The warm lights of the hospital’s waiting room shone softly down on me, sadly they didn’t do much to clear the chill within the room at all.
Luckily, I’d been able to snag an academy-branded sweater from the staff here. Adding to the good news, I hadn’t run into anyone who had attended to me during my previous stay in the hospital.
Even though security had likely explained the situation to those involved, it would be rather unnerving to come face to face with the person that murdered your coworker in cold blood, regardless of knowing that they were a skinwalker in retrospect.
She seemed completely normal when I attacked her back then.
Sighing, I began reading the report the doctor had given me for the 5th time, when the door opened.
Rowan walked in carrying two paper cups. He passed one to me before taking a seat in a chair facing me.
I curiously shook the cup.
For some reason that name sounded very familiar to me.
"Have you had one before?"
"No, but it was the most popular drink in the café."
I forgot, Rowan wasn’t from a well to do background either.
’If it’s that popular, then it must be good.’
I popped the cap open, before taking a sip from the cup.
I felt my face change the instant its contents touched my tongue.
Rowan, about to take his first sip as well, paused upon seeing my reaction.
I swallowed whatever was left in my mouth, before bringing the cup down.
"It’s... um very grassy."
That was the best way I could explain it. It just tasted like grass.
Rowan gave me a skeptical look, before taking a sip from his cup as well.
His face instantly scrunched up, pulling the cup away, he looked at it like it’d betrayed him.
"Who likes this shit?"
His guess was as good as mine.
He gave the cup a long suffering look, before he brought it back for another sip. I did the same as well.
I’d be remiss to waste food, regardless of how much it clashed with my taste buds.
What followed was a rather pitiable rendition of tea time, as we both forced down the contents within the cups into our throats.
The moment I was done with mine, I slammed my cup on the table before shooting Rowan a glare.
"Chose better next time."
His reply was laced with disappointment, mostly towards himself.
Rowan glanced at the report in my hand, seeking to change the topic.
"So, did they find anything wrong with you?"
I sighed before passing the report to him.
"They found nothing out of the ordinary. Like I told you, it’s just a thing that happens."
It was really strange. All my tests came out clear regardless of how sick I actually felt. The effects were there, but not the root causes.
As though my body was deceiving itself into believing I was actually sick.
Luckily, my condition had visibly improved now compared to when I collapsed. So the hospital was able to let me off with just some painkillers, nausea suppressants, and advice.
Rowan looked away from the report.
"That’s odd... hmm, did they give you anything then?"
"Yeah, a few drugs and..." I raised a cane beside me, "This aswell."
They offered me crutches at first, which I promptly rejected. There was no way I’d be touching crutches this early into my second life.
I’d had enough of them in my first.
In the end they settled on a collapsible cane, so I could at least support myself while moving.
Rowan perked up at that.
" Aha, so there was something."
I didn’t have the strength to argue with him.
"Yeah, yeah. Happy now?"
Although he didn’t answer, he seemed quite satisfied with himself.
It was then that a thought struck me.
’We haven’t even introduced ourselves.’
Yet he’d already taken me to a hospital, and treated me to something. Even if that something was matcha.
But then again, that’s the sort of person he was.
I sighed, before extending my hand to him.
"Well anyway, my name’s Victor. Thanks for your help."
He promptly shook it.
"Your welcome. I’m R-"
"Rowan Kade, right? Your pretty popular don’t you know?"
Popular was an understatement. Having archon-level potential tends to do that to you. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on novel~fire~net
He scratched his hair awkwardly at that.
He paused mid-scratch before staring at me contemplatively.
"I think I’ve heard of you before. Aren’t you the one of the cadets that underwent a second awakening?"
’My reputation preceeds me.’
Even Rowan knew about it.
"That’s suprising, I didn’t think you’d know me. Didn’t mark you as the sort to pay attention to such things."
"Oh, that. Racheal told me about it."
Right, Racheal. The only heroine I hadn’t interacted with yet, and for damn good reason too.
She was scary as fuck, and damned crazy too.
Still, I’d have to meet her eventually.
Befriending Rowan actually helped me in achieving that. if I introduced myself as a friend of his, I reckoned it’d be much easier to fit in with her.
The boy paused mid sentence, as something flashed in his eyes. He glanced at seemingly nowhere, before turning his gaze back to me.
"Victor. It’s been... rather interesting meeting you, but I think I should start heading back now."
He glanced at me, then my cane. Before asking,
"Do you still need support?"
I just waved him off.
"No, no. I think I can handle myself just fine."
He nodded, standing up before heading for the door.
"Alright. I’ll see you in class then."
And with that, he stepped out.
’Well, that went better than expected.’
At least I’d gotten in contact with him. So working together with him should at least be a bit easier.
Plus, meeting him didn’t cost me anything.
One of the main reasons I’d targeted meeting him without Racheal present was because she would try to drag me into her faction the moment I did.
Well it was less of a faction, and more of a loose alignment.
In the novel, there’d been noble/commoner tensions in the academy.
It was a conflict that normally wouldn’t make sense, after all, gifted commoners, especially those that could make it into this institution, were very valuable to nobles and their estates for recruitment. Hence, there was no reason to be antagonistic towards them.
The reason it did happen this time, however, was due to tensions between two great families: Solaris and Aurealius.
The heir of Solaris, Racheal, had already drawn Rowan to her side. Meanwhile, Varic, on the other hand, had been able to draw many nobles to his side using both his father’s influence and his own potential.
Naturally, anti-commoner sentiment sprang up among the nobles aligned with Varic due to Rowan, now the unwilling face of the commoners siding with Racheal. Anti-noble sentiment sprang up among the commoners as a response.
It was a sentiment both Varic and Racheal were happy to fan, as it served their goals by widening the conflict.
Rowan, on the other hand, was just caught in the crossfire of this much larger conflict. Though, it was one he willingly entered due to a deal he made with Racheal.
Personally, I wasn’t willing to touch that hot mess with a ten foot pole. At least, not yet.
Sighing, I began standing up when I noticed an icon suddenly blinking at the corner of my vision.
Tapping it, I found that they were messages from Song.
’Now that I think about it, I didn’t see her in class today.’
I began reading them.
One was a reply to my previous message.
[No, not really. Apart from Varic, I haven’t really come in contact with anyone else.]
The Baek clan had been allied to House Aurealius in the novel. Given the fact that they were both of similar age, it wasn’t impossible for them to have met before.
[ Meet me at room 552 in the dorms after classes tomorrow. I need to call in my favor.]
You’d think a school as militaristic as this would separate male and female dorms from each other.
However, the academy couldn’t give less of a damn about intermingling. If anything they likely encouraged it. Hunters tended to be notoriously infertile and Bastion needed all the babies it could get.
Shooing such thoughts away, I typed in a message,
[Sure. Wanna telling me what it is?]
The reply came back very quickly.
[It’s not something I can easily share over an interface. Just know it’s important.]
She wasn’t keen on telling me anything.
I sighed before typing a reply.
[Fine, I’ll be there. Just so you know, if it’s anything crazy I’m not going to help you.]
Her reply came slower this time.
[Don’t worry. It shouldn’t be.]
’Well isn’t that reassuring.’
I looked at the time, before shutting off the interface.
’It’s about time I leave as well.’
I pushed myself up, taking a moment to balance properly as I still felt lightheaded. Then, using the cane as support, I walked out of the room.