Chapter 151 Volume III - Chapter 72: Miniature Fireworks
I showed my ID and was let in without any problem, just like the previous times. I found out that Celine's room hadn't been moved and went there quickly. When I went in, I was greeted by a different doctor than before, a woman.
Ronald seems to have taken care of the doctor issue... Good.
"I apologize for the sudden visit, I came unannounced."
I extended my hand toward the doctor and smiled.
"I'm Aiden Tenebra, Celine's friend."
The woman smiled back, accepted my hand, and shook it. She was a young, short woman with black hair and brown eyes. She looked, frankly, ordinary.
Well... I don't really care as long as she is being the doctor she is supposed to be.
"I'm Margaret Lays. Nice to meet you, Mr. Aiden."
After we shook hands, my eyes went straight to the screens showing Celine's room and I saw her lying on her bed as usual. Her hair was as long as when I'd left her. And she still looked thin, skinny even.
"Any progress?"
The doctor sighed when she realized I was looking at the screens.
"Not really... I've gone through all the records from before I was transferred here, but she doesn't look much different compared to them. Still... after much effort, at least we can talk to her now. Although she still can't look someone directly in the face."
So, it's not like there's no progress...
"I get it, it's good that she can even talk to someone other than me."
But that's only the beginning. We still have a long way to go.
"Can I go in? I want to talk to her."
"Sure, you can go."
After receiving her approval, I finished my conversation and slowly made my way to Celine's room without waiting. The first door opened, I passed through the corridor and the second door opened. When I entered the usual room and opened the last door, I was finally in the dark room.
Celine suddenly stirred and turned around with a single step, even though I didn't make a sound toward her.
"Aiden...?"
Her amethyst eyes scanned the room briefly, then focused on me. She stood still for a moment, saying nothing. She just... looked relieved. Her fear the day I told her I was leaving was now replaced by relief.
"Yes, it's me and I'm back in one piece, as promised."
I smiled, moved closer to her bed, and sat down next to her. Celine showed no reaction. She just shifted slightly to make room for me and then closed her eyes, resting her head on my shoulder. She was at peace. She was waiting for me to speak.
"I went to a dungeon, a dungeon no one knows about."
Celine nodded.
"There was snow everywhere. I felt like I was in the ice age, and I found myself in an ancient civilization that had collapsed as I went further. Of course, it was extremely cold, but the armor I bought kept me warm, thanks to the fact that I was a bit rich, although not as rich as you."
Of course, there's also the fact that I'm a wiera and they can't get cold, so I don't actually need the armor for cold protection.
"Oh, and I wasn't alone, I had a companion. He was a bit annoying at first, but he finally started to treat me like a human being toward the end of our adventure."
I told her about the dungeon, the view, and how beautiful it was. I told her about the trolls, the pains, and the spiders... About the challenges we faced, how we didn't give up and kept going. Celine already knew I was a hybrid wiera and that there was a madman inside me. That's why I didn't leave anything out. If I did and she sensed something through her sixth sense, I wouldn't know what to say, so everything I'd been through came out one by one.
Celine did nothing but nod her head as she listened to the whole story. Her eyes were always closed and she kept using my shoulder as a pillow.
So, we finally got to the present, how I ended up in this room.
"I mean... Yeah, I've been in a lot of danger, but I'm alive in the end and have won some amazing prizes."
I paused and looked at the clock, not knowing what more I could say. Half an hour had passed and I told her everything I could... What more can I say?
A deep silence fell over the room. Neither Celine nor I said anything and I started to dislike it as time passed. I looked at Celine out of the corner of my eye, she was still leaning against my shoulder with her eyes closed.
I put my free hand to my heart, listened to its beating, looked at Celine's face again, and felt a pain in the center of my chest.
It was the pain of my responsibility, of my weakness.
I reminded myself again and again.
Celine went through this because of me, because I was powerless. That's why I'm the one who has to fix everything, it has to be me. And since I've taken care of the dungeon... I should start slowly with that, shouldn't I?
"Celine... I know you've suffered a lot."
The words caught in my throat for a moment and I felt like pausing, but I took a deep breath and forced myself to continue.
"You've been through something terrible, but... I think you should try a little too."
Celine fidgeted. Her eyes were still closed, but I could tell she was uncomfortable. With her head still resting on my shoulder, her hand grasped mine and held it tightly.
Of course, I didn't refuse her. I would gladly hold her hand if it would make her feel better.
"I have no right to say this... I promised to cure you, but... If I don't find anything, if I can't cure you, will you be locked in this room forever?"
Celine opened her eyes and gripped my hand even tighter. Her eyes were still staring into space.
"Don't get me wrong, I haven't given up on my goal. You can try, you can give up, you can do whatever you want. I'll do my best to make you better, but... do you really want to get better? Do you want to come to group meetings with Lucia, Sue, Adrian, Julian, Alice and me like before? If you do... I only want one thing from you."
I squeezed her hand.
"Just... Don't give up, please. We can get through this. And we will. I believe that. I really believe that. Still... "
I smiled slightly as Celine looked at me.
"If you don't want to try, if you're scared... I can't tell you anything, I don't have the right to do anyway. So, it's entirely your choice."
Her gaze never left me. She just kept looking at me. I couldn't understand what she was thinking. And then... I sensed something strange.
"I think I dropped the mood a bit... I'm sorry, but I think I can make it up to you."
I raised my free right hand and Celine's eyes suddenly focused on it. I closed my hand, leaving only my index finger open. Then my mana flowed to my index finger and a small spark lit up the dark room.
After the spark, a small flame began to burn on my finger. Of course, I didn't stop there.
I opened all the fingers of my hand and pulled them to the side. My control over the flames was still very clumsy, so my efficiency was low. Still, my mana was not going to run out soon, so I kept going.
Many small balls of flame formed in the direction I had withdrawn my hand. Celine looked at them all with the same, soulless expression. She must have been a bit intrigued, though, because she focused on them.
I smiled and released a few of the idle fireballs with a snap of my fingers.
The released fireballs suddenly began to rise slowly toward the ceiling, but they never touched it. Because I disintegrated them like fireworks before they even reached it.
One by one, all the balls shot up into the air. Miniature fireworks filled the whole room, one after another, and I saw Celine's expression change for the first time.
She seemed mesmerized. She was especially focused on them.
I smiled when I saw that my little trick had worked.
"I made them with the flame mastery I gained from the dungeon. They're miniatures and don't look very fancy, but... even they are quite beautiful in a place like this, aren't they?"
Celine put her head on my shoulder again, fascinated. She squeezed my hand even tighter.
Her expression didn't change, so I didn't understand much, but... she looked happy.
I smiled.
For now... Just for now, that's enough for me. Just the sight of her looking happy might take some of the weight off my shoulders.
I created even more miniature fireworks, and Celine and I continued to watch them, barely speaking. Finally, when my mana supply was halfway up, I reluctantly stopped making fireworks. After all, the Absolute Mind needs mana to suppress my pain.
Only a few seconds after I stopped creating fireworks... Celine finally spoke.
"Aiden."
It was the second time she had spoken since I had entered the room, the first time in almost forty minutes that she sounded like she was going to continue instead of just addressing me. So I answered her earnestly.
"What?"
"Why... can I only look at your face?"
I paused at the sudden question. But I didn't make her wait too long.
I can't lie to her... I don't want to.
"I don't know."
Celine was silent, and then she broke the silence herself.
"I feel like you've come from another world."
The whole world stopped spinning, and time stopped. Celine's words echoed in my mind as my eyes widened.
What… did she just say?
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