Sub Terra: Et Reditus

Prologue

Darkness was the first thing I perceived. My view was empty and opaque, although I knew my eyes were open and functioning, somewhat. That brought me to the second thing I noticed: a cover. A soft, fuzzy material enveloped my entire body, nestling the parts of my skin that were bare, although I knew I was at least partially clothed by the extra sensitivity I felt engulfing my torso and thighs. It caused me to notice a third thing, a surface. A foamy, yet solid surface cradled the back of my body.

That was when I began to realize where I was. I was in a bed, and a blanket was covering my entire body. With a fresh bout of energy I put my hands in front of me and waved them around like a maniac, trying to get the blanket off me. It was a lot larger than I thought it was at first. I began pulling it downwards so I could see light. In the midst of that, a voice made itself known to my ears.

"You're fine, you're fine." It said in a calming manner. I stopped. A moment later, I sensed a hand hover above my head, grabbing a hold of the blanket, and took it off my head.

"Your eyes. They're still so pretty." He said simply.

Above me stood the greatest gift I'd ever been given, the man who truly saved me from the world, and from myself.

I kicked the blanket off the rest of my body in pure excitement. I couldn't believe that it was him. I put my hands on his face. I felt the need to touch his soft skin, to reassure myself that what I was seeing was true. The bedroom I was in was completely foreign to me, although I'd find out where it was very shortly.

"No way... is that you, Daniel?"

"I am, maybe it's my hair you don't recognize," he said with the widest smile I saw him make, putting his hands in my hair. "And... you know what else is?"

He took the hand behind his back and put it in front of me. In it was a bouquet of fresh, real white roses, bound in a sheet of plastic.

"W-what?" I stammered in a state of ecstasy as he passed it to me.

"I have so many things to tell you," he said, holding his hand other out. "Come with me. We'll talk in a better place."

I took it, stepping onto the white marble floor of the room. The tiles felt icy as my bare feet touched them. He took me out into a short corridor, leading into a living room. We walked past a couple of couches and a coffee table, where he stepped up in front a glass sliding door, behind some curtains. He opened it and allowed me to walk into a balcony. He came in after, closing it partially. I went up to the balcony railings and leaned against them, looking out in the distance. Below me was a small street, lined by small, three-story buildings as far as the eye could see. They were mostly apartment buildings, but some were decorated with the neon logos of cafes and stores, written in Spanish.

"Are... we really here? You brought us here?"

"I still can't believe it all happened, even all these months later."

"Months? How-- how long was I inactive for? Has it really been that long?"

"Three. You were supposed to be out for four, but I managed to convinced the technicians to reactivate you in time for your birthday. It's April, you know," He said assuredly. "They said it would take some time for the actuators to fully sync with your body. You gotta take it easy for a bit."

I looked up at him with full genuineness. I didn't need him to tell me that he took care of me for so long. I already knew it. I wrapped my arms around him, squeezing my face against his chest.

"I love you too, ok?" I said.

"Huh?"

"I heard you say that you love me right when you took me offline. I wanted to tell you that for so, so long, but... I was scared that you wouldn't share my feelings. With everything that was going on, it didn't seem right."