Cold Light

CHAPTER 12 Sister

Darkness swirled around Kateryna like an ocean of ink. She thought her eyes were open, but she couldn't tell. Her body seemed to be detached from her soul.

A ball of blue and white light appeared before her, slowly growing. It formed into a pair of wings, curled like a giant ball. The cage-like wings suddenly unfurled, uncovering the white tiger inside.

Aether.

The tigress's eyes snapped open, glowing a vivid blue like fire in a snowy landscape.

Wake up.

Kateryna's eyes peeled open.

She winced as light entered her eyes. It felt as if she had been unconscious for eternity, and yet it also seemed like she was only out for a minute.

She was in what appeared to be an infirmary. The light from the curtained windows were dim, and cast shadows in the room.

Hardly dawn.

A slouched figure was sat in a chair beside her bed.

"Raiden?" Kateryna's voice was weak and hoarse from what must have been lack of use.

Raiden woke with a start, before noticing that Kateryna was awake.

"You're awake," he stated groggily.

"No, I'm sleep talking. With my eyes open," she huffed. "What happened?"

"You fainted," he replied, quite matter-of-factly.

Kateryna tried to sit up, but slumped back into her pillow, her body weak.

"That's getting quite repetitive. Anything different?" Her voice was bitter.

"Don't think that you're weak." Raiden shook his head, as if he had read her mind. "You got put into an unfamiliar place, then everything just seemed to attack you. Then you just found out you were the one in The Prophecy. Nobody blames you for falling into a coma. You got pushed too hard."

Her tired brain registered his words slowly, then her head jerked to stare at him. "Coma? For how long?"

Raiden stood up, shifting uncomfortably. "It's only been a couple of hours. Maybe ten. You weren't unconscious for that long."

Ten hours? I prefer not being in a coma, period.

She frowned and tried to sit up again.

A sharp pain pierced her stomach and she collapsed back onto the bed. "Ah." She winced.

Raiden looked at her worriedly. "You haven't eaten since you got here. I'll go get Celine."

Clutching her stomach, she hardly waited for a minute when a girl hurried into the room, a bowl of what looked like broth in her hands. Kateryna's stomach growled when the mouth watering aroma filled the room.

The girl stood beside her bed and smiled. "Hello Kateryna, I'm Celine, the head healer of this academy."

Kateryna nodded.

Celine sat in the chair and stirred the concoction in her hands. "This is made from a food of the angels, it will help you regain your energy. I trust that you know how to eat," she said jokingly.

She handed the soup to Kateryna, who began sipping on the broth.

"I can see that you're troubled. Don't worry, lots of people get injured and stay unconscious for a period of time. This is an academy for training and learning how to fight, after all." Celine paused, suppressing a chuckle. "I don't suppose that makes you feel much better though."