3 hours later...
"He should be alright now... But that was a very risky move WHILE DRIVING AT THAT," a woman's voice sounded, sounding aggravated as she retold the situation.
The woman had a blend of blond and black hair, curly and reaching down to her armpits; accompanying that was a set of golden eyes, shining just like a sunset, giving her an almost mystical appearance if not for her clothing.
The woman wore a neat white coat, half buttoned up with a black undershirt and long black pants, the generic style of a doctor despite her gorgeous appearance.
Around her neck was a stethoscope, its bell having a hollow red cross design along with 3 red circles orbiting the cross, a clear indication of her achievements as a doctor.
3 red circles, a medal presented to the doctors who innovate and bring new medical knowledge to the world, just one circle less than 4 red circle doctors, Four, the number that signifies death, a distinction given to those who defy death itself and live to share that knowledge
"Haaaah, yeah..." Haze exasperatedly exhaled as he accepted the criticism without rebuking, knowing that he's fully at fault in this situation.
By now, the sky had already begun transitioning to night; vibrant color replaced the everyday blue sky, dyeing everything within its coverage in an orange hue.
Haze's eyelids lower slightly, unconsciously showing his guilt as he looks at Ren's dilapidated state.
Ever since the situation with Ren started, Haze had completely dropped his fun persona, turning completely serious as he dealt with the situation in the best way he could at that moment after he realized his mistake.
"We aren't for dinner tonight; you need rest... I'll go inform Rekka and Shry myself, so don't worry about a thing." Haze announced, making his decision clear to Ren as the time for their planned feast came near.
"Good call, I'll take care of reporting this incident, so make sure to take care of Ren" the doctor added, approving Haze's decision but also looking at him with stern eyes.
"Thanks, Doctor Estin. Would you mind helping me request a leave for Ren? My authority is still on the lower end, so I can't approve it myself." Haze expressed his gratitude, his eyes beginning to droop in exhaustion afterwards as he mentioned his rank and authority, viewing his current status with slight disappointment.
"I was already planning to do that, so focus on taking care of Ren Spark; maybe stay with him for a day or two. I'm not sure if his sister will be able to handle it alone..." Doctor Estin reiterated, as she glanced over at Ren and a phantom form of his sister, who isn't there in reality.
During Doctor Estin's and Haze's chat, Ren wore a sad expression, still slightly jerky from his repulsion to his Origin Phrase, sitting on the side of the car's backseat with his legs hanging out of the open door.
(That was terrifying...) Ren thought as his mind wandered back to what happened.
Even after 3 hours, Ren still wasn't able to shake off what he felt... or saw. His body feels fine, but yet his breaths keep on fluctuating like he has a problem controlling them. Even now, he was still facing the truth, an unsettling truth that he couldn't avoid, trapped in a one-lane road, a knowledge so repulsive it physically hurt to remember it.
...
Finished with her examination and treatment, Estin began packing up her equipment.
Taking off her stethoscope, she detached the bell from it and attached it to a specific spot on her coat that seemed to be designated for it before putting away the rest of the stethoscope in a nice white bag that's designed to keep and organize dozens of medical equipment.
"Hhooo, thank you, Ms. Tyhal. I'm sorry for taking up so much of your time." Ren took in a shaky breath and thanked Doctor Estin, who had been looking after him for the past 2 hours.
"Don't worry about it; I'm actually glad that I came here. Your reaction allowed me to gather firsthandaccount data for the Rejection Phenomenon... Also, please just call me Doctor Estin, like Haze does." Estin responded with a smile, both to comfort Ren and also to express her gratitude.
(I would've loved to be here when it started; well… at least the camera in the car managed to capture the moment), Estin thought to herself as she transferred all her equipment back to her car with Haze's help.
Despite the fact that it's not exactly a medical emergency on the physical, the amount of equipment Estin brought was akin to a small hospital's storage room.
As soon as she heard about Ren's situation, she immediately gathered all the equipment she could in a rush, so there were quite a few things she was missing. However, the equipment she brought still filled the parking lot they were in, making the place look more like a filming set to the people walking by.
"Haah huuu, haaah huuu" Ren's breaths were heavy as he felt trapped in his own head.
Watching Haze and Estin move around and collect the medical equipment, even though Ren was still a bit shaky, he doesn't know why, but internally, it was like his body was telling him to move instead of staying still and drowning in his own thoughts.
At that moment, he made the decision to stand and walk, despite how exhausted he felt, the sensation of his soles contacting the ground sending waves of shivers from his feet up to his head.
(I should help out.) Ren's mind consolidated for a moment as he stood up, his first coherent thought in quite some time.
Ren's legs were asleep, so every time he walked, there was a visible wobble with every step that he took before finally regaining his balance after some shimmying.
"W-What's around me? What c-can I grab?" Ren silently questions himself, his lip unconsciously mouthing out the words he thought.
Immediately, looking at the closest thing to him, Ren saw a box with exposed machinery that revealed parts of its inner workings as he spotted dozens of glowing ocean-blue Node canisters attached in the middle of its spinning core.
Right as Ren was about to squat down and pick up the box machine by its handle, Haze's voice suddenly called out to him, finally noticing Ren's standing figure.
"You should lie down in the car; we can handle this!" Haze unintentionally raised his voice as he hurriedly ran to Ren, paranoid that Ren could fall or faint at any time.
Hearing Haze's words, Ren knew that Haze meant well, but yet, unconsciously, a spark of irritation began to fester, briefly elevating his rage to the maximum, and almost causing him to act, barely saved by two different voices of reason, a mental voice and a physical one, coming from Doctor Estin as she stopped Haze.
"He's fine; you're just worrying too much. Plus, he'll recover faster that way."
(If I saw that right, Ren's complexion turned better the moment he stood up and began to help... But also, what was that brief flash of rage back there)
Throughout this whole time, while they were packing her medical equipment, Estin had never stopped observing Ren as a result of her professionalism.
Average doctors wouldn't be able to notice it, but yet with Estin's experience, even at such a young age, her observation skills clearly distinguish her as a worthy 3 Red Circle doctor.
"Are you sure?" Haze questioned, as his worry grew.
But yet the only answer he got was a clear nod from Estin.
Seeing that there's no way to argue with Estin's decision, Haze reluctantly backed down with his eyebrows furrowed, clearly showing his discontent before giving up as he let out a breath, releasing his tension as he calmed down.
Looking back at Ren for a moment, a pang of guilt began to eat at Haze, adding to the ever-expanding debt he owed Ren.
...
Close to an hour later.
As Estin finished sorting and organizing the equipment she brought, the cogs in her mind began to spin, thinking back to the data she recorded, as well as her observations, realizing something, a theory.
"Before I leave, you guys should actually go for that dinner you were telling me about." Estin spoke her thoughts out.
"In his current state, Ren Spark wouldn't be able to get any rest if he's alone," Estin added.
"What do you mean? You were the one discouraging it earlier," Haze answered in confusion.
Instead of answering Haze directly, Estin thought she'd be able to demonstrate what she meant rather than wasting their time explaining it.
"Ren, are you able to clear your mind?"
"Huh?" With his mind still going haywire, Ren, even though he paid attention after Estin called out his name, her next words sounded like they were going through a radio with bad reception.
"Can... you... clear... Your... mind..." Estin spoke slowly to accommodate Ren's condition.
Looking at Ren's reaction, it seemed like Estin's words were able to get across, though his face twisted to show his agony as he tried his best to regain control over his own thoughts.
"N-no," Ren stuttered as he admitted
Although it wasn't obvious at first, as Haze closely observed both of them, mainly Ren, he just barely noticed that Ren's complexion was just slightly better.
"Ren's mind is constantly bombarding him with all sorts of thoughts, so to counteract that, you need to distract him with conversations to drown out those thoughts" Estin finally answered Haze's question after seeing his face glow in realization.
With that said, Estin didn't linger any longer; she got into her car and waved goodbye before driving away, leaving Ren and Haze to figure out the rest for themselves.
Believing in Estin's diagnosis, Haze respected her instructions and decided to proceed with their dinner plans.
Haze pulled out his phone to check the time in order to gauge their situation, but when he saw it, he couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.
(Today is really not my day, huh...) Haze thought to himself self-deprecatingly.
It seemed like the cleanuptook longer than expected, because currently, the time is 6:40pm, which means that they spent close to an hour packing up the medical equipment that Estin brought.
"Let's go pick up your sister and cousin. Give me your phone so I can contact them." Haze said calmly as he reached out his hand to Ren.
"Sure, it's hard for me to even read currently," Ren tried to articulate more words, but the only word that managed to get out was 'Sure' while the rest became silent ramblings, as he casually handed his phone to Haze without opposition.
Ren's phone was surprisingly personalized; his phone had a black cover with orange-colored patterns, resembling ancient engravings, and when unlocked, the theme seemed to persist through his wallpaper and even some icons.
"Good taste. I'm guessing you're into archeology?" Haze asked casually.
"No, n-not really, I-I just like ancient-looking t-things." Ren answered, finally managing to articulate his words, even though he stuttered through most of it, as the persevering war in his mind inhibited his train of speech.
Getting a proper answer from Ren, Haze felt relieved. He followed Estin's instructions, and judging from the results, it was proof enough that Estin's conjectures were right.
"Right, I guess I'll take you to see some of the old world's ruins once we arrive at the edge of the world," Haze extended their conversation while also expressing his interest in the old world.
"The old world? Isn't everything from that era completely wiped out" Ren's voice turned surprised, his voice beginning to straighten up as his curiosity began to flare, partly replacing the corrosion of the Rejection Phenomenon.
(Gotcha!) Haze cheered internally as his plan to guide their conversation as well as to get Ren excited for their expedition succeeded.
"Let me call your sister first; I'll explain what I meant on the drive there." Haze held off on answering Ren, as their plans had already been delayed for long enough.
After saying that, Haze quickly taps on Ren's contacts, and it didn't even take him a second to find Rekka's contact. Not only because it was the first contact on the list, but also because it was easy to spot in the upsettingly short list of contact numbers Ren has.
Without a second thought, Haze immediately dialed Rekka's number, and within 1 ring, the other end picked up.
*HEY REN* Two voices greeted at the same time as the call went through.
"Hey, I'm Haze. Can you guys tell me where to pick you up? Your brother is..." Haze asked but was cut off when he was about to explain his reasoning.
*What happened to Ren?* Rekka's panicked voice boomed through the speaker, forgetting about formalities.
Rekka's voice was shocking, the desperate concern and gleam of horror piercing the distance between their phones to reach Haze, unsettling him the moment he heard it.
Afraid that he might cause another panic, Haze quickly rewired his brain to deliver the news in the most considerate and reassuring way he possibly could.
"He's fine; he just has a bad headache." Haze answered, opting to use a term familiar to her to explain himself.
*Was it the Rejection Phenomenon!?* A young boy's voice peeked through the phone, offering a surprising input to their conversation.
(What...?) Only one word came into Haze's mind as he acknowledged what the unknown young boy said through the phone.
The moment Haze heard the kid mention the Rejection Phenomenon, something that a kid shouldn't have known, Haze was left speechless for a moment, but as he spent more time being astonished, the duo's voices began to get further from the phone as incomprehensible and distant voices of what seemed to be a conversation between Rekka and this boy peeked through the microphone.
"Yes, it was," Haze quickly answers before the call gets off track.
*Cool! It finally happened!* The boy's voice turned excited as opposed to concerned even though he knew what happened.
*Also, we're at Trangsil Street, at the Houniy Cafe. See you guys later* the boy added, exposing their location.
Unseen by the Haze on the other side of the line, the boy raised his right hand to wave goodbye before walking away to the counter to order a drink and maybe some snacks.
Without even letting Haze speak up, Rekka continued where Shry left off and made a reasonable request, knowing that there's no use in extending the phone call any longer.
*Can I hear Ren's voice before we hang up? I'd like to at least know that he's conscious* Rekka's voice replaced Shry's as she asked with continued concern, slightly shaky as fear began to sink in.