Chapter 43 —
It was his mountain ash.
But why was it Level 9?
If it had just upgraded with the marble, it should've only jumped to Level 2—maybe 3 at best.
And that scene he saw… the boy—it had been him, clearly. But the girl? That scream?
He flinched, covering his ears.
—The alarm.
Loud. Way too loud.
Footsteps pounded past his door. Nurses shouting, phones ringing, chaos.
As the alarm finally settled back to normal, the door flew open.
A male nurse stepped in, holding a flat meal tray.
He froze.
Then screamed—and nearly swung the tray like a shield.
"Did—did you make a noise in here?!" he asked, eyes wide.
Eli blinked, confused.
The nurse stared at him for a moment longer, then, more firmly:
"What are you doing in this room?"
...
Now outside in the hospital courtyard, Eli sat on a bench.
The nurse from before was tending to the old man who had been in that same hospital bed.
"It was right beside me," the man muttered, panicked. "I heard it growling. It wanted to eat me. It came to end me!"
The nurse tried to calm him. Others looked on—nurses, patients, even some staff. Most of the building had been evacuated, or at least the wing Eli had snuck into.
Eli frowned. Was his scream really that bad?
It couldn't be.
If he had screamed like that girl had… the windows should've shattered.
But they hadn't.
So… what happened?
What were the nurses talking about?
A monster?
His voice didn't sound that terrible. Just strange, maybe.
That's when a doctor burst out of the hospital doors, gasping for air.
And then—
A loud, guttural roar echoed through the hospital intercom.
Everyone outside went still.
The sound was low and feline—like a panther or…
"Mountain lion!" the doctor shouted. "There's a damn mountain lion in the security room!"
Eli blinked.
Seriously?
He chuckled softly. "Man, my luck is terrible."
A mountain lion just happens to roar over the speakers… the same time he screams?
He shook his head.
No way that was normal.
Away from the hospital, someone stood still.
Dressed in biker leathers, the figure watched from across the street.
Their gaze swept the crowd—
Then locked onto Eli.
A car passed.
By the time Eli turned, the figure was gone.
...
He frowned.
He felt something.
Someone… watching?
He looked around. Nothing.
Just then, his mother's car pulled into the driveway.
"Ahhh, she's finally here. Can I go home now?"
His hands brushed against his pocket—then instinctively pulled them back.
It was warm.
Too warm.
Now sitting in the waiting room, Eli kept his eyes on his mom.
She stood across from the tall officer from earlier—the one from the FBI.
He looked apologetic, speaking low, clearly trying to convince her of something.
But his mother wasn't having it.
Eli actually felt a little proud of that.
That Lydia-like feeling still clung to the man's skin.
Whatever it meant, he didn't want to find out the hard way.
Then—
Gasps echoed down the hallway.
Two men in light brown uniforms were pushing a steel cage.
Inside, an enormous mountain lion growled—
Its eyes wide and wild, its body tense, fur bristling through the bars.
It hissed, teeth bared at everyone it passed.
At that moment, something shifted.
That whispering again—
But this time, clearer.
"Strange black moving tree... Why tree attack me? Why take me from home?"
Eli blinked, startled.
Was someone speaking?
And why did they sound like… that?
He scanned the room.
Who was it?
His eyes landed on the lion.
"Now more moving trees... Where taking me again?"
It couldn't be.
Was it the lion?
No one else seemed to react.
No one even flinched.
The lion shrank into the far corner of its cage, trembling.
Its fangs flashed as it hissed at a curious nurse, who stumbled back in surprise.
The handlers chuckled. A few staff members giggled, unsettled.
Then—
The cage passed Eli.
The lion froze.
Its wild gaze locked onto his.
"Black tree."
Then—
Silence.
Eli's breath caught as the lion curled into itself, smaller now.
Its golden eyes stayed fixed on him as it was wheeled out of the building.
The moment passed.
His mother approached, pulling him into a tight hug, her bag slung over her shoulder.
"Come on, baby," she said gently, though her eyes scanned the hall.
"Let's get you home."
She held his hand as they stood.
Just as they were about to leave, the hospital doors opened again.
Ms. McCall walked in, just arriving for work.
She paused, pointing toward the departing lion cage and murmuring something to a nearby nurse.
Her face lit with surprise as they exchanged words.
Then her eyes shifted.
She spotted Eli.
And his mother.
Her smile faltered—just slightly.
Eli hadn't expected Ms. McCall to seem so… off.
Sure, she smiled when she saw him. Maybe even a little excited. But something about her expression—it was more than just surprise. There was concern in it too. Like she knew something he didn't.
She started walking toward them.
But before she could get close, a voice called from behind her. Another nurse.
Ms. McCall turned, just for a second.
That was all the time his mother needed.
She grabbed his hand and pulled him along. Her grip was tight—tighter than usual.
They slipped out through the side, past the crowd.
As the hospital disappeared behind them, Eli glanced back.
He was sitting in the back seat this time.
It felt strange.
He already knew he had grown a bit, but now, looking from this angle, he realized he was almost as tall as his mom.
Before everything, he barely reached her waist.
Beside her in the front seat was her handbag.
She hadn't even pulled out of the hospital driveway yet when a burning pain came from his side.
It was his pocket.
His hand moved toward it—then stopped.
There, swinging from the rear-view mirror, was a small empty glass bottle hanging by a brown cord.
His eyes fixed on it.
"Mom," he said, voice flat but tight, "can I have that bottle?"
She glanced up. "This one?" She reached for the cord.
He nodded.
She unhooked it and passed it back. The glass was cool in his hand.
Without saying anything else, he popped the cap and held the mouth over his pocket.
Black dust poured upward—like smoke in reverse—laced with faint sparks of blue light.
The burning vanished.
He sealed the bottle tight.
Now it was getting warm.
He held it in his hand, watching it quietly as the very small veins of blue light moved back and forth.
Then from the front seat, his mother spoke.
Almost too casually.
"So, Eli… what do you think about going to school?"