5. Nervous

The figures of humans clothed in white attires filled Valerian's jittery gaze and the sound of the lead doctor yelling orders made him wish they would stop.

His body couldn't handle the mere memories of his time in Sheol, as it put him in a near-death state.

A deep sensation of drowsiness filled Valerian's eyes. He threatened to close them when the last part of his memories reached him.

An explosion of strength suddenly filled him. As the fear of returning to that place made his eyes regain clarity. After all, he had an innate understanding that this time he would be unable to return.

The actions of the doctors and nurses faded into the background, as not even the sight of his parents managed to stop him from recalling the white figure.

Truth be told he had enjoyed his time with the person, even if it had been short.

Gradually he began to regain calmness, but it was clear to even he that he was in no shape to move around.

To those around him, his eyes were murky, and seemingly still unconscious, but Valerian was the only one who knew how much life was in him.

Gladness filled his heart now that he understood that he had not died. How that had even been possible remained surprising, but after what he had experienced in what had felt like decades, nothing could shock him.

The various conversations that occurred around him were of little importance to him. He couldn't stop recalling the events of Sheol, and every time he felt deep shivers run down his spine.

He also recalled the angel he had encountered and soon understood the journey he had spoken of.

'What a terrifying one it had been,' Valerian's thought felt slow even to him, as he gazed at the white ceiling of his hospital room.

He felt frail, but it didn't matter. It couldn't compare to what he felt in that dark place.

Nevertheless, he had a strong feeling that he would be alright soon. After all, the angel had spoken of instructions.

'What is even going on?' Valerian wondered at some point, but he was forced to switch focus since his parents walked into the room, and he felt slightly taken aback to find that they had tears in their eyes.

Heck both seemed to have cried their eyes out. He least expected his father's emotional state, but he couldn't blame the man.

Almost having his last son die was enough to bring any sensible man to his emotional knees.

The caring gaze he had not seen in months or even years was present in their eyes as they walked closer to his bed. Yet what they expressed felt dull compared to those of the white figure.

Months ago he would have done anything for their affection, but they felt bland now, and he didn't really care, at least not now.

There was too much going on in his head; that he still struggled to believe he had not directly run mad upon reawakening.

His parents simply stared at him, and gradually the pain in their eyes began to increase in intensity.

His mother was the first to break into tears. She fell on his bedside at that point.

"I'm sorry," she managed to squeeze amid her crying. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She cried out with a loud voice, before being unable to speak due to her weeping.

Valerian calmly gazed at her display, and a warm sensation moved in his heart.

Managing to lift his hand and place it on her arm, he tried to smile, but blinding pain reached his consciousness, forcing unintentional tears out of him. His mother mistook this for his response and her weeping became loud.

His father on the other had stood before his bed, head bowed and silently weeping.

He soon fell to his knees and began to weep like a child.

Valerian rolled his eyes at that point and tried to mutter words, but his tongue wouldn't obey him, so he gave up after a few tries.

His parents ended up crying for twenty minutes straight, and he had been required to listen all through.

Although he didn't necessarily care about that event, it rekindled his love for his parents, after all, they had been in his thoughts during his time in Sheol.

He remained grateful for his living state and swore to himself that he would make certain his parents never got to that place.

At that point, he didn't doubt that it existed. It was impossible to dream that amount of pain. A shiver went down his spine again.

The hours began to pass. Valerian was treated well and with care. Though, he disliked the fact that he couldn't take in solid food for the time being. He had not tasted anything in years, he longed for simple water.

The days soon began to run by quickly and according to the conversations the doctor had with his parents he would require about a month to fully recover, but to their shock, by the end of the week, he could utilize his body normally.

Needless to say, his parents and even the nurses were ecstatic about that quick recovery, but Valerian felt the most gratitude. The dark place made movement almost impossible.

Being able to utilize his body properly was a miracle to him. He cried a few times when he had been alone.

Apparently, he had been unconscious for a full month, which sounded small to him seeing as he thought he had spent decades in Sheol.

But according to the understanding he had begun to gain; the seemingly long years he had spent there compared to the actual passage of time was simply to show him the eternal state of that torture-world.

The more he pondered about the place, the more he feared returning there. Actually, fear wasn't the right word. He felt petrified with horror merely imagining returning there. He'd rather he had not been born than for that to happen.

He recalled the words of his mates who had tried to speak to him about the matter, and he remembered the criteria and shook his head at how simple it was.

All he had to do was acknowledge the existence of a certain someone. Someone who was the most important.

He had met that person. He was the one in the light so he had no reason not to believe he existed. But simply believing he existed didn't seem enough to him.

Intending to find every possible way to escape the fate that was returning there, he decided he would meet his said classmates for help.

On the tenth day of his awakening, Valerian was discharged since he had returned to his peak.

But for some reason, he felt nervous when he reached the parking lot and was required to get in his father's car. He had not been home in what felt like decades, and it suddenly felt nerve-racking.

Will my life be normal again? He wondered, even if he had an itchy feeling telling him he had stepped into something big.