The Reve - Part 2

Chapter 1: Peek A Boo

On a sunny day in May, Hyori arranged her new dormitory room inside the Ultra Academy. She had been released from hospital two weeks after her rescue. Her movements were measured and she only carried light items.

She was experiencing withdrawals and felt like she was going through hell for a second time. She hardly remembered her rescue day. She had been too lightheaded to walk as her morning dose of sleeping pills was still affecting her.

Besides the Hero Commission's Vice President, she hadn't received many visits during her detoxification in the hospital. On multiple occasions, she had entertained asking for Megumi's help but didn't want her little sister to see her state.

She hadn't seen the girl in over a month and thinking about meeting again was helping her. She wanted to improve her state of mind to prevent polluting the younger. For two weeks, she had been getting used to not relying on pills to sleep anymore.

She didn't sleep well but wasn't at risk of a seizure and her limbs didn't tremble after walking long distances anymore. She would meet the academy's nurse every late afternoon to keep track of her recovery.

The professionals advised her to take things slowly and her homeroom teacher was due to collect her at four in the afternoon to take her swimming. Pushing herself into demanding activities would trigger her need to ease her physical pain and the fatigue could cloud her judgement.

Throughout the day, she had issues focusing on classes and was tired due to disturbed sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she was taken back into the manor where she had been used under the influence.

It got to the point where she couldn't sleep until she lost consciousness due to fatigue. Her sleeping time didn't last for more than four hours before she woke up alarmed and sweaty. Her memories of the events were spotty when awake but vivid during her slumber.

Back then, she had resigned herself never to be free again. Giving up had granted her the freedom to roam in the place void of any presence that wasn't her jailor, even if she mostly slept in between doses.

Knocking on her door interrupted her contemplation and she opened to her homeroom teacher. She was already wearing her gym clothes and binding underwear, having missed the afternoon physical classes.

The walk to the sports grounds had been silent. As pupils lingered outside, she lowered her umbrella as much as possible to hide her face. Her violet mane made her stand out, but at least she couldn't see people's eyes on her.

She already had a reputation as the only general to have transferred in the heroic course for years. Apprentices probably heard about her being missing. And now, she was being walked around as if she were her teacher's pet in the literal sense.

~~~

After a month, Hyori was allowed to resume her training inside the private resort. She felt better in the place where she used to hang out in a swimsuit and gymnastics leotards. Her condition steadily improved and the intensity of her sessions increased.

Her performance was far below what it used to be before the car accident. She wondered if she would ever recover her previous shape. She was also afraid the gap between her level and the requirements would prevent her from remaining in the heroic program.

She had been hopeful for a few weeks of activities until she stagnated. She could see her form wasn't the same. More than the lack of training and forced feeding in her raptor's estate, she felt bloated and heavy.

Her reflection in the mirror seemed inflated and her energy levels plummeted in minutes. Her reduced performance after weeks of improvement filled her with anxiety. She felt captive of her skin which restricted her movements and even her ability to breathe.