Berry felt like his heart was going to rip out of his chest as he walked through the big steel doors, beads of sweat formed on his forehead and the beating of his heart was so loud it could probably be heard about a mile away.
Caelum walked behind him, his expression as stoic as ever, his eyes were occasionally glancing at the pink boy in front of him, seeing how scared and anxious the boy was, he gave out a small inaudible hum before keeping his eyes in front.
The dim lit hall seemed to stretch on for miles before they finally got to a smaller door.
Caelum passed, taking one look at Berry before reaching for the handle and opening the door.
Bright light filled the room, making Berry wince, looked away before regaining himself and adjusting to the light.
Caelum walked into the room, silently gesturing for Berry to follow. The smaller boy clutched the hem of his shirt before walking inside.
The first thing he noticed were the group of scientists, both dragon and human, gathering a small bed in the middle of the room.
There was different machines connecting to the bed, some tubes with blue coloured fluid pumping through them.
They all turned to Berry, some looking at him with skepticism, or intrigue, while some were more hostile and wary.
Caelum stood In front of Berry, his aura commanding respect and making them look away in fear.
Berry's eyes drifted from the scene, his eyes landing directly on the bed.
"Casper", he let out an audible gasp as he saw the state his friend was in.
Different tubed lodged into his body, his eyes half-lidded, his body red and slightly worn out, his breathing slow and steady but with a bit of wheezing.
Berry ignored the group of scientists and Caelum and walked to Casper on the bed.
He slowly touched his fingers, not wanting to hurt him, "Hey", he said softly, his eyes looking down at him with sadness in them.
Casper opened his eyes a bit more, looking up at Berry. Despite his weak state, he gave off a small smile behind the oxygen mask on his face, as if saying "It's alright".
Berry felt another fresh set of tears well up in his eyes, his gave Casper a small squeeze, "you did good". he whispered.
The fox hybrid smile again and opened his mouth to say something but he was to weak to do so.
"It's okay, I'll save some bread for you and bring it when I die" Berry joked, trying to make the situation a bit lighter.
Casper gave a wider smile, his chest slightly moving.
At least he's laughing
The small laughter died down and the weight of the situation returned, making the atmosphere solemn.
Berry stayed next to Casper, holding his hand, his eyes not leaving him.
"She's dead" Casper whispered, his voice slightly muffled because of the oxygen mask.
"W…what?"
"She's dead, the blonde woman"
Berry's eyes widened in realization, the blonde woman Casper had seen in his last memory before he turned into a Rune.
"How did you know that?" He asked softly.
Casper gave a sad smile and looked up to the ceiling, "Cause I see her".
Berry's eyes dropped and a flicker of understanding crossed his featured, he looked at Casper as he continued talking.
"I see her, in the sky, waving at me, she's calling me" he said in a soft voice, his smile never wavering.
Berry let out a shaky breath and forced a smile too, "Then you should go meet her".
Casper looked back at his shortly known friend and gave a small nod, "I should".
Berry nodded, the tears spilling freely, he tried to gather himself but it was no use, in all he still tried to smile.
"Goodbye Berry"
.
.
.
Berry was led back outside the room by Caelum, his eyes were puffy and red and he felt a wave of despair and loneliness wash over him.
He hung his head low and sobbed quietly.
They walked back to the apartments section, taken to his room, he stopped in front of the door, his eyes still glued to the floor.
Caelum stood in front of him, not saying anything, in fact, he wasn't sure what to say.
"Get some rest" was all he could muster and even that sounded like some cold-hearted command.
Berry nodded, feeling exhausted. He turned back to go to his room but then he stopped and looked up at Caelum, "was there truly nothing you could do?", he asked in a broken voice.
Caelum stayed quiet for a moment before giving a short reply, "no".
"I see"
"You will be summoned tomorrow" Caelum stated plainly. The smaller boy looked up in confusion.
"Why?" he asked, furrowing his brows.
"Because your friend gaining consciousness after going feral had something to do with you"
"Me?"
"Yes, we would like to interrogate you and if you don't mind, we will run some tests".
Berry felt his heartbeat quicken, Run some tests?, he felt as though they would be excruciating and he felt scared.
"Don't worry, we won't hurt you, I promise" Caelum stated calmly as if he read Berry's mind, trying to put the pink Rune at ease.
But that did nothing to calm Berry down, he still felt anxious and frightened but he gave off a small nod before turning to his door and opening it.
"Goodnight" he said softly and walked in, closing the door and leaving Caelum standing there, staring at the gray steel.
.
.
.
Berry plopped down on his bed, the weight of everything came crashing down on him. This was just a day and he felt like a mess already.
His joints ached and he had a migraine along with that he felt insanely hungry.
….…
His nose was suddenly filled with a delicious aroma, almost making him drool.
Maybe he hadn't noticed it before because he was trying to gather himself but there was a plate on his small table.
He paused for a moment before standing up and walking towards it, he looked down at the plate, it had some bread in it, along with some spreads and a small cup next to it.
Who left this here?
He was a bit skeptical but he sat down anyways, too hungry to think. He picked up the bread and chewed on it slowly, the smell reminding him of everything that happened today.
He settled down properly and ate, looking out the small window and staring at the night sky, the lights from outside reflecting in the room.
He felt a strange sense of peace and relief wash over him, almost like a slight reassurance.
Everything will be alright in the end.