Kane awoke in a hospital room, the faint sounds of machines buzzing and beeping faintly registering in his consciousness.
He winced at the harsh brightness of the fluorescent lights overhead, the glare searing into his retinas.
His head throbbed, his entire body ached, and his lungs burned as if he had swallowed acid.
Kane took a few deep breaths, trying to focus on the room around him.
One thing he noticed was that this wasn't his father's clinic… This wasn't the village hospital. Where was he?
A woman entered the room, her heels clicking on the linoleum floor. She wore a lab coat over a white blouse and a pencil skirt, her red hair pulled back in a tight bun.
Kane's vision was blurry, but he could see her standing over him. She had a pleasant face, and her red lips were curved into a warm smile.
"Ah, you're awake. Good morning," the woman said.
"H-Hello. Where am I?" Kane stammered, his voice hoarse.
"You're in the hospital, dear. Don't worry, you're safe now."
"What happened?"
"You were swept away by the river, and some passerby spotted you, called emergency services, and then you were rescued by a hero."
Kane stared blankly at the woman.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Ah, of course. My apologies. I was just told that a hero was the one who saved you."
"Hero...?"
"Yes, the person who found you and brought you here. You were pretty lucky."
Kane looked around the room, taking in his surroundings. It was a small, nondescript room with a window overlooking a cityscape.
"M-Miss, where is my blindfold?" Kane asked as he covered his eyes.
"Blindfold? Hmm, It was most likely lost in the river."
"No, no, no, no, no... I can't. Please, where is it?" Kane cried, panic rising in his chest.
"Shh, shh, calm down, dear. It's okay, I promise."
"No, it's not. I can't... I can't..." Kane was hyperventilating, his entire body shaking uncontrollably.
The woman put her hands on his shoulders, gently holding him down.
"Calm down. Deep breaths, in and out."
"I can't... I can't… without the blindfold... I don't want to show my eyes... no, no, no, no..." Kane sobbed.
"I know you're scared, but I promise it'll be okay. Please, breathe."
Kane tried his best to obey, slowly inhaling and exhaling, his breathing gradually steadying.
"There you go, good boy," the woman said soothingly.
Kane slowly looked around the room, his eyes adjusting to the light.
"Now, can you tell me your name, dear?"
"K-Kane..."
"Well, Kane, I'm Doctor Hana. I'm here to help you."
"Help... me? With what?"
"Everything! Now that you're awake, we'll get you fixed right up."
"But, my blindfold... my eyes... they're..."
"I've seen much stranger things in this world we live in, boy, trust me, I'm a doctor!"
Kane looked up at the woman, his eyes glistening with tears.
"Thank you. My Papa always says the same thing…"
"You're very welcome. Now, let's get you taken care of, shall we?"
The door suddenly opened, and a tall man with slicked-back blond hair and a mustache entered. He wore a crisp suit, and his brown eyes were sharp and piercing. But he looked terrified at this moment.
"Doctor Hana, a word?"
"Oh, yes, of course." She stood up, smiling at Kane.
"Please wait here, Kane. I'll be right back."
She exited the room with the man, closing the door behind them.
'Who was that guy? And why did he look like he saw a monster?'
Kane looked around the room again, his mind racing.
Suddenly, the door opened, and Doctor Hana returned.
"Aha, I'm so sorry for the wait...sir… it seems your family is outside." Doctor Hana said, a little forced.
"M-My family?"
"Yes, your father and a few others."
"Papa is here?! Really?!"
"Y-Yes. Would you like to see him?"
"Please! Thank you, Doctor Hana!"
"Okay. Here, let's get you up.
She took Kane's hand and helped him to his feet. Kane's legs were wobbly, his body aching with every movement.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes, thank you. I'm fine."
"Alright, follow me."
They strolled out of the room and through the hospital corridors.
Doctor Hana led Kane to the lobby, where his dad and five others were waiting.
"P-Papa..." Kane murmured.
Darian stood up, his eyes narrow.
"Kane!"
He rushed over and hugged his son tightly.
"Oh, my son. I'm so glad you're alright."
"Papa, I was so scared."
"I know, I know. But you're safe now. You're safe."
Kane embraced his father, burying his face in his chest.
"It's okay, son. It's okay. You're safe."
"Thank you for bringing him here," Darian said, turning to Doctor Hana.
"It's my job and a pleasure, Lord." She said,
Standing behind Darian were three older men in suits and two dazzling beauties in dresses.
Kane recognized them as the Elders of the village.
"Elders!"
The Elders were the leaders of the village and had been like grandparents to Kane. They were kind, wise, and always knew what to do.
One of the Elders stepped forward, smiling kindly at Kane. "Good afternoon, young Kane. How are you feeling?"
"I'm fine, thank you," Kane replied.
"Glad to hear it. I'm sorry, but we can't stay long. We need to return you to Elysium as soon as possible."
"I understand. Thank you, Elders."
"We're glad you're okay, Kane."
"Thank you. And, thank you all."
"Don't mention it, kiddo."
With a final wave, the Elders departed, leaving Kane and Darian alone in the lobby.
As soon as the Elders were out of earshot, the oldest-looking among them, Elder Juko, turned to the other four and asked, "How should we deal with this?"
One of the two women, Elder Amira, responded, "I think we burn this place to the ground."
"Good idea. I'll organize a team right away." Elder Juko said, reaching for his phone.
The other woman, Elder Yara, placed her hand on his. "Hold your horses, you two!"
"We can't burn down a hospital!"
"Why not? There are plenty of other hospitals. Plus, we'd be doing these people a favor."
"No, no. What about the patients?"
"More important things are at stake here than a few sick people."
"Such as?"
"The safety of Elysium and its citizens. Surely you understand the importance of this, Yara?"
"Yes, yes, of course I do. But there are a million more subtle ways of dealing with the problem. Not to mention we have a peace treaty with this country…"
"Ah, so you're afraid of war?
"You and I both know that if we break the treaty, heroes worldwide will come after us. And they're plenty powerful."
"We would wipe them off the face of the earth with just 500 of our people."
"No, no. Even if we did defeat the heroes, we would still lose a huge chunk of our population."
"Alright, alright, stop playing around." Elder Zakai, the youngest looking member of the group, said,
"Zakai is right. This is not the time for such childish banter. This is serious business, and we must be careful about our decisions." Said Elder Gato, the last elder.
"I'm well aware of that. But how did he end up here, anyway?"
"According to the doctor, he was found near a river, unconscious."
"And the person who found him, what did he say?"
"Nothing, didn't even speak. Just left the boy and went on his way."
"How suspicious. Do you think he's working for the enemy?"
"No, I doubt it. He's an Algarian hero; they rarely desert."
"Still, we should keep an eye on him."
"Yes, yes. I'll have someone monitor him. Returning to the original question, what should we do about Kane?"
"Hmm, I'm not sure. If Elysium is a thousand percent safe, we can…go back home?"
"That is the obvious choice, isn't it?"
"It is, but I'm worried about the consequences."
"Consequences? What kind of consequences?"
"The boy will want to see the outside world now."
"That is true. But why does that matter? He'll grow out of it eventually, right?"
"That's true, but I'm worried about Darian."
"What about him?"
"I'm worried about what he might do, given his history."
"Ah, yes, I see. We should probably talk to him, then."
"I agree. Let's go, then."
Back in the lobby, Darian held Kane close.
"I was worried, son."
Kane kept his face hidden, avoiding eye contact.
"I'm sorry, Papa."
"I'm just glad you're safe."
"Thanks, Papa."
Darian kissed the top of his head and ruffled his hair.
"So, what do you say we go home, huh?"
"Okay."
Kane still hesitated, refusing to meet his father's gaze.
"Kane, is everything okay?"
Kane nodded. "Everything's not fine, Papa."
"What's on your mind, son? You know you can tell me anything, right?"
Kane looked down at his feet and let out a heavy sigh.
"Papa... where's Sadie?"
Kane was desperate to know if his friend was okay. He wanted to be by her side and apologize for his inability to save them both.
Although it was her fault in the first place, wanting to swim across the river, even after Kane said it wasn't a good idea.
Darian sighed heavily and looked down, trying to find the words.
"Son, we uh... we tried to find her, but there was a storm, the current was too strong, and when the rain started, visibility was low. I'm sorry. I know this is hard to hear."
Kane's eyes watered as he let out a defeated, "Oh..."
Darian knelt and hugged Kane.
"She's still alive! I know it!." Kane said as he sobbed.
His father hugged him tighter.
"Of course she is, son. I'm sure she's safe and sound wherever she is. We'll find her, I know that."
"But Papa…how did you all find me?" Kane asked.
Darian rubbed his back and replied, "Oh, well, you see, the Elders wanted to find you, and they normally get their way..."
Kane was somewhat puzzled, "Why didn't they do the same for Sadie?"
"Because they don't care about her. She isn't as important as you, son. I told you, she'll be just fine." Darian reassured.
Kane nodded, feeling slightly uncomfortable with this statement. "Isn't she also a member of the village, just like me?"
Darian gave Kane a confused look.
"I guess so, but… you are the important one, son. Because you are my son, remember you're destined to be the best, the strongest, a god!"
Kane looked up at his father. "What do you mean, Papa?"
"I mean... Well, you know how special you are, don't you?"
"I-I guess so."
"So, someday, you're going to show the whole world what an amazing person you are. Everyone's going to love you, son."
"I guess so, Papa..."
"You see? It's not fair to compare the two of you. You are one of a kind, and she isn't."
Kane looked away, chewing his lower lip.
Darian sighed and pulled away slightly, raising Kane's chin so that they were facing each other.
"We will talk more later." Darian said as he gently shook his son, "First, let's take you home. You must be tired."
"Okay."
The city's skyline loomed in the distance as they exited the hospital.
"Woah..."
"Isn't it beautiful, son?"
"Y-Yeah... It's so big!"
"One of the biggest cities in the world."
"It's very different from the village, huh, Papa?"
"Yes, indeed."
"Did you live here, Papa?"
"Briefly, yes. But most of my travels were much farther from here."
"Wow, that's awesome. Do you think I'll ever see other places like this?"
Darian looked down at his son, his brow furrowing. "Let's just focus on getting you back to the village, son."
Kane looked up at his father uncertainly but said nothing more.