I dreamt again. But this time I wasn't in the meadow.
This time, I stood in a place that was both beautiful followed with a uneasiness. The air, was heavy and strange, like every breath carried a weight I couldn't swallow. Beauty clung to the world, but beneath it was something sharp, something heavy. Like a blade hidden in a bouquet.
I walked the endless pathway of white stone suspended over an abyssal mist. On either side, forests stretched with the tress I never even knew existed. With their bark-coloured crimson and violet.
But then, I saw someone. Someone in a full armour. Who looked both tariffing and gentle. Someone who seems to be feared and respected by many.
A knight, in a full armour forged out of silver stained in red at parts where even polish will not remove them. And all I was ale to hear was.
"Welcome Back, Young Master" The knight was a woman. She knelt and welcomed me. But Why?
Well, it sure is late. I should try to stand on my own.
I stood up without effort, as if this body had always known how to move — not me.
The door of my room opened and I was greeted by the nurse.
"Oh hello Mark, good morning." She said with a calm and gentle face.
"Good Morning, sister." I replied with keeping a gentle smile on my face. Though I really felt good as she addressed me by my name as Mark and not Dylan.
"Eat up, and fresh up. And if you need any help, just ring the button. I will be back in an hour then we will go for your today's session." And she left the room.
"Yeah, will sure do." As soon as she left, I went to the bathroom to get freshen up. The human body is so weird. Like the waste excretion is so random. Well, might be able to control it over time.
"Lets, see what we get today. Oh, tomato soup, bread and an omelette." Each meals has so much flavours and so much taste. How can people actually live without food? I will surely miss this after I return to the crystal.
"But this is what being in debt must feel like, knowing you don't have all the rights to have the fun." I mean, Dylan must be at home still figuring out about the crystal and how to get out.
Each bite felt too good, too warm. A taste stolen, like everything else.
"Well, let's step out for a while." I moved using a different walker today. Not the one that I used tomorrow that was dispersing my whole-body weight. This walker was a single hand one with canelike structure, just with a base of 4 legs for better balance. Well, the hall way sure looks good to walk when this is so empty.
I started moving towards the left of my room door and I noticed Mr. Gudman sitting on his bed reading a newspaper.
"Good morning. Mr. Gudman. How was you night?" I asked from the open door of his room.
"Oh, morning Mark. It was good. Join me for a cup of coffee, will ya?" He looked really pleased to invite me. He looks like a guy you can have a conversation filled with tales.
"So, you will be heading to the physio section today too? Do you still feel the pain from the injuries?" He asked me with a gentle face.
"No, it's better then before. And the right arm is a stump as of now. But I will make some prosthetic for it." I said, while looking at my stump.
"It's good to hear that. I also have a son of your age. Maybe a little younger than you perhaps. I am always worried about him." He looked really worried by the looks in his eyes. Like he really care for his son. The same eyes that I saw on Brian, when he went to the testing field to same Dylan.
"Sorry to ask, Mr. Gudman, but… what disease are you here for?" I tilted my head, unable to hide my curiosity. "Your room doesn't smell of medicine, I haven't seen any doctors visit, and 401 and 402 are empty. Is it some rare condition that needs complete isolation?"
I really was curious.
Gudman chuckled softly, eyes narrowing with a strange warmth. "How old are you, Mark?"
"I am nearly nineteen." I answered quickly, and eager for his reply.
He smiled the way only fathers do, patient and knowing. "At nineteen, you should be worrying about lectures, friends, maybe even falling in love. Not about old men like me."
I frowned. "That doesn't answer my question."
Gudman leaned in slightly, lowering his voice as though sharing something just for me. "That's because the truth isn't really an illness." His lips curved into a grin, and in a near-whisper he said: "I am completely fine."
I froze. My thoughts stumbled over his words. Why would a healthy man stay in a hospital?
He patted my shoulder with a firm, reassuring hand. "Don't overthink it, son. Sometimes a man has reasons to be where others wouldn't expect. You'll understand when the time comes."
Before I could press Gudman further, a gentle knock came at his doorframe.
"Mark," the nurse's voice called softly. I turned and saw her waiting, clipboard tucked under her arm, her smile as calm as the morning light. "It's time for your physiotherapy session."
I nodded, still replaying Gudman's words in my head. I am completely fine.
"Go on, son," Gudman said, waving me toward her. His tone carried the ease of a father sending his child off to school. "Don't keep her waiting. We'll talk again later."
"Yes, sir." I gave him a small bow out of habit, before gripping my walker and following the nurse into the hallway.
The air outside felt brighter, sharper. My legs moved stiffly but surely, every step reminding me of how fragile this body still was. The nurse matched my pace without rushing me.
"You've improved since yesterday," she said warmly. "Your balance is steadier."
"Feels strange," I admitted, tightening my grip on the cane-like walker.
"Like the body remembers how to move better than I do."
"That's what therapy is for," she said, glancing at me with encouraging eyes.
"To help you and your body learn to work together again."
Her words made sense… but deep down, I knew the truth. This isn't even my body.
*****