The Parallel Paths

Amethyst

"She's stable though it'll take her awhile to recover from all the medication." Spoke the solemn voice of the doctor.

A woman was next to her, checking vitals wearing a cloak over her face with a light green scrub on. Elara's heart was beating at a normal pace, her face resting peacefully against the soft white sheets,

stomach wrapped in cloths.

She lay on the hospital bed, monitors beeping with multiple tubes connected to her. The soft sighs of her breathing causing her chest to flutter so densely, her body in a deep trance of relaxation it almost seemed like.

Zack stood beside her, staring down  with an etched look of discomfort and stubbornness into his face, holding back his words through gritted teeth. She lie so peacefully yet the discomfort was faint across her face.

"How long until she's ready to be released?" His words coming out gruff and urgent though a hint of anxiousness could be heard.

The doctor was scanning through her clipboard, flipping through pages with her lips parted, most likely estimating how long her stay would be.

"A day or two give or take, we need to monitor her to make sure the herbs don't wear off or anything." She gave him a friendly smile.

Zack was hesitant but understood, replying with a simple scoff. He gave her one last glance, almost trying to etch her peaceful face into his head so he wouldn't forget—

not that he ever could.

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Rain was always pouring, and endless cycle or dark clouds and heavy pounding against the ground. Water slipping through the dark tall oak trees, coating its leaves in its drowning liquid only for the remains to come slamming down against the ground.

It was never silent, yet the rain was like drowning in your own silence, where that buzzing would consume your brain. The sky was always grey, hardly being able to tell which is day and which was night. The people were timid and awkward, staring blankly at anything new.

The roads were muddy, the townsfolk silent but one odd thing about them-

all of their eyes were purple.

Zack was walking through the town, his entire body covered in a long dark blue cloak, the hood l masking his face from the townsfolk. The mud dragged along his cape, the rainfall bouncing off of it.

Elara would be in the hospital for a while, what was wrong with a little exploration?

Up ahead in the town, lights were bright and the rainfall was being mixed with something else— voices. Through some slips between walls and peeking behind corners, a live little city had been formed.

The place was swarming with people, their voices being louder than the rainfall almost. Sellers convincing costumers to buy exotic fruits and extravagant jewelry, little children playing in the mud while their mothers weren't linked anywhere near them.

Zack's eyes sparkled, the light from the place was nothing like he had ever seen. It was so vibrant with color, live with emotion despite being in this depressing weather.

Something he just couldn't understand yet.

He slowly would make his way into the crowd, tangling himself amongst the others getting lost. As he walked through the isles, everything seemed far more interesting up close, nothing was ever this captivating back where he was from.