255 Recovery
Selma Payne’s POV:
I’d always hated the smell of disinfectant, but at this moment, I could turn a blind eye to it.
My body was so heavy that I couldn’t even open my eyes. The cold tube was placed on my wrist, and through the slight vibration, I could sense whether the liquid or gas was flowing through it.
This was probably a ward.
That was my first thought after I woke up.
My second thought was, ‘What time is it now?’
I didn’t know how long I’d slept, a minute or a hundred years. I couldn’t even open my eyes to look at the clock now – if there was a clock here.
After an unknown time, I finally gathered enough strength to open my eyes.
As I expected, this was a ward; a very, very, large ward.
Perhaps the designer who built this ward used to design a football field, so it was spacious enough to accommodate the World Cup.
Alright, this was a little exaggerated. My apologies for being so boring. It was really hard to pass the time while lying on the bed. There was no one here, so I couldn’t possibly be friends with a heart rate monitor, right?
After an unknown time, I finally had the strength to sit up.
It was only then that I realized that my powerlessness wasn’t due to exhaustion but because the progress bar hadn’t finished loading: my soul and body were still fusing, and I had to take back control of my body bit by bit.
Sitting down gave me a wider field of view. I realized this was a temple that had been transformed into a ward. It looked very new, without the erosion of the ancient temples caused by time. The four walls of the temple were engraved with totems of wolves and moths, and the top of the wall was painted with gorgeous crescent patterns. The continuous wave patterns were interspersed between the totems and the paintings, and the details were shining with a soft golden light.
It looked a little like the Moon Temple, but the meaning differed.
Why was my ward set up in the temple? Was it because my soul and body were separated, and people mistakenly thought I needed to receive blessings to recover? Even so, I should still wake up in the Moon Temple. What kind of place was this?
Just as I was wondering about the situation, the temple’s door suddenly opened.
Two people who looked like doctors came in and didn’t notice that I was awake.
Their coats were embroidered with familiar-looking wolves, moths, new moons, and waves of water with golden threads.
“Have you prepared the nutrient fluids for tonight? The priest will lead the prayers tonight, so we don’t have time to make it now.”
“Don’t worry. It’s all done. By the way, have you heard? Captain Kerner was seriously injured during a mission and was sent to the ICU last night.”
“I know. I was on duty last night. But don’t worry, Kerner will be fine. With her protection, no one will be in trouble, just like before.”
They chatted in low voices. Due to the curtain and the dim candlelight, they did not notice anything different about the patient on the altar.
I suddenly felt like teasing them, so I kept quiet.
One of the doctors skillfully changed the medicine on the drip while the other lifted the curtain and prepared to do my routine examination as usual.
The next second, he froze.
Looking at his disbelieving expression, I smiled and greeted him, “Hello.”
Time stopped.
Five seconds later, the two of them stood up in a flurry. Their rationality temporarily went offline in their panic. One moment, they stammered as if they wanted to say something to me, and the next moment, they slapped their heads and rushed toward the temple door. Halfway there, they turned back and mumbled, “Oh, goddess... No, Your Highness... Oh... oh my god, what am I saying?”
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Calm down. Breathe. Don’t forget to breathe!”
The two took a few deep breaths and forced their hands to hide behind their backs. They said shamefully, “I’ve embarrassed myself in front of you, Your Highness.”
“It’s okay. It’s my fault. I just wanted to scare you. I’m sorry.”
“No, no, no! Please don’t say that! It’s our... It’s our negligence! Yes, it’s our fault!”
Looking at their breathless expressions, I decided to change the topic.
“Where is this?” I asked, “Are you the doctors in charge of taking care of me? How am I doing?”
“This is your temple, Your Highness.” The doctors finally calmed down, though their flushed faces showed their excitement. “We dare not call ourselves your medical officers, but we’re just offering you a little token of our appreciation with our meager medical skills. There’s nothing wrong with your body, but you couldn’t wake up,” the priest said. “This involves the soul, and mortals can only be lucky enough to care for your mortal body.”
What a strange way to put it. My temple? I’d only been a god for a minute. Where did the temple come from? There were also priests? Could it be one of my family members?
Looking at the two doctors, they would faint on the spot if I continued to question them. I told these two excited people to leave and asked, “Alright then. Can I see my family and friends now?”
“Of course!” One of the doctors immediately showed an annoyed expression. “I should have thought of this earlier. It’s all my fault.”
He mumbled as he ran away. Her companion apologized to me in fear and guilt. “I’m sorry, Your Highness. He didn’t mean to be disrespectful to you. He was just too excited.”
“I didn’t want to argue with these two ill-at-ease people at all. I simply said, “It’s okay. You were going to give me a physical examination, right? Then, do it.”
“Oh, oh yes, I...”