In the dimly lit room, Aurelius Crane's sharp, cerulean eyes remained fixed on the motionless figure lying on the bed. The air was tense with an unsettling silence as he took a deliberate moment to absorb the gravity of the situation unfolding before him. The pale glow of the moon outside barely illuminated the room, casting an ethereal glow on the girl's ashen face. To any casual observer, the girl appeared lifeless, her stillness suggesting a surrender to the cold embrace of death.
Yet, there lingered a fragile heartbeat, a feeble rhythm barely holding on to the thread of life. A chill permeated the air, accentuating the stark reality that her blood, once warm and coursing through vibrant veins, had now turned cold, a testament to the severity of her condition. The edges of her wounds told a tale of recent self-inflicted pain, and how unbearable her existence must have felt. Fresh gashes adorned her arms, weaving a painful narrative of a struggle that seemed both internal and external.
Aurelius was quick to notice the lines of agony etched onto her delicate skin. The new wounds, cruelly opening above the already healing ones, painted a vivid picture of relentless torment. The room felt heavy with the unspoken horrors she must have faced, and the depth of her suffering seemed unfathomable.
It became evident that this young soul had weathered an ordeal, the extent of which Aurelius could only imagine. The questions echoed in his mind, a cascade of uncertainty: How long had she been inflicting this harm upon herself? What had driven her to the precipice of despair? The enigma of her pain mingled with the haunting beauty that still clung to her features, leaving him grappling with the profound mystery of a soul teetering on the edge of darkness.
In the austere confines of his steady examination room, Aurelius found himself grappling with the weight of responsibility for a girl he knew next to nothing about—Elara Reed.
The scant details at his disposal revealed only her name, a mere echo of her identity lost in the shroud of urgency that surrounded her. As he briskly moved across the room, Aurelius's trained instincts kicked in. With a calculated motion, he checked the door, sealing off the outside world. Years of experience had taught him the importance of discretion, prompting him to cover the lone window with a worn, heavy drape. The opaque fabric served as a visual signal to the rest of the staff that when that window was obscured, Aurelius was immersed in a task of unparalleled gravity—a directive not to be questioned.
In the enveloping silence, Aurelius turned his attention back to Elara. The weight of the situation pressed upon him, the knowledge that this girl's life hung in the balance propelling him to move swiftly. She could only have just minutes left. Yet, amidst the urgency, a flicker of contemplation danced in his eyes. He recognized the fragility of life, the delicate balance between existence and oblivion.
The room's atmosphere seemed to thicken as he studied Elara, contemplating the ethical dilemma that tugged at his immortal conscience. For a fleeting moment, he entertained the notion that letting her go might be a release from a world wrought with pain. After all, he pondered, who was he—a creature defying the laws of nature—to decide her fate, especially when the natural course of life seemed so capricious?
She was the one that had done this to herself for a reason. If her pain was so great she had opted to take this route, who was he to take it from her? Would she be better off dying human rather than enduring the painful existence of an immortal? She was in enough pain as it was. This very dilemma had haunted his own family, particularly among his younger brothers. Callen was the one born after him, then Nathaniel. Nathaniel had tried to take his own life, to leave on his own terms. Callen had turned him out of impulse, and Nathaniel had resented him for it ever since. Would Elara resent him if he did it to her?
Probably. Being immortal wasn't something someone signed up for out on a whim. It was a course of existence that could never be changed once taken. Despite the tempest of conflicting emotions churning within him, Aurelius knew relinquishing the responsibility of Elara's life was a path he could not tread. It ran counter to the very essence of his identity as a healer, a sworn guardian of life. Even in the face of imminent demise, his core principles as a doctor refused to waver. If there lingered the faintest glimmer of hope that he could pull her back from the brink, he felt compelled to embark on the daunting journey of salvation.
YOU ARE READING
𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄.
Paranormal╔══ஓ๑♡๑ஓ══╗ After the sudden loss of her mother and sister pushes her to suicide, an already struggling Elara Reed hopes that this will finally put an end to her suffering. What she doesn't know is that death isn't always the answer, something she d...
