Trila, Theales. Year 2601.
The air hung heavy as dozens of citizens lined up at the Trila Municipal Hospital. Faint murmurs showered the night, and people squishing against each other was regular.
A man, wearing worn-out jeans and a plaid button-up shirt, maneuvered through the crowd of visitors right before the large entrance. The glowing red light indicated that the hospital was full, but civilians continued to push through.
"The hospital is full! Return to your homes!" An officer wearing a military uniform held a long broadsword and pointed at the people condensing the entrance.
However, the weight and sheer quantity of visitors triumphed and shoved him down. The military officer was trampled and stepped over as hundreds of people loomed over him, one being the man in the plaid shirt.
As he finally broke free of the crowd when he went deeper into the hospital, a wide grin plastered itself on Darian Vaughan's face. My son! It's almost time!
The 40-year-old civil servant was awaiting the birth of his son, Emory Vaughan. He and his wife, Elara, had arrived at the hospital on Sunday. Unfortunately, Elara happened to forget their documents, and Darian was assigned the task of quickly retrieving them.
Due to the crowd, it took Darian a couple of hours to travel to and from his home. It resulted in him arriving on Monday, meaning he missed the birth of Emory, which happened deep into the night of Sunday.
Darian happily ran through the halls, locating room 23A. On his way, he glanced at the crowd being held back by more military personnel.
Ever since Empress Thala died, the country has turned feral... He was right. Thala Selwyn, wife to Theales' emperor, Magnus Van Selwyn IV, was brutally murdered three days ago.
The details of the homicide were not disclosed to the public, but it is said that the death impacted the emperor drastically.
After her death, a chain reaction was sparked. 1,830 murder attempts have been reported in the past three days, resulting in two of Trila's six major hospitals shutting down completely. Visitors and families of the victims wanted answers, and the only places they could go were the emperor's palace, the minister's office, or the hospital.
Turning his head away, the ink on the documents gradually faded as Darian's grip turned sweaty. Eventually, after what seemed like ages, Darian was met with the pale piece of wood that stood between him and his family.
Alright... Moment of truth. As his chest rose and fell, he reached out his hand and twisted the brass doorknob. The door's creak rang repeatedly in Darian's twitching ear.
The smell of chemicals and the stillness of the cold room hit Darian like a dagger.
Entering the room, he was met with an older-style bed, propelled up by a metal skeleton. A large blue blanket covered what looked to be a human that rested on the mattress.
There were no signs of movement coming from the body that lay on the bed, only a cold atmosphere that panged Darian's heart. As his shadow entered the room, a doctor, who was resting on the chair, pricked her head up.
She donned matching scrubs and wore a mask, her short black hair tied into a small bun. Her eye bags looked heavy, and her expression was grim. Being no older than 50 years old, she locked onto the quivering Darian.
"Mr. Vaughan..."
"Elara!"
Disregarding the doctor, Darian sprinted toward the bed and frantically removed part of the blanket that covered her head. It revealed a radiant, modest beauty. Short black hair that fell just above her shoulders, soft feminine features, and the fairest skin.
However, she had no pulse. A lifeless appearance that released a haunting vibe around the solemn room.
Darian's heart dropped as the blood drained from his trembling face. While he was generally an airhead, even he had enough intelligence to understand what was going on.
His wife was dead.
"No—" His eyes began darting all across the room. Processing this news was something Darian could never get used to. "No—" His frail, bony hands latched onto the thinning hair follicles that rested atop his head. Stumbling back, he landed on his rear with a thud. The doctor stood behind him and spoke somberly.
"It was... unexpected. Her vitals and health were fine right before and during the birth. But the moment he left her womb, she died of a heart attack. We tried to resuscitate her, but it was to no avail." She couldn't look the quivering man in the eyes.
After sighing, she continued, "I'm going to give you some space to deal with all... this." Her gaze shifted towards Darian's chin. "Your son, however, was born healthy and is in the nursery. I will have a nurse bring him over soon."
No response.
Frozen, Darian's eyes began to lose their luster. He had always thought he and his wife would go home, with their baby, and raise the little boy together. Unfortunately, that dream was shattered. Along with any other dream involving the mesmerizing Elara Vaughan.
Clutching his chest, he lamented, _What is this feeling..._ He felt the corners of his eyes swell and then moisturize. Rubbing his knuckles along the edges, his cheeks began to turn a light shade of red.
Leaning in, he stroked the side of her face, his hand rubbing across her soft, delicate cheek. It panged his heart to see her unperturbed by his gesture.
She was really dead.
Trying to put on a smile, Darian began to remember the moments he shared with her. Whether it was a fight they had, their engagement and marriage party, or the time they knew she was pregnant—she was always with him. Always have a firm grasp on his hand.
Her smile lit up the room, and it especially lit up his gloomy, unappealing face.
Choking on his words, he began to speak softly. "I'll raise him right, my love. The way you always wanted, the way you always had dreamed of." Tears continued to fall and stain the white bedsheets, but that didn't stop Darian from continuing. "I just know he's going to be the spitting image of you. If he looked like me, he would have so much trouble finding a gorgeous wife, haha."
Darian always had a problem with putting himself down. He had always thought of himself to be inferior in most aspects and suffered from really low self-esteem.