Reincarnation

Rebirth, Part 3

Days passed as everyone marvelled at her quick recovery. 

When Estella's doctor, Dr. Nicht Trauveren, a renowned medical professional, requested permission to examine her case. The hospital agreed to cover all potential costs associated with her inpatient stay as a precautionary measure.

He was intrigued by her condition—after all, it's not every day that a patient survives a near-death experience and makes a full recovery. He, along with other medical personnel, examined her vitals and did several tests to see if anything could account for her remarkable revival.

Movements from the door echoed across her room. Those were familiar footsteps echoing closer and closer to her. From the relaxed movements alone, she could tell that it was the doctor. Picking up whose footsteps belonged to who became an ability of hers during her stay in the hospital.

After all, she spent most of her time in the hospital with her eyes closed due to having to rest almost the entire day before she recovered.

Dr. Trauveren brought a laptop into her room to catch up with her. He closed the door behind him and stared triumphantly at his patient as he inched his glasses higher on his nose. The doctor opened his laptop and typed.

Estella heard him say, "This is amazing," as she opened her eyes fully.

The good doctor stared over Estella's data for what seemed like an eternity, completely baffled. He didn't uncover anything out of the ordinary, something that was to be expected with a healthy patient. The situation with Estella, however, was not conventional.

He turned the laptop around so that it faced her and pointed at the screen, pointing to the location of her health records.

"Despite the quick alteration in your hair's coloring and the slightly muted sound of your heartbeats, everything seems to have returned to..." He stopped, his lips quivering, and he seemed hesitant to voice the next phrase. A little sigh escaped his mouth. 

"...Normal."

"Normal...?" she uttered the phrase only in a whisper; hearing the word "normal" had been a distant hope of hers for a very long time. To have "normal" used to describe her after usually hearing "hopeless" and "terminal" left her feeling numb from disbelief. She sighs exasperatedly, as though she couldn't even grasp the situation properly.

She looked her doctor in the eye, nervously starting to speak once more. "...Does that mean I could now live a normal life again?"

Dr. Trauveren nodded proudly at her. "...After I sign the papers permitting your release, yes. For now, we'll have to ensure that nothing happens within the next few days, but... you're pretty much free from your hospital bed now." He sighed excitedly.

Estella felt pools of tears forming around her eyes. Her lips trembled, and her breathing quickened. "T-That's... Are you sure?" Her cries of happiness overwhelmed her, leaving her words stuck in her throat. She cupped her hand over her heart, as though reassuring it that she was still alive.

He breathed in and gave her a happy thumbs-up. "Definitely."

"I-I... I don't... I don't know how to thank you, doctor." Whenever she spoke, her words came out all jumbled up. Estella was thinking to herself, trying to figure out how she could ever adequately express her gratitude in the moment.

After fixing his glasses, which almost always seemed to want to fall against his nose, Dr. Trauveren took a deep breath and stood up, patting her shoulder, giving it a small reassuring squeeze. "No thanks needed... I'm wishing for your full recovery, Ms. Adventia." 

He slid the door open and took his leave, leaving Estella alone in her room once more.

A chance at a normal life—

Estella could not help the side of her lips to curl up into a smile.

It seemed as though her life was in her reach again; after climbing many mountains only to fall back down, this time, she felt like she had a chance to climb up to the summit once more.

She rose from her bed. As the days passed, the machinery connected to her had gradually dwindled. Now, she could stand on her own again, though she still had to hold onto her IV stand for support.

Estella walked gently over to the window. The sun cast a brilliant orange glow over the city, bathing the buildings and the seaside in its warm light as the city lights began to flicker on.

This city, the city of Vallena, wasn't her hometown, but it was where she had spent most of her time during the past few years.

If Vallena could be described with a single word, it would definitely be "breathtaking."

Estella returned to her bed and sat down, the cushion making a small creaking sound. If she hadn't believed in miracles before, she definitely did now.

As moments passed, she took in the view and relaxed. The orange hue of the sunset gradually gave way to the dark blue of night. She could hear her family members cheering outside, along with her doctor, as they likely celebrated the news about her.

A knock signaled the arrival of someone. She glanced at the sliding door's exterior. "Come in!" She remarked.

The door slid open gently, silently, as if the person entering were making a conscious effort not to make a sound. A young man with an empty look in his face announced his arrival with a small and quiet voice. "...Sorry for the intrusion," he said.

The lad looked out of place in the hospital. He wore a large blue scarf, matching black sweatpants and sweatshirt, and off-white shoes. If anyone was the type to just reach into their closet and wear whatever they grabbed, it was definitely him. He looked like a moving rain cloud.

Their eyes met, each passing second feeling like an eternity.

Though they were seeing each other for the first time and had no idea who the other was, there was an undeniable sense of familiarity that was hard to shake off.

"...Who are you?" She turned to him with a courteous mumble.

The boy gave no answer as he sat down across from her bed. Though his face was blank, his eyes told a different story.