The Forsaken Arts

Chapter 7: Wounded

Up four flights of stairs, down the hall and to the left, Cecilee had made her way and entered the Recovery Center. This place had seen more than its share of tragedy, yet at the same time has provided many soldiers a second lease on life.

Lord Kashif had always been known for his sincere affection towards his people. The Recovery Center was a testament of a man who cared for his soldiers. Always striving to be on the edge of new advances in technology, he had ensured that his soldiers would receive only the best medical treatment.

Nevertheless, as she stood there she couldn't help but be saddened knowing who was responsible for the battered body that was before her very eyes. Ignoring the emotional storm inside her, Cecilee pulled up a chair and sat next to the medical bed where Dai rested. 

Some of the swelling had gone down enough for his brown eyes to open and look upon the pale beauty sitting next to him.

Dai was a large man, almost as large as Guru. Some would say they even looked like brothers, but Dai had cropped black hair and skin that resembled rich coffee. His voice was gentle but bolstering.

"Hey you okay there, I don't look that bad do I?" he said, attempting to chuckle as he pressed the button to bring his bed to a more upright position.

"Oh no not at all. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to stare." she replied while brushing her auburn bang away from her face and placing it gently behind her ear. "I just... still have a hard time accepting whose responsible for all of this."

"Yeah... I know what you mean, we were all such good friends. Then again after seeing what he did to probably his best friend in the entire world, I don't know if I want to have that title." he said with a pain-filled chuckle.

"Why am I not surprised, of course you'd still crack jokes even in your current state." she said, forcing a smile along with her best fake giggle.

"Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, go ahead, ask." he said in a more serious tone.

A little taken back but at the same time relieved that he had brought it up first, Cecilee re-adjusted herself in the chair replying, "I'm sorry, I know you were already questioned but I need to know, was it really him?"

"I'm so sorry Ceci, yes... it was him. He looked different for sure, he had undergone some physical changes but his energy and overall appearance remained the same. There was a brief moment when his hood drifted up just enough for me to catch a glimpse of his face."

As she bit her bottom lip, her eyes began to tear up. He reached over and grabbed her hand to try and offer some form of comfort. Even though he could see that what he told her was hard to hear, he continued.

"Without a doubt he is our old friend... and the man you love. He even remembered us, he recalled the individual relationships the three of us had with him."

Don't cry. Don't cry. She thought while staring at the ceiling to not allow even a single tear to roll down her cheeks. She then cleared her throat and composed herself.

"That makes it even harder to bear, knowing that he killed his best friend intentionally... poor JinX." she said while glancing out of the closets window.

Their conversation went on for quite a while, but not just the bad times, they reminisced about the more peaceful days as well. Time flew by as Guru entered the room in search of his leader.

Clearing his throat, Guru politely cut in, "Sorry for interrupting, but Ceci we should be getting to the Tactics Room."

"Hey Guru, good to see you." Dai said while struggling to lift one of his arms and offer a friendly wave.

Watching him struggle, Guru took a step forward to acknowledge his welcoming gesture. He looked over the aftermath of Dai's encounter with Krinx and suddenly felt the heavy weight of remorse in the pit of his stomach.

"Good to see you too man, I'm sorry about JinX."

"Thanks but don't worry about me or JinX, we're all doing what we were destined to do. Don't be late for your briefing, get going you two." he replied optimistically while still hiding his inner depression from everyone.

Offering a genuine smile this time. "Alright, take care Dai and get better soon." Cecilee said as she and Guru walked out the recovery center.

They went down a flight of stairs from the recovery room into a hall that led to a set of large thick steel doors. Guru pushed one of the doors open and allowed Cecilee to enter the room before he did.

While they made their way deeper within the pitch black room, each step illuminated the tiles before them. As the tiles continued revealing the way, it eventually led them to an oval table made of steel.

It was embedded with screens assigned for each seat. At the southernmost part of the room was a podium in front of a large screen that shed a dim light into the dark room.

The last of the group to arrive, Cecilee and Guru made their way around the table and took their seats. With all members present, Lord Kashif gestured for Mikhail to begin.