Golden Melody

Chapter 12

Zatariel Wov

His Pov

A blinding white light made me groan and squeeze my eyes shut.

My body felt stiff and heavy, like a frozen statue.

I couldn't move an inch.

"ZAT! Dad! Mom! Gising na si Zat! I'll call the doctor!" My sister's voice, sharp with relief, cut through the haze.

I felt warm arms around me, a comfort against the cold bed.
Wetness of tears against my shoulder.

"Thank God you're awake, anak," Mom sobbed, her voice thick with emotion.
"It was unbearable, seeing you lying here day after day."

"Thank you for coming back to us," Dad said, his voice choked with emotion.

My eyes finally adjusted to the light, and I saw them, Mom and Dad.
Their faces were drawn, their eyes shadowed, their bodies thin.

They looked older, weathered, like they had aged a decade.

"Mi-mi-mi..e.sha!" I croaked, my voice raspy and weak.
"Yu..n fa..nals! Haa..w... di..id iti..gi ..o?"

"She won the competition," Mom said, her voice soft but firm.
"Six years ago."

Six? Years?
My mind reeled.
Six weeks, six months, maybe?
I looked at Dad, seeking confirmation, hoping this was some cruel joke, a misunderstanding.
But his gaze held a sorrowful truth.

"Anak, you've been in a coma for six years," Dad confirmed, his voice heavy with grief.

Six years? Six years ago?

The white walls, the beeping machines, the faint scent of antiseptic it all felt surreal, like a dream I couldn't wake up from.

"Mi..mi," I whispered, my voice barely a breath, my throat dry and scratchy.
"Wa..hat... ha-ppened to Mi..imi?"

My parents, are worried, tried to calm me down.
"Calm down, Zat. You're safe now. You're home."
But how could I calm down?
The dreams we were supposed to build together, the future we envisioned.
Was that all a dream while I was sleeping?

My mind raced, a torrent of thoughts and fears.
Did Mimi become a singer?
Did she marry Thyron?
Did she even remember me?
Where is she?

The questions tumbled over each other, a relentless tide of anxiety.

The doctor, explained my condition, her words a blur of medical terms.

My head throbbed, a sharp, insistent pain that made me cry out.
Mom and Dad held me tight, their bodies trembling with a mixture of relief and fear.

I felt a sharp pain where the IV needle was inserted, a sudden jolt that sent a wave of dizziness through me.
The world spun, the lights flickered, and then everything went black.

I woke up again and I am still thinking about six years having passed in the blink of an eye, a lifetime compressed into a single, unending sleep.

I couldn't believe it.
My mind was a jumbled mess of memories.

The doctor, sat beside my bed, her brow furrowed with concern.
"Zatariel," she said, her voice soft, "can you tell me what you remember?"

I tried to speak, but my voice was a croaking whisper.
My body felt numb, heavy, as if it were filled with lead.
"I... I do..n no.. ," I managed to rasp.
"Tahe la..st thihing I reme..mber... I bro..ught Mimi to the My Music TV audi..tori..um. Tahe fin..als. Tahe com..peti..tion."

My body felt numb, heavy, like lead.
It was so difficult to move, to even lift my hand.
The last thing I remembered was the fire, the searing heat, the suffocating smoke.
But I couldn't say

The doctor nodded.
"You were found unconscious, with multiple cuts and bruises. There were also traces of injections in your system, which may have caused hallucinations and brainwashing."

My heart sank.
Brainwashing?
What had they done to me?

What happened to Miexha?

"You'll need to stay here for a while," the doctor continued, her voice is soothing.
"Your body has been damaged, and you won't be able to walk for a while. But with time and therapy, you'll recover."

My parents, their faces etched with worry, sat beside me, their hands clasped together.
They hadn't left my side.
They had been my constant companions, my anchors in this storm of confusion.

"Zat, Anak" my father said, his voice filled with quiet strength.
"We'll be here for you. We'll help you get through this."

I nodded, my throat constricted with emotion.
I couldn't speak, but I knew they were here.
I had to get better.
I had to know what had happened to her.

I am still weak, my body battered, my mind fractured.
But I was determined.
I would recover.
I would find my way back to the life I had lost.

I closed my eyes, the weight of the past six years pressing down on me.
But beneath the fear and the confusion, a spark of determination flickered.
I would fight for her, for our future.