𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 | 𝖲𝗉𝖺𝗆𝗍𝗈𝗇 𝗑 𝖱𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐨

You weren't expecting to still be in Cyber City when you opened your eyes. This time though, you woke up in a place that almost looked familiar. You could tell you were in a hospital. You noticed that the pain in your head was gone. You hesitantly felt around the spot where your head was hit, finding nothing, not even a scar. Almost as if it never had been hit.

A robotic nurse entered your room shortly after you awakened. She was wearing a uniform similar to the standard nurse outfit you were used to in the real world. Instead of a face, she had a LED screen covering the entirety of where her features should be. She seemed pretty nervous around you. She was carrying a tray of some bite sized fresh croissants and a glass of orange juice. She set the tray on your nightstand and stood there next to your bedside, scanning you with her eyes, before speaking in her soft mechanic voice.

* How are you feeling, dear Lightner?

Lightner? That was weird. The nurse looked expectantly at you, waiting for your reply. Your mouth felt very dry when you opened it to speak.

"I feel...ok, I guess." you answered.

The nurse's eyes lit up and she looked satisfied with your reply. Her LED screen face displayed a happy expression in a neon pink color.

* That's great news!

The thought of that man came to mind. What was his name again? That...didn't matter right now. Did he bring you here though?

"H-hey...um...how did I end up in here?" you asked her.

The nurse looked at you with a kind expression once more.

* An Addison brought you here. He told us you fainted in the middle of a deal or something like that. Your head was bleeding... we were all so worried for you. It's not everyday a Lightner comes here with a concussion!

"An...Addison? That can't be right...his name was...S̵̱̦̼̽p̵̨̜̠͌a̵̡̙̣̓m̶̪͂̍t̷̨̊̐ó̴̡͍͚n̴͎͐!" you exclaimed as you recalled the name of the man you met that night. Your head gave you a light bang, almost as if it was warning you to not attempt to remember and tire yourself further.

The nurse looked at you a little confused, before an exclamation mark appeared on her LED screen.

* Oh, of course. You wouldn't know what an Addison is, you're a Lightner! Addisons are...Darkners who advertise various products, much like the man who brought you here. Although he didn't look like your average Addison, I could tell he was definitely one. He wouldn't stop talking about products and special deals.

Her explanation just left you more confused. Lightners, Darkners...what was all this? The nurse must have picked up on your confusion because as soon as she finished speaking, she began explaining again.

* Oh, dear! You don't know... The monsters who live here, in the Dark World, are called Darkners, whereas you and the monsters who live in the Light World are called Lightners. Our people used to live in harmony until....the Lightners abandoned us and sealed us here.

She now had a sad face displayed on her screen. You couldn't help but feel sorry for them. You had no idea what to make of it though.

"I'm.. sorry." you told her. You truly were. Whatever...your people did to the Darkners sounded bad. You could only imagine they felt betrayed.

* Oh...it's alright. What's done is done I guess. And you don't seem like a cruel Lightner either so, I guess you're cool.

The normal expression returned to her face, she appeared calmer now. She turned to face you and extended her right hand to you.