An Illusion of Will

Chapter 11: Waking up in the 15th Mortal Blood Ring

Al awoke to the sound of whimpering, realizing he was back in his own bed. The crying originated from the adjacent room, which happened to be his parents' bedroom. As he got up, he called out, "Mom, is everything okay?" With cautious steps, he made his way to his parents' room, where the whimpering gradually intensified into sobbing. Overcoming his hesitation, he pushed open the door, only to be greeted by an unexpected sight.

His mother lay on the bed, her legs open, while a doctor performed an operation. Two nurses assisted in the room. Al rushed to his mother's side, his concern evident. "Mom, what's wrong? What's going on?" Linda looked up at him, her crying ceasing, and she mustered a smile before saying. "John, they said it's a boy. We have a son, John!" Despite her pallid complexion, her eyes conveyed immense love. 

Confusion clouded Al's mind as he shook his head. "John? I'm not Dad; I'm your son, it's me Alexander, Mom." She closed her eyes and clasped his hands tightly. "Please take care of our baby boy, John." Before he could respond, the doctor sighed and delivered the devastating news. "We lost her." 

Al's gaze shifted to his now unresponsive mother, her lifeless form casting him into a sea of sorrow. Suddenly, the cries of a newborn interrupted his grief-stricken state. He turned to find the doctor holding a baby, whom he promptly handed to Al. In that moment, Al was holding himself as a newborn baby. Glancing at the mirror, he caught sight of his reflection before it shattered into pieces, causing him to drop the baby.

Al sat up once again, this time in a different bed, drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. He struggled to regulate his breath, finding it difficult to inhale and exhale. Pausing for a moment, he surveyed his surroundings—the red silky sheets and his bandaged hands. Thoughts raced through his mind as he contemplated, "Is this also a dream? No, the pain feels too real. What happened? All I remember..."

Attempting to rise from the bed, he quickly fell on the hard rock floor, unable to put any weight on his left foot. Al looked up and glanced around the mostly empty room, except for a drawer on each side of the bed. There was a giant banner with 24 red hexagons in the wall in front of the bed. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the hexagons formed a leaf shape, with five of them glowing red. 

Crawling on the floor, he examined the room, causing a few of his puncture wounds to reopen, eliciting a groan. "Aaagghh, definitely real. This pain yup this is real." Struggling to reach the other side of the bed, he opened the drawers of both cabinets, only to find them empty. Glancing around once more, he pondered, "There are no windows in this room. How strange. is this a prison?"

With that thought in mind, he crawled like a slug toward the door, leaving behind a trail of blood. Approximately three feet away from the door, it suddenly swung open violently, striking him in the face and rendering him unconscious. 

A young blonde lady with glasses, stood there, shrieking at the gruesome scene. The room was drenched in blood, giving the impression of a violent murder. Her shock intensified when she noticed her patient lying in a pool of blood at her feet.

Once again, Al woke up and attempted to sit up, but the lady promptly stopped him, yelling, "Stop! You'll open up your wounds again. I just finished patching you up. You almost died; you know." Reluctantly, Al laid back down, allowing the memories to flood back. 

He softly asked, "Is he alright? I came here with a person named Cesar. Where is he?" The lady's annoyance subsided slightly as she replied, "Don't worry about him. He's fine. You should worry about yourself more. After all, you're in the 15th Blood Ring now." She began to change the bandages on his hands.

Al felt surprised, though he didn't show it. In the same soft voice as before, he responded, "I got you taking care of me, I think I'll be fine." She frowned and gently squeezed his hand, which had the skin burned off. The pain was excruciating, causing his entire body to tense up. Despite the intense agony, he refrained from screaming or shouting, but his breath came in ragged gasps, and he was drenched in sweat. Undeterred, she continued to wrap his hands, while Al, now in a state of slow recovery, observed her.