The Light Over The Horizon [Arknights]

Chapter 20

"One thing after another huh...?"

What kind of bad karma did he accumulate to make his life a living hell?

"C-come on..."

He winced as he looked at his shaky hand. With a desperate look, he felt his mana pulsate through his body weakly. "Just... work..." He watched as water slowly manifested only to disappear causing him to give up for now.

"The start of my downfall." He sighs with exhaustion. He lowers his hand down to his side and closes his eyes with frustration and concern. Even concentrating didn't work the first few times, of course, it wouldn't work with a panicked mind.

It's been a week now since Matthew left. Just like always these past few weeks, not much has changed. Same old same old besides him taking it easy.

"One week since he left and I recovered..." With ragged breathing, he opened his eyes tiredly and looked at the ceiling. "Only to suffer from a painful fever after just recovering." His skin is dry, and the moisture in his body is drawn out. His hair is all wet and his skin is all sweaty due to the accumulated heat produced.

'I've never had a fever this bad...' He can only think as he grits his teeth. Even breathing feels hard. It's like he's suffocating as he draws out long inhales and exhales.

Really... just what is going on with him? He can't help but feel worried. His magic isn't working properly, the mana is unable to draw out properly and it's weakened. What once was able to flow like a river full of water has now become scarce.

He put his hand over his forehead, feeling nothing but heat when he touched his forehead. He winced and moved his hand away in a panic. "Seriously... just what is going on?" His fever got worse just now. He feels like he's steaming with how hot he feels. To make matters worse he can't even get up to grab some medicine and towels to help him. "Just great..."

'Hopefully, someone comes into my room to help me... I don't know how much longer I can stay up.' He thought. He felt dizzy and it didn't help with the fact that his head was killing him. 'Ah, but then I'll cause everyone to worry...... again...' He sulked with mild annoyance.

He finds himself trying his best to stay awake. He takes off his glasses and puts them right on top of his stomach. He felt too tired to turn his body and put them by the drawer next to his bed.

"Open. Close. Open. Close." By speaking to himself, it will help him he hopes. "Open. Close. Open. Close." He opens his eyes. He closes his eyes. He opens his eyes. He closes his eyes.

'Open. Close. Open. Close. Open. Close. Open... Close. Open... Close.'

-~-

"The end of the month is almost here. Of course, that means the year is coming to an end as well. To bring about a report of how the clinic has been doing, we've managed to cut down on a few expenses and focus on where to spend our money elsewhere. It's all thanks to Doctor F/N and his vast amount of abilities that we're able to focus on spending our expenses elsewhere." Hellagur spoke. "Of course, we also have to thank you all for your help around the clinic. Your volunteer work is not being taken for granted I assure you." He spoke toward Katenka and Patriot's men who were listening in as they were all in a single room having a meeting.

"We're just happy to help around." One of Patriot's men said. "Whatever you may need help with, we'll get the job done since that's what we're here for."

"What he said. Our goal here is to be of use just like the boss ordered us." Another said. "I say ordered but it was more of a request that we just happened to have accepted."

"I understand." Hellagur nodded. "Continuing. Thanks to the fact that we can focus where to direct our funds, we've managed to get new clothing and better bedding for people to be comfortable in."