Clara's voice filled the room gently but firmly.
"He's here."
The words seemed to echo in the silence, and within moments, I felt them stepping closer to me. A man leaned over me, his movements quick but precise.
"Let's take a closer look…" the doctor said, then gently touched my eyelid with two fingers. "Please turn your head to the right… Now to the left… Open your mouth…"
I obeyed, though my muscles were still stiff. The doctor examined me carefully, his fingers lightly touching my jaw before finally pulling back.
After a brief silence, as if speaking more to Clara than to me, he said:
"He wasn't simply paralyzed. He was held in sleep paralysis. And in a supernatural way—where his body remained here, but his soul was taken to an entirely different plane."
My jaw tensed as I tried to make sense of his words.
"What do you mean by that?" Clara interjected.
"It means," the doctor continued seriously, "that someone likely wanted to talk to him. Or perhaps they had another purpose."
"Wanted to talk to me?" I asked, my throat tightening.
"It's impossible to say. Do you remember anything?"
"Only fragments…" I muttered. "Voices, sensations… but nothing concrete."
The doctor nodded, as if this was exactly what he expected.
"Understandable. They likely gave you back some of your awareness… then took it away again."
Clara stiffened, her expression darkening.
"But why would someone do this?" she asked quietly, almost to herself. "Why… especially an angel… why would they do such a thing?"
The doctor sighed and rubbed his forehead.
"I don't know," he admitted. "But whoever it was, they had the ability to do it. And now, if you'll excuse me…"
He stood up, adjusting his coat with a swift motion.
"…I have another appointment to run to. A lot to do."
He gave a few more instructions: I needed to rest, avoid exerting myself, and…
"Pull yourself together before the camp." Then he stormed out.
The camp. The word suddenly stuck in my mind.
"What camp are we talking about?" I asked sharply.
The room fell silent, as if everyone was holding their breath. Then my gaze landed on Clara, and she answered with a wistful smile.
"Believe me, darling, I'd love to lie to you. Especially now that your third month is almost over… that is… you only have one month left."
The words fell on me like cold rain.
"However," Clara continued, "your actions have consequences. I'm not saying I'm sorry, because I think you got the lightest punishment possible. But I sincerely hope that they didn't use your consciousness to torture you. Did you feel anything like that?"
I shook my head.
"No… I don't think so."
"Well… I think you felt something better," Elis muttered.
"Elis!" Clara scolded her sternly.
"Did you really feel nothing?" she asked again. "Wasn't it like your soul was burning?"
"No… I didn't feel anything like that."
Elis pursed her lips and quietly added:
"I think your soul did burn… just from something else."
Clara shot her a sharp look, to which Elis raised her hands, feigning innocence.
"Alright, alright…"
Clara finally sighed and looked deep into my eyes.
"The situation is that you have to serve here for at least another year. And that's just a probation period."
I felt something tighten in my chest, but I said nothing.
"The ruler made a firm decision about it. Just as he decided that you're being sent to the other side of Rindanof."
I raised an eyebrow.
"The other side?"
"The more dangerous side," she clarified. "There's a camp there, and you're going with your assigned team. You'll be guarding the border."
A heavy silence settled over the room. But Elis couldn't hold back.
"Which border?" she asked her mother, a bit anxiously.
Clara replied grimly.
"The danger zone."
The air in the room froze.
The words became heavier as I started piecing together the gravity of the situation. But one thing was certain: I still didn't regret what I had told the ruler. If this was my punishment, so be it.
I stood up and looked at Clara and the others with determination.
"I'll face it. If the ruler wants to unleash the heavens on me, I'll still climb out from under it."
"Avarka…" Clara spoke gently, but there was concern in her voice. "Don't be reckless. This isn't a game. The danger zone is no dreamland. Anything can happen there."
Elis placed her hands on her hips.
"Did you watch the flash drive we gave you when you arrived?"
I averted my gaze.
"Not really…"
"Well, that's a bit of a problem…" Clara sighed. "But it was expected. Take it with you!"
Elis tilted her head, then spoke softly:
"But for now, get yourself together, because we're having a little farewell party."
She looked me over and added with a smirk:
"And please… take off that outfit. If the one you were with in your dream didn't take it off, then I will."
I only responded with a teasing grin and stuck out my tongue at her playfully. I wasn't expecting a reaction, but suddenly, Clara burst into laughter.
"Oh, girls, sometimes you can be such silly little fools," she said, her voice purring with affection. "But I love you so much!"
Before we could respond, she pulled us into a big, warm group hug. Clara held us tightly, as if her embrace could smooth away all pain and uncertainty.
"I'll protect you, sweetie," she whispered to me, her eyes shining with pure sincerity. "Nothing will happen. We'll help you however we can."
For a moment, I believed her. That as long as Clara was with us, nothing bad could happen. Then her voice changed, becoming deeper, as if she wanted to etch something important into me.
"But always keep your heart in the right place. Never forget that."
And then…
"However, when you're in the danger zone… don't let your heart decide. Only logic. If there's trouble, don't be a hero. Look for an escape route, run, defend. And under no circumstances let the mad souls manipulate you."
Elis interrupted with her usual mischievous smirk:
"Yeah, those bastards love to manipulate. Think about it—if they were smart enough to evade the law their whole lives, yet still didn't choose a normal path, imagine what they could do to someone who believes their words?"
A chill ran down my spine, but I didn't let Clara see it. I just nodded.
We exchanged a few more words, and then Clara said goodbye.
"I'll leave you now, enjoy yourselves, relax a bit, but we'll meet again tomorrow," she said, and then left.