Warfare Augmented Intelligent Frame Unit

Chapter 83 - Cosmic Tree

Chapter 83 - Cosmic Tree

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I noticed was the blinding whiteness surrounding me. The ceiling stretched above like a blank canvas, the sterile curtains hung motionless, and I lay cocooned in crisp white sheets that smelled faintly of antiseptic. The faint hum of medical equipment droned in the background. My head throbbed with a sharp sting, pulsing behind my eyes whenever I tried to move.

Blinking, I turned my gaze to the side and saw Myrrh sitting beside me. Her lime-blonde hair spilled over her shoulders, a few strands falling across her face, but she didn't seem to notice. She let out a shaky breath, her lips curling into a soft smile of relief as our eyes met.

"You're awake..." she whispered, her voice barely audible.

I frowned, my mind sluggish, struggling to piece things together. "Where... am I?"

"The Orbital Tech clinic. You passed out." Myrrh shifted closer, her brow furrowed with concern. "How are you feeling?"

"Dizzy... feels like a bad hangover." I winced, slowly raising my head, each movement making the pain in my skull flare.

"You were out for about thirty minutes," Myrrh explained softly. "I found you on the floor, and Agent Feena, Agent Steve, and I carried you here right away. You felt kind of light, so we were quite worried."

As if on cue, Agent Feena appeared at the doorway, talking quietly with the clinic nurse. She noticed me stirring and stepped inside, rubbing her temples as if nursing a headache of her own.

"Agent Feena," I called out, my voice dry. She glanced at me, her expression unreadable. "You okay? You look like you've got a headache too. Though I'm pretty sure it's your hungover."

She let out an exaggerated sigh. "You're one of a cheeky bastard, you know that?"

"Takes one to know one," I shot back weakly, managing a smirk.

Feena crossed her arms, giving me a once-over. "So, what the hell was that back there? Why'd you pass out? Are you drunk?" 

"You're the one that was drunk." I said.

"I'm sober now, thank you very much." She jerked her thumb toward Myrrh. "You should've seen her. Myrrh was panicking, like, 'Oh Zaft! What should I do? No, don't leave me! I can't live without you!'"

"Agent Feena!" Myrrh's face turned crimson, her eyes widening in horror. "I never said that! You're making things up!"

"Oh, you didn't?" Feena teased, scratching her head in mock confusion. "Could've fooled me. You sure weren't subtle. You heavily implied it with your tearful eyes."

"I did not!" Myrrh buried her face in her hands, her voice muffled by embarrassment.

Despite the lingering pain, I couldn't help but chuckle. The warmth in the room, Myrrh's flustered protests, and Feena's relentless teasing made the sterile white clinic feel a little less cold.

"Anyway, the nurse said you're free to go," Agent Feena announced, crossing her arms. "All your vitals are stable, and you seem to be in perfect condition. Just a little dehydrated, so make sure to drink more water."

"Dehydration, huh?" I murmured, but before I could dwell on it, a sudden jolt of memory crashed into my mind like a tidal wave.

Binary codes. A stream of fragmented data flashing behind my eyes. The WEEB System's voice ringing through my skull, delivering a mission that felt far too colossal to be real.

[Main Quest: Cut down the Cosmic Tree]
[Failure to do this Quest will erase this reality]

My breath hitched. I needed to check the WEEB System—confirm what I'd just seen—but when I instinctively reached for my wrist, I realized my smartwatch was missing. And the system message... it wasn't a hologram. It wasn't projected onto a screen. It was burned directly into my vision.