Deon V. Eirenios [1]

Walid's eyes suddenly opened, as the sharp, persistent pain caused his head to jerk back. His whole body trembled, as he became fully awake, no trace of drowsiness in his mind.

'I... am alive!'

But the pain in his head continued, preventing him from getting up from his bed.

'Where?..'

The first thing Walid saw was a distant white marble ceiling with a chandelier that illuminated the surrounding area with a faint white light.

'A hospital?' That was his first thought, but he quickly dismissed it as he took a good look at his surroundings.

The room was astonishingly spacious, with two entire walls serving only as shelves for a vast collection of carefully arranged books. On the third wall, there were closed glass windows with red curtains adorned with intricate patterns. Each window was more than twice Walid's height, something that left his mouth agape. On the fourth wall, opposite the large bed he was lying on, there was a fireplace large enough to heat an entire house, though it was currently unlit. On either side of the fireplace, two long swords were hung, reflecting the little light that penetrated the closed curtains. The swords looked astonishingly real.

'Where the hell am I?!'

By now, it was clear to Walid that he wasn't in a hospital. In fact, it seemed more like the bedroom of someone incredibly wealthy, just 100 years back.

"I need to get out of here…"

"Ugh..!" As Walid tried to get up from his bed, his already aching head only hurt more, forcing him to hold it between his hands. "Why... It hurt so much?!"

'Of course, it would hurt; I got run over by a group of reckless kids... damn them!'

Remembering the events, Walid couldn't help but curse in anger.

'Avoid trouble my ass!'

Walid released his head from his hands as soon as he felt better.

"At least, I'm alive."

The image of his mother and siblings appeared in his mind, and he couldn't help but smile.

"I'm alive!"

'Now, I just need to understand where I am?'

The place was definitely not a hospital.

...

Walid tried to get up from the bed, knowing that the previous sharp pain in his head—though not completely gone—was now manageable. But the second his feet touched the carpeted floor, a light knocking sound came from the door of the room on the far side of the bed, to the right of the fireplace.

Walid looked at the door with hope in his eyes.

"Finally…"

"Baby Brother, can I come in?" The melodic voice reached Walid's ears, and he quickly got up to open the door, thinking it was his sister.

He reached the door handle, twisted it, and opened the door wide, a broad smile spreading across his face.

But the smile didn't last long.

It disappeared the moment Walid took a look at the 'strange' girl standing in front of him.

He took a few steps back in horror.

With each passing second, his face lost all its expressions and paled at an alarming rate.

The strange girl noticed his condition and approached him with a worried expression.

"Baby Brother, are you... okay?"

Somehow, her expression carried some hidden pity.

Walid's eyes began to move violently, refusing to settle as the girl spoke.

He was in denial.

And he had every right to be.

He continued to retreat until his back, now drenched in sweat, faced the room's wall.

There was no more room for him to escape.

"Baby Brother, you're scaring me!" The strange girl shouted at him, who was pressed against the wall in what seemed like uncontrollable fear.

"Why are you acting like this?" She asked with another desperate cry.

But Walid didn't answer.

He was still in denial.

The thought that crossed his mind was so ridiculous that he didn't dare to ask. But he had to ask, he had to be wrong, he was just in some strange role-playing hospital. That could be something! A very expensive way to treat patients. It must be!

Walid took a deep breath as he looked at the strange girl in front of him, who was cautiously approaching him.

"...Your name?" He asked, in a somewhat desperate voice.

The girl stopped, her gray obsidian eyes filled with great concern as she looked at him. "Baby Brother, it's me, what's happening to you?.."

 "Say your name... please!" Walid asked again, the desperation deepening in his tone.

"It's... it's... V! It's me, Viera!"

Walid pressed on his shirt where his heart was supposed to be as he waited for the strange girl to mutter her full name.

"Vierenna V. Eirenios!"

The second Walid heard the name, his head began to throb violently, bringing unbearable pain.

This time, he didn't try to endure it.

He just let it take his consciousness away— perhaps for good!