The Rainlands: Grand Delusion

Chapter 36: Mistake

"Huh?" Levi jerked awake once more. For a second, he couldn't differentiate between who he was and the man in the dream. The voices just kept coming, hauntingly Emperor! Emperor! Emperor! Is that who I was before? But how can that be? It must have been a different world. Levi shook his head, trying to dislodge his thoughts back to the present. He looked around the room trying to get his bearings, remember what his purpose was. A plain room met his eyes, he was in a tiny cot in the middle, it barely qualified as a bed. Pushing the sheets off, he scooted up higher on the headrest and saw another chair, and the door. Everything was painted a calming shade of blue which oddly enough made Levi feel very uncomfortable.

"Jasmine!" It all came back to him like a thunderbolt, and he calmed a little as he remembered Doctor Martinsen reassuring him that Jasmine was being treated. He got up onto his feet, feeling unsteady and hollow. Thinking it over, he couldn't remember the last time he had eaten, and as he spotted his bag beneath the cot, he ravenously reached inside for the first edible thing he could find. Jerky. More jerky. I hate jerky. He tore into it anyways and then ran to the edge of the room. Opened the door with a soft click. Found himself in another hallway. I hate hallways too. Levi vaguely remembered that Doctor Martinsen had looked back to the left when he had spoken of Jasmine so Levi continued down in that direction. At the end, he found an operating room. It was far more sophisticated with many tools and clearly larger than the one he had seen in Ceda, but when he peered inside this one, the operating table was clean, empty. He stared through the window at the top of the door, trying to see more, stretching onto his tip-toes to get a look inside the whole room. Empty? Where is she?

"Levi?" Doctor Martinsen's voice from behind made Levi jump. "What are you doing?" Levi slid down from his tip-toes and turned, trying to smooth the terror from his face.

"Hi Doctor, did you move my friend to another room?" He asked as calmly as he could. The doctor's expression turned satisfied. Why's he making that face?

"I have good news young man, I felt compelled to report this incident to the governor. I'm not sure why, but when they heard, one of the royal houses decided to pay for her treatment at a more advanced facility." Doctor Martinsen acted like he expected Levi to be happy. Instead, Levi's stomach sank, and he felt a creeping sense of dread crawl over him.

"Where is she then? WHERE IS SHE!" Levi roared and the doctor seemed taken aback, holding up his hands.

"It's okay Levi, she's been transferred to a larger hospital under their patronage. They'll have significantly better facilities to treat her and access to emergency stores of medicine there. It's a good thing. I'm sure you'll get to see her when she's better." Doctor Martinsen's explanation was like cold water splashing on Levi's soul. He shivered. She was...transferred?
"A royal house? Which house...which house?! One of her siblings?" Levi's panicked voice was at odds with the doctor's calm. He seemed genuinely surprised at his reaction.

"Well young man, I really am not supposed to be discussing other patient's conditions with non-family, but based on how you saved her life I suppose an exception-"

"Was it one of her siblings? WAS IT?!" Levi yelled and the doctor nodded.

"Oh, she's related? That must be why they took her in. You didn't tell me she was royalty-" Before the doctor could finish his sentence, Levi grabbed him by the shoulders, not caring that the older man shirked back in discomfort.

"Tell me...where this hospital is...NOW!"

"Well uhm...I...don't know how to describe it to you...you've never been in the city before..." The doctor was clearly confused by Levi's sudden ferocity. And a little bit scared. When Levi let go of him, he sighed in relief. But then when Levi drew his sword, his eyes grew wide. "That! That won't be necessary!"