When Hexia Tilan opened her eyes again, she was greeted by a white ceiling and the faint beeping of machines by her ear. Just as she tried to move her body, a wave of soreness spread throughout, promptly dissuading her from the idea. Soon after, the voice of an electronic AI chimed in beside her.
[The patient is awake, contacting the station platform]
Is this a hospital? The girl detected a familiar scent of disinfectant. She looked around and saw a lounge chair next to the bed, where a robust young man was sleeping. He was covered with a blanket, leaving his thick arms exposed.
She recognized this young man—his name should be He Cheng, a resident of the same complex, basically a neighbor.
Before long, the door to the ward was pushed open, and a nurse in light blue uniform entered. She was pushing a cart filled with various instruments.
"You're awake." The nurse said while skillfully checking the various indicators on the machines by the girl's bedside.
"You're quite lucky. When you were brought in covered in blood, I thought you wouldn't make it.
"But fortunately, there were no fatal injuries. The doctor also said you were lucky to have avoided vital areas." The nurse comforted Hexia Tilan's emotions, then carefully helped her sit up and asked where else she felt discomfort.
"Uncomfortable...?" Hexia Tilan examined her arms and felt about her neck.
It seemed there were no wounds on her neck, but her right arm was wrapped in bandages and a brace, immobilized, while her left arm, though sore, could still be moved somewhat.
After listening to the girl's description, the nurse nodded.
"It's similar to what the doctor said, which is good. The fear was that your head had suffered a concussion or that the intense stimuli could have caused some kind of mental disturbance."
"You're very brave, you know. I heard that not only did you not abandon others, but you also fought to the death to kill the out-of-control one." As she spoke, she gently embraced Hexia Tilan with her arm and slowly stroked her hair.
The girl didn't know what to say, but a faint warmth enveloped her heart.
It felt like a long time since she was last held .
A short while later, the nurse let go of Hexia Tilan and then smiled again.
"Little Tilan is not in serious danger now, but we still need to run some tests. Come on, stretch out your finger; I need to draw a little blood."
Ouch, the nurse wasn't an angel after all. The girl, a bit frightened of pain, slowly raised her left hand and turned her head away, not wanting to see the needle piercing her skin.
"All done, the blood draw is over. There are a few more small tests. Just run your Transcendent Core a little, Little Tilan."
"Hmm." The girl obediently followed the instructions, activating her Transcendent Core and releasing a bit of magic power.
"All looks normal, it seems you're not badly harmed." The nurse then put away the instruments.
"I'm going to submit the report. You'll probably need to stay in the hospital for observation for a couple of days. For now, you can drink some water and eat something." After finishing her words, she glanced at the still-sleeping young man beside her and woke him with a slap.
"Wake up, if you keep sleeping , Grandma He will come and scold you." The nurse was much rougher with him compared to her gentleness with Hexia Tilan.
"Who, who's going to scold me, who dares scold me, I am..."
He startled awake, rubbing his head and looking around before his eyes lit up with surprise upon seeing Hexia Tilan.
"Ah, Tilan, you're awake. I'm Brother He from near your house, remember? I handle the shopping in the community..."
The girl nodded, which excited the man further. He began to talk nonstop, chiefly about how, after Hexia Tilan had fainted, several children had run out of the tunnel and called for adults. Then the neighbors brought her to the hospital, and since the incident was so sudden and severe, it became widely known in the neighboring communities. The security organization of Payin City had also come for post-event investigation and repairs.
"In my opinion," He Cheng shook his head, indicating his vast experience, "those guys are all talk. I bet in the end they'll just install a few more surveillance points and fix the street lights, and that'll be that."
Hexia knew that He Cheng was in charge of community procurement and transport, very well-informed about the local news, and had a good grasp of the local institutions' modus operandi.
"What about the children afterward, are they all right?"
"No big deal, they just got some scrapes and bruises, nothing serious. But you, you had us all worried sick." He Cheng shook his head again, then looked at Hexia with a serious expression.
"Do you know how terrifying the scene I rushed to was? Blood everywhere, the walls and ground covered in claw marks, and you lying there like a torn-up doll, parts of your bones exposed. Beautiful yet pitiable. I never noticed we had such a beautiful girl in the neighborhood before. Maybe you were too little back then…" As he spoke, his topic wandered off.
"Cough... could you stop talking about that, Brother He Cheng?" Recalling the experiences before she passed out still terrified Hexia, and she didn't want to hear them a second time.
"All right, I won't say anymore. You should rest. Oh, and what do you want to eat? I'll go buy it for you."
"Just a normal lunch will do."
"What do you mean 'normal'? If you're going to eat, eat the best. One must feast after a narrow escape from death. You just came back from the gates of hell; this is no time to skimp. Your Brother He Cheng will foot the bill!" he said, patting his chest.
"Okay then, get me a T5 level set meal from Fragrant Bamboo Bistro, with a light taste." The Fragrant Bamboo Bistro was an affordable dining brand, with their T5 set meal costing around 80-120 Federation Coins.
"Sure, I'll get it for you. There's one nearby. Drink some water first." After that, he walked out.
While waiting, Hexia drank some water and then leaned back against the headboard to slowly ponder how she had survived.
She had used the Spirit Purifying Formula to convert magic power and kill the enemy, but her consciousness was already fading. Due to blood loss, she couldn't see anything, and she began to hear hallucinations in her ears—as if someone was singing, or someone was speaking right next to her.
The wound on her neck made the warmth in her body drain away swiftly, and blood choking her windpipe made it difficult to breathe, to the point where she didn't even have the strength to cough.
In the end, she could only rely on the faint remnants of her unconsciousness to repair her body, just as she had demonstrated during the recruitment review earlier that day.
Although she had no assistance to align and stitch up her wounds, controlling her own body seemed more fluid and proficient, without resistance. Perhaps it was in that state of unconsciousness that she had stitched up her own torn body.
Hexia carefully touched her neck with a finger, feeling the delicate sensation, then closed her eyes once more to check her body with her transcendent ability. Aside from a slight shadow in her lungs, the rest of her organs were relatively intact. Her right arm probably needed more time to heal, although she could accelerate the healing process...
Forget it, better to wait until after discharge to heal herself. Otherwise, it would be too astonishing and unexpected. Hexia shook her head. Life had taught her much. Unless absolutely necessary, one should not reveal their unique traits. It was also a way to protect oneself.
However, while Hexia was examining herself, she suddenly noticed a difference: the color of her hair seemed to have changed.
Searching, she pulled the hair from the back of her head to the front. The previously gray hair had turned into soft, black locks.
In a slight panic, the girl searched for a mirror and finally found one in the washroom of the hospital room.
The pitch-black, smooth hair that fell in front of her made the girl lose her former greenness, turning her a bit gentle and moving. And her once black eyes had now turned pale blue, like the only orchid blooming in a dark world, with a dreamy charm in the stillness.
Even though her facial features had not changed, she seemed like a completely different person in terms of temperament, possessing an unforgettable charm that one couldn't forget after a single glance.
"Do you know Hexia, in the ancient records of the elves, there is a flower that doesn't look much different from weeds, difficult to distinguish. When other flowers bloom, it stands quietly and unnoticed in the corner. No one cares about it until autumn and winter when other plants wither and turn yellow. It remains green, until after several years, it finally blooms its sole blue flower. And those blue petals amid the cold wind and White Snow are so dazzling and beautiful."
In her memory, a woman resembling Hexia lay in a hospital bed, telling this story to a younger version of herself.
"I know, Hexia is a bit timid and shy, always afraid to talk to others. But it's okay, even if Mom isn't here one day, you can still grow up strong and embrace your own season."
"Don't give up, Hexia. Keep living strongly."
Not long after, her mother passed away, and standing in front of her tombstone in mourning, that was the last conversation Hexia could recall.
Hexia Tilan — 'Tilan' was the name of that flower in the Elvish language.