As Sho let go of ''Void State'' first phase ''Nihility'' he rapidly sensed his cognitive functions decreasing in efficiency and his brain gray matter clogging in place, flowing much slower than before and in so little number compared to before. But he also realized something else: upon waking up, he knew that once he returned to this state with a history book in his hands, he could learn everything that was on it in no time, by heart. But he also knew that, at the moment, he was going to collapse.
When Sho's eyes opened, a sign that he had left his deranged world, he instantly fell into a coma. This was such a terrifying ability, and Sho had already used ''Void-State'' twice earlier that day, as well as spent multiple years in the former, now lost, ''Bliss-State''. And now he had even fused the two of them and lived such an astonishing event for 11 minutes.
And 30 seconds.
Sho's body was found lying on the ground, hard like stone, his chest facing the floor. Blood was stemming from his eyes—dried hot blood. It meant he had been constantly leaking blood the moment he fell unconscious. Each time his eye's blood dried, more blood would pour out, fresh and boiling.
He was brought to the hospital in a hurry by his horrified parents. They told the doctors and even a patrolling officer who was curious about what happened to Sho; they also brought up the fact that he had been staring at the moon without halt throughout most of the drive. He was supposed to be unconscious, so they thought he may have awoken, but no, Sho's eyes naturally opened and fixed the giant moon in the sky, as if it brought peace to his scorched brain.
Sho's condition was critical; he had lost a lot of blood after all. Most of his internal, brain-related organs were wounded or malfunctioning. And his eyes were declared to forever remain in the dark. So hearing his parents' testimonies of his odd behavior during the transport had not really helped. But Sho's case terrified everyone in the hospital for one specific reason: there was no reason for him to be in such a state. His parents had said firmly:
"When Sho came back home today, he seemed normal—well, as normal as he's always been. He didn't look sad or physically hurt. He rushed out to his room right after saying hello to us, as usual, and after about an hour when it was time to eat, we called out for Sho, but he never came. So Jessy climbed up to see him directly but found his bloodied body on the ground instead of our healthy son."
They were without an ounce of doubt telling the truth; not only did they have no reason to lie, but their conditions clearly indicated true panic, fear, and nervousness. Sho then had no reason to be in such a state, especially his eyes; it didn't appear as if he had poked the both of them with a spiky object. There weren't even any spiky objects in his room anyway, not even something that could pose any real physical threat.
In the hospital, many doctors were talking among themselves about Sho's case.
''What could have transformed a healthy boy into such a miserable, bloody corpse?''
''It is truly troubling; I've never seen nor heard of such a case before.''
''It is truly unprecedented unless it is a lie and the boy did this to himself.''
To this, an old doctor responded in anger.
''Impertinence! How could that be so? Instead of mumbling nonsense, you all should focus on helping ease the poor boy's condition.'' The old doctor said in fury, truly indicating his care for the patient's well-being.
''Well, nothing seems to do anything; he's already in the best possible recovery conditions now.'' Responded the doctor who made the 'impertinent remark'.
''I haven't been assigned to take care of him, so I do not know what kind of treatment he's being given, but it doesn't seem to be any effective, right?'' Asked the old man, to which his colleague immediately answered.
''You are correct, but then what are we supposed to do more, huh? We've already done our best; there is nothing that could help him more here.''
''Damned us, we can't even help a young lad of unknown conditions...''
''Doctor Henry, do not belittle yourself; as I've said, we have tried our hardest, and the boy is surely going to wake up at some point. There is still hope. He'll be fine once he wakes up." Said the impertinent doctor to reassure the old Henry.
''I'm not really mad about this; I know the kid will wake up; the problem is when. I have seen his medical report, and as of right now, out of all the patients we have ever had in our hospital, dead or alive, he is the one who is suffering the most.'' Declared Henry.
''The neurological pain that he has to handle is indeed unbearable for any living person, even to a lower degree than his own.''
''That's my worry! The boy might die of pain at any moment.''
''We're already working on administering him more medications to soothe his brain's neurological pains and damage. That's why I told you it would be fine."
As Doctor Milson said this, they all went their ways and continued with their respective affairs.
Valentin's POV:
I had heard about Sho's misfortune from our head teacher. She informed the whole class that Sho's absence was due to an accident he had at home and that he was now hospitalized. Although she also said not to worry about Sho's condition, I thought differently. The whole thing was weird, and even though I wasn't supposed to visit him because it was ''forbidden'' due to the ''patient'' state, I still did. Only his family was permitted to visit, and I didn't give a fuck. Sho would have done the same for me; he's my best friend after all.
Since checking up on his condition was crucial, I would obviously go. Even if it meant seeing him dead asleep or in a coma, I still needed to see him.
It was Tuesday, a few days after the incident, and I had no idea what to do to safely check up on my friend. 'I will improvise,' I thought mildly confident. Upon arriving at the ''Brestliew Quirky Square Hospital'' things became clear to me; I'd just act like I was his family! Yeah, Sho had taught me how to lie well; I never really understood why he taught me that, nor how he knew so much about it. But after some practice, I got decently good at this ''art,'' I believed.
I slammed the hospital doors a little hard, hard enough to make a big noise but not too much, so it sounded like I did it because I was nervous. I walked while faking trembling; I went and talked to the receptionist and said, ''I'm here to check on my cousin's condition; his name is Sho; please could you tell me at which floor he is?'' I said with a shaky voice. Here I only asked for the floor, not the exact room, and why so? Because Sho taught me that people, be they policemen, doctors, fire-fighters, or just people being receptionists, are more likely to accept your demands if you do two things.
First, act like you are shaken emotionally; depending on the context, it can be either sadness, anger, anxiousness, or whatever emotions suit your needs and the situation.
Secondly, ask for less than what you're truly looking for. Because less of what you want can sometimes get you the rest.
I hadn't understood what that meant before trying it; the results were shocking. I had unknowingly manipulated my parents. I asked for a new mobile plan because my old one was too bad; in truth, I wanted a new phone because the one I had was the epitome of "bad." Now they accepted after I acted angry a few times in front of them about my mobile plan being too limited and hinted at how having a new one with my current phone would be a waste. As a result, I got a new mobile plan right away after demanding it, and 2 months later, at Christmas, I got a new phone.
My dad said, ''If not for that mobile plan, I would have originally given you something else, but this seemed more fitting.''
Sho's technique worked.
The receptionist was moved, certainly, but still asked for verification of my identity, to which I answered, "W-WHAT VERIFICATION!" shouting at the top of my lungs. "I-I just want to see him, please. I haven't seen him in months since I moved out with my parents, and now that he's been hospitalized, I just wish for that."
''A-alright, calm down, please; I will tell you where he is...''
''Which chamber is he in?'' I cut her off.
''Hum, let me check, hum. Chamber 3-B459''
"Thank you, faking tears.
----- In Sho's hospital room -----
I was surprised that his room hadn't been locked nor surveilled; it had been as easy to enter his room as it is to score 0 on a history test. I found Sho's body lying nonchalantly on his bed. But the sight of his body was dreadful. He was almost drowning in his own blood—dried blood, it seems. I think the doctors managed to stop his bleeding, but he seemed to have bled for days and received blood infusions throughout his entire ordeal. His whole body and his eyes seemed to rest serenely, despite the dire state he was in.
He looked like a war veteran who had just come back from the worst of battlefields. I was so sad and felt worried about Sho's state of health; I knew he was weak physically and weighed little. About fifty kilograms only. I knew any fall or damage to his body, as light they could be to the average human being, they'd be immeasurably grave to him.
Now after talking in the air for about 25 minutes, saying jokes and funny anecdotes, perhaps in hopes he would wake up, I decided I had to go. Albeit my visible confusions about Sho's dire situation, despite this rested and tranquil aura that he gave off, I had to leave. Visits were only 30 minutes long.
Before leaving, I approached his body one last time to check on him. I gently touched his left arm with my hand, feeling regretful and utterly useless. And when I sensed something wrong, I looked at his arms and noticed with horror what it was that seemed off.
His arm appeared larger, and his veins were so prominent that I feared they might burst. There had been a remarkable change in his vascular system; his veins seemed much stronger than before. Something had happened to him during this accident; I didn't know what. But I thought it was for the better that I remained ignorant of it.
But what surprised me even more was that both of Sho's arms and even his legs, upon closer inspection, appeared the same. They had all gained muscle mass and were adorned with prominently developed veins. Although still slender, they now resembled those of Bruce Lee—lean, devoid of fat, and densely packed with muscles. It was evident that his vascular system had undergone a remarkable transformation, attaining an impressive level of strength and development.
But I was promptly interrupted in my medical check as I heard a person's footstep approaching here. I left, an honest tear in the eye this time, as a hurtful feeling of infestion gnawed at my stomach, like acid. I felt desparation as my attempt to reassuring myself had only caged me in a deeper sadness.
'Just how much have you suffered, Sho...' I thought while wiping away my tears.
I may have confirmed Sho's condition, but I did not feel any better; instead, I felt more worried than before. But worrying like that won't help; I just had to wait for good news. So I took the bus back home with a cleared mind.
''I truly hope you'll get better soon, Sho''