eldia

25 | the betrayal

You spring awake, the sound of the small bed you lay on creaks as you do. As your eyes adjust, you notice you're no longer where you last were. In fact, you couldn't recognize this place at all.

The room was massive but looked half it's normal size as the rest was shaded with darkness. Small candles only illuminated your side of the room while the other end was pitch black.

From what you could see, it looked like you were surrounded by small beds that looked exactly like the one you woke up in. A hospital wing.

Another thing that catches your eye is someone lurking in a dark corner. You could make out the figure but as far as being able to tell who the person was, you couldn't. They were too hidden in the murkiness.

"Where am I?" You ask.

"You're safe. Don't worry about it." The shadow responses.

A woman.

Now that you matched the voice with the shadowy figure, it was much easier to point out their features.

The woman, with pale blonde hair thrown into a ponytail and icy blue eyes to match, stood in the dark corner with her arms crossed.

She was quite small but that didn't soften the energy she gave off. Her eyes were sharp, narrow and on target. She hardly ever blinked.

Even under her clothes, you could tell she was fit. Despite her height, she looked quite strong.

You raise your arm, the chain that was tied onto your wrist moves along with you. "Why am I chained up?"

The girl chuckles. "Because you're considered a threat now. You did just burn the skin off someone, didn't you?"

You remain still. You knew you wouldn't go without being punished for what you did but this wasn't the dungeon back home. In fact, this didn't look like home at all. "This isn't Eldia, is it?"

"Man, he was right. You sure do ask a lot of questions." She sighs.

"He?" You grow even more confused. "Who's he?"

She points her head to your left. "Just get back to what you were doing."

Now you had absolutely no idea what was going on. The last thing you remembered was telling Jean to go find your family and trying to heal Marco. Why couldn't you remember anything after that? How did you end up here?

You finally turn your head in the direction in which the mysterious woman indicted. There was another hospital bed beside you, but whoever was laying in it was partially covered by the curtain that separated your beds.

It then clicks to you. You hop off the bed. "Is that Marco? Is he okay?"

She finally steps out into the light. She was pretty in a haunting way. She had the constant look of disinterest.

On her jacket, right over her heart, the words A. Leonhart, were stitched onto the fabric. She grabs the key from her pocket and unlocks the chain that was holding you down. "You've been trying to heal him for three days now. You keep passing out."

"Three days?!" You shout, your voice booms through the empty hospital. "It's been three days? What happened since the bombing? Is everyone okay?"

She points at Marco's body. "Heal him first."

You look back at his body. From what you last recall, he looked much better. He was cleaned up now so he wasn't coated in blood and ash anymore.

The right half of his body, which was practically burnt to a crisp the last time you saw him, was now just a dark shade of red. He was almost completely healed. Minus a few fresh scars and the discoloration, he looked almost the way he used to.