"Stage one… Sanare Vita…"
What? What was that? Sanare Vita? I know that's not a word.
"Surprise, you woke up at last. After just what, two days?"
My eyes fluttered open, greeted by a strange, green glow hovering above me. It pulsed. . . gently, like a heart of pure light, cleansing my body with slow pulses. But, for a second, panic crept from my chest.
I am sure. I am sure that's a person. My damned sight. Twice, this time.
Or worse, was this the same light I saw before my death?
"Hey. About to banish death for you. Thank me later." I heard a calm and firm voice. From somewhere. From everywhere, actually.
Death… from what?
Oh. Right. The fight. The Gator. That bastard's punch. No, that creature's punch. Curse his reptilian mug.
I can still feel it, the way it speared through my ribs like brittle glass.
How, how the hell did a mere fist rupture—and puncture—a hole the size of a melon in my stomach?
. . . Are non-awakened really this weak?
Pain answered me before I could figure it out. A sharp, burning agony clawed through my insides, making every breath a battle. My fingers twitched against something soft… a bed? A blanket? I couldn't tell. All I knew was that I was alive. Barely.
"Hey, idiot Chris. Try not to die again."
Chris… yeah, that was me. My lips tried to move, but all I managed was a faint grunt. My throat felt like sandpaper.
I blinked multiple times as the green light disappeared.
"Healing is complete. Stage one was enough. Report finished."
What even was that? The pain, it didn't hurt as badly anymore. It's like somebody used healing magic on me. Which is probably what happened, considering I'm in a fantasy world.
"You haven't spoken yet? Chris… speak to me. Are you alright?"
My vision finally clears.
I feel so… comfortable.
There's a blanket over me, soft and warm. A pillow under my head; it was perfect. Just like a hug. The whole place feels cozy, almost too cozy.
I'm… I'm in bed. A nurse's bed, right?
"Chris. Say something." Where's that voice coming from?
Who was that? It sounded like a very harsh woman's voice… definitely not Emilia's.
Oh, right. Emilia! She's probably furious after what happened. No doubt about it.
I tried to speak, but nothing came out. My throat was dry. It felt like I had not eaten or drunk anything for days.
"Oh yeah. Stupid me. Forgot your water." Once again, I couldn't tell where that voice came from.
Click!
I wanted to see what just happened, but I was lying on the bed, staring up at the brown wooden tiles above me.
A clear bottle… is that a water bottle coming straight for me?
"Drink, Chris! Drink!"
Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.
Cool water rushed down my throat, and I didn't even care who was holding it. My mouth finally felt alive, ready to speak.
"Hey…" I said. First words out of my mouth in what felt like forever.
"Hello, my patient. You have really clean intestines by the way." She smiled. "I'm Vly Vanesca, an elf. Welcome to my estate."
Oh, wow. She's really 'good' at introductions.
Wait-
She just said elf.
Being healed by an elf… Well, life couldn't get any better. Just, please be a girl. Legolas, you are my pal.
"Hey! Stupid! Are you gonna wake up?" The same voice from Vly Vanesca's direction shouted again.
Oh, I should probably get up now. I feel good. Not too bad, at least. Yeah, I think it's about time.
"Are you gonna wake up already?!"
What was her name again…? Vly… Vowel? Something like that? All I knew was that they were an elf. Hopefully a girl.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm waking up. Thanks for the heal," I said, lifting my head upwards.
I rolled the heavy sheets, lifted my back off the bed… which hurt a little. And turned my head. Vly Vanesca. Right, I remembered now. And she was-
She was gorgeous.
Blonde.
Her blonde hair was like candlefire, blessed and resting on the silky shoulders. Perfect curves, a perfect chest covered by a black corset.
Lush and green was her skin-tight blouse, like a great garden of plants. Her waist cinched those soaked, black denim jeans. And, in a heartfelt truth, I saw everything.
Absolutely gorgeous. Just how I imagined it, an elf. And her ears… never seen anything like them. Even better than in the fantasy books.
My gosh… this is really an elf. She wasn't very tall. Pale skin. Maybe a little shorter than me, which I would say is about five seven. Her sparkling brown eyes were too beautiful to look away from.
"You gonna keep staring at me, pretty boy?!" She yelled, furious, as she raised her hands like she was about to punch me. Totally the opposite of Emilia. No calm, soothing tone here. Just raw and fierce… like she'd lived for hundreds of years.
Maybe she had.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm getting up," I said as I moved my feet towards the floor.
As I was about to touch the floor, which was made of dark wooden planks, smooth and shiny, I saw her come flying in with something.
"Hey, idiot! Want to break your leg again? Here, use this. Your wheelchair. You'll recover soon and get back to work," she said, shoving the chair toward me.
I broke my leg. Well, what else did I break?
It looked like a regular wheelchair, just like the ones back on Earth. The wheels creaked a little as it rolled across the wooden floor. The metal frame shined in light from a glass window that hung on the left of my bed. It seemed strong but pretty worn out. But it'll definitely be enough for somebody like me.
I slid into the wheelchair. It felt surprisingly comfy.
"Ow, that hurts," I said, as Vly forced me to fit inside the seat.
She didn't reply, but I felt a smug grin from behind.
Now I was facing the side of the bed. Vly, who had been in front of me, was now behind me. The bed sat parallel to me, and small flower pots filled the shelves on the wooden walls around the room.
Vly spun me around, rough and fast.
"Hey, don't do it so hard, it hurts," I said as she kept moving me in the wheelchair.
"Don't tell me what to do," she said, sounding slightly pissed.
She saved my life, so I guess I should go with the flow.
"By the way, Emilia dropped you here, she didn't fill me in on much of the details about what happened." She said, stopping the wheelchair. I could feel her grip tighten on the handles.
"Where's Emilia-"
"Hey," she cut me off, sounding more than pissed. "How… how could you let a woman like her cry for you?"
We weren't that close.
Oh, there was another Chris before me. Maybe my theory was right, whatever sent me here just shoved me into this story, which changed the dynamics.
Emilia cried for me. Way to go, Chris. Screwing up once more.
"Where is she now?" I asked, polite but nervous, and angry. Angry at myself for not understanding who Emilia really is.
"Emilia?" she said, as I felt her shifting the wheelchair gears to keep moving. "Right now… she's in my living room, sleeping on the sofa. She's worried sick about you."
We exited the wide-open door. The room we left felt tiny, now even smaller in my memory.
To my left, the space was enclosed by walls, forming a mini cabin. Two lamps faced each other. A short, comfy green chair sat nearby, and a huge red flower grew out of its pot. The wooden floor creaked under the wheelchair as we rolled toward the living room. Two windows were straight ahead, and a brown wooden door sat fully closed. In the middle of the room, a red sofa.
Oh, so that's what she's doing.
I felt a tear roll down my face, watching her.
Emilia sleeping, soundly. With wet tears flowing down her face.
"This…" Vly stopped the wheelchair, making me look right across to Emilia. "Chris, you were too weak to defeat them. And still, you went on. You knew.
"Here she is now—weeping. She pulled an all-nighter because of hope. Hope you lived through a gaping, bloody hole!" She sighed. "Listen. There is nothing bad about justice. But justice that kills is sacrifice. Personally… never seen a dead man be a Cleaner. So please, realize how much you mean to her."
It's not my fault, that's what I would like to think, because I just got here. But why… Why am I so angry at myself? I made another girl cry before, and I couldn't handle it. Now… a different world, but the same thing happens again. No… I need to grow stronger. I'll never let someone cry because of me again.
Vly walked toward what looked like an old kitchen. A single freezer sat there, the only thing in that part of the room. You wouldn't really call it a kitchen. It was only a one-bedroom wooden cabin, but it was honestly beautiful. With the chilling night breeze as the windows were kept open.
"Hey, Chris. I heard about you from the old man at your cleaner headquarters, and I also heard what happened from him… not Emilia," Vly said.
I frowned, confused. Was it the same old man I saw when I first came to this world? If it was, how did he know what happened? I didn't remember him being there… or was he?
"So, Chris," Vly added, "I'm strong, like super strong. Someone like me can fight off against the awakened and beasts in low A-tier dungeons. A cleaner like you shouldn't interfere in matters like those."
Vly opened her white fridge and took out a water bottle for herself.
If she's as strong as she says she is, and I don't know anything about this world I'll go ahead and ask.
"Vly!" I said with a clear desire as she shifted her attention towards me. "Teach me. If you're this strong, teach me."
"I was already planning too, Emilia is also going to be staying with us, but you won't get to talk to her that much," she said, finishing at last.
"That's fine, I'll grow. Just teach me techniques someone like me could use in this world."
Ow! That hurt like a bitch… I shouldn't be talking too much while I'm injured.
I'll learn to understand this world and my position in it, moreover. I want to learn about the strength system, the laws, the rankings, and the different capitals; it's too much to even think about.
But I will learn.
This will be my new home until I recover, of course, if Vly Vanesca allows it.