Aftermath (Revise)

Danial's POV

Danial was deep in slumber when the urgent call of his mother jolted him awake.

"Son! Hurry and wake up, your father is injured!"

All traces of sleepiness and irritation vanished instantly. He bit back the words of protest that had been forming and nodded obediently, quickly getting ready.

During the tense drive to their destination, Danial remained silent, his thoughts churning with a mixture of confusion and disbelief. Lili, watching her son's uncharacteristic muteness, grew increasingly anxious. She was not just worried about her husband but also about the sudden change in her son's demeanor. Little did she know, Danial's mind was racing with a whirlwind of thoughts.

How the hell did Dad get injured? No, no, no, in the first place, can that old man even get injured?

Danial's thoughts flashed back to a time when his father had demonstrated extraordinary strength. A few years ago, when some thugs tried to harass his mother, his father had beaten them to a pulp. When they returned with reinforcements—armed with bats, knives, and even machetes—his father had still emerged victorious. Even the police had shown a surprising deference towards him.

That father of mine is simply not human. So, the only possible outcome is that someone far stronger than Dad injured him. But who? Danial wondered. Does that even make sense? Since when does Earth have people with superhuman strength wandering around?

He was pulled out of his thoughts by his mother's gentle voice.

"Son, I know you're upset. Even so, I don't want to see you like this. Your father would be even sadder if he knew his son couldn't smile because of him. He would blame himself. That's why I want you to smile, my son. I bet your father would love to see your smile; it will definitely lift his spirits."

Danial looked at his mother's worried face, her attempt to lift his mood clear in the tender look she gave him. His eyes grew a little red.

In his past life, he hadn't been blessed with a happy family. At thirteen, a car accident had claimed the lives of his family, leaving him the sole survivor. His life had spiraled into misery from there. High school was a gauntlet of bullying, only kept at bay by his stellar grades. Insults, mockery, and false rumors became part of his daily life, and he ended up with only one friend.

Seeing his mother's anxious expression and her forced smile, Danial finally raised his head and smiled at her.

"Don't worry, Mom. I won't be sad. I'll make sure to not worry Dad"

Lili, seeing her son's attempt to smile, let out a sigh of relief and returned his smile, her own face lighting up with genuine warmth.

..............

Yesterday Night

The aftermath of the explosion left the building in ruins. Amidst the debris, Hassan, leveraging his superhuman strength, managed to lift the rubble and emerge onto the surface, his body bearing the scars of the fierce battle. His thoughts, however, were solely on his missing companion.

"Damn it, Alex, where are you? Don't tell me he ran out of mana after the explosion? I must hurry up."

Despite his urgency, his body refused to obey, every movement sending jolts of pain through him.

"Damn it, my injuries are too severe. Fuhh… breathe… let's calm down first."

Hassan closed his eyes and began a practiced breathing technique, a series of controlled breaths with a unique rhythm that helped him assess his physical state. After several minutes, he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"A broken rib, fractured bone in the left leg, severe damage to the kidney, severe damage to the heart… sigh* it's all thanks to that damn curse and its bearer. No wonder I can't move."

Realizing he was in critical condition, Hassan decided to spark an emergency flare and conserve his strength. His remarkable physique had saved his life, but even he had limits. As he waited for reinforcement, he marveled at the fact that a normal human would not have survived such injuries.

Soon enough, a team of men in black suits and soldiers arrived, their voices calling out through the ruins.

"Sir Hassan, if you're there, please respond! Sir Alex, if you're there, please respond!"

Using the last of his strength, Hassan signaled them. Once they reached him, he detailed the situation, emphasizing the urgency of finding Alex, who he suspected was out of mana and in grave danger. He also noted that he hadn't seen the curse bearer's corpse, and without confirmation, he feared the entity might still be alive.

"We need to find that corpse," he insisted, wincing as he spoke. "If I don't see it, I'll never be sure. Curse Bearer is much more tenacious and terrifying than you guys think! "

"Understood, sir," replied one of the team members, glancing nervously at the ruins.

An hour later, they found Alex unconscious beneath the rubble, and to Hassan's grim satisfaction, the mangled corpse of the curse bearer. Despite its regenerative abilities, the entity was now unmistakably dead. With this confirmation, Hassan allowed himself a brief moment of relief before both men were transported to the hospital.

That night, the sterile halls of the hospital echoed with quiet murmurs and the hum of medical equipment. General Ropi while fixing his glasses arrived, bearing a basket of assorted fruits and a bouquet that looked suspiciously like it was picked up last minute from a gas station.

"Well, if it isn't my two favorite Hero for the night?" Ropi greeted with a grin. "How are you doing, Gentlemen?"

"Just peachy, General," Hassan replied, attempting to sit up straighter and failing miserably. "I've got a new set of matching bruises and a fun collection of broken bones. Care to trade?"

Ropi chuckled, setting the basket down on the table between their beds. "Sorry, I left my trade-in card at home. Any word from the docs?"

"Alex is still out cold," Hassan said, nodding toward the mage's bed. "He drained all his mana and got buried under a building. I'd say he's having a worse day than me, if that's possible. Speaking of which it seems like the activity of these people seems to have increase in recent year, just what in the world is happening?"

"sigh… well about that matter ...." Ropi began, but was interrupted by a groggy voice from the other bed.

"Cough Well, if it isn't the general himself," Alex croaked, blinking his eyes open. "Did you bring snacks? I could use a sandwich."

"I brought fruit. Does that count?" Ropi asked, raising an eyebrow.

Alex groaned, half-sitting up with obvious effort. "Fruit? Really? Next time, try chocolate or a steak. Something that doesn't remind me of hospital food."

Hassan snorted, wincing at the motion. "Hey, be grateful. At least it's not a Jello cup."

"Good point," Alex conceded, eyeing the basket with mild disdain. "So, General, what's the bad news?"

General Ropi cleared his throat, adopting a more serious tone. "Well first as Hassan state before it seems like the curse bearer activity had completely increase in the last few years and we believe that it had something to do with the organization called the Red Sun Terror! Secondly, you might not like this, but the selection and trial for the academy has been rescheduled one year early."

"What?!" Hassan's shout quickly turned into a pained cough. "I'm sorry, General, but why?"

"It is exactly because of the abnormalities occurring around the world in recent years! Yet many large organizations, from powerful families, countries, and unions, have neglected them. Now the situation is slipping out of our hands, and we don't have enough personnel to handle it. The first step to addressing this is by increasing the number of recruits and speeding up the schedule."

Alex, his eyes wide, tried to sit up further and ended up wincing instead. "Cough I'm sorry, General, but are you serious about rescheduling the academy? I need to hurry back to London. My daughter is supposed to attend the academy, but now with the time hastened, I need to rush back."

"Yeah, she might need more than a fruit basket to handle this," Hassan chimed in, grinning despite the pain.

"Look, Alex," Ropi said, exasperation mingling with a touch of sympathy, "you're not going anywhere until you're healed. Even with healing magic, you'll need at least a week. Besides, if you go rushing off now, you'll probably end up back here in worse shape. Trust me, I've seen it happen."

Alex sighed, slumping back against his pillows. "Fine, but only if you promise to send my daughter a better care package than this fruit basket."

"Deal," Ropi agreed, not minding the dissatisfaction of Alex much. "You both need to rest. We will handle this incident from this point also details about the academy will be sent later. Tonight, get some sleep. Hassan, your family will be here tomorrow, and Alex, try not to complain too much. You're scaring the nurses."

As the night deepened, the hospital room echoed with their quiet laughter, a brief respite from the weighty concerns of the day. Two restless men lay in their beds, haunted by the future of their children in the face of adversities and obviously the academy's looming schedule . Yet, for a moment, humor and camaraderie provided a balm to their weary spirits.