Cherreads

Chapter 10 - Clinic

I dont know how much time has passed

I've caught myself saying that more times than I can count

Now I find myself in an unfamiliar place even for both lifetimes

The room around me breathes with quiet grandeur, walls of polished marble carved with swirling motifs that tell stories I cannot yet understand

Tall, arched windows draped in heavy velvet curtains filter the sunlight into soft pools of gold, their fabric embroidered with threads of silver and deep blue that shimmer faintly with every slight movement

Beneath my feet, the floor is a mosaic of tiny stones—each placed with care to form a river of color flowing towards a grand hearth that crackles softly, its warmth both comforting and foreign

No hum of machines, no flicker of electric lights—only the crackle of fire and the whisper of ancient air swirling gently through the high vaulted ceilings

The scent of herbs and incense lingers, heavy and grounding, as if the very walls have absorbed centuries of prayers and pain.

I am alone, yet surrounded by the weight of countless forgotten lives

I held my arm up as water dropped on my arm

Am I crying?

The tears came before thought, before breath, before even the light touched my eyes

My chest felt hollow and heavy at the same time

My arms ached

My ribs clenched like they were trying to keep something broken from falling out

"It's my fault…"

The words tore out of me without warning

"It's my fault, it's my fault, it's my fault—"

I slammed my fists into my forehead, again and again, like I could beat the pain out of my skull

Tears streamed down my face

I couldn't stop them

I didn't want to stop them

The guilt wouldn't leave

The flames were still there

Her voice

His promise

That stupid smile

All of it swallowed whole

Gone

And I was here

Why was I still here?

The tears poured harder

I couldn't breathe

I pressed both hands to my face, curling forward, rocking without realizing it

They were dead

And it was my fault

Both lives—two different versions of grief—flooded through my head like a scream with no end

And I let it happen

Because part of me knew I deserved it

I turned away from the light, shoulders trembling, breaths shallow and uneven

Then a voice broke through the stillness

"Hey bro..."

It was barely a whisper

A flicker of sound that pulled me back like a hook to the chest

I turned my head slowly

There, slouched in the far corner of the room like he'd just been waiting for the world to stop ending,

It was a friend

His posture screamed lazy, but his eyes were sharp and searching

"H-hey"

The word barely came out

I hadn't spoken since waking and my throat felt like gravel

He stood up slowly, walking toward the bed with that same cautious half-smile he wore whenever he didn't know what to say but was pretending he did

"You alright man I heard you lost control of your mana"

"I'm fine"

"You sure"

"Yeah"

"You sure sure? Or am I just imagining the part where you were crying like a baby"

I wiped my eyes with the back of my sleeve

"I don't need to imagine to know you're an ass"

He laughed, not because it was funny, but because that's how he dealt with things — loudly, and poorly

"Haha hah — whatever man but seriously why were you—"

The curtain suddenly shifted beside us

A soft rustle of linen broke the moment

With a smooth swish, the pale blue fabric was drawn aside, letting in warm sunlight from tall windows I hadn't noticed

The scent of antiseptic and dried herbs wrapped the room like a second skin

Footsteps, measured and sharp, tapped against the tile

A woman entered, coat trailing behind her like a ghost

She looked too composed for someone who probably hadn't slept in two days

Clipboard in one hand

Pen already clicking

"Oh Mr Debount you're awake"

My eyes narrowed slightly against the brightness

"…Yeah"

She stepped closer, gaze clinical, voice detached

"So how do you feel"

"I'm fine"

She raised an eyebrow

"Your body seems fine" she said as she flipped through my chart "Vitals stable, core pressure low, but intact"

She glanced at me again

"I said I'm fine"

"Mhm" she replied without blinking "You were told not to use mana during class so you'll need to head to the register after this for documentation and clearance"

"Quite weird for a second stage to lost control of your mana like that"

I didn't answer

I fiddled with the edge of the blanket like it might protect me from the conversation

"But next time" she said, scribbling without looking up "if you're gonna go berserk or collapse Mr Debount…"

She paused just long enough to be annoying

"…do it when it's not my shift"

A ghost of a smirk tugged at her mouth

"I'm joking Mr Debount"

she added without sounding like she was

She snapped the pen closed and slid the clipboard back into the tray with finality

"You've wasted enough of my time you can leave"

She turned, halfway through the curtain, then paused and looked back

Her eyes lingered just a second longer than necessary

Then she vanished

Riven let out a low whistle

"Man she likes you"

"Shut up"

"Let's go bro your imaginary girlfriend's probably worried sick"

"You sure it's not your imaginary girlfriend"

"Always with the comeback huh alright alright you win I'll just set you up with someone I met earlier, real classy, her name's George "

I ran a hand through my hair groaning

"Let's just get out of here before I have Ms Lazy ripped my eye balls out from your bullshit"

"It's not bullshit"

Riven said proudly

"it's called wisdom"

We stepped into the hallway — me dragging my feet, him walking like this was just another Tuesday

We reached the fork near the end

Riven slowed, turned toward his wing

"Hey"

I looked at him

"You're really okay right"

I nodded once

"Yeah"

He studied me for a second

Then shrugged

"Yeah yeah whatever you say"

He grinned, gave a lazy two-finger salute, and walked away

And for the first time that day

I didn't feel like I was completely falling apart

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