Highschool DxD: Heres Caeli

Chapter 1: What?

It's all very dark.

I know I just closed my eyes, but even the reflection of light didn't seem to reach my eyelids; well, they were shut too tightly to stay open anyway. All that remained was darkness mingling with that damn hospital machine sound, the beeping gradually accelerating with each passing second.

Well, even that irritating sound would eventually stop, and now only silence remains, accompanied by the darkness.

Is this... my end? I've died after everything, after all the struggle.

The sensation was very heavy at first, as if something was trying to keep me from moving even a muscle, but then came... lightness, so light that I didn't even think of doing anything, so light that gradually we forget to keep breathing, just following and following until there is nothing left.

Dying from such a wretched illness at my age? It would be ironic if it weren't so tragic that it actually couldn't be funny. Oh, nonsense, it will never even come close to being funny; just thinking about it is already problematic.

But... it's still pathetic. I'm sorry, Mom, Dad, I wasn't strong enough to fight this, I know you tried everything to give me strength but in the end, I was just weak. At least I think I can rest now; this battle was too long and took so much from me.

It's not... so different from going to sleep after all.

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Eh?

My head lifted from the pillow, and suddenly that irregular weight sensation on my body disappeared completely for something more balanced, normal. The breathing then returned, feeling foreign, especially after the moments of not being able to do so.

Opening my eyes, my vision gradually adjusted to being used again. The lights were off, but a window nearby, covered by a thin curtain, let in enough sunlight to make the room minimally visible.

This... is not the hospital room.

The bed is comfortable, spacious, larger than the mattress found in medical rooms, and this room is not a familiar place even from before the illness. Slowly getting out of bed, it was hard to let go of the cozy sheets that embraced my body, but something necessary in this current situation.

Both feet touched the floor as I remained seated, taking a deep breath as a brief preparation for what was to come. It had been a while since I last placed my feet on the ground to try to walk; my legs had no strength to support themselves. The hospital clothes were also gone; instead, there was normal everyday attire—dark pants, white shirt, ordinary.

Preparing my mind, the preparation trigger activated, and with some effort, I stood up. The body swayed with lack of balance from rising so quickly, but this problem was easily corrected when my arms moved forward and brought my posture back.

"Am I... standing?"

The question came out loud, my open eyes unable to blink as they were so focused on the view in front of me, my legs perfectly lifted and straight without threatening to fall at any moment. It was like magic, but I didn't feel as bad as a few minutes ago; my breathing didn't hurt, my weight felt normal, and any other signs of the illness had simply... disappeared?

How?

Moving one leg first, okay, I didn't lose balance, everything is going well; moving the other, then another, gradually a common step-by-step walk was built until I finally got used to the sensation of walking again.