Discharge

Natsuki blinked against the sterile brightness of the hospital room, her heart racing. The beeping machines felt alien, a cacophony of reminders that she was still trapped within those walls.

"I'm whole!" she cried, her voice filled with manic determination. "Can't you see?"Dr. Yamamoto, a tall man with thinning hair and weary eyes, leaned closer, shaking his head. "Natsuki, you need to understand. What you think you've experienced is....""Is what?" she interrupted, her voice rising. The room felt as if it were closing in on her. "A delusion? A trick of the mind? I have felt... something. I'm free!¨"Free?" He paused, searching her face for clarity. "After what you did, you can't just claim...""Claim what? That I'm finally... sane?" Her laughter echoed against the stark walls. "You think I would still be here if I was broken? If I was 'sick'?""Natsuki, listen to me...." he tried again, but she pushed past him, her pulse quickening.With a sudden rush of adrenaline, she grabbed the nearest metallic tray and hurled it against the wall. The clang reverberated around her, silencing the room momentarily."Natsuki!" He stepped back, eyes wide. "Calm down! You're not in a—""In a what, Dr. whatchamacallit ? In a safe place?" She turned fiercely, a glint of wild zeal in her eyes. "This isn't home for me. It's a prison!"Her forceful words hung in the air. The other staff members stood frozen, unsure of how to proceed.As the room shifted into a tense tableau, a soft sound behind her caught Natsuki's attention. A nurse, with wide, sympathetic eyes, whispered, "You're stronger than you think, Natsuki… but you need help.""Help?" Natsuki sneered, a dangerous smile creeping onto her face. "I found power last night, not help. It's what made me whole!This ring made me whole!!"Her mind spiraled back to the cliff and the man with the ring, the warmth of his presence still clinging to the edges of her consciousness. "I'm not crazy," she declared again, fiercer this time. "I've broken free from your chains!"Dr. Yamamoto´s voice remained steady, "You're not running away from what's inside you; you're running towards a fantasy.""Fantasy?" she echoed, incredulous. "You didn't see what I saw! I felt alive! There was something real in that darkness, something I could finally grasp.""Happiness can never come from force," he replied gently but firmly. "You must face what you've left behind. Running will only lead to more falling."Natsuki took a deep breath, frustration flickering like a candle's flame within her. "Then let me fall! I'll take that risk over your 'help' any day."As she turned away, the murmurings in the room resumed, the staff glancing uncertainly at one another. But Natsuki stood resolute, a fracture in her heart now filled with determination, a power she had unearthed in the depths of her descent.She felt whole, and she would not let anyone take that away from her.