After Elias came to Gravel City, he had tried to enter meditation but he failed everytime. At first, he attributed it to his left hand being in pain.
When Buddhist Hand said pain causes distractions, it was a confirmation of what he had assumed.
And now, just trying, he was deep into his world, his body.
Every ashen-colored organ pulsed with ripples that moved outward and came back without losing much.
It was calming and beautiful seeing it. Also, his limp left hand was releasing weak ripples, but as he observed it, he realized he was improving just like how the meditation improved his blistered skin.
Elias then focused on each ripple and followed its trajectory. It was refreshing to his body as he observed, and also something deeper.
He didn't go deep to see his talent, that would exhaust his mental energy fast, but focused on his body.
Elias was suspended in air, calm and serene like someone who had attained enlightenment.
Hours passed and a nurse came to them. "You are officially discharged." She looked at Elias and said to Sasha, "We will need you out in five minutes!"
"Fine. But where are our uniforms?"
"We submitted them to the registrar tent!"
Sasha then looked at Elias. Should she wake him up? How could she even wake him up?
"Elias. We need to leave. Wake up and come!"
Elias's face turned toward her, eyes still close. She raised her eyebrows, "So, you are aware?" she asked. His face just kept facing her, but his mouth wasn't talking.
Then she walked and the floating Elias floated forward, following her. She stopped. It felt strange, as if he wasn't aware but could respond to her.
"Pick up that rock!" she said, curious to test something. Elias didn't move or turn, but the rock pulled using gravity toward her.
"You are awake?" she asked, but he was not responding.
"Stop that, sister!" Her brother appeared at a distance from her and ordered in a deep voice. She was about to joke when he said, "That is Talent Calling State!"
Sasha quickly stepped back trembling, "I'm sorry!" She bowed to Elias's floating figure.
"Are you sure?" The nurse waiting for them to leave asked curiously.
"I am!" he said in a grave voice.
"Then we should not disturb him." She said.
"No. Just conceal him. Sasha, make him move to a corner. We will cover him, we need this place!" A doctor came, glanced at Elias before giving that order.
Her body was already weaving thread; she was the maker of the tents.
Sasha turned to her brother. He had said not to call Elias again because of his state and wouldn't do that just because the doctor asked her to.
He nodded at her, but the delay made the doctor speak.
"Elias. Will you move to that angle!"
Elias's floating body facing Sasha turned to the doctor for a moment, she flinched and stopped moving.
The atmosphere around became heavy, her forehead creased, goosebumps rising on her body. She, a bonafide Rank 2 awakener, was being pressured. But she wasn't feeling humiliated; S rank and above are that terrifying.
Before anything got worse, Sasha spoke, "Elias. They need the room but you can move to the side..." She too came to stop talking.
The atmosphere had returned to normal, but the way his attention was on her unsettled her.
It was as if he now didn't recognize her voice or was unwilling to do what she was saying. Knowing her brother was looking, she stayed unmoving; even the doctor had not moved, as well as the nurse.
A good one minute passed and then Elias floated to the angle, away from prying eyes. They all sighed in relief, and the doctor made a veil around his location.
Elias was unaware, his body was just responding to the stimuli around him.
Hours later. His eyes slowly opened, feeling the freedom, one that he would attain if he let go of his earthly tether, but he didn't; he allowed earth to embrace him.
He could almost feel her welcoming arms and tender whisper that he was not ready for the skies.
He noticed where he was, so he sneaked out without going where the patients were. They were mangled, in pain, groaning.
Elias didn't want to have any emotional impact, so he tried to ignore what he saw.
"Finally, you are out. Come, your new uniform is ready!" Sasha said.
"New? What happened to the last one?"
"You will see!" They went to the registrar. That's where he saw his old uniform, not only his but hers too and others'. They used to be black, but now faded. With his weak left hand, he squeezed them and they broke easily.
"Calamity plague weakened their fabric. You know, the powder I dusted around us aided the fabric to last longer."
Sasha, amazement in her eyes at finding something new, explained more, "The whole uniform was made to dampen the roar of calamity beasts and to protect us to a degree against their plague. Yours and Buddhist Hand's were in worse situations because you had been enveloped by the monster. Especially you, who was enveloped twice."
Elias nodded. It totally made sense. After learning Calamity Beasts release plague, he understood that everything an explorer or hunter would use must have certain immunity to them.
She guided Elias to his new uniform. Exactly the same, and he wore it easily. His left hand was no longer useless.
Then they went out to another tent where they were allowed to eat and rest for only 20 minutes before they would be kicked out.
Elias took his time to ingest loads of nutritious food before he was fully satisfied. "Now what?" he asked Sasha.
"Well. Exploration has to stop until further notice. With our success, the others are working hard to defeat the other calamity beasts, and guess what? The officials want the Explorers to defeat them numerous times until everyone tries, or if the beasts conceal themselves. The second is not possible; calamity beasts, when healed from injury, will always fight unless against someone powerful. And they know we can't kill them, so they will fight."
Elias leaned back and sigh. After resting as they were coming out, an eerie sound reached him, and he felt like vomiting, not because of revulsion but just a sudden response his body had.
"Damn plague."