Draconia Offline vol. 1

23.1. Frail But Not Weak - Part 1

"Is it really only because of hunger, doc?"

"Most probably, I checked him thoroughly and he's otherwise okay."

"Is it a new Celestial weakness?"

"I don't think so. Ryuuto's personal weakness maybe? Damn, I was being serious when I was telling you over and over that he has to eat properly, Erik. His body is developing at astonishing speed and he was malnourished to begin with."

I slowly open my eyes. It's impossible to sleep with so many people talking loudly while their emotions keep fluttering.

"Ryuu, you're up," Erik kisses me on my forehead the moment he notices I'm awake. The last thing I remember is getting up after the meeting and then... nothing. My stomach is hurting badly.

"W-what happened?" I ask, confused and still a bit dizzy.

"You fainted, love," Erik explains. "You had us worried."

"Ouch, who put me on my back? My wings are sore," I complain and try to spread them to the sides. The bed is too small for a Celestial, it's really uncomfortable.

"That was me, I needed to examine you," Julia is also bending over me, frowning in concern. "Can you describe how you felt before you lost consciousness?"

"That can wait, Ryuuto has to eat... now," Hana pushes Dr Stein aside while Erik helps me to sit upright.

I get a tray on my lap with a plate full of delicious looking baked potatoes, a fried cheese and salad. My mouth starts salivating immediately. I love fried cheese, it's a Czech speciality. I grab a fork and dig in right away.

"All Draconians have to be careful about their diets but Ryuuto is an extreme case," Julia sighs in a relief, happy that I'm eating by myself. She knows that I often don't have any appetite due to my migraines.

"Because he's developing much more quicky than the rest of us?" Liana guesses and sits on my bed. Her hand finds my left wing and caresses it.

"That as well but mainly because of his telepathy and other possibly associated anomalies," Julia says.

"What anomalies?" Liana frowns.

I'm munching wildly but I'm trying to pay attention to the conversation. Erik's worries are quite distracting, though. And everyone is staring at me which isn't pleasant at all. But for once, I know that I have to eat no matter what. I feel as if my body is running on an empty tank and I could easily collapse again if I don't fill it as soon as possible.

"I don't know yet," Julia admits. "But I reckon there will be a few. His telepathy can't be the only thing. We got used to Ryuuto being a telepath but you do realise that his DNA must be different from ours? I mean... even before you all transformed and your DNA mutated as well."

Emi, sitting nearby in a chair, hisses angrily.

"Sorry for the word, I know that it doesn't sound nice and you hate it," Julia says apologetically. "But from the genetic point of view, you are mutants."

"Damn," Liana is taken aback by the fact that she didn't think something through which hardly ever happens to her. But it's only understandable. We were so busy with everything that's going on in the world that we didn't have time to focus on anything else.

"Okay, I admit that I'm no expert in genetics," Julia says honestly. "But I highly doubt that only Ryuuto's brain is different. There must be other anomalies. He told me he had always had weak digestion which might be a negative side effect of his original mutation. And then there's his overall appearance, for instance."

"Hey, what about it?" I stop eating. "I know that I'm not exactly masculine but..."

"You're totally androgynous, hon," Erik nudges me to continue eating. "Gosh, you don't even shave."

"Wait... you don't, Aefener?" Julia wrinkles her forehead. "Why didn't you say so earlier? We agreed no more secrets. How can I work effectively as your physician if I don't know everything?"

"H-how did you know?" I put the fork down again and look at Erik, shocked.

"Did you really think I won't be able to tell that your smooth face had never touched a blade?" he rolls his eyes.

"My previous lovers weren't able to tell," I murmur but continue eating.

"Your previous lovers weren't paying enough attention to detail then," Erik shrugs.

"A hormonal disorder, doctor?" Liana asks.

"It's quite normal in young men these days but in Ryuuto's case it probably goes way beyond that," Julia shakes her head. "Anyway, I might get some actual results now that I have a suitable facility for that."

A facility? What is she talking about? I properly look around and only now I realise that I'm sitting on what looks like a hospital bed. My first reaction is to panic but Liana surely wouldn't send me to hospital just because of little fainting, right?

"Relax, it's our infirmary," Liana explains quickly when noticing my horrified reaction. "We're still in my skyscraper. One of my employee benefits is a private GP. The previous doctor quit so Julia could take their place."

"Eat," Erik nudges me again. I do but I'm munching much more slowly.

"You knew the whole time? Why didn't you say something?" I ask with my mouth full.

"I didn't want to push you, I was waiting for you to tell me on your own but circumstances have changed," he says softly. "Still, why hiding something so trivial compared to your telepathy?"

"I... I don't know," I say truthfully. "I guess... I didn't want to seem even weirder. And less manly."

"Silly," he pets my wings exactly as I like it to relax me.

"So...," Ingri, who's been silent so far, finally speaks up. "We transformed into Draconians from humans but Ryuuto was never quite human in the first place. How different from us does it make him?"

"I'm afraid I have no answer for that yet," Julia admits and feels anxious. If it was up to her, she'd happily run all sorts of experiments on me.

"Ryuu, don't you want to know?" Liana clutches my hand and sends me her urgency. "We were too busy with everything else until now but I think we should start investigating your family background soon."

"I...," I'm considering it for a while.

Of course, I'd love to know more about my Mom, her research and why she left my father. I'm dying of curiosity but at the same time I'm scared. What if I find out something devastating? What if I find out... that I was some illegal genetic experiment from the very beginning?

I've never doubted that my Mom loved me. I don't have that many memories of her as I was too small to remember but I never forget what a person feels like. It's like a telepathic imprint. Everyone feels different and totally unique to me. And I've always associated my Mom with warmth and unconditional love. I want to stay it that way. A fond memory.

"I have to think about it," I whisper.

"We don't want to push you, Aefener," Liana chews her lip, "but there's a danger that someone might discover the truth about your past whether you want it or now. Especially if they're actively digging in your mother's history and have the resources like the EU. To be honest, I wanted to start my own investigation but we were too busy."

"I... I know," I lower my eyes.

"Give him a few more days to process it, Li," Erik pleads. "And you finish your lunch, Ryuu."

I nod and resume eating but I've lost all appetite. I know painfully well that I have to address my family history one day but I never thought it would be so soon. I don't feel ready to face the past... and my present. The truth about me. What if I really am a freak after all? Even among Draconians?