Zemin sat up, pulled out the IV from his forearm, rolled his stiff shoulders, and finally looked around. He was in a hospital bed, separated from the rest of the large room with a curtain. There was a chair put next to it, on which Adia slouched, snoring softly. On the opposite side was a nightstand, where someone placed a large vase full of flowers.
Now Adia twitched, opening bleary eyes, and stared at Zemin in shock.
He stared back for a moment, then turned toward Levana. Several long seconds later, the curtain was lifted by Citri's Psi-energy, and the young woman wheeled Zemin's little sister closer to the bed.
"Zemi! Zemi, you woke up!" Levana shouted, lunging toward Zemin with outstretched arms.
Zemin caught her with telekinesis before she could fall on the floor and pulled her until she sat on the bed next to him. He was hugged immediately after.
"Finally! You spent too long lazing around, big brother—can you just imagine how many embarrassing stories about you I had time to tell?"
Zemin hugged his sister back, but didn't speak. Her warmth and voice were a familiar comfort.
"Zemin… Are you alright?" Citri asked, approaching them too. "Have you woken up just now? Are you still tired? We ought to move you to a nicer place."
Now Levana pulled back from Zemin and studied his face. Whatever she found there, it made her frown.
"Zemi? Demons didn't steal your tongue, didn't they? Why are you so quiet?"
Zemin rubbed his forehead. He still felt like a spectator, except this wasn't someone else's memory—it was his own life. Zemin should be owning it. He shouldn't be worrying his sister.
"I'm alright, Leva." Zemin smiled to reassure her, but she only frowned deeper.
"You are a poor liar, brother. But fine! Fine. Keep your secrets! That's what a sister gets for coming all the way from the middle of the sector to help you out." To conclude her tirade, Levana crossed her arms and pouted.
Now it was Zemin's turn to look her over. Her skin was more flushed than the last time they'd met, but there were slight bags under her eyes.
Since the day Levana crippled herself with her own power, she had been slowly recovering her most basic abilities. At first, just moving her arms was a challenge, but now she could take walks in her wheelchair and hug her brother whenever she wanted to.
Seeing her like that—alive and happy, despite the suffering in her past—finally made Zemin smile.
"I'm really fine, Leva. Thank you for visiting me… I should've done that myself, instead of forcing you to come here. Did you travel all the way here on your own?"
"Master Makhos arranged for my transport."
"Speaking of," Adia said, standing up from her seat. Her bright smile didn't fit with the way she nervously wrung her hands. "I should call him! I should call everyone. It's a good thing you woke up when you did, Zemin."
'Hm. And when did I wake up, System? How many days have I been asleep?'
<12 days, Master.>
That explained why Zemin's head felt so itchy and the slight smell around him. Someone must've washed him, but it wasn't a proper shower.
That also explained why Citri looked so well and healthy. While others were talking, she had moved to the flowers next to Zemin's bed and had been poking them absent-mindedly.
Her pink-yellow-red hair was more colorful than them.
"I'm not going to meet Master Makhos without a shower and clothing," Zemin said. "But right after that… I want to know what I missed."
***
Two hours later—enough time not only for a shower but also for breakfast—the entire squad gathered in the living room of their barracks.
Upon entering the room, Zemin was immediately assaulted by a multi-colored streak.
"Finally! Zemin, in all his handsomeness, has returned to us!" Citri said, beaming at him. "There's no way I could go on a mission without that face nearby to lift my battle spirit!"
"Hey, what about me, Citri?" Danis spoke from his seat on a sofa. His arms were both sling-free. "The kid probably doesn't even shave yet, he's just some… ugh!"
Citri went to sit next to him on the sofa, then poked him in the side with another giggle.
"Beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, Danis."
On Danis's other side, Narcisa waved at Zemin. "Adia will hug you for the both of us. As for me, as a medic, I already know you much closer than that."
"Oh yeah, I will hug you reeeeal bad," Adia said. Zemin opened his arms for her, and she ran into them—but something was wrong.
When Adia pulled back and Zemin could see her face again, her smile returned a moment too late.
She went back to her seat, and Zemin also finally moved away from the entrance to the room. The only free chair left was next to Levana.
"Congratulations on returning to the waking world, Esquire!" Jagger said when Zemin took it. "It's been twelve days, and not even Master Makhos knew when and if you will wake up. But life goes on, you know? We have a mission coming in two days. I hope you are ready."
"But I just woke up. Did the Exemplar Commander issue an order already?"
"He issued it while you were asleep. Hm. You look a bit… tired, Zemin. If you won't be able to fight, and Master Makhos confirms it, we can leave you here."
The words brought a spark of motivation into Zemin's thoughts—something they were lacking so far. That definitely couldn't happen.
He pushed through the endless memories before, and now Zemin had to push through the real life. Somehow.
'Master Makhos will want to see me. I should report to him… How strange. It doesn't seem to matter anymore if he will be pleased with my results. Either way, after that, I must find what I have gained from the Memory Injector.'