"Hey! Wake up, princess. Nobody has time for you to sleep."
The sharp voice of a middle-aged woman sounded, which was followed by a pillow slamming into William's face, smothering him.
William groaned and pushed away the pillow, only to meet the stern gaze of the nurse standing before him.
Her greying hair was tied in a messy bun, and the wrinkles on her face spoke of years of experience. Her uniform, distinct from the others, marked her as the head nurse.
Without warning, she grabbed William by the collar and yanked him out of bed with surprising strength.
"Come on, boy. Follow me. I still have a lot of work to do."
Flustered, William quickly steadied himself and followed the nurse out of the ward.
"Where are we going?" William intuitively asks
"I am taking you to do a body check, then, as per Dr. Lenny's recommendation, you will be assigned to the End-of-Life Care Unit."
"The End-of-Life Care Unit?"
"Yes, you will learn more about it once you get there."
As they walk, many doctors and nurses can be seen hastily passing by. Some of them have pale expressions, while others have gaunt red eyes.
"The hospital seems busier than usual," William offhandedly commented.
"Well, of course, there was a large monster siege last night; naturally, the hospital will be busier."
Slightly surprised by the indifferent tone, William inquired. "Is this a common occurrence?"
"Well, yes. But don't worry, you will quickly get used to it."
"I see..." Giving the exhausted doctors and nurses a last glance, William continues to walk.
Arriving at the room lined with multiple capsules, big enough to fit an adult.
Many white robes patient can be seen lying in the capsules, accompanied by their respective nurses.
The head nurse gestured to a vacant capsule. "Alright, boy. Lie down."
Already familiar with the process, William lay down directly in the transparent capsule. The next moment, blue gas filled the chamber, bathing his body in a calm and soothing cloud of smoke.
After a couple of minutes, the scan was completed, and the head nurse read the result with an amused expression.
"Oh, you've got a pretty good talent for mana. You'll do great as a mana battery."
The nurse grinned sinisterly, but before William could ask any questions, she tossed him a set of clothes.
"Get changed."
Once dressed, the head nurse led William elsewhere.
"Listen up, boy. You'll be assigned to care for soldiers on their deathbeds. So, I hope your noble pride won't be hurt too much."
"I see," William responded plaintly
After a couple of twists and turns, they finally arrived at the new wardroom, and before opening the door, the nurse glanced towards William, commenting, "Better prepare yourself, kid."
Upon entering the room, William was greeted by rows of bedridden soldiers, heavily wrapped in bandages, some were hooked to life-support machines, while others had a few missing limbs.
However, the one thing that all the soldiers had in common was patches of discolored, necrotic skin, riddled with deep, cracked fissures that oozed blackened pus, reeking of death and decay.
Moans of pain filled the air. Some soldiers writhed in agony, while others lay still, their labored breathing the only sign of life. The atmosphere was grim to say the very least.
Unfazed by the scene, the head nurse approached another nurse dressed in pure white robes, resembling a nun more than a nurse.
"Good morning, Miss Catherine. What brings you here today?" the nun-like nurse greeted.
Catherine handed over a file. "Lucy, I have a newbie for you. Please take care of him."
"A new recruit? How lovely. We could use all the help we can get." Lucy glanced briefly at William and smiled warmly at him.
"Just so you know, he's a noble, so he's an absolute idiot when it comes to helping people," Catherine whispered before turning to leave.
"I'll leave him in your hands now. Do whatever you want with him." With that, Catherine left the room.
William was still standing at the side, looking at the soldiers with a dazed expression.
"Shocking, isn't it?" Lucy's voice snaps William out of his trance.
"..."
"These soldiers are in their final moments. Our job is to accompany them at the end of their lives." Lucy spoke with a sorrowful yet composed expression.
William remained silent for a bit before asking, "Is it related to the dark patches all of them have on their bodies?"
"Yes, during last night's monster siege, a poison-spitting creature suddenly appeared. It used a new kind of poison we'd never encountered before. Those patches on the soldiers? They're a direct result of its venom."
"Unfortunately, we don't have a cure for the poison yet. The most we can do is slow the spread and ease their suffering."
"By the way, I am Lucy Solona, in charge of the End-of-Life Care Unit. It's a pleasure to meet you." Lucy invitingly stretched out her hand.
"William Stormholde. A pleasure to meet you, too," William responded in kind.
Nodding approvingly, Lucy said, "Come now, let me show you what you'll be responsible for."
As the days passed, William adapted quickly to his new role—assisting soldiers with their daily needs, listening to their sorrows and regrets, and fulfilling some of their final requests.
Among them, one soldier who looks as young as William speaks to William the most.
"Hey… William…"
"Yes, Ben?"
"Have you ever fallen in love before?"
William hesitated. "Yes."
"Oh… and have you ever pursued her?"
"No."
Ben chuckled weakly. "Yeah… it'd be like that."
Lying on his bed, he sighed. "There was a girl I had loved since childhood. But I was always too afraid to confess my feelings to her."
"I kept making excuses. 'Once I do this, once I do that, I'll go after her.' But now look at me—lying here, waiting for death. Pathetic, isn't it?"
"If I had been brave enough back then… maybe things would be different. Maybe I wouldn't be here."
Ben's eyes were covered by a thick layer of bandages, as discoloration and deep scars could be seen spreading out underneath the bandages.
His body was thin and frail, as if all of the nutrients had been drained from his body, looking more like an old man rather than a young adult.
William, who was doing some minor checkups, just listened in silence without responding.
As time passed, Ben kept pestering William with menial things.
"Hey, what does the main capital look like, William?"
"Must be nice to be rich, huh, William?"
"Is there any nurse that caught your eye, William?"
Until one day, "Hey William, what do you think the afterlife is like?"
Pausing slightly due to the serious question, William responded detachedly, "Maybe…eternal darkness."
Ben chuckled weakly. "Then it would be no different from now, except the pain."
Lying back on his bed, Ben murmured to himself, "That's… probably for the best."
William stood up. "I have more tasks to do. You should rest."
"Yeah." Ben acknowledged.
***
That night, during William's might shift, in the corner of his eyes, he saw Ben's cubicles had glowed red.
"Ben?" William instinctively call out.
Opening the privacy curtain, William was met with Ben sleeping soundly on his bed, but the heart rate monitor said otherwise.
It had flatlined.
For a moment, William just stood there, staring at the lifeless body of Ben, his thoughts unknown.
Then he murmured a quiet blessing. "May you rest in peace."
With that, he called for the nurses and arranged for Ben's body to be taken away.