9 Eyes God [on-going]

TWENTY-SIX

Chapter 26 // Scars, and all that's left
[DANIEL]

"The hospital is built inside the division of the headquarters, it specializes in treating the Nebula Police Workforce. The head Superintendent is currently Madam Kerensa."

The boy had just woken up from a rather vivid dream. He wandered around, noting of the pleasant whiff of fried food. When he noticed a woman in a beret munching on something, his vision boosted itself, eyes narrowed into slits at the golden fry of fish fillet in her hands.

"Good afternoon, sir Daniel." Greeted Lieutenant Andriette. "A nurse came here to check on you, but left a few minutes earlier because you were still asleep—oh!" she yelped slightly as Daniel's hands grabbed onto her food.

The boy bit the food vigorously, lips curling in a bright smile as he felt the taste of the fish explode in his tastebuds. Everything from the texture of the fish, the seasoning littered around its edges and the crispy crunch from its exterior. Daniel ate like a man left deprived for a week, occasionally announcing how yummy the food is to the surprised Lieutenant.

"Im glad you enjoyed it...." Though that is my food, she thought sadly. "I'll be calling a nurse here to get you checked. Once you have the green light then we can get you discharged earlier."

"Eh? Where's my sister?"

"Rose?" She sighed, body hunched as she pinched the bridge of her nose. "Although the whole hospital is in lockdown due to reasons, I would not doubt she would still be in this vicinity. But still, your sister is very unpredictable. I just hope she gets here before the nurses brings you to a different room for testing and daily checks."

Not long as she spoke those words, the sliding door to Daniel's room was forcefully opened. The sound of a fuming man's complains was heard as Rose sauntered into the room, eyes turning into crescents as she shook the handful of stuff in her arms. Cheetos bags.

The girl had 5 Cheetos bags in her arms and are balancing them like a champ.

"Rose? What did you do this time?"

"Don't even ask this con-pigtails of a woman! She tried to bedazzle me off my money when she is a special force herself!" The man shouted.

Lieutenant sighed again, before bowing to the man. "We are truly very sorry for Lady Rose's behavio—"

"Im not listening from you. I want the girl to apologize for herself!"

Rose cocked her head to the disheveled man, raising a brow at how loud his voice had gotten. "Sorry..?"

"Not an ounce of sincerity? What did the Academy even teach the new generation with? This is—"

Daniel watch from the sidelines at how the 3 exchanged words, only one was too stubborn to say other than one worded responses. The man must have been a Senior officer based on how his face sported wrinkles across his pale skin. He had beady eyes that became smaller everytime it landed on Rose. Rose wasn't doing much with easing the man's fury, she even blew a raspberry as he tried to snatch 2 of the Cheetos bags from her grasp.

Naturally, when the shouts became too much for him to bare, he decided to step in. He spoke what he wanted to say loudly, his words very precisely halting the chatter. However, when the senior officer directed his gaze to Daniel, he went from fury to being drowned in absolute fear. "W-what is that monster?"

The boy gasped, before turning his gaze down to his lap. He shook, shoulders tensing as he realized what the man's words meant. Monster... Do I look like one? His fingers threaded against his cheek where he felt the bulging scar he had received from his recent battle. He must be right... I look like a monster....

"Get out!" Rose shouted. She had kicked the man in the guts after throwing a few wads of dollars to the sky. The officer picked everything up with no shame as he continuously gave Daniel few fleeting glances. None of them were kind. In the man's eyes, there was only one thing reflected. They were afraid.

"That gold digger!" Rose shouted. She had managed to kick the man out the room, but not after closing the door right on his face. She didn't mind the pained noise he made as the door closed along his jawline. Infact, she enjoyed it.

Daniel felt something cold dabbing across his scarred features. Andriette. The press of the chilling fabric was enough to alert Daniel what had happened. He was tearing up, and some of those crystal pearls of his were tinted red due to his healing scar.

"Lady Rose, please don't be too harsh on the officer."

"Like I care? He offended my brother! No apology can make up for what he had done!" She was seething, face flushed red with intense irritation. "Im gonna beat him up later again!"

"Didn't you made him pay for food?"

"Hello? that was my money?"

"No Lady Rose, you left your wallet in this room remember?"

The cold water dripping from the fabric in Lieutenant's grasp made the boy hiss in pain, effectively catching the two's attention.

"Im sorry! I must have pressed too hard—" Lieutenant said as she detached the fabric from the boy's face. But a certain grasp halted her actions.

"Do I look like a monster... to you both?"

"What do you mean? You're still my little brother?"

"Sister!"

"Sorry, I didn't know you were being serious..."

The Lieutenant gently cradled the hand that stopped her, she held it carefully just so she could capture the boy's attention. With a slow breath, she said. "Young Daniel, Your scar is the symbol of something incredible. The scar you got, is the birth of Victory. Despite how you feel, it is still something to be proud of, since you also saved the whole Town from incoming Danger." She stopped to gather some stability before her waterworks can erupt. "Without this scar, the whole Town wouldn't be saved. Young Daniel, do you want to know what I think your scar is? I think it is beautiful. It is a sign of strength, It is a sign of Victory and it belongs... to a hero."

Daniel sniffled as he felt more tears trickle down his face. "Do you really think so? Is that how everyone thinks?"

"I think it makes you look cool, Daniel!" Rose cheered before engulfing her brother in a bone-crushing hug. "If anyone says otherwise, I will hunt them down! The Rose Capian will hunt them down!"

"It is nothing to be ashamed of, Young Daniel."

Regardless of their empowering words, Daniel still found himself yearning to cover half of his face. It felt too strange. His eyes were pulled down due to the scar, and his vision on that eye was getting blurry. Had he injured his eye during the accident?

The nurse they had requested had finally arrived to record Daniel's vitals. After that was done, he was then transported to a different room where his 2 companions were asked to wait outside.

The room was spacious, most furnitures refurbished in a white shade. The surfaces gleamed under the sparkling light from the afternoon sun, casting a warm glow throughout the area. There was a board pinned on the wall infront of him. He was asked to take a seat while the nurse helped him place the strange heavy glasses on his face. The nurse then asked him to recite what he could read from the board, the boy squinted with all his might when he had to use his right eye. But he couldn't see anything.

"Mr. Capian, here are your results." The Nurse said as she handed him a piece of paper.

He frowned at the confusing numbers. "What is this?"

"Let's get straight to business shall we? From the results here, we can deduct that your eyesight is varied greatly. Your right eye differs by it's abrupt decrease. I can only assume that the incident from last time has played a role in this."

"What are you trying to say?"

"Mr. Capian, if your vision continues to worsen, it will put a damp to your abilities to fight and endanger you more. As someone of authority, I must advise that you put a stop to becoming a Special Force." She trailed off. "Even if you do continue, I advise to be very careful. We humans are sometimes not gentle with our limits and it definitely puts a strain to us. We cannot replace what we lost, that's why you need to cherish everything given to you."

******
Author's 2 cents :

I had a long as.s break experimenting with different types of art, was fun but damn it was just a free trial. And the fact that i was starting to be great at last 30th day is just [slams head to wall]

overall, goodluck reading!