Eli's Otherworldly Echo

Echoes of the Forgotten

Darkness. Utter darkness. There was nothing, a void stretching endlessly. Then, suddenly, a spark, like a jolt of electricity through his body, and pain—sharp, piercing. "Ugh..." The sound escaped his lips as his eyes snapped open.

Where am I? What's happening?

Disoriented, Eli blinked rapidly, his vision still fuzzy as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. His heart raced as a rush of fragmented memories flooded his mind. Panic clawed its way to the surface, gripping him tightly. His forehead broke out in cold sweat, his hands trembled. He realized he was lying down. A fleeting hope came to him, a small, desperate thought.

Maybe it was just a dream.

He clung to the idea, trying to steady his breathing, but his attempts to calm down were shattered by the sound of a door creaking open on his right. Eli turned his head slowly, his pulse quickening.

A tall, beautiful woman with long legs and a figure that could command attention entered. She was wearing the familiar nurse's uniform—Miss Hela, the school nurse. Her hazel eyes met his, and her chestnut-brown hair was pulled back loosely. Most students talked about her like she was some kind of goddess. Between her sensual voice, her curves, and her calming presence, people usually left the infirmary feeling better just from her presence. But Eli? He felt none of that. In fact, he felt his panic intensify, because seeing her reminded him exactly where he was.

He was still in school.

And with that realization, the last thread of hope he had been clinging to snapped. There was no escape from the truth. It wasn't just a dream. Despair began to settle in his chest, heavy and suffocating. His mind, overwhelmed with fear of the unknown, clouded his thoughts.

Noticing the look of distress on his face, Miss Hela frowned. "What's wrong? Whatever it is, calm down first," she said, her soothing voice cutting through the haze of Eli's panic.

Her words were like an anchor. He nodded, trying to grasp at the calm she was offering him. I need to calm down. He took a deep breath, just as she instructed, inhaling slowly and deeply.

"Now, slowly let it out," she continued.

Eli followed her guidance, exhaling shakily. His thoughts, though still muddled, were starting to clear. He noticed then how drenched he was in sweat, his shirt clinging to his skin almost embarrassingly, near-transparent. He felt the cool wet towel that had been placed on his forehead.

"I'm... in the infirmary," he muttered under his breath, piecing together the obvious. But how did I get here?

As if reading his thoughts, Miss Hela spoke again, her voice still gentle but with a tinge of concern. "You fainted in the hallway. Your friends brought you here. You were burning with a fever by the time you arrived. After checking you, I didn't find anything wrong aside from the fever, so I let you rest. You've been asleep for nearly four hours."

Four hours? Eli's mind raced. That meant it was already past two in the afternoon. Lunchtime was about to begin soon. Everything seemed to be moving so fast, his thoughts barely able to keep up.