DEVIATE X / / AN UNORDINARY FANFICTION

XXXII.

"What's the patient's name?"

"Irel Hachūrui."

The receptionist's eyes swept over me momentarily before she resumed typing on her keyboard.

"What's your relation to him? We were told to restrict various people when it came to this specific patient."

"I'm his sister. Delta Hachūrui."

I deadpanned over her, studying her astonished expression as she sheepishly printed a visitor's sticker.

"A-ah! I'm sorry, Miss Delta." She handed me the sticker. "I'm sorry, Doctor Hachūrui wanted us to filter out the people who wished to visit Irel—"

"It's fine, you can just call me Delta." I said as I pressed the sticker onto my coat before asking for the directions to his room.

It was understandable as to why Miss Rose had all the extra precautions set in place, especially when it came to Irel. I hadn't known that she set the same security measures when I was in the hospital, to ensure that I wasn't attacked as well, until Isen complained about it when he came to visit. If I thought there was a lot of security at my door, it would probably be doubled with Irel, not only at his door, but probably on the entire floor.

The elevator slightly wobbled as it ascended through the floors, beeping softly as the numbers increased steadily.

I wasn't sure if I was completely ready to visit him. Miss Rose advised against it, worried that it would agitate my heart if I saw him. But somehow, I couldn't sit around idly and use time as a comforting excuse to alleviate my worries. In fact, it would only make me more anxious if I wasn't able to see him.

The elevator finally halted to a stop, promptly opening up to reveal a desolate hallway. The ICU unit was much more secluded and quiet than the unit I was placed in, with only a few nurses on shift speaking in soft voices. Despite my effort to avoid it, my eyes managed to catch glimpses of the patients isolated in enormous rooms, either barely conscious or swarmed with tubes. The scene made my stomach churn uneasily. Was this how Irel would look like?

As expected, there were familiar guards stationed on the floor, increasing in numbers as I approached Irel's room. Some of them acknowledged me with a soft greeting before immediately returning to their motionless stature.

I slowly opened the door, my hand slightly wobbling as the deafening silence greeted me. Thick, long gray curtains were drawn around Irel, screeching softly as I drew them open.

In place of what should've been a bed stood a long, silver chamber lying horizontally on a platform. Under the glass laid Irel's unrecognizable body, covered in severe flesh burns and cuts that marred every exposed inch of his skin. Various tubes swarmed his torso, with a particularly thick, translucent tube connecting to a mask that obscured his face.

No....I though mindlessly, clenching the curtain in horror, this isn't Irel.

Flashes of his smile and laughter ran through my mind as I continued to stare at his body. Papa told me he was in critical condition. Why can't I process this?

My eyes finally drew up to the familiar, blonde headed figure stationed on the other side of the chamber. His steely blue gaze remained fixed on me, causing me to promptly regain my composure.

"What are you doing here?" I asked Arlo coldly.

"I didn't know he's your brother." He replied in a strangely polite tone.

"That didn't answer my question," I said, dismissing his warm nuances.

Arlo sighed and ran a hand through his hair, tousling it in exasperation.

"I went to the Infirmary and overheard Keene and Doc talking about how you and Irel were attacked last week." He explained simply.

I narrowed my eyes.

Arlo? At the Infirmary? That was almost unheard of. Arlo's invulnerability made immune to nearly most of the physical damage that could be inflicted on him. It was difficult to compromise, a feat that only another god tier could pull off. So....

....did an individual in the god tier level do this to him?

Wellston was a powerhouse school, comprised of mostly mid tiers and some low tiers. High tiers and above were pretty small in percentage, so small that I was certain that I knew everyone who had an ability grade of 5.0 or above. That had to mean that there was an unknown high tier at Wellston that probably did this to him.

My eyes swept over his face. There were no signs of visible injury that were marked on his skin, but defeat and pain were evident in his mannerisms and in his eyes. He probably went to the Infirmary to get rid of the physical injuries. After watching John at the Infirmary so many times, I was certain that Doc's tonics were capable of that much.

"I..." Arlo hesitated momentarily before continuing his sentence. "Your brother was a good Ace when he attended Wellston. Him and Rei both were good Royals." He admitted.

"You....knew them?" I asked.

"I was a first year when Rei and Irel both ran the school. I was just barely a Jack back then, but they....had influence." He said as his eyes scanned over Irel's body.

Now that I thought about it, when Irel would come back from Wellston, he would mention something about a "sour Jack" that had potential to run the school when he and Rei graduated. Now that I know it's Arlo, I felt conflicted about my bitterness towards him. Irel respected him despite his asshole attitude. If Irel was able to stand him for so long, does that mean that Arlo isn't as much as an asshole as I think he is?

"I was told that he got blood poisoning as a result of the burns, so they had to move him to a hypobaric chamber. They put him in an induced coma because the pain was too severe, and he also has a collapsed lung." Arlo informed. "Delta."

I looked at him.

"He doesn't deserve this."

I stared at him, examining his apathetic expression. Despite his monotone voice, I knew that behind each word was genuine concern. I nodded slowly, shaking away the tears stinging my eyes.

"You're right, he doesn't deserve this." I agreed quietly. "But if I was there earlier, then he wouldn't be in this condition."

"If you were there earlier, you would've been in the same condition he's in now, or worse. You did what you could, and because of you, he's alive." Arlo countered.

I raised a brow. Before I could respond, a loud, abrasive ringing filled the vicinity.

"Excuse me," He muttered as he examined his phone, skimming past me to step out the curtains.

"Seraphina, what do you—"

His quiet voice was abruptly cut off by an angry, low pitched voice coming from the end of the receiver. In the open gap, I watched his body suddenly go rigid as the voice continued to speak.

"What do you want?" Arlo paused momentarily as the voice resumed shouting. "What?? Why would you need her—"

"Just do it!" The muffled shouted audibly through the phone.

He pulled the phone away from his ear, clenching the phone in his hand before slipping it back into his pocket.

"Excuse me, I have to go."

He glanced back at me momentarily with an unexplainable expression.

"It seems.....I have some other business to attend to." :;