Kael's eyelids fluttered open, a groan escaping his lips. His body felt heavy and sore like it had been forced to perform physical labor far beyond its capabilities.
"Did I get hit by a truck or something?" Kael gasped under his breath.
Kael's surroundings bathed in a white glow, and the faint beeping of a heart monitor reached his ears. To make this worse, the sharp scent of disinfectant filled his nostrils, and he winced as a scorching pain spread through his body.
"Vitals are stable," a soft voice murmured nearby.
Kael tried to focus, making out the faint figure of a nurse standing at his bedside. He could hear her speak but his foggy mind couldn't make sense of her words.
"Administer the analgesic—he's waking." The sound of a syringe being prepared made his heart skip.
A moment later, a soothing coolness coursed through his veins, washing away the throbbing ache that had taken root in his muscles.
Relief spread like a balm, and Kael's breathing eased. His vision grew darker as the haze enveloped him once again. The last thing he heard was the nurse's gentle voice fading into the distance.
"He'll be out for a while longer…"
---
When Kael opened his eyes again, the room was cloaked in the dim, bluish hue of night. Shadows stretched across the walls, cast by the soft glow of the bedside monitors.
This time, his mind felt clearer, and the pain had dulled to a manageable ache.
He blinked a few times, adjusting to the darkness. Then, he noticed two familiar figures seated near the foot of his bed.
"About time you woke up, Sleeping Beauty," a deep, amused voice teased.
It was Eric, his arms folded over his broad chest as he leaned back in his chair. A faint smirk played on his lips.
"Eric…" Kael croaked, his throat dry and raspy.
Beside Eric, Ren sat quietly, his usual calm demeanor tinged with concern.
"You had us worried," Ren said softly, his eyes reflecting the pale light from the monitors.
Kael let out a weak chuckle, though it hurt to laugh.
"I feel like I got hit by a truck," he said with a bitter smile
"Well, if by 'truck' you mean Captain Darius, then yeah. He definitely flattened you." Eric grinned.
"You mean I lost?" Kael frowned, the memory of the fight was a fragmented blur. "I thought I—"
"You didn't lose," Ren interjected firmly, cutting him off. "You fought him and won. Everyone saw it. The whole academy's talking about it."
Kael stared at him, disbelief etched across his face.
"I… won?" He blurted out, his voice tinged with disbelief.
"Yeah, you did. You went wild on him. If you had gone a bit further, we could have turned him to barbecue." Eric laughed, shaking his head.
Kael blinked, his shocked gaze shifting from Eric to Ren who confirmed the news with a nod. Only then did he remember Ra's words; "I'll give you my power; in return, I get your mind."
Ra!
Kael felt it, an unexplainable silence as if the voice in his head never existed in the first place. After putting up with Ra's nagging for a few days, the silence felt strange in a good way.
Eric got off the sofa and sat by Kael's bedside while Ren followed behind, hiding behind his figure.
"What's going on?" Ra blinked, alarmed by their suspicious movement.
"Calm down, did you really think we stayed behind because we were worried about you?" Eric asked with a raised eyebrow.
"We would like to know how you did it," Ren said, her voice barely a whisper.
Her question didn't make things any clearer. Instead, Kael became more confused than ever.
"What did I do?" Kael threw his hands up in surrender.
His response caused Eric to jerk back, slightly stunned. He shifted his attention to Ren who gave him a knowing nod.
"Professor Lysandra was right. Temporary amnesia is one of the side effects of using Wild." Eric said, his tone strangely hushed.
"You know what? A book I read in the library says the more times you go wild, the worse the amnesia becomes. Some of the first demi-humans of Ra's era completely gave into their animal side after using wild too much." Ren explained, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
Eric jerked back, an exaggerated shock on his face. His reaction made Ren giggle, leaving Kael confused.
Ren was always the shy type, yet after a few hours with Eric, she was already free around him. What's so bad about him that makes girls pick everyone except him?
{You cannot call yourself a lover if you can't fight for your love. Why would a lady trust the love of a coward?} Ra's voice was faint and it sounded tired, just like him.
'but I just…'
{Look kid, first impression is hard to change. They say your victory is a fluke, so you just need to keep winning until they realize you are the real deal.} Ra cut him off.
'I wasn't even the one who fought, it was you.' Kael rolled his eyes.
It was easy for strong people to talk tough; if Ra wasn't the one fighting, he wouldn't have lasted a second against Captain Darius.
{But it was your body…. Listen to me, and I will teach you how to fight and think like me…} Ra's voice trailed off, and so did Kael's consciousness.