Starting out as a Dragon Slave-Chapter 59: Hospital

"Once you’ve been through hell, there’s no turning back".

The first sensation he felt as he regained consciousness was that of cold. A biting, penetrating, almost violent cold. His body lay on a hard, cold, uneven surface. It took him several seconds to realize that it was the damp asphalt of a Paris street.

Isaac slowly opened his eyes, groaning under the pain that radiated from every part of his battered body. He saw the dark sky above him, timid stars barely visible between the clouds, and then felt the light rain falling on his face. He tried to sit up, but his left arm didn’t respond, as if paralyzed by pain.

A hoarse groan escaped his throat as he rolled with difficulty onto his side, coughing violently to clear his lungs filled with dust and blood. He was a few yards from the portal, or rather, what was left of it: now totally extinguished, reduced to a blackened metal structure, steaming in the rain.

His gaze shifted to the side, and he caught sight of his team-mates slumped beside him.

Erika lay on the floor, leaning against a wall, breathing heavily but still conscious. She was holding Maëlle, whose chest was barely heaving. Jonah sat a little further away, motionless, staring at her trembling hands, his eyes wide with astonishment. Rémi and Leïla lay side by side, unconscious but breathing.

They had survived. Barely, but they had survived.

Isaac gritted his teeth and struggled to his feet, staggering like a drunkard to Erika and Maëlle. His body screamed with every movement, but he held on, driven by a cold, implacable determination.

- Erika..." he murmured, his hoarse voice barely audible. Is she breathing?

Erika slowly lifted her head towards him, silent tears streaming down her face covered in dust and blood.

- She’s alive... but barely. We’ve got to get her to hospital right away. She won’t last long without care...

Isaac nodded weakly, his vision still blurred. He heard sirens in the distance, and a wave of relief washed over him. Help had finally arrived.

Jonah, slowly coming to his senses, approached in turn, his arm hanging limply at his side.

- Damn it, Isaac... how did you do it? It was... impossible... What you just did...

Isaac gave him a silent look, filled with intense fatigue but also a new determination. He ignored the question.

- Help’s on the way," he said simply. Take care of her first.

A few minutes later, ambulances and rescue vehicles arrived, illuminating the dark street with their red and blue flashing lights. Doctors in full medical gear rushed towards them, immediately taking charge of the injured, stabilizing Maëlle with emergency medical spells before placing her on a stretcher.

Isaac, standing in the rain, watched silently as his team was taken over, unable to move any further.

Then a man in a guild uniform approached him, placing a hand gently on his shoulder.

- It’s over, hunter. You’re safe now. We’ll take you too...

Isaac nodded slowly, his vision beginning to flicker with extreme fatigue.

Before he completely lost consciousness, a final system notification appeared before his eyes:

[Body analysis complete].

[Maximum mana capacity permanently increased: 340 points].

[Internal reconstruction required: recovery estimated to take several days].

[Long-term consequences for host unknown].

Isaac smiled a weak, bitter but determined smile.

- Never mind the consequences," he murmured to himself. I’ll be ready.

Then, in the arms of the rescuers, Isaac finally sank into unconsciousness, the icy rain gently washing the blood from his face as he was carried away from the alleyway that had become the dungeon’s tomb.

Isaac slowly opened his eyes, fluttering painfully in the dim light of the hospital room. The white walls, the light curtains, the sanitized smell... everything immediately confirmed where he was. He attempted a cautious movement, immediately feeling a dull pain run through every muscle, every bone in his body. But at least he was alive.

The young man turned his head slightly, his eyes coming to rest on a small vase on the bedside table, filled with fresh white flowers that wafted a sweet, comforting fragrance into the silent room. Beside the flowers, a beige envelope lay neatly.

Isaac frowned slightly as he watched it, intrigued, before a slight movement beside him immediately drew his attention.

His sister Léna was asleep on a chair beside his bed, her head resting gently against the mattress, her slow, regular breathing indicating that she had probably dozed off from exhaustion. He felt a pang in his heart when he saw her tired, pale, worried face.

Trying to sit up, Isaac let out a low growl, and immediately, as if that sound were enough, Léna opened her eyes abruptly, leaping to her feet, fully alert in a fraction of a second.

- Isaac!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide with the surprise, worry and anger already mingling on her face.

She leapt on him to hug him tightly, but held back at the last second, conscious of her injuries. Instead, she gently leaned over him, her hands clutching her brother’s blanket with palpable emotion.

- You gave me such a fucking fright!" she exclaimed in a trembling voice, her tone rising sharply with sudden anger mixed with her immense relief. "Do you realize what you’ve done? I get a call that you’re half-dead in a hospital, after a dungeon almost collapsed on you! What the hell are you thinking?!"

Tears were now streaming down his cheeks, his hands trembling slightly from nervousness and accumulated fatigue.

Isaac looked down, feeling a wave of guilt run through him as he saw the pain and fear in his sister’s eyes. He murmured slowly, his voice hoarse:

- Sorry Léna... I didn’t mean to worry you.

She sighed deeply, running her hand over her face to wipe away her tears with an angry gesture.

- You stupid..." she replied more calmly, letting out a nervous, almost hysterical little laugh under the released tension. "If you do that again, I’ll kill you, you understand?"

He smiled weakly, relieved to see her regain some of her composure. His sister took a deep breath, seeming suddenly to remember something important.

She reached over to the small table and gently grasped the beige envelope, presenting it to him.

- Oh, I forgot to tell you. This morning, a rather tall woman with a very stern look on her face came in here while you were still asleep. She said it was your share and that you’d understand what it meant. She put it there, then left without saying another word.

Isaac frowned slightly as he took the envelope. He could easily recognize Erika’s strict, methodical attitude through this description, still professional even after the hell they’d just been through together.

He slowly opened the envelope, discovering inside a thick wad of bills, and a hastily scribbled note on a scrap of paper:

"Your share. Rest well, Isaac. - Erika."

He smiled slightly as he reread these sober words, typical of the cold but fair captain. He carefully put the bills back in the envelope, feeling a touch of relief after all he’d just been through.

Léna watched him silently, obviously intrigued but respecting his silence.

- That’s what it was for, then... she murmured after a short moment. All this mess... all this danger, was it for that? To make money?

Isaac shook his head slowly, looking into her eyes with a rare sincerity, his gaze deep.

- No, it’s not. It’s not just that. It’s... complicated, Léna. I’m doing this to protect us, to protect you. To never feel powerless again, never be weak...

She remained silent for a moment, before nodding slowly, understanding in spite of herself what he meant. She gently grasped his able-bodied hand in hers, squeezing it gently but firmly.

- Just promise me one thing, Isaac... Don’t ever do that again without thinking, without thinking of me. Because next time, I’m not sure I can bear it.

He smiled sadly, gently tightening his fingers around his sister’s.

- I promise, Léna.

She leaned gently towards him, placing a delicate kiss on his wounded forehead, and they remained silent, in the newfound calm of this hospital room, lulled by the gentle sound of rain against the window.

The door to the room suddenly opened, interrupting the soothing silence into which Isaac and Léna had drifted. A young nurse, her impeccable white uniform a stark contrast to the semi-dark room, entered with a brisk, dynamic stride, medical file in hand.

She stopped dead in her tracks to discover Isaac awake, sitting up in bed, still holding the envelope between his fingers. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise, before a warm smile spread across her face.

- Ah, Monsieur Isaac, you’re awake at last!" she said in an energetic, reassuring voice, while quickly jotting something down in her folder. "You’ve really got everyone here worried!"

Isaac replied with a discreet smile, slightly embarrassed by the sudden attention.

The nurse put the file back on the small table by the bed, then looked quickly towards Léna, then back to Isaac with a friendly glance.

- I’ll call the doctor immediately to come in for a quick check-up," she continued efficiently. "If all is well, you may be able to go out today!"

She rushed to the door before he could reply, exiting almost as quickly as she had entered, leaving behind a slightly stunned silence.

Léna sighed, resting her head against the edge of the bed and smiling slightly, almost incredulously.

- Looks like you won’t be able to enjoy this hospital room for long, eh?

Isaac let out a tired chuckle, shaking his head slowly.

- Believe me, I’m not going to complain.

Only a few minutes later, a middle-aged doctor entered the room, dressed in an impeccable white coat, his glasses resting on the tip of his nose as he consulted the medical file in his hand.

He looked up, detailing Isaac attentively with a professional but kind smile.

- You look much better than when you first came here," he says, approaching the bed. "How do you feel exactly?"

Isaac inhaled deeply, examining his bodily sensations for a moment before answering frankly.

- Tired, a little sore here and there, but much better than before.

The doctor nodded gently, quickly checking a few vital points, his gestures efficient and reassuring.

- Your recovery is remarkable," he said finally, gently resting Isaac’s arm after checking his blood pressure. "I must say, you have surprising stamina for a hunter of your rank."

He sketched an impressed smile before continuing:

- Your physical wounds are almost completely healed, thanks to the care you received while you slept. Your mana levels have also returned to a stable level, even though you pushed your body to a very dangerous limit. He paused, his gaze becoming slightly harsher. "But let me be clear: you absolutely must rest. Your body has been under enormous stress and it’s absolutely necessary that you observe at least two days of complete rest. This is non-negotiable."

Isaac nodded slowly, sensing the importance of these words. He was aware that the consequences could be far more severe if he didn’t obey this necessary rest.

- I understand, Doctor. I’ll take these two days to rest fully.

The doctor smiled slightly, satisfied with his answer. He straightened up, closing the medical file with a confident gesture.

- Very well, then, you’re officially discharged from hospital. I’ll complete the discharge paperwork and you can go home. Be careful, though: rest is not a recommendation, it’s a medical order.

He extended a warm hand to Isaac, who shook it firmly.

- Thank you, Doctor. I’ll follow your instructions.

The doctor smiled again as he strode out of the room, leaving Isaac and Léna alone in the newfound silence.

Léna gently took her brother’s hand in hers, squeezing it affectionately and firmly.

- Two whole days, eh?" she said softly, her eyes filled with genuine concern. "Promise me you’ll really rest this time, not just pretend."

Isaac smiled slightly, gently squeezing her fingers.

- I promise, Léna. This time, I’ll rest for real.

She nodded slowly, soothed by his promise.

- Then let’s go home.