Mr. Lee rushed from the side of the door the moment his eyes fell on the empty bed. When he saw blood streaking past the mattress from the left side, he blinked twice. He waited, then slowed his steps until he found Leon lying in a pool of blood.
With careful measure, he managed to lift Leon from the floor. Leon's eyes were open, but no light emitted from them. Mr. Lee helped him sit on the bed. The white light of the room stabbed Leon in the eyes just as light began to emit from within them.
Tiny particles floated wherever he tore his gaze. Just as his vision cleared, the room no longer felt alien because the particles began to vanish one after another. Machinery hums and the clicking sounds of unseen insects began to seep into his ears slowly.
…
Mr. Lee stopped brushing the blood off Leon's forehead with the damp cloth and focused on the boy's skin. He stared at the untouched flesh for a while. Then his gaze moved to the bloodied floor and back to Leon with wild eyes.
"Leon," Mr. Lee called out the name while placing a hand on Leon's shoulder. "Do you hear my voice?"
Leon shook his head, then nodded once while slowly shifting his gaze to Mr. Lee. The moment their eyes locked, Mr. Lee's eyebrow raised when he noticed the glob that had lived in Leon's irises gone and replaced by a clear brown iris that seemed to sharpen as the air flew between them.
"Sir," Leon said in a low voice, then smiled. "I can hear you."
"Were you injured?" Mr. Lee asked in a voice that carried more tension than Leon's.
"I don't know. I woke up lying on that bloodied ground. Maybe I fell and slammed my head there," Leon said and brushed his hand at the exact spot where some of the blood had clotted.
"But I found no wound or scar after clearing the blood there," Mr. Lee said, tilting his head back a little. "Wait, do you know me?"
His face tensed as he stared and waited for an answer from Leon.
"Yes," Leon's expression turned, and was replaced with a slight confusion in his eyes.
"What's my name?" Mr. Lee said while his eyes continuously widened.
Leon waited for a while, then smiled. "Mr. Lee. Yeah, that's the name I know you're called."
Joy filled Mr. Lee's heart as his cheeks reddened. He raised his trembling arms and wrapped them around Leon in a tight hug.
'Why, is something wrong?' Frustration dressed Leon's face as he softened himself in Mr. Lee's arms.
Silence ruled between them when Mr. Lee loosened his grip from Leon's shoulders. Air waved into the room as the moon's rays flashed through the flapping curtains and touched the bloodied ground, sending an ozone scent into the air as vapors seeped out of the blood.
Just as Leon pushed himself upright and swung his legs over the bed, the IV stand shook, sending a clicking sound through the room. He looked at the needle inserted in his arm with a distasteful gaze, then pulled it out without hesitation.
Mr. Lee became stunned, watching the boy behave hastily. "Leon, stop!"
He grabbed Leon's left arm and held it back before Leon could even think of pulling the tubes out entirely.
"Sir, I have to go back to the academy," Leon said in a hasty voice while staring at Mr. Lee.
"You just recovered. You need to rest," Mr. Lee said, then went and stood in Leon's way. "I will let them discharge you when everything is in its place."
Leon paused his step and watched Mr. Lee for a moment before moving back to his bed.
'I need to find out more about the power I'm wielding, and the secret behind the crash,' he said low in his head and focused on the dark sky behind the open window. As the clouds slowly drifted away, Leon's eyes began to close until sleep finally swallowed him.
…
When the 7:00 AM morning light had blessed the Winji hospital, footsteps and loud noises seeped into Leon's ears and woke him.
'Who are these people?' he said low in his head and squeezed his face, spotting countless people lying in the beds beside his own. Leon's eyes widened when he caught the nurse bent over the boy in bandages beside him. He closed his eyes and lifted his gaze to the ceiling before cracking his eyes open.
"Leon…" A soft voice rang and drew his attention toward the door.
Before he could fully gaze at the door, Leon's eyes brightened as he recognized the voice to be that of his little sister. Lily pushed the door open and ran toward Leon's bed with a smile on her face.
"Leon, why did you do that?" she paused, sobbing. "What were you doing in your dream that you slept for three months straight!"
Lily added this while her tears doubled.
'Three months! How?' Leon's eyes widened when the statement repeated in his head. 'By now, all the best participants must have been selected. How can I even pass and get this one-time chance?'
Leon faked a happy smile while Lily clung to him so tight that he could feel her heart beating against his. When Lily finally unwrapped her arms from Leon, she folded them to her chest and frowned.
"Don't do that ever again!" She said in an angry tone and pointed toward Leon. She slammed her small fist against Leon's chest three times, then stopped when Leon pulled her closer.
"Don't wipe the tears," Lily said mid-laughter while trying to pull herself away from Leon's grip. "Let them fall, they're not yours to wipe."
Leon's face shimmered with smiles as he saw how hard his sister tried to maintain a straight face.
"Come here," he grabbed her, pulled her closer, shoved his fingers into her brown hair, and scattered it.
Mr. Lee's eyes cracked open and saw Leon and Lily enjoying their reunion, then smiled. He rose from the chair he had slept in and walked toward the window for fresh air. The cool air from the window brushed off the blood smell that had clung to him when he placed his palms on the windowsill and peeked his head out.
Mr. Lee's eyes widened with shock when he saw a few of the Alchemania students standing on the other side of the street waiting to cross the speeding road.
'Why are they here?' He said low in his head then frowned slightly.