{Soul Witness}
{Title}
{Title gifted to the one who has perceived and witnessed the existence of their own soul. The Soul and the Body are innately Linked, this Unity between Body and Soul has been further enhanced.}
{Secondary Effect: The Soul gains a Trait which resists external alterations.
Additionally, the output of Elements is strengthened and the first step to Enlightenment is achieved.}
This is the new addition to her Properties tab that Kumi found after resurfacing from her 'journey of self discovery'.
'Well, this does prove that I wasn't hallucinating. That's great.'
Her eyes lingered on the secondary effect for a moment.
'Enlightenment? That's a term I haven't heard of before.'
Kumi looked up from the bottom of the pool which she sat in.
Two doctors stood there at the control panel, discussing something.
Kumi spoke up.
"How long has it been?"
The doctors, flinching for a moment, leaned in and looked down at her before one of them dashed off out of the room.
'It's not that surprising that the prisoner speaks every once in a while.'
Kumi sarcastically commented to herself before looking up and to the side.
The door remained open.
'They're still wearing their hazmat suits but they don't lock the door anymore. Looks like the storm has passed but they're staying cautious. That's not my problem though, get me some damn food! Call Raymond!'
As she looked away from the open door and was about to talk to the one remaining doctor again, someone other than a doctor ran into the room.
"Oh thank the hells."
It was Ayaka.
After accepting that Kumi was still alive and calming her worried mind, she started her ever so usual lecture.
"You were fully dormant this entire time. Do you know how much people worried?"
Ayaka let out a sigh as Kumi thought to herself, 'What people?'. Ayaka then continued.
"Regardless of who came here to speak with you or give you a breakdown of the situation, you just sat there like a corpse. What? Were you sleeping this entire time?"
Ayaka asked as she leaned against the railing, rubbing her forehead as she looked down at Kumi.
"I'm alive."
Is the only reassuring answer Kumi could come up with.
"I can tell... you should be fine now. The doctors were working overtime these past two weeks."
Ayaka turned to face the doctor who was still in the room with them.
"Drain the pool and take her to decompression."
Ayaka turned back to face Kumi.
"I'll go report to Hilde about you waking up. I'll come pick you up in a while to talk."
Ayaka turned to leave.
"I'm hungry."
"Oh. Right. Of course. It is late but the kitchen shouldn't be fully closed down yet."
Ayaka turned to the doctor, who nodded in response, she then left without another word.
Without a moment wasted, the doctor in front of the control panel pulled a lever as the liquid started to drain out of the pool.
Kumi stood up as she tried to take a breath of air as the liquid drained below her head.
Before she could enjoy any of the air though, she began violently coughing. The liquid, although it did allow her to breathe while inside it, had entirely filled her lungs.
The doctor pressed a button as a ladder extended from the top of the pool before he jumped down.
With heavy steps, he moved towards Kumi who kept coughing.
Holding the back of her head, the doctor took out a vial of sorts.
"Here, here. Drink this. It'll get rid of the water."
His voice was muffled behind his mask and suit. He held the vial to Kumi's mouth as she drank from it.
The liquid in her lungs started to evaporate as she let out a long breath, exhaling a blue tinged smoke.
"There, there. It'll take a short while before it's all gone from your system."
The doctor spoke soothingly as Kumi breathed in and out deeply.
The doctor then took out a different vial from the side of his belt.
"Great. Now sniff this."
Kumi did as instructed after a second, a burning sensation spread through her nose as the lingering liquid in her nasal cavity began evaporating.
"Alright. One more thing. Can you do it now?"
The doctor held out a handkerchief as Kumi nodded, blowing her nose.
The same vial she had smelled from was in the doctor's hand as he instructed her.
"First, we'll clean out your ears and then your eyes. Okay?"
Kumi nodded as she leaned her head to the side, still wiping her nose with the handkerchief.
The doctor changed the lid of the vial before letting out a single drop into her ear.
The burning sensation was the same as with her nose but lessened. Kumi leaned her head to the other side as her other ear also experienced that same burning feeling.
"Good job. As for your eyes... just keep them closed for now. We'll go through decompression and then I'll take you to the bath area."
The doctor held out his hand so that he could escort Kumi out of here.
Kumi closed her eyes as she nodded, reaching out and grabbing onto the doctor's sleeve.
Helping her up the ladder, the doctor lead the way into decompression.
Although her eyes were closed, Kumi could hear the doors opening and closing before she felt a mist of sorts blow past her. It felt like she got lighter suddenly, as if gravity had been stronger where they had previously been.
Following along, still with her eyes closed and dripping from the liquid she had been submerged in, Kumi thought to herself as she felt the room they entered start moving upwards.
'I still haven't gotten out of these clothes they gave me when I entered that pale void. Wait, now that I think about it, since when did we have an elevator that goes this far down?'
The silence stretched on for a moment, before Kumi asked the doctor.
"Was your overtime difficult?"
"Hmm? Oh, don't worry about it. I don't usually sleep that much anyway. Part of the job."
Kumi thought for a second before responding.
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay. It's not your fault, no one blames you, little one. After you wash up at the bath, I'll take you to the kitchen for some food, yeah?"
"Okay."
The silence stretched on as Kumi followed along behind the doctor. It was only interrupted once, when she heard a ringing coming from the doctor.
'Good to know these people don't hold any grudge.'
Soon enough, Kumi felt a familiar wind and a veil of mana pass by as they reached the hill with the bath house.
"Open your eyes for a moment."
The doctor said and Kumi obliged.
He held out a small glass bottle, handing it to her.
"Use this when you wash yourself down. It's fine if it gets in your eyes. After you're done, some people will escort you to the kitchen. I'll be off in the meanwhile, job keeps calling."
The doctor let out a chuckle as he reached out to pat her head, but missed as Kumi dodged out of the way.
"Pfft."
The doctor chuckled as he walked off with a wave.
"Bye, bye."
Kumi waved back before entering the bath house.
'Did they prepare new clothes? Better yet, can the kitchen bring food here?'