"Ahmm... Okay, this is interesting," Heisenberg commented, his fingers tapping lightly across my body. I twitched slightly in response to the touches.
"He's responsive, alright, though I'm not sure why he isn't opening his eyes yet," Heisenberg's tone held a hint of confusion. "You said he was found unconscious on the ground with no injuries?"
"Yes! We don't know what happened," Patricia responded, her voice tinged with uncertainty as she tried to recount the events. "When those monsters appeared, I just tried to drag him away from their view."
"Interesting. It might be something new to us, like a disease or syndrome brought about by the Rapture," Heisenburg mused, his voice reminiscent of a video game character. Although I couldn't quite recall, his voice bore resemblance to a male character named Heisenberg from Resident Evil.
"Well, I have to go now," Heisenberg declared. "I'm still working on the A.I. I created, and I'm certain Gustav isn't skilled enough to make any progress. I'll find someone who knows about matters like this." As his words concluded, the sound of a door opening and closing reached my ears.
"What's happening... Alexander, please!" Patricia's voice wavered with sobs, her distressed cries muffled and audible from my left side.
The door opened again, and a familiar voice entered the room. "Alexander... I'm so sorry we left you behind with the group."
"It's not your fault, Sabrina. It's that stupid guide. He's probably the reason why we barely made it out of there," Patricia's voice wavered as she spoke, interspersed with sobs.
"He's just doing his job. Don't blame him. Anyways, is there any improvement?" Sabrina's voice was comforting as I felt her hands hold onto my right hand.
"He's responsive, but Heisenberg said it might be some new kind of disease or syndrome," Patricia responded, her voice full of concern. Now I could feel both of my hands being held.
I managed to twitch my right hand slightly, causing Sabrina to gasp and tighten her grip. "He's responding!" she exclaimed, a note of happiness in her voice.
Sabrina... This feels like a trip down memory lane before I pass away. It seems I can't do much besides waiting.
The door opened, and a raspy male voice spoke, "Oh, is this the boy who was hit by an unknown disease?"
"Yes, who are you?" Patricia inquired. Her tone indicated that she was taken aback by this unexpected visitor.
"I am Shakur Abdulrahman, an Albularyo," Shakur introduced himself. I heard footsteps approaching me.
An electrifying sound filled the air, and a sharp pain pierced through my stomach and entire body. Wait, I can feel pain? I groaned and cried out in agony. It was overwhelming, but at least some of my functions seemed to be returning.
"STOP!" Sabrina's voice shouted, and I could hear some shuffling and commotion.
"Calm down, I wasn't hurting him," Shakur's explanation came, "I am just reconnecting his aura network."
"Aura network? What's that?" Patricia's voice sounded utterly baffled.
"It seems this young man was drained of most of his mana and everything mystical," Shakur explained as the electrifying pain surged into my stomach and spread throughout my body.
"ARRRGHH, FUCK! STOP IT!" I screamed, and in response, I could feel the entire building shake along with the ground. Objects fell to the floor around me.
Patricia gasped, "Alexander?" I could sense her cold arms holding onto my shoulders.
The stiffness and soreness began to recede, and my eyelids no longer felt heavy. Slowly, I opened my eyes, squinting as the room's light entered my vision.
"Turn off one of those lights; it's too bright for him," Shakur advised. I caught a glimpse of him dressed in tribal attire, with a feathered hat.
The lights dimmed slightly, allowing me to fully open my eyes. The girl in the varsity jacket, Sabrina, caught my gaze. I turned to my left and saw a girl wearing a choker and a faded white hoodie—Patricia.
"OMG, I'm going to get the doctor," Patricia exclaimed as she opened the door and it slowly closed behind her.
I sighed, realizing that I was in a hospital room. It seemed to be the year 2020, back when we went on vacation to Zamboanga. A decade ago.
Sabrina touched my forehead gently, her teary brown eyes looking at me with concern. "Are you okay?" she asked softly.
"I... am... not sure," I managed to reply, my words still coming out as weak and difficult to articulate.
"This boy might possess something even greater than I anticipated," Shakur commented, observing me and rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Simply by reconnecting some of his aura networks, he released an immense amount of cursed and blessed energy."
"I have to go check on the others," Shakur stated, turning away and opening the door. He glanced back at me before leaving. "I'll be back to reconnect more of your aura network," his voice carried as the door slowly closed.
"Just like in the Bible... We thought those trumpets were just thunderstorms," Sabrina said, holding my hands gently. "Don't worry, we'll be here for you."
The door unexpectedly swung open, causing me to jolt in surprise. Cyrilia, the blonde-haired girl, walked in. "OMG, we thought you were a goner. Patricia was assigned to watch over you," she explained.
Behind her, Heisenberg entered and gently pushed her aside. "Okay, I just have that feeling my brother knows his craft. How are you feeling?" he inquired.
As Heisenberg mentioned, I realized my stomach was growling, and it seemed like most of my muscles were functioning again. "Hungry," I managed to say, a single word coming out in a regular tone.
"Alright, get him into a wheelchair, and let's head to the cafeteria. It seems his illness is connected to the unnatural," Heisenberg instructed, pointing to a wheelchair that looked a bit dusty. "Cyrilia, can you dust it off?"
Cyrilia sighed and grabbed the duster from the windowsill, then proceeded to clean the wheelchair.
"What... is that... supposed to... mean?" I asked, struggling to speak clearly.
"Since the Rapture happened, people's dormant auras have been activated," Shakur explained.
"People initially thought it was a positive development, but unfortunately it came with a cost," he continued with a sigh. "Demons, monsters, or whatever they call them, also became active. Half of my tribe has died."
"That's terrible! Is there anything we can do?" Sabrina inquired, her voice tinged with genuine concern.
"There's nothing to be done; this is our new reality now. These creatures are running rampant," Shakur said, his voice heavy with resignation. After a moment's pause, he added, "You should be able to perform basic functions now. You might want to use a wheelchair and get something to eat."
I weakly nodded, absorbing the information.
"I have to go check on the others," Shakur stated, turning away and opening the door. He glanced back at me before leaving. "I'll be back to reconnect more of your aura network," his voice carried as the door slowly closed.
"Just like in the Bible... We thought those trumpets weren't just thunderstorms," Sabrina said, holding my hands gently. "Don't worry, we'll be here for you."
The door unexpectedly swung open, causing me to jolt in surprise. Cyrilia, the blonde-haired girl, walked in. "OMG, we thought you were a goner. Patricia was assigned to watch over you," she explained.
Behind her, Heisenberg entered and gently pushed her aside. "Okay, I just have that feeling my brother knows his craft. How are you feeling?" he inquired.
As Heisenberg mentioned it, I realized my stomach was growling, and it seemed like most of my muscles were functioning again. "Hungry," I managed to say, a single word coming out in a regular tone.
"Alright, get him into a wheelchair, and let's head to the cafeteria. It seems his illness is connected to the unnatural," Heisenberg instructed, pointing to a wheelchair that looked a bit dusty. "Cyrilia, can you dust it off?"
Cyrilia sighed and grabbed the duster from the windowsill, then proceeded to clean the wheelchair.
"Are you sure, Doc? Is it fine for him to do this after weeks of no consciousness?" Sabrina inquired, her concern evident in her voice.
"No worries," Heisenberg reassured her, "Shakur explained it to me. Alexander here may be able to stand after a while." He turned toward the door and then glanced back. "Your classmates are in the cafeteria. You might want to see them."
With that, he opened the door and let it close slowly behind him.