Supernatural: Chronicles of the Order 3
Chapter 37: The Siege in Gale Canyon, Part 1
(DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Supernatural because it belongs to Eric Kripke and Warner Bros. So, enjoy the show! Rated M for graphic violence, adult content, and adult language.)
I was in a sterile room in the hospital in Celebrimbor as I was being observed by the Medical Corps. After yesterday's scuffle with Reuben and Dean's ultimatum, I had no other choice but to rest up before the battle in Gale Canyon directly. In the sterile room, I was being put through the ringer as I was in a scanner that scanned my body from the inside and out. I never liked the fact that the Medical Corps were butting into my business, but I couldn't ignore the Elect's motives in which I had to get to Gale Canyon in order to shut down the Elect before they did more damage. Still, I didn't like being watched over by the Medical Corps too much as I wanted to just get to Gale Canyon as planned. In such a delicate time for me, I had to shut down the Elect before they did any more damage on the spot.
By the time I was finished being scanned, I got up as I was on my way back to my hospital room in which I decided to stay there instead of being treated to recreation at the behest of the Medical Corps. Although there were many fun activities to ponder on, I didn't have time for any of them as the thought of finishing off the Elect ate at my mind so slowly. The thought of them taking over the entire Ashizoka System worried me to the core as I had to get to Gale Canyon before they did more damage to everyone around them. When I curled up in the blankets of the bed that had its bedclothes changed, I heard the door open as I saw Reiko come in with a basket of food in her hands. She was concerned for my health the moment I rescued her and Kevin from the ghost pocket yesterday as she saw me sit up due to the hunger that I had.
"Good morning, Sammy," she said as she handed me the basket of food. "I trust that you're feeling a bit better after you saved us from that ghost pocket yesterday."
"I may be feeling better, but I'm not out of the woods yet," I said as I opened up the basket. "Once again, I see some muffins in there..." I stared at the treats as they were a colorful batch inside. "You certainly outdid yourself this time."
"You should try the cream cheese muffins. They're really good."
I grabbed one as I began to eat it slowly. The taste of the muffin I had was simply one for the masses as I noticed Reiko's touch into what was baked to its goodness so far. Of all the times in being in the hospital, I was easily comforted by the muffins that were baked as it kept my mind off of being cooped up in here. Still, I had to remain here under the watchful eye of the Medical Corps as they were more of a nuisance than a group of specialists that cared about one's well-being. By the time I finished up the muffin, I saw the door open as I noticed Reuben coming in here the moment he was ready to subject me to another form of testing sooner or later.
"You just had to come in here, didn't you?" I said as I was getting a little testy.
"The results on the scan prove to be the work of something within you that makes you more of a god than a normal Terran," said Reuben. "First, you were coughing up blood and now your body's defenses came into play just to get rid of what was ailing you."
"And you still keep me here under surveillance even after I didn't want the Medical Corps to intrude on my privacy."
"Let me remind you that if it wasn't for me operating on you during your surgery, you would've been in an early grave by now. According to what I received from Kazuo, he's ready to have you released from the hospital, but I won't allow it."
"If great-uncle Kazuo wants Sammy out of here, then you must abide by his orders. He is the Medic General after all," said Reiko.
"And what about Sam's health? He may have dodged a bullet after his defenses in his body kicked in, but there will be a time when his body could end up shutting down in which it'll cause him to deteriorate from what he showed off. You may think that his raw power is a beacon of hope that would lead us to a golden age, but everything will always have side effects."
"But Sammy isn't one to stand by while many suffer from-"
"Have you ever heard of the demonic trials of the Elder Days? They were the key to sealing off Hell and close most of the demons in it. The first trial consisted of killing a hellhound and bathing in its blood, the second one is to save an innocent soul from Hell, and the third one is to cure a demon in order to seal off Hell permanently. Sam's raw power is exactly mimicking the side effects that came from them in which his past self also suffered from them."
"And I'll carry that burden like this," I said. "The side effects of the trials from the Elder Days aren't like what I've experienced and I'll make damn sure that I put a stop to the Elect once and for all if need be."
I made my point clear as I didn't want to be put through the ringer from Reuben's stern lectures all the live long. When I got up from my hospital bed, I was ready to leave at any time as I didn't have time to do too much at this place. I had a mission to fulfill as I had to put an end to the Elect once and for all in order to stop them from doing more harm. When I was about to leave out the door, I saw Reuben blocking the door as he was adamant into keeping me here in this hospital against Kazuo's orders. He was fully concerned for my health, but he wasn't about to let me out easily as he didn't budge from the doorway. I was trapped by Reuben's stern stance as I was about to be put through the ringer with another lecture that he had in his arsenal, for he wasn't about to let me out yet.
"I won't let you leave, even if Kazuo says so," he said.
"I won't be a caged bird forever," I said.
"Let him go, Reuben," said a familiar face as he was standing behind him. "Sam's ready to go at any time, so I suggest that you let him out."
"Director Mitani," he said as he turned around. "You're making a mistake into letting Sam out of the hospital after he coughed up blood yesterday."
"And his defenses cleared them the moment he was hurt from the side effects of the raw power that destroyed the ghost pocket that was near the outer parts of this town. Even if you keep him here, you can't go against the Medical Corps' decision no matter what you do, is that understood, Reuben?"
Reuben nodded as he stepped away from the doorway and allowed me and Reiko to leave the hospital room. With Kazuo following us, we were on our way to the elevator that went down as we stepped into it. By the time we took it down, we were on the first floor as we were at the receptionist lobby where I was ready to check out at the last minute. I was home free as I was ready to leave the hospital until I turned around and saw the elevator doors open to see Reuben run towards me and knock me out onto the floor. The blow knocked me unconscious as Kazuo wasn't too happy with what he saw earlier, for the Iron Healer wasn't about to let me go right away."
"You didn't have to do that to Sammy," said Reiko as she came towards me.
"You may think that Kazuo has the upper hand into allowing Sam to go free, but I won't let him out on my watch," said Reuben.
"Was this even necessary to do so after he got the go-ahead to leave this hospital?"
"I'm not gonna let this patient go wandering off half-cocked in his condition, even if the Medic General has the means to let him out."
"And who had the gall to give you the order into going against Sam's wishes?" asked Kazuo.
"I did," said Castiel as he appeared out of nowhere. "Sam's health and well-being are much more important right now after what he showed off with his raw power, but if he is allowed to go free without a moment's hesitation, the side effects could damage him in many ways that even I can't heal."
"Once again, Ginryu's pet intervenes against the wishes of what the Medical Corps' decision to let him go home, but you can't keep him here in this hospital forever."
"Sam may have had his defenses in his raw power to dispel the side effects in him, but you can't let him wander free after what was happening to him so far. The Elect may be waiting in their enclave in Gale Canyon, but Sam isn't ready to face them right now."
"We'll keep him for another night, but after this, he's going out of here so he won't be confined in his bed all the live long. As for Reuben's actions, he's on his first offense, but he better not go past me the next time."
I was being dragged by several members of the Medical Corps as everyone watched me being taken back to my hospital room against my wishes. Even though my stay was put for another day, I had no other choice but to comply whether I liked it or not…
"You clobbered him after he was given the go-ahead of blowing this popsicle stand?!"
Dean's words didn't faze Reuben as he was sipping his coffee in the cafeteria. Even though he got his way, he was no match for the elder one, who was the leader of Colchuvar's group in the Hunter Corps, as he wanted me to be out of here and checking into a hotel here before going towards Gale Canyon as planned. On a grim note, Dean wasn't about to let Reuben off the hook so easily as he confronted him while he sipped his coffee and was ready to go back to work, but he wasn't about to be held sway into letting me go not one bit.
"Sam was slated to go to a hotel for the night and you clock him the moment he was ready to leave?" he said. "You know that you narrowly dodged Kazuo's shit list, but you can't pull that move on Sam again."
"And what about his health, Dean, or do you care at all?" he said.
"I care about Sam's health, but I also care about the fact that he doesn't like being under the watchful eye of the Medical Corps for far too long."
"And I won't allow him to throw his life away for no good reason because of the fact that he matters the most."
"Even if he stays for another night here in this hospital, he's not gonna be taking it quietly 'cause of the fact that he has to get to Gale Canyon before we all become slaves to the Elect. We can't afford to bottle up the only line of defense we have in our arsenal after what we've witnessed so far."
"And my answer is still no, Dean. If need be, I'll have no other choice but to put Sam under strict lockdown if he tries to pull a fast one and fly the coop. I'm serious this time because this isn't a joke or a debate. It's about keeping someone from going off the deep end before it's too late."
When Reuben finished up his coffee, he threw away his cup as he left the cafeteria. Even though he narrowly dodged a bullet from nearly being kicked out by Kazuo, he didn't want to budge as he would stop at nothing to keep me here in this hospital whether I liked it or not. By the time he went towards my hospital room, I was in my bed as I had a pair of handcuffs shackle me to it. I was being bored out of my mind as I recovered from what happened to me in the lobby earlier in which I had a bruise on my head. When I noticed Reuben sitting in the chair next to my bed, he was adamant into not letting me out into the open just yet as he was refusing to allow me to leave at any time.
"It's useless to resist, Sam," he said as he saw me fidgeting at the handcuffs that shackled my right wrist to the bed. "You know that you can't get out of here after what you tried to pull."
"I don't want to be in this hospital for too long," I said as I was struggling to get free. "You knew that I was ready to go, didn't you? You knew that as soon as I was discharged from this hospital, you would pull this on me for no reason."
"And what about your health or do you care at all about your well-being?"
"I'm fine, but I can't remain in this hospital room forever like a bird in a cage."
"Bite me, Tweety!"
"Screw you, Sylvester!"
"You're lucky that you dodged a bullet after what you displayed just to destroy a ghost pocket on the outskirts of this town, but you won't be lucky the second time when you prance off to Gale Canyon half-cocked! I'm serious, Sam! I may be dancing on a trip wire just to be a part of the Medical Corps, but I won't let you throw away your life so recklessly! Once again, your life is on the line, so I suggest that you stay in this hospital and think about your actions before you go forth without backup, is that understood?"
"You should be listening to Kazuo about this instead of anyone else in the matter. Besides, I'm good to go right now, so I suggest that you let me out of those handcuffs."
"I didn't listen to Kazuo this time. I listened to Castiel in which he told me about what you're suffering from. If you end up using your raw power too much to the form that is seen right now, then the side effects will be more dangerous in which no angel will ever heal you. You can't just wing it. You can't just allow yourself as a sacrificial lamb just to do so for the greater good. And furthermore, your life is far more important to-"
In that moment, I unshackled myself from the bed as I got up and went towards the bathroom while shutting the door behind me. I couldn't hold it after enduring another one of Reuben's stern lectures as I stood above the toilet and did my business. After I finished relieving myself, I flushed the toilet as I washed my hands. By the time I left the bathroom, I saw Dean coming in here as he was concerned about what I went through. Even though Reuben was still there giving me a stern look, I ignored him as I didn't want anything to do with him right now the moment I went back into my hospital bed and curled up in the blankets. I didn't want to see anyone right now after the stern lecture that I had earlier as I just wanted to go to sleep all day, but I wasn't about to get it any time soon.
"So, the ginormous invalid pulls through again," said Dean.
"I just wanna go to sleep," I said.
"Hey, Reiko wanted to know if you're gonna be fit to go with her to the teahouse for some dango."
"I'll go for it just to get out of this hospital for now."
"You're not going!" yelled Reuben as he stood firm next to my bed. "You think a change of air can do you good? You're wrong! You're staying put in this hospital room whether you like it or not! I won't let you do so because of the fact that you're not in fine health after you used your raw power to save Reiko, Dirk, and Kevin from a ghost pocket! If you even set foot out of this hospital room, I'll call security just to haul your ass back here!"
"Hey, you can't just keep him here all the live long," said Dean. "Yeah, I know about Sam's health, but you focus on the physical instead of the mental just to keep him bottled up."
"And what would you suggest? Allow him to jump through a fiery hoop like a tiger in a circus or perhaps guzzle down a bottle of poison? I've put my foot down and I won't relent or go back on my words. Sam's health is a lot more important to maintain than some mission right now."
"I've had enough of this!" I cried as I left the hospital room.
I was running towards the elevator as it was going downstairs to where the lobby was at. I was ready to check out of this place as I didn't want another stern lecture from Reuben ever again. By the time I reached the doors, I was finally out the door as I ran out with only my hospital gown and robe. I wanted to be free to roam everywhere until I saw Castiel stand in front of me for no reason. He wasn't ready to budge as he was ready to take me back to the hospital where it was nothing but sheer boredom and invasion of privacy by the Medical Corps.
"Get out of my way!" I yelled.
"You need to return to the hospital, Sam," said Castiel.
"And do what, exactly? By listening to Reuben's greatest hits?!"
"Reuben knows what he's doing and he has his reasons to keep you there in the hospital."
"It's about my health, isn't it? Well, I don't care about my life or health because everyone else is far more important than me. If everyone is so focused on me, what about the people I care about? Don't they matter the most instead of me?"
"You believe that your life is worthless the whole time even after you accomplish so much in the Order of Letters, but you can't just put your health on the back burner."
"And what about the Elect? They'll turn you into their personal buffet table just to sustain their bodies that have been damage to their sickly state we know now. I won't let them enslave everyone here on this planet and as soon as I light the final lantern in Gale Canyon, then it'll be over."
"You may believe that your sacrifice for the greater good trumps everything else including your health, but your life is more precious than you think, Sam."
"And how do you know so much?"
"During the Angel Expulsion, I was human for a brief time in which I felt more inclined with what was more precious than anything. All life is precious, even one who is pig-headed as you, because of the fact that we all have a purpose to live what is put in front of us. I even appreciated the taste of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before I stole an angel's grace for a temporary time and all I tasted was nothing more than molecules. Before I was human for a brief time, I even had a taste for hamburgers as well, but they tasted the same for me."
"And you're taking me back to the hospital?"
I turned around as I saw several members of the Medical Corps surrounding me in which they were ready to take me back to the hospital as planned. Even though I reluctantly agreed to return, I noticed Castiel walking beside me as he didn't want me to be bored here for just one more night in the place of boredom. When we were inside of the lobby, we saw the staff of the Medical Corps return to their positions as we went towards the elevator and back to my the floor where my hospital room was. By the time I got there, I laid back down in my bed as I simply curled under the blankets and was about to sleep instead of staring at the ceiling all day. I just wanted to close my eyes until I was being pulled out of my bed for no reason. I noticed Dean there as he was getting me out of bed instead of being cooped up in the hospital all the live long in which he wasn't about to let me waste my time being in bed for too long.
"Up and at 'em, Sammy," I heard him say as he pulled me onto the floor with my blankets around me. "You can't just let yourself decompose all day."
"If I'm gonna be here in this chamber of boredom, then I'm staying in this room," I said.
"Reiko's wanting you to go to the teahouse, so I suggest that you go over there."
"It's not helping… After getting an earful from Reuben and Castiel, I can't do anything but to sulk in this hospital bed."
"And it's weaning you from your spirit, Sam. You get bored from just staring at the ceiling the moment you get put in the hospital, but you can't just leave everything as is."
"It's up to the Medical Corps to decide, not me."
"That's Reuben talking, that's not you at all. You can't just stay in this hospital room all the live long 'cause being cooped up in here can do more harm than good." I notice Dean get into the closet as there was a set of clean clothes for me to wear. "So, are you gonna get dressed of do I have to drag you out of here kicking and screaming?"
I reluctantly agreed as I went towards the closet and got out the clothes that were cleaned up and ready to wear. Before I decided to do that, I went towards the bathroom just to take a shower as I didn't want to be dirty before wearing the clothes I had. With my robe and hospital gown stripped, I stepped into the shower as I turned on the hot water and began to clean myself off. The sound of the shower nozzle spritzing out the water was a very comfortable one as I felt more calmer than being in the entire hospital room directly. By the time I was rinsed off, I stepped out of the shower as I dried myself with a towel and was ready to get dressed. When I put the towel into the hamper, I put on my clothes, brushed my teeth, and did my hair as I was ready to go and leave the bathroom. When I got out of there, I saw Dean still waiting for me to come along as he was busy playing with my sandals in which he had them in his hands just to kill some time.
"It's about time that you'd get out of the bathroom," he said as he threw my sandals in which I caught them. "At least you won't be bored when we get to the teahouse for some dango."
"At least I won't be cooped up like a caged bird," I said.
"Well, if we're going to the teahouse, then we'd better get to it before dusk."
"Look on the bright side; at least I won't be bored by Reuben's stern lectures while I'm here in Celebrimbor."
"At least you won't spend the rest of your day decomposing while staring at the ceiling."
And so, Dean and I left the hospital room as we were on our way towards the elevator that lead downstairs to the lobby. When we took it downward, we stepped into the lobby as we didn't see Reuben anywhere on sight. By the time we got out the door, we were on our way to the teahouse as it was a very pleasant one indeed. When we went inside, we saw Reiko, Kevin, and Dirk there as they were waiting for us for a while now. We were all together as we were about to order up some dango and plenty of skewered meat and fish to eat after being here. When we ordered what we were paying for, we got into them as we were hungry for a while, for the teahouse was a lot better than the cafeteria in the hospital any day.
"I never tried grilled eel before, but this is great," said Dirk as he was tasting the food in front of him. "I bet that Sam never tried this before Reuben shackled him to his bed."
"I never got the chance," I said. "Every time I tried to go with you, I get deterred by both Reuben and Castiel due to what I've been suffering from."
"Is it the side effects of the raw power?" asked Reiko.
"They're not bothering me right now because of the fact that I recovered, but all Reuben wants me to do is to stay in the hospital for another night."
"And Reuben is considered to be a wet blanket, right?" said Dirk.
"You shouldn't call him a wet blanket," said Kevin defensively. "Reuben may be a pain in the ass, but he's no pushover. You should thank him for caring about Sam's health instead of demonizing him all the live long."
"All Reuben wants is to keep Sam in a sterile environment that keeps him confined," said Dean as he sipped his tea. "We all know that he's adamant into keeping one from flying the coop, but he doesn't know the side effects of what would happen next."
BAM! BOOM!
The sound of an explosion was heard in the distance as I got up from my table and went outside. It was a shock for me as I noticed several of Celebrimbor's human citizens standing in formation as if they were in a trance. It was the same behavior that I noticed during my mission to escort Charlie to Heinlein three months ago as I saw some of them being sleep-deprived. By the time Dean came outside, he grabbed the Fist of Hanyar as he put on his left hand in which he was ready to stun the human citizens that were under such a terrible trance.
"Son-of-a-bitch..." he said.
"Only the Elect can govern," said the human townsfolk in unison. "Only the Elect can show obedience. Only the Elect are worthy to be part of God's kingdom. Only the Elect will rule. Only the Elect will lead. Only the Elect will bring forth salvation. Only the Elect will be saved, for it is God's will."
"The Elect will never save you because they're feeding off of the chemical in your bodies to help you sleep just to sustain their own!" I cried. "You can't trust the Elect! And they'll stop at nothing to dominate all of the human race just to feed off of them until their lights go out."
"We will obey the Elect! It is their will!"
"I've got this one, Sammy," said Dean as he was ready to use the Fist of Hanyar.
In that moment, I saw my brother go against the formation of humans as they were ready to attack him. With the fist of Hanyar stunning some of them, he wasn't about to have the Elect get their way as he cotinued to release the people from the Elect's control. By the time all of the human townsfolk were stunned, Dean was nearly exhausted himself as I came to his aid the moment we saw the Medical Corps step into the fray in order to assess the situation about the humans being under the control of the Elect. When we noticed Reuben coming into play, he saw the disaster of what happened to the humans who were suffering from lack of sleep as he had to intervene at the last minute in order to lead the charge of carting them to the hospital as planned. For once, I didn't hear one of his stern lectures as I saw him hard at work caring for the human townsfolk that suffered from lack of sleep during the Elect's control over them, for this wasn't the end of what we saw earlier.
"This is getting monotonous," he said. "These poor people didn't deserve to become sleep-deprived just to allow the Elect to enslave them."
"They're doing it just to turn these human townsfolk here in Celebrimbor into their own personal buffet just to sustain their sickly bodies," said Dean.
"Is that what they're doing?"
"It's true, but one who is sleep-deprived can be cured by sleeping aids and such just to have them restored after what we witnessed earlier," I said.
"Sammy, what's going on here?" asked Reiko as she came out of the teahouse. "Oh, no..." She sees the townsfolk being pulled asunder by insomnia. "This is terrible. Those poor people..."
"This is nothing but a taste of what the Elect is doing," said Dean. "The Medical Corps is gonna have a field day after what happened here."
"What's going on here?" asked Dirk as he had his hands full with the food that was put into packages after we paid for it earlier. "Son-of-a-bitch..." He sees the Medical Corps carting some of the human townsfolk out of the streets. "What happened to the people here?"
"The Elect had them under their control in which caused them to suffer from insomnia," I said. "This is nothing but a despicable act of control that causes one to bend against their will."
"Which one of you is Sam Winchester?" asked one of the Medical Corps.
"I am…"
"Would you kindly come with us, please? It's very urgent to do so."
And so, I complied as I went with the member of the Medical Corps while Dean, Reiko, and Dirk watched in the distance. When Kevin sprinted out of the teahouse while taking some of the packaged food that was paid for earlier, he caught up with me as I was about to go back towards the hospital, but it was for a much different purpose in mind. I was most likely to assess the situation that was the calling card of the Elect's dangerous ploy to control the humans who lived on Alecrast, for their days were numbered the moment I was about to go towards Gale Canyon as planned…
Shigeru was busy in the kitchen as he finished up baking a chocolate cake for dessert. It had been a few weeks since he became Futaba's consort as he was also on things that went on in the Kingdom by the River. By the time he frosted the cake with chocolate icing, he saw it melt into it as it was a warm pastry full of such timing and effort. When he was ready to let the cake cool for a little bit, he left the kitchen as he was on his way to the main hall where he expected a message, only to see Matsuo standing in front of him for the first time in six years or so.
"You sure changed a lot since you left six years ago," he said.
"I just assumed the mantle of being both an Elder of the Order and the new head of the Mitani Clan after our grandfather's death," said Matsuo.
"I bet that Guinevere's already married to you by now."
"She is, but it's an adjusting stage right now. As for what I saw in the newspapers, there's been a mounting offensive to liberate Gale Canyon from the Elect."
"I heard all about it from our other grandfather who passes as Terran, but to tell you the truth on the matter, our maternal grandfather is actually an angel that's also a Knight of Heaven."
"Does everyone else know?"
"Not quite, but when I first saw him, he smelled like he came out of Spuds McKenzie's ass. It wasn't long until Cass pointed it out to me in which the angel who was dressed up like a homeless bum got cleaned up and is most likely to be hearing things through his angelic form of communication."
"Shigeru…, you've come a long way since you were suffering at the hallucination of Lucifer, but we can't ignore the Elect and their allies quietly. According to Ginryu, the Council of Elders have given the go-ahead on going towards Gale Canyon and eliminate the Elect and to have the final lantern lit over there."
"Count me in 'cause there's no way in hell that I'm gonna let those asshats have their way. As for Sam, he and Sis are about to go towards the heart of the Death Star right now, but the Elect will stop at nothing to deter them in their path."
"You speak of this Terran as if he's more like an idol than a god."
"I've known Sam since he saved me from a demon during my stay in one of the domed cities on Gehenna last year. After hanging around him, he's most likely gonna be needing help from me 'cause it's the least I can do for him."
"And we'll come to his aid just like everyone here on Alecrast, for the Elect will never control the galaxy with using the Terrans against their will."
It was at that moment that Shigeru was ready to go towards Gale Canyon to aid what was yet to be battled as the upcoming fight against the Elect was already put into motion so far. Sooner or later, the assistance to eliminate the Elect would be gaining momentum, for the fight would soon be waged in the final town where the last lantern remains to be lit…
I was in a room as I saw the numerous human townsfolk being treated for insomnia after being under the control of the Elect. The sight of them turned my stomach as I saw many patients suffering from sleep deprivation to the extreme while they were being cared for by the Medical Corps. Even Kevin wasn't too pleased to see such a damning sight as the patients were in dire need of sleep so badly. Still, I had to intervene as I was most likely to be performing a miracle to aid the patients of what they went through before some of them dropped dead.
"This is the most damnable proof that the Elect are controlling the human townsfolk here," I said.
"I've never seen anything like it before," said Kevin. "If Dean saw this, he'd have a fit right now."
"And I've left all my musical instruments at home..."
"As I recall, didn't you play music to soothe the people who were sleep-deprived in Chekiang once when you played the erhu?" asked the aide from the Medical Corps as he removed his cap to reveal a familiar face. "You should at least help them like you helped me when I walked."
It was Kei-Ying as he was walking without difficulty while using stilts just to maintain his height under his disguise. I never expected to see him here, but I had a feeling that he would get me to perform a miracle to soothe the sleep-deprived patients that were being held in this hospital. In such a bizarre way, I had a feeling that the boy who once suffered from Ashikuro Syndrome was most likely to have me play music to soothe them, but how was I supposed to find an instrument to play in this long hour of need?
"I see that you're a long way from home," I said.
"I couldn't let you fall under the cracks after you saved me once," said Kei-Ying.
"Does your mother know that you left Chekiang?"
"I told her that I would leave, but I can't let those monsters who've been enslaving the humans on this planet get their way. As for those people who are unable to sleep, I was hoping that you would play for us."
"But there are no instruments to do so."
"There's a piano near the doorway," said Kevin as he spotted it directly.
When I noticed it, the piano itself was something that was an old relic as it was one of those upright pianos that was designed beautifully and with all the materials to make it. When I went towards it, I opened the lid up while I sat down as I was beginning to play at the keys that were staring at me. I never played the piano before, but I was about to learn as I began to play a tune that I never played before. The sound of it filled the room of patients that were suffering from sleep deprivation as they were starting to fall asleep at the sound of the music that lulled them in their beds. When the patients were finally sleeping after enduring such terrible control at the hands of the Elect, I heard footsteps approaching in which I turned around and saw Reuben standing there with one of his stern looks on his face. As usual, he didn't like any form of distraction in such a sterile environment as he was willing to put a stop to what I was doing.
"You know that this is a sterile area where the patients need to have a little peace and quiet," he said.
"I hate to burst your bubble, but those patients were suffering from insomnia not too long ago," said Kevin. "Besides, if Sam didn't find that piano here and played for them, those patients would've never fell asleep at the last minute.
"Even if Sam played music here, there's also the strict protocol that one must follow whether he or she is in the Medical Corps or not."
"I just played music to soothe those patients and this is the thanks I get?" I said.
"You know that you can't be pulling this crap here or else you'd be put under such scrutiny by the Medical Corps."
"No, he's not," said Kei-Ying defensively. "Sam's got a lot of talent and if he hadn't played that music for them, they would've never made it due to what they were suffering from. Even though you don't realize it, Sam's most likely to succeed into what he was really meant to do and that is to nip the bad guys in the bud. I know that I have a lot a faith in Sam and so should you because he's been there helping those who were in need and is willing to put his life on the line to protect all of us from further harm."
"He's right," I said. "Even though you don't appreciate the music that I play, but didn't my talents be put to use to calm Nerinya after all that crying? Even in a situation like what we saw earlier with the patients suffering form insomnia, there is a proverb in mind and that is 'music can tame the savage beast.'"
"And Sam will help us because of what he can do. Besides, even if some of us don't have faith in him, we should encourage him to do what is right for everyone who lives here on this planet."
Reuben was stunned to hear such words from me and Kei-Ying as he was still seeing me play at the piano that was against the wall. Even though I continued to play at the keys on it, Reuben remembered that time when Nerinya was born as she once cried for a long time. With that soothing moment I made while I played the violin that time, he never expected to forget it until he was remembering what went forth so far the moment I lulled Nerinya to sleep. When he looked at the patients that were sleeping in their beds, he noticed some of them not waking up for a while as he had a feeling that my purpose into helping the people that matter the most would come into play once again. By the time I finished playing, I got up as I was observing the patients directly the moment they were sleeping without any form of difficulty at all. With Kei-Ying staying behind to observe the patients, Kevin and I left the room as we followed Reuben out into the lobby where we sat down at a bench. Our problems into dealing with what the Elect put in our way was more than enough to get over to Gale Canyon as soon possible the moment we were most likely to light the lantern over in the ruins there. It may have been a daunting task, but we had to pull through or else it would be too late the moment the Elect had their way so far…
Shigeru was going towards the train station as he was ready to go towards Gale Canyon as planned. Even though he was ruling as consort in the Kingdom by the River, his duties in the Order of Letters were mandatory into investigating things out of the ordinary. Just as he was about to go towards the bullet train that was on its way to where the Southern Stride was, he saw Futaba standing in front of him while she clutched at what she was carrying within her body. She was carrying his child as she was also adamant into putting faith into Shigeru the moment he was ready to join the assistance of flushing out the Elect and their allies in Gale Canyon.
"So, you're going over there, aren't you?" she said as she was standing in front of Shigeru.
"Yeah, but those asshats that are hidden in hindsight won't let up until every single Terran is enslaved just to siphon off of them in order to sustain their bodies," he said.
"It's been three years since you were there in Gale Canyon, but it was also the time that we met, only to go our separate ways after you fled the capture of the mountain Orcs and wildmen who took you into their hideout up there. I bet that you'd be hit with a side order of nostalgia sooner or later."
"That's not the only reason why I'm going there. Even though Gale Canyon was the place that I got caught in, there's not the just the Elect that worry me. There's also the proverbial pest problem that consists no only mountain Orcs and wildmen, but there's a lot of vampires that live there."
"Vampires?"
"According to Shotaro, vampires aren't the type of run-of-the-mill suckheads that you see in films or t.v. These ones are dangerous, they're willing to walk into daylight, and they'll kill anyone for blood."
"Has he killed a few?"
"He has, but he deals with the nests that even grow on the outskirts. All the same, crosses, silver, and garlic can't do crap, but the one thing that stuns them is Dead Man's Blood and the only way to kill them is to decapitate them. As for the problem with the Elect, however, they've kind of taken over due to the fact that some of the Orc clans and the MacVickers are fully concerned, so I'm taking charge and assessing the situation before anything else happens."
"Shigeru..." Futaba walks closer to him as she kisses him on the lips. "Be careful and stay safe."
"And I'll come back in one piece if need be..."
With Shigeru giving the thumbs-up, he went into the bullet train that was headed for the Southern Stride as planned. In a turn of events, the battle to eliminate the Elect was taking place, for the fight in Gale Canyon was already beginning as we speak…
To be continued...