The door closed with a soft click; the room was dark again except for the light of the moon outside.
What could I do now? The novel never had any important characters' Mana cores break. What should I do? I'm useless now. How can I save everyone if I can't even cast a basic spell?
God, I need an answer—from anything, even if it's a hint of something, just a tiny bit.
I couldn't panic. Not now. I need to think logically. What options and bonuses do I have?
I'm still from the crown family, so I'm rich. I could try and get the best medical treatment…
Who the fuck am I kidding? Sis already probably had the specialist's specialist come in, and clearly they did jack shit.
This story will end the same way—with a tragedy, the end of all these characters and myself.
I was going to die, and so was everyone else.
And it was my fault.
I didn't want to see the world come to that.
I covered my eyes. Maybe it would be better if I just… died.
Then the story would play out the same—not that it wouldn't already.
My throat felt warm.
Tears swam in my eyes; some rolled down my face.
Bllrgh.
It felt warm, and as disgusting as it was, there was a warmth to the throw-up.
I reached over to the button to get some staff. Small chunks of food hit the floor as I moved my arm.
Sebastion's POV
Ping. Ping. Ping.
I stood up. Levi needed something.
I just hope he didn't do anything… irrational.
I grabbed the sleek phone from the workbench, along with my gloves.
I placed the phone in my chest pocket where it always stayed.
My white gloves would need cleaning again; I had gotten some grease on them.
I left them at the workbench.
The elevator would be quite slow, and if Levi was bleeding out, I should be quick.
I stepped outside. I took in the fresh air.
The roof was slippery—for a hospital.
I opened the roof access door and walked down some stairs to the top floor, where Levi was kept.
The doorknob was warm. Had one of the staff members gotten here faster?
Unlikely. The cold sensation of steel touching bare skin—that I hadn't felt in a while—hit me.
I slowly pushed the door open while standing to the side of it.
The door creaked open, which illuminated the hallway; the lights were on.
Poking my head into the room, it was one of the staff members who regularly visited Levi.
The steel of the gun was getting warm and sticking to my hands, which reminded me that I was holding it.
I breathed out and tucked the gun into the inner coat pocket of my jacket.
I stepped into the room, my step echoing.
"Thank you, Miss Sera, but I can take it from here…" She was cleaning Levi up; I guessed the adrenaline had forced my nostrils shut.
"I'll get you both a change of clothes." I quickly left.
The Next Day
Sebastion was waiting next to the door. I was wearing different clothes.
"Are you okay, Master Levi?" His voice was filled with worry and concern.
I slowly looked over at him. "Yeah, I'm fine." My voice felt weak, almost powerless.
The sun was coming through the blinds. It illuminated the silver of the hospital bed I lay on.
"You aren't actually okay, are you, Master Levi? Something is eating at you, and while I may not know what, I would still like to offer my assistance in helping you through it."
I didn't respond. What was the point? What was the point in any of this?
"From the look in your eyes, I know something isn't right." He stretched his cloth gloves. "Come on, Levi. Tell me. You can trust me."
Could I? Could I actually trust someone who betrayed me once before?
He let out a sigh, clearly understanding why I struggled to trust him.
He removed one of his gloves. The scars were everywhere—they were old and long healed. I had never known they were scarred that badly.
"The void entity that infected you was an old friend of mine. He… he was a genius of a man, but his ambitions went too far. He experimented with the void… in the end, me and him fought, and I sealed him in the void realm. I had hoped to never see him in this lifetime."
He took a long pause. "So when you were infected with a piece of him, I had feared that you might not be able to contain his power, and that maybe he could have taken full control."
He put his glove back on. "I figure you feel this despair because you can no longer use magic, and I'm also guessing Miss Sera told you last night."
I nodded. "Without magic, what am I? I have no real physical strength. I'm not intelligent. So what's left for me when I leave the hospital?" Tears streamed down my face. They were warm, like a long-forgotten summer.
"There are many paths you have yet to explore, Master Levi. Many that still give strength, or that give others strength." He readjusted the glove he had just put back on. "I can teach you one of these paths if you would like."
"Please." If there was a chance I could regain some level of strength, then I'll take it.
"I must warn you, Master Levi, this path isn't easy."
I nodded. "Any path you follow wouldn't be." How hard, though?
"First, you must regain your physical strength and much more. This will be easier when we are back at the mansion. For now, I task you with gaining your original strength back." He pulled out a small flip phone. "Use this to contact me when you are ready to come home."
I slowly nodded.
"Now, you'll likely be assisted by Miss Sera. She seems to like you quite a bit. Now rest, or try and walk."ᛚHe stepped into the hallway, and before the door closed he said, "This is a path you've chosen to walk. Now see it through to the end."