Djuma slowly opened his eyes, blinking away the haze of sleep. He yawned, stretching his limbs, and was met with the concerned face of his daughter, Miram. She was sitting beside him, gently cleaning his body with a soft cloth.
"Father, you're awake!" she exclaimed, her eyes shining with relief.
Djuma sat up, rubbing his temples.
"How are you feeling now?" Miram asked.
"Replenished," Djuma replied, his voice still husky from sleep. "How long have I been unconscious?"
"Almost two days now," Miram replied.
"Two days?" Djuma's eyes widened in alarm. "I need to go find the Chosen one before it's too late."
He briskly rose up, but his legs wobbled beneath him, and he staggered. Miram rushed to his side to support him.
"Won't you take a rest to regain your strength?" she said. "Or at least, eat?"
Djuma shook his head. "I've rested enough, you know what will become of us all if we fail to find him, don't you?"
"Yeah, yeah, we're all going to die," Miram said. "You told me a thousand times already, but you shouldn't die before finding him. You must eat before you embark on the journey."
"I don't have time to eat, my dear. I'll do it when I get to his planet. Right now, our first priority is to bring back the Jyuran. The hopes of thousands and more depend on him."
"Then take it with you, you'll eat it on your way."
Miram packed some food in a brown pouch with a long sling and hung it around her father's neck. She grabbed a waterskin and handed it over to him.
"You're just too stubborn, Miram," he said relentingly, shaking his head in amusement, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Take care of yourself while I'm gone, and–"
"Don't go out during the day and don't act recklessly," Miram finished the sentence with him, their voices echoing off the cave walls.
Miram rolled her eyes and snorted. "I know that's what you're going to say. Don't worry, I know the weight of the situation going on within those kingdom's walls."
Djuma sighed and walked toward the entrance of the cave. "I'll tell you as things unfold. Make sure your Lav is always intact so I can communicate with you."
"Aren't you going to tell me which planet you're going to?" Miram's voice halted his pace.
Djuma turned back. "The Jyuran is on one of the star planets," he replied reluctantly.
Miram's eyes widened in alarm.
"Don't come looking for me there," Djuma warned, his eyes locked on hers.
"What!? The Star planet!?" Miram said. "Do you want to die? The star will burn you!"
"Don't worry about me, Miram. I can protect myself, okay?"
Without waiting for Miram's response, Djuma leapt off the mouth of the cave. He ascended into the sky, his figure dwindling into the distance.
Miram rushed to the cave's mouth, her head raised to the sky. She watched as her father disappeared into the orange-colored expanse, her heart heavy with worry.
"I wish you good luck, father," she whispered under her breath, her eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of him.
*****
Mike attempted to evoke the vision he had seen the previous night, but his mind remained stubbornly blank.
He had forgotten every detail, except for the haunting whisper of a single word: Perebia.
The name lingered in his mind like a ghostly echo, refusing to be silenced.
"Mom, have you ever heard of a place called 'Perebia'?" he asked, turning to his mother, who was sitting beside him, busily setting a table for him to eat.
Mrs. Smith looked up, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Perelia?" she asked, uncertained.
"No, it's Perebia. I'm sure of it. Is there a place like that?"
Mrs. Smith's gaze drifted back to the cooler she was holding, staring thoughtfully. "I don't know, dear. But why are you asking?"
Mike bowed his face towards the ground, his mind still grappling with the elusive vision. "The name keeps echoing in my mind, along with this strange feeling of longing. I've never felt anything like it before."
"But why are you closing your eyes?"
"It's blinding and painful. I can't see."
"But you clearly saw me last night. How come you can't see–"
"That's because the room was dim!"
"I don't understand. You're not making sense, Mike."
"I don't know why, but I'm sensitive to light. And it's not just that... I feel like I'm changing somehow."
Mrs. Smith stared at him for a while, sadness overwhelmed her as tears rolled down her face. "Are you really a bat? Or–"
"Do I look like a bat to you?"
Mrs. Smith stood up, her tears intensifying. "What in the world is happening to you, Mike," she whispered.
Mike laid down on the bed, his eyes still shut, his mind reeling with unanswered questions. Mrs. Smith couldn't control her emotions, she turned and scurried out of the room.
Mike's anger aroused. He opened his eyes, determined to face whatever lay ahead. The light was blinding, as though staring into the sun at its brightest, but he refused to close his eyes.
If opening my eyes is going to blind me forever, then so be it, he thought to himself. I don't want to spend the rest of my life like a bat!
Mike stepped down from the bed, his eyes still open despite the searing pain.
And suddenly, he felt something break in his eyes, like a dam had burst, and a throbbing pain began to circulate in his head.
The indistinct chattering in his ears grew louder, and he covered them, wincing in agony.
But the pain soon slowly began to subside, and he uncovered his ears and listened intently. The chattering grew clearer, and he recognized familiar voices - Dr. Tom and his mother.
"I'm relieved you figured it out yourself," said Dr. Tom. "It was hard for us to explain his situation in a way that wouldn't make you presume we're crazy."
"He clearly saw me last night in the dimly lit room," Mrs. Smith said. "But now he's sensitive to the light of day–this is getting insane."
Dr. Tom's voice came next.
"Dr. Philip proposed an idea, which I'm quite sure–"
"Tell me what it is!" Mrs. Smith interrupted, her desperation on full display. "I'm open to any idea and willing to do anything as long as my son won't go blind."
Dr. Tom sighed in hesitation. "He suggested an eye transplant. A donor is available, but in my own experience as a doctor, it's impossible."
Mike's heart skipped a beat as he listened to the conversation. An eye transplant? Was that really possible? He felt a glimmer of hope, but it was quickly extinguished by Dr. Tom's skepticism.
"And why are you telling me this?!" Mrs. Smith grumbled. "Why get my hopes up if it's impossible? You shouldn't have mentioned it in the first place!"
"His cornea can be transplanted," Dr. Tom explained, "but we're not sure of the results it will yield. We don't know if your son's vision would return afterwards."
Mrs. Smith's face crumpled, and she collapsed to the ground.
"What am I going to do now? What should we do?" she said, her body shaking with sobs.
Dr. Tom knelt beside her, offering what little comfort he could.
"Please give us more time, we'll come up with a solution," he said. "The medical teams are working relentlessly day and night to address his situation. Please be more patient."
Mike, still lying on the bed, heard the conversation and broke down in tears. The throbbing pain in his head had finally receded, replaced by a sense of despair. But as he raised his head, he saw something that made his heart skip a beat.
In the mirror a few inches away, he saw the reflection of a strange figure with glowing eyes staring back at him.
Not believing what he was seeing, Mike peered closer at the mirror, and the figure's eyes seemed to grow larger, more intense.
His heartbeat increased as fear sent his pulse racing. He staggered back, falling to the ground.
"Who are you?" he said, shuddering.
The door creaked open, and a feminine voice echoed in. "Who are you talking to?"
Mike glanced at the nurse but said nothing, his eyes snapping back to the mirror. But there was no one there, except his own reflection.
"Are you okay? Why are you on the ground?" the nurse asked again.
"Oh, I'm fine, you can leave," Mike replied, waving his hand dismissively.
The nurse shrugged and departed, and Mike's mind began to race with questions.
Wait... something is not right. Am I the one with glowing eyes? And earlier, I was able to hear distant conversations clearly. What's going on?"
And then, it hit him - a realization that made his heart soar.
"OMG! I can see!"
"My sight is back!"