Blackow Īrokk's perspective:
I felt the beeping noise fade away, and a bright light grow behind my eyelids, replacing the darkness that had filled the space around me.
I wanted to open my eyes but couldn't. A sound I recognized grew louder and louder—the sound of water rushing down a stream. My sense of touch returned as a light breeze embraced my chest.
My eyelids parted, and the warm light penetrated my lenses instantly, giving me an image of what I was experiencing.
Light green grass covered the ground, waving calmly as the cool breeze patted it gently.
Wild, unusual roses acted like a beacon for the many butterflies filling this heavenly garden, with their radiating violet and pink petals.
My vision remained limited, as I still couldn't lift my gaze, but I could tell it was a beautiful place—its peacefulness contradicting my situation moments ago.
My heart pounded rapidly.
Where am i?!
Did i die?!
What happend there??
How's Mom?!
These Were the dominating thoughts in my mind.
I tried to move, just to make sure of my state, but I wasn't able to.
I couldn't raise my gaze. Even my own eyes were not under my control.
The picture finally settled in my mind: the ground beneath me was much lower than before—or I was taller.
Even though my gaze was fixed downward, I could still see my naked torso. My chest and belly were muscular; I had six-pack abs, and I was much taller and bulkier than the 6'2 skinny boy I used to be.
Finally, my legs moved—but it felt strange. So strange, They were not moving by my will. My body moved on its own, and I felt like i was nothing more than a spectator.
I lifted my gaze at last, though even that small act wasn't under my control. To my surprise, there was a figure ahead of me.
A woman—or rather, a refined lady—stood with her back facing me, watching the stream. She stood gracefully at its edge, the breeze gently moving her wheat tresses.
Speaking about grace, She wore a crown, and her robe was royal.
A queen? What am I doing with a queen here? More importantly, what time period is this? I can't be dead and suddenly thrown into the Middle Ages.
She moved slightly, and I stopped walking, watching her closely.
Her eyes were strange—bright, glowing with golden light as they met mine. There was a shy, almost needy expression in them, radiated from her.
The grass beneath her feet swayed slowly, as if embracing her. Everything around her seemed careful, a mutual yet careful gesture between wind and earth, almost afraid she might be hurt, making her presence stand out even more, as nothing in this garden matched her color.
I had no idea why i felt warm, like i knew these eyes well, not just the eyes, this body, this person, but nothing about this situation made sense. It felt like I had fallen into a fantasy book.
That doesn't mean im dead… or i might be dreaming?
No.. this doesn't feel like a dream, it feels real, too real.
no dream can be so detailed.
My thoughts were interrupted as she began approaching me. Her face appeared paler as she came closer until she stood just three feet away, small compared to my new body, her head only reaching my abdomen.
A strange feeling crept over me.
She finally spoke, biting her lip softly.
"Blackow…"
Her voice was warm yet fragile, sending goosebumps through me.
But wait..? she knows my real name?? Oh of cource she knows in this magical realm!
I felt something wet slide down my cheeks. Am I crying? This is embarrassing and so unexpected.
A chuckle escaped her mouth as her own tears did her gloden eyes at the as well.
"I just can't believe you are here with me now, in my own garden where I'd never imagined you and I are going to stand facing each other again Bee.. I thought you died and gone and it was all my fault! If I had acted a little earlier i could've prevented it, I never thought I could forgive myself for that, even now it is just hard enough, but here you are with me, in flesh!"
I couldn't understand shit. What is happening here??
And once again, I wasn't sure how many surprises I had as I heard my own voice—too rough and too tired:
"Neither do I."
She responded with a chuckle. A pretty smile appeared on her face, and again I cried from the inside, like I knew this beauty. I couldn't say no to that—she was too gorgeous—but I didn't know what was going on!
She cut my thoughts with a worried question:
"Bee, I can't call you by any of your identities here. What should I call you when we aren't alone?"
I responded in that rough voice, but with a softer tone contradicting its shape:
"I think Zyrren. Yeah, call me Zyrren. It won't be distant from me."
That is too much. Zyrren? That name is anything but related to me. My second identity, "Luke," is much better. Why did I have to use such a name?? Like, can't I ever get a good secondary name?
Again she spoke:
"I realized you had never seen this before."
I knew the expression I gave her—a questioning yet excited look—but true inner expressions of mine? I was confused.
Shockingly, her wheat-blonde hair began to burn—or so I thought. It wasn't burning; it was flaming with red and orange flames, without a single strand being harmed. The same applied to her robe, making me even more confused as I tried to grasp what was going on.
And to make things worse while trying to rationalize what I was seeing, I suddenly collapsed to the ground. My chin hit the ground the next second after witnessing what she had just done.
She let out a worried:
"Oh! Are you okay?!" while leaning toward me.
I got up quickly and looked her in the eyes, trying to make the situation less embarrassing:
"Is that another thing I have never seen before?"
I froze in shock the moment i finished my sentence, I had said that.
This was no thought, i could controll my body??
I tried moving my fingers to reassure myself, then my feet, like a child testing his limits. She observed me, tilting her head, then let out a soft laugh.
"It's just weird how much bigger you got and still act as innocent as a toddler."
Yes, I was in control of my own body—finally.
But wait…
What am I going to say now? What should I do? What do I call her? I don't even know her name. Should I address her?
I have to ask her what is going on, but not in a way that exposes my ignorance. We seemed to know each other too well, which is confusing. I just met her, but this feels real—I shouldn't fail this.
I cleared my throat. Our eyes met as I did:
"The only queen I mean to bend my knee to."
Shit, this has to work.
"Ugh, Bee, the only one I don't want to hear this from is you! I'm not a queen in front of you—and only you."
Shit! I didn't expect that.
"I refuse to strip your grace. As the only man to whom you grant such authority, I'm going to use it as I like."
With a big, proud smile, I placed my hands on my waist, begging this not to fail.
She laughed again. I let out an inner sigh. These boring books i read really came in handy. She wiped a tear after her laughter stopped and said: "this is coming to my liking"
"Im willing to ask you, you do know what happend when i was caught by the corrupted right?"
She bit her lip, and a brief shadow i didn't like appeared on her face instantly.
"Yeah…" Her tone changed and lowered as she lowered her gaze toward her feet.
Now I don't like where this is going. A gut feeling made my stomach ache.
"Umm… what do you mean by 'yeah'?" I asked.
And what I heard next was nothing but a beeping sound as she parted her lips, her eyes wide with sadness.
I tried to read her lips, but the sudden increase of the beeping noise stole my focus. I closed my eyes as I couldn't stand it anymore, my expression reflecting the agony caused by the sound penetrating my ears and thoughts.
Moments later, I collapsed to the ground as I lost my balance. The beeping vanished.
When I opened my eyes, I saw no queen, no garden, no sunrays—nothing.
What I saw instead was what turned to be a ceiling.
I was between four white walls, dimly lit by a cold white light bulb.
That can't be reality now. What I just experienced was nothing but a dream??
I bit my lip, seeking pain to confirm whether this was real.
Indeed.
I wasn't dead or teleported to another world. I was relieved—but that relief was brief. I felt a sudden pressure against my forehead when I tried to move my head. I was restrained.
My entire body was tied to what I could tell was a bed, and thankfully not the cold ground. Surrounding the bed were numerous devices I had just noticed—medical equipment attached to me.
I panicked. I had seen this in movies before. I cursed my situation. What was happening to me? Where am I? Am I in a hospital or some kind of basement from a horror movie?? And where is Lloyd? And more importantly—Mom??
I unleashed a loud scream hoping somebody would come here.
While waiting, I checked if I was in one piece. I couldn't move my head to see my body, so I checked my limbs—toes, fingers—while kept on insulting Lloyd. If that shit of a brigadier had arrived on time, I would have never ended up in such a condition.
******
Both men waited in a room, General Lloyd Smith and his friend, Doctor Lane Oiller.
Lloyd sat uncomfortably with Lane facing him, while Lloyd nervously shook his leg.
Lane spoke after noticing Lloyd's behavior:
"Hey, I'm indeed sorry for your loss, okay? But this opportunity can't be wasted. The boy is a miracle. Despite what happened, his body found a way to shift the odds—although not completely. He is going to be the hope for many. If we announce—"
"We aren't announcing shit!" Lloyd snapped, interrupting him angrily.
"There is no way I announce him to the public—not after what his parents have done in all these the years. They were the ones protecting him by giving him a new identity and having him live up in the mountains in a village. It is true I don't fully understand why they did this, but whatever protection they put, it never waited for me to destroy it and justify it with heroism. People can die; they will find their way—and it doesn't have to be through him. Humanity has always found solutions."
"I don't think I understand your concern. Why is it so important to hide him? I know you were never told why, but this doesn't make sense to me."
Lloyd looked down at his feet, grinding his teeth.
"Isn't it obvious? We're hiding him because there are people out there looking for him. I don't know who they are, but whoever they are they hold no good intentions, That means they have knowledge of his blood."
Lane looked in confusion: "That just makes it worse. This means they probably know about the possibility of a cure or some sort of gene shifting. Otherwise, why would they be trying to find him? But that raises the biggest question—this doesn't make sense at all. The plague appeared just four years ago, and the boy is fourteen. If your story isn't affected by your need to piss or urge to drink, then this is a complete shit show that has been running for more than fourteen years taking advantage of everyone's ignorance."
Lloyd sighed: "We are in a barbecue cooked well done. I realized there is a bigger thing since before the plague appeared. I didn't want to make a show of any of it. I didn't know anything about his blood capabilities because I wasn't allowed to see what's behind his parents. It's only now starting to become clear. To be fair I never thought of his blood as a target or as something that carried a secret. I just assumed he was hidden because of his family's name."
Lloyd began snapping his fingers in his own way. Having only one arm required a unique solution—he bent his fingers backward under his chin until they cracked, then looked at the dim light above him and spoke in a strained tone: "I was the fourth person Luke ever met. After his mother, the midwife, and his father, it was me. I was his father's closest friend. Having no relatives he grew up calling me Uncle Lloyd. The lad even lived under my roof for a couple of years and shared the same bed with my eldest daughter and my late son. He is one of my family. I won't give him up for the sake of this world. I'm no hero—people died before and will continue to die. You might not understand me now, but would you sacrifice your son for the sake of this already trash of a world?"
Thick silence filled the room for moments, until it snapped.
by the sound of a scream ripping through the air from down the hall.
Lloyd froze. Just for a second.
"Shit."
He was already moving before the word finished leaving his mouth. followed by Lane, both of them rushing down the hall. a pale and shaken nurse was stumbling out of Blackow's room, as she was about to step out to warn Lloyd and Lane, they stepped inside.
Lloyd halted.
Blackow was upright, restrained and breathing hard. The moment his eyes landed on Lloyd, his expression twisted into anger, sharp and immediate.
Lloyd opened his mouth, then pulled back. Instead of talking, he stepped closer insted, with a relieved look of a father, even though his skin was paler than usual.
He held his right lone arm to him, to ground the moment, trying to make it normal, even though he knew it was anything but normal.
"What is the meaning of this?!" Blackow snapped, pulling against the restraints. "Why am I tied up like some psycho?!"
Lloyd tensed, shoulders lifting slightly. He hesitated.
This is his first time in years to run out of words, to not be able to explain.
"It's… complicated."
The answer sounded empty even to him.
Blackow stared with frustration building fast. "Forget that—where is Mom?"
Lloyd didn't answer, instead. He sighed heavily.
His gaze dropped.
"I'm asking you uncle!" Blackow's voice rose, tight with something close to panic. "Are you not going to answer any of my questions?!"
Lloyd closed his eyes, clenching his teeth, feeling the weight of the words for the first time in years. Stuck in his throat.
He tried to find a way around it.
There wasn't one.
He opened his mouth anyway.
"Luke…"
A beat.
"You ate your mom."