Inside the medical room that at first glance seemed empty and silent, Noah was resting on the examination bed.
She slowly opened her eyes, feeling the air freezing her skin as several questions arose in her mind:
"Royal Bloodline"
"Kings of the ancient world"
"Shattered crowns"
What she had witnessed in that place did not seem like a dream.
'Visions?'
—What is all of this about...? —She picked up one of the tablets resting beside the bed and tried to search for related information, her fingers still trembling slightly as they pressed against the screen.
"Shattered crowns".
[RESTRICTED]
"Royal Bloodline".
[ERROR: DATA NOT FOUND]
"Noah"
[USER ACCESS DENIED]
Her own face was reflected on the tablet, frowning.
—What the hell...
She turned off the screen with resignation. 'Thinking about it carefully, I shouldn't mention what I saw to anyone, or at least not now, and I shouldn't ask directly either.'
She felt a warning sensation deep inside her; her own instincts felt that it was dangerous.
'I need to be more careful.'
Noah placed both hands on the metallic bed and an uncomfortable sensation ran through her body, as if dozens of insects were slowly crawling beneath her skin, watching from the inside.
'Maybe I'm overlooking something.'
'Or something is about to happen.'
The automatic door opened with a soft sound.
—Witchy! —It was Blondie, her golden hair slightly messy.
'Did she run all the way here?'
—You look terrible —Noah commented.
—My face? You're the one who collapsed in the middle of the street! I thought you had died or something.
—You're exaggerating —Noah snorted.
—I'm not exaggerating. You stopped responding and your eyes were terrifying.
'Terrifying? They had fought beasts capable of tearing buildings apart… and yet, my eyes seemed even more unsettling to her?' —Noah remained silent within her own thoughts.
The blonde crossed her arms and then looked away.
—Besides... I don't like it when you do that.
Noah glanced at her sideways.
'Despite how much she complained or talked nonstop, she rarely said what she truly thought.'
—I'm fine —Noah finally replied.
—That's what everyone says before ending up connected to machines.
—I'm still alive, aren't I?
—Unfortunately.
—You're cruel.
—And you're troublesome —Blondie replied as she sat beside the bed.
A few seconds of silence passed until...
Noah noticed something strange.
Badump.
Badump.
At first she thought it was her own pulse, but it wasn't.
'Blondie's pulse.'
It was so clear. Not only that, she could also hear the faint electrical hum of the ceiling lights and the flow of the air conditioning inside the vents, even the distant footsteps behind several walls.
Her pupils contracted...
What...?
The sound began to intensify, every noise violently mixing inside her head until it formed an unbearable pressure.
Noah brought a hand to her ear.
—Witchy? —The blonde's voice sounded distorted.
And for an instant, the space in front of Noah distorted, as if the wall were collapsing inward.
Craaack.
A small black crack appeared, and from it emerged a hand as if trying to reach Noah.
Blondie opened her eyes wide...
—What... the hell is that?
The heavy pressure flooded the room, the crack vibrated, and the hand emerging from the darkness transformed into a claw covered in some kind of crystallized texture.
The creature had barely managed to appear when Noah reacted instinctively, extending her hand forward; the space in front of her violently contracted.
CRACK
The crack collapsed into itself like shattering glass, and every previous protrusion vanished, leaving behind empty silence.
Only the relieved and bewildered breathing of both girls could be heard.
Blondie immediately stood up.
—Witchy...
Noah looked at her own trembling hand.
—I... don't know what that was.
And it was not a lie.
The door abruptly opened again. Two armed guards entered, making way for the supervising doctor accompanied by the nurse behind them.
—What happened here? —His eyes quickly swept across the room, the sensors emitting flashing red lights.
The girls looked at each other, and there was no need to speak.
—Nothing —the blonde girl replied—. Witchy had another kind of dizzy spell, knocked over some instruments, and triggered the alarms by accident.
The doctor frowned, clearly unconvinced. He was so used to receiving lies from everyone that it was easy for him to notice they were hiding something. He approached Noah and observed her carefully.
—Are you still hearing voices?
Noah felt an uncomfortable sting.
—Does that matter?
—Answer me.
—No.
Silence invaded the room for a few seconds, then the doctor let out a sigh.
—Fine, but you still won't be leaving. We want to continue observing your neural connection.
—What a pain.
—Get used to it.
The nurse adjusted some data on the medical screen.
—The nanomachine activity increased again —she murmured.
The doctor narrowed his eyes.
—How much?
—One hundred eighty percent above the basal average.
Noah noticed how the man's expression slightly changed; it was clear they were hiding something from her.
—Rest, we'll return soon —The nurse reminded her to rest while accompanying the doctor. The doctor gave Noah one last look. The guards left the room along with them, and once again the door closed.
Blondie released the breath she had been holding.
—Tell me I'm not crazy. I definitely saw something come out of there.
—I never said you were.
—Then explain to me what that was.
Noah lowered her gaze. She had no answer; she could only remember the words that continued echoing in her head from that voice.
"The savage creatures will recognize you"
"...and they will hate you."