NOVPUBOutside the window, the trees swayed gently with the wind; occasionally, the chirping of birds could be heard.
Sunlight, filtering through half-open white curtains, sprinkled onto the neat single bed.
The air had a slight scent of disinfectant, but it wasn’t pungent.
The room was small but decorated simply and functionally. A tranquil landscape painting hung on the wall, and on the modest bedside table sat a glass of water, a stainless steel insulated lunch box, and a basket of fruit, as if someone had hurriedly brought them and then gone back downstairs.
"Ah!!"
On the white hospital bed, the young man suddenly awoke, and immediately began to pant for breath.
"Finally back..."
He muttered distractedly to himself.
Very quickly.
What caught his attention wasn’t the simple furniture in the hospital room.
It was the concerned face on the stool not far away, with green eyes that couldn’t hide his worry.
"Eduado, how do you feel? What did you dream about this time?"
The doctor in a white coat sat by his side, asking gently.
Seeing that the young man didn’t respond, the doctor added another sentence:
"You need to wake up, your body is in grave danger, and according to my diagnosis, the effects of the medication have been wearing off recently."
"..."
The young man stared blankly at the doctor with black hair and green eyes in front of the bed.
He remembered that he was called Eduado.
A sophomore at No.71 Middle School, currently on medical leave due to illness.
Numerous twisted characters and strange knowledge came rushing back with his awakening, inflicting piercing pain to his brain, and he clutched his head in agony.
How should combinations and permutations be calculated, and what exactly is the principle of momentum?
He only felt as if he had learned it and also as if he hadn’t.
However, this feeling was normal; learning was just like this.
"Your parents, to treat your illness, have sold their house, and the savings they intended for their retirement are almost gone. If you continue to torment them, I’m afraid they will have to sleep in the streets every day," the doctor said, glancing at the metal insulated lunch box on the bedside table.
"What, what are you talking about? I am the fourth Ancestor of the Blood Clan; I am Eduado, am I Eduado?"
The young man turned his head stiffly and stared blankly at his own reflection on the lunch box, clutching his cheeks.
He had just woken from a dream; the faint remnants of memories only made him remember how incredibly real and yet cruel that dream was.
He couldn’t even tell which was the dream and which was reality for a moment.
But for some reason, he now just wanted to fall back asleep, to escape the reality that inexplicably filled him with panic.
"Honestly, your parents are nearly unable to bear it anymore; they just brought you lunch, then they rushed downstairs to make payments again, you didn’t see their embarrassed and indecisive expressions," said the doctor with black hair and green eyes, tapping his fingers on a tablet and adding,
"I didn’t want to tell you this, but I think you need to wake up."
The doctor’s voice was still calm.
"No, I am Blood Clan..."
The young man’s mumbled words were filled with doubt; he only felt a blockage in his chest, preferring to believe that the reality he was in was fake and that the dream was the truth.
"Ado, I was worried seeing you dream yesterday," finally putting down the tablet, the doctor furrowed his brow and gazed intently at him.
"Ah, no!"
The young man broke out in a cold sweat all over his body. Simply recalling the terrifying fragments of the dream made him want to ask the doctor for a sedative.
"Alright, it’s okay, don’t think about it if it causes you pain," the doctor with black hair and green eyes stood up and gently patted the young man’s back as if to smooth out his breath.
Not until Eduado’s emotions had slowly stabilized did the doctor finally sit back down on the chair, looking at him kindly.
"Don’t obsess over that dream and fantasy world, and your condition will improve immediately. It all depends on your mind," the doctor said.
"I understand... Dr. Lan," with a voice as hoarse as that of a wild horse just subdued, Eduado lowered his head and responded.
In the quiet hospital room, the sound of footsteps occasionally passing by outside the door made him feel very safe. His attending physician, Professor Lan, was an expert in neurology and mental illness in the city. His parents had asked many people for help to get him into the hospital so that Professor Lan would agree to take over his case.
In fact, Dr. Lan was also a good person, even helping his parents with money upfront and saving costs wherever possible.
Next.
In the hospital ward.
"Eduado."
The physician began his consultation in a calm and deep tone, slowly, without any hint of rush,
"Please don’t be afraid, take your time to recall, is this dream the same as before? Has your perception of the world become more complete?"
Dr. Lan’s gaze seemed to penetrate that psychological defense line unreachable by ordinary people, fixing upon Eduado as he inquired.
"Ah?!"
Eduado suddenly became terrified again, instinctively tightening his grip.
"Eduado, it’s okay, this is reality, I am by your side."
The doctor continued with his patient voice, slowly comforting Eduado,
"Whatever happened in the dream won’t cross over to reality, and even if you accidentally fall asleep and enter into a nightmare again, I will immediately wake you up. Let’s make a pinky promise, alright?"
His voice was as gentle as a loving father’s, reaching out his hand, causing Eduado to widen his eyes, yet he dared not respond.
"..."
Gradually, Eduado began to feel a subtle dependence, like finding an anchor in a bay.
He reached out and touched Dr. Lan’s warm hand.
Indeed, Dr. Lan wouldn’t hurt him.
"In fact, your condition is not uncommon in the world, it’s just rarely encountered domestically. According to the data my mentor sent me, the recovery rate is quite high,"
Dr. Lan continued.
"...Do I really look like I’m getting better? Do I really need to struggle? It might be better to relieve my parents of their burden sooner rather than later."
Eduado spoke in a low voice, his teeth clenched.
"Think about it, you’ve been battling the disease until now, and often, those who persist this long with this condition end up recovering without exception... You’re brave, resilient, and I believe your parents are certainly proud of you."
Dr. Lan replied leisurely.
"..."
Eduado looked up at the male doctor, his disheveled bangs unable to hide his eyes, which blazed with the last bit of light like a desperate beast.
"This condition, in fact, signifies that the end is near when you are at your most painful moment in the hallucination. As the saying goes, extremes meet. Once you are tired of the dream, and you start to reject it, that means you have the hope to free yourself from it and return to reality."
Dr. Lan answered again, his expression calm, yet a smile could still be caught in his eyes, a joy celebrating for him.
"..."
Eduado remained silent.
Dr. Lan waited quietly.
"Doctor, what should I do?"
Eduado finally asked.
"It’s simple, your next dream may very well be your last. You just need to be willing to let go of everything, gracefully release your grip, sever the illusion, and you can end that dream completely."
"..." 𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒑𝒖𝙗.𝒄𝒐𝒎
For a moment, Eduado couldn’t respond to the black-haired, green-eyed doctor.
Just like he didn’t dare to jump out the window at this moment to verify whether he would die, could he in the dream really let go so decisively?
No matter how much he pondered, he couldn’t find the answer.
However, he now began to crave that answer, no longer wishing to be a sad patient deceiving himself.
Sitting on the edge of the hospital bed, with his back to the cold bed board, he fully revealed the scars of his heart.
"Listen to me, Eduado, relax more than you did before."
As Eduado was deep in thought, Dr. Lan suddenly said softly,
"You’re the bravest, stand tall, thank your parents, they’re waiting for you. Go home, to a place filled with happiness."
"Doctor..."
Eduado took a deep breath, not understanding why his eyes were moist at that moment, nor why a warm current surged in his heart; he just knew he wanted to continue talking to the doctor, asking him to unravel his confusion, and keep listening to his kind words, to be treated so tenderly.
"Let go of every burden, one by one."
"What is at the end of persistence?"
"Please, forgive yourself, forget everything first."
"All you need to think about is, from now on, what kind of life do you want to live?"
The doctor’s voice flowed gently, bringing Eduado to tears.
...
Calila watched as Lanci successfully led Eduado to completely fall into this fabricated world of Gentle Town; her eyelids twitched uncontrollably.
Now, she somewhat doubted whether something was wrong with Lord Unknown’s brain construction!
