was surprisingly absent. "I'm okay now so she doesn't need to leave her work" he said after mulling it over for a while "I'll call her and let her know." His mom looked surprised at hearing this but eventually nodded in agreement. Dan pushed himself up from the sofa and told his mother that he was going to retire to his room for some rest.
He walked up the stairs, each step bringing him closer to his room. As he reached the door, he felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him. He opened the door and stepped inside. He was surprised to find that nothing had changed since his last visit. His bed was in its original place, atop the wooden floorboards, with his bookshelf against one wall and his computer desk against the other. All of the furniture seemed to be intact and unchanged, yet it felt slightly unfamiliar at the same time. Unconsciously, he looked under his bed expecting something to be there even though he knew deep down that it would be empty. There was indeed nothing out of place; everything remained as he had left it years ago before leaving home for college.
After looking around some more, he sat on his bed and took out his phone. He opened the list of contacts and stared at the number for a few moments before dialing it. After what seemed like an eternity, Audrey finally picked up the phone.
"Dan, is that you?" Her voice held a hint of both surprise and hesitation.
"Yeah, Hi Audrey. Sorry for calling you so suddenly."
He could almost feel the awkwardness building up in the air as he spoke her name after such a long time.
"You don't have to apologize for that," she replied quietly "Mom said you got discharged, are you sure you are feeling alright?"
"Yeah, I am. You don't have to leave your work and travel that long to come here"
"But..." She stopped herself, her silence filling the air with apprehension. "Mom said you tried to...injure yourself" she finished softly. He could feel the sadness exuding from her words.
"It was an accident," he spoke urgently "I told the doctor the same thing. They are mistaken."
Still hesitant, miles away on the other end of line, she remained silent.
"I promise I will talk to you if I ever feel like...doing that. But right now, I feel fine."
She still didn't seem convinced. But before she could say anything, he added one last statement.
"Let's meet sometime later, when you are free. I know I have been afraid to talk to you but I will do better now. I promise I will visit you"
He heard her breathe in deeply before responding with a quiet affirmation.
"Okay, I believe you. But mom is really worried, you know?" Her pain echoed in her voice.
"Yeah, I will make sure that doesn't happen again."
He promised solemnly and they said their goodbyes before hanging up. He felt tired and took a deep breath before lying down on the bed, closing his eyes.
As soon as he did so, the same white image filled his vision. He opened his eyes immediately and rubbed them trying to relax. But these attempts were pointless: the same thing happened again. He concentrated on it for few seconds but it didn't disappear this time. Then an idea came to him and he rummaged through the desk's drawer until his hands found what they were looking for—a pen and notebook. He grabbed them and put his hand on a blank paper, then closed his eyes once more. His fingers traced what he could see in his mind almost instinctively, copying as many symbols as possible onto the page. When he was done, he opened his eyes and was shocked to see what he had: although the symbols in his mind remained unclear, the paper held clear English words that encircled a foreign symbol in the middle.
Dan studied the writing carefully, analyzing each word: strength, speed, reflexes—all terms from a tabletop or a video game that described a character's capabilities. None of it made any sense to him: no matter how many times he copied the words down, all he got was the same result. He could really see these words written in a different language. A myriad of possibilities flooded his mind.
Did he receive a serious injury from the accident and was hallucinating? Did he unlock some kind of hidden potential? Was he born with fantastical powers? He clutched his head and tried hard to forget the image but it won't go away. His first thought was to tell the doctor but he shook his head. He had just promised his sister that he won't make their mother worry even more. He needed to figure this out on his own. He looked at the writing again.
All the words were written in such a way that they covered the bottom part of the circle leaving some space at the top. Something was supposed to be there. If he considered conventional logic then there should be values for each "stat". Then he noticed even smaller writing in the middle which said "inactive".
So, it needs to be activated?
He tried concentrating on that in his mind but it didn't work. Then he had an idea. He could automatically translate words and write them out.
"Can it work the other way around?"
He noted everything down again on a fresh paper but this time he wrote "active" in its place.
He closed his eyes and was surprised as the image suddenly disappeared. He waited, holding his breath, but nothing happened for what felt like an eternity. Disappointment washed over him, and he slumped back onto his bed, feeling defeated.
But then, out of nowhere, a surge of energy hit him like a bolt of lightning. It was so intense that he fell to his knees, unable to bear the weight of it. He felt like he'd been hit by a tidal wave, like years of energy had just burst inside his body all at once.
As he gasped for breath, he realized that he'd never felt anything like this before. It was as if he'd been reborn, given a new lease on life. For a moment, he forgot everything else, lost in the euphoria of the moment. He felt his arms being stretched like he was looking down from far above which made feel nauseous. He struggled to stand up and stumbled over to the bathroom. He splashed cold water on his face several times trying to cool down the blood rushing to his head. He was finally feeling better but when he looked at his reflection in the mirror, a stranger was staring at him.