Is it worse to die or to not be remembered that you ever lived? I wonder…
Birds on the balcony sang a sweet melodious chorus of seemingly never repeated notes. It was the constant chirping which woke him up. Squall tried to move, but his body felt like a rock. Slivers of light peeped through the curtain, casting thin golden stripes across the room. He slowly opened his eyes, but quickly shut them because of the sudden influx of light. He tried again, this time even slower, letting his eyes slowly adjust to the ambiance light. He could hear the bustling from the street below.
Reluctantly, he woke up and looked at the clock, and it was a few minutes past 9 a.m. He pandiculated in his makeshift bed, but immediately retracted his left arm in pain. He felt stiffness moving it from the shoulder socket. He braved the pain and got up. He rubbed the remainders of sleep from his eyes while yawned loudly before realizing that he was not the only one in the room.
He looked at Lunafreya and found her blissfully sleeping.
'This girl can sleep through anything.'
He found a set of brush and toothpaste as part of the amenities in the bathroom cupboard. He finished his morning rituals and got ready.
He noticed there were many cuts on his pants and his T-shirt had a tear.
'I need to get new clothes.' He concluded.
Right on cue, his stomach growled, competing for his attention.
'I need some food too.' He added to his things-to-do list. He looked at the sleeping girl and remembered.
'I need to get a doctor for her too.' He thought, placing his hand on his forehead in his typical style.
'You know what's common between clothes, food, and doctors? Money. They all need money. Where am I going to get money from? I don't even know which currency they use in this world,' he wondered.
'No point in standing here and thinking about it. Might as well go out and see what is available,' he concluded.
He grabbed his jacket and room keys before stepping out and gently closing the door. He turned around to see Umbra already waiting outside.
"You coming too?" He asked.
Umbra barked happily in response.
"If the hotel owner asks how a dog got in the hotel, then I am not saying anything. You handle that one," he said to Umbra as the dog kept walking ahead of him wagging his tail.
He got to the fountain area outside the hotel and wondered where to go next. He heard a radio broadcast nearby:
Newscaster - You've issued an advisory to all travelers.
Dave - That we did. We're askin' everyone to keep indoors come nightfall. If you do need to be out past dark, you'll wanna make sure there's a hunter by your side. And that includes night drivin'. Rollin' up your windows ain't gonna keep you safe for one second.
Newscaster - We'd like to instruct our listeners in need of protection to dial Hunter Headquarters directly.
'Is this the same Dave, who gave us ride last night? I can't believe he is famous enough to give interviews on radio. Wait, didn't he say that anyone can become a hunter? That's it! I can hunt monsters and make money that way,' he decided.
"Excuse me, do you know where I can sign up to do hunts?" Squall asked an older gentleman walking nearby.
"Go straight down this path and look for Surgate's Beanmine. The restaurant owner should be able to give you details about the available hunts. Be careful, though, monsters these days are getting very aggressive," he cautioned him.
"Thank you," he said courteously.
He walked through quaint and cobbled alleyways. The building loomed on either side of him effectively blocking out the sun. Cutting through the crowd, he made his way to Surgate's Beanmine, with Umbra in tow.
"Welcome to Surgate's Beanmine. My name is Wimbly Donner. What can I do for you today?" asked the gentleman behind the counter.
"Hey, do you have any hunts available?" He wasn't sure if that was the correct way to phrase it.
"Oh, this is music to my ears. God knows we don't have enough hunters available around these parts. There are plenty of hunts available with good rewards," the owner exclaimed.
"Show me what you got," Squall asked.
"Here is the list of all available hunts we have," he pointed. "Take extreme care, it is dangerous out there."
Squall scanned all the available hunts. There were few hunts he could not access, which he presumed had a specific hunter-level criterion. All the available quest were pretty basic, so he took them all.
He marched to the location of the quest and did what he did best, fight. However, once the fight began, he quickly realized that his left arm was pretty much immobile. Any trigger movement or blunt impact would cause him extreme pain shooting down his arm. He had to improvise and fight with only one arm for now. Still, compared to what he fought yesterday, even with only one hand; these quests were a walk-in park.
In one instance, he found himself surrounded by a dozen of Havocfang. He leaped in the air and brought down his gunblade with great force, slicing one Havocfang in front of him. A jab to the right knocked another Havocfang from his feet. An uppercut fell another Havocfang. While fighting he did not realize that his shoelace became loose and got tangled in a branch of a fallen tree. He took another step and suddenly lost his balance and fell to the ground. The Havocfang closest to him, saw an opening and jumped to pounce on him with great agility. The Havocfang was in mid-air when something tackled it off its trajectory. He followed it with his eye and was pleasantly surprised to see Umbra.
"Way to go, Umbra," he cheered, as he got back to his feet and untangled his shoelace from the branch.
Another Havocfang jumped in his direction, but he blasted it away with a shell from his gunblade. The moment that Havocfang landed on the ground, Umbra pounced on it. Squall fired another round at a different Havocfang and Umbra pounced on it too.
'Hmm, so that's how you want to play?' He wondered.
He would blast off a Havocfang and Umbra would follow up with an attack on that vulnerable enemy. Although Umbra's attack was not that strong, it was great to have an ally. Squall was having fun playing with this new friend and it certainly seemed like Umbra too was having fun fighting by his side. A serious battle just became a casual fun as they cleared all the hunt quest.
On the way back, Squall ambled, taking in the beauty of this world.
The sky was like an endless canvas of a masterful painter. Multiple shades of blue, red, and orange streaked through the sky. The sun seemed to play hide and seek among the puff of clouds, giving them an orange hue. The clouds sailed with the wind, providing an ever-changing scenery.
He slowed down to make the road last longer. The landscape was filled with coarse vegetation of vivid colors. At a distance, the ground veered into the thin valley that was almost a gorge. The scenery in front of his eyes was very picturesque.
"This is so quietude and beautiful. My world is nowhere close to this," he said, looking at the scenery, while still clutching his left hand in pain.
Once his eyes were sated, he continued walking towards the town.
"You are a divine messenger, so I don't know if you get hungry or not. Am I supposed to feed you?" he asked Umbra while walking.
Umbra barked in response which could either mean yes or no. He didn't know as he was not fluent in divine dog language.
It was past noon when they entered Surgate's Beanmine. He turned in all the quests and received a decent amount of money and few items along with it. He had never been happier to see the money.
'I can't wait to eat.' He started browsing the menu at Surgate's Beanmine with childlike excitement.
He suddenly stopped as a thought occurred to him. 'I think I should find her a doctor first. I don't know how much doctors charge here. I don't want to be in a situation where I am short on money to pay the doctor's fees because I spend it on food.'
With the reluctance of a child putting down a candy, he kept the menu back on the table.
'I guess my hunger would have to wait.'
"Do you know where I can find a doctor around here?" he asked the Surgate's Beanmine's owner.
"Did you get hurt during the hunt? I told you it is dangerous."
"No, it's not for me," he suddenly trailed off.
'You see, there is this girl, whom I don't know, locked up in my room. Her clothes are slightly ripped, and she is probably unconscious. Damn, that sound so creepy and perverted.' He placed his hand on his forehead as he finished his thought.
"It's for a friend," he said. "She twisted her ankle and can barely walk now, so I wanted to get it checked out."
"Ah, I see. You go up these stairs and take the next left. The fourth house to your right is the clinic," he gave a very precise direction.
"Thank you," Squall replied.
"I hope she feels better soon," he added.
"Me too," he replied with a hint of a smile.
He followed the direction and entered the building. As soon as he entered, his nose picked up on a distinct smell with an undertone of bleach akin to a hospital. He got to the reception and explained his situation. The receptionist gave him some forms to fill up.
'Even in this world, one cannot escape the paperwork.' He complained as he walked towards an empty chair across the room.
He noticed that the clinic was much larger than expected. The long hallway was dimly lit, but filled with people, many were in wheelchairs. Few people were on beds, parked in the hallway. The staff ran about frantically trying to treat people as quickly as possible as the influx of injured refugees and wounded warriors continued. It looked like a place ravaged by war.
As he started filling out the paperwork, he overheard the news on the TV.
Newscaster
In the wake of Lady Lunafreya's passing, thousands have flocked to Fenestala Manor in Tenebrae to pay their respects. Pilgrims have spared no expense, traveling from afar by boat and train. Many expected a eulogy courtesy of Lord Ravus, Lady Lunafreya's brother and last of the Oracle's line. But Lord Ravus has avoided the view of the public eye since the bloodshed at the signing ceremony, causing many to worry about his well-being.
'Lady Lunafreya's passing? They think she is dead? Hmm, could that be the reason she did not reveal to Cindy who she was? But from what happened yesterday, Empire should know of her existence. Maybe it is a cover-up of some sort? I don't know enough to conclude anything. Perhaps it would be best not to reveal her name in this paperwork either. What should I call her? Luna would be too obvious.'
He recalled the name Lunafreya used for Cindy, Stella Heartilly. He used that name to fill out all the paperwork. He handed over the papers to the lady at the front desk and he was asked to wait. While idly waiting for the doctor to show up, he turned his attention to the news again, hoping to learn more about everything that was going on here.
Newscaster
It is a shame that we lost Lady Lunafreya at such a young age. Before her passing Lady Lunafreya of Tenebrae had issued an official statement regarding the peace treaty.
Lunafreya
Words cannot express the joy in my heart on receiving word of this coming peace. Nor the pride I take in my betrothal playing a part in this historic moment.
'Betrothal?' He was both surprised and somewhat saddened to learn that.
On this joyous occasion, some have voiced cause for concern: The fear that I will be unable to fulfill my duties as Oracle. Please rest assured, my marriage will not stand in the way of my calling. You will find me in your towns and villages, as you always have. And I shall continue to bless you all.
Newscaster
Lady Lunafreya will set forth from Tenebrae for her wedding ceremony in the coming days. Please be advised that, during this time alone, her duties as Oracle will be suspended. Her wedding dress is being produced by none other than Vivienne Westwood, Altissia's premier designer. First-rate chefs from around the world have assembled in Altissia to cater the wedding. The team is crafting a menu rich with delicacies, including caviar fresh from the Baia di Celluna. Flowers have also been flown in to fill the bouquet Lady Lunafreya will carry as she walks down the aisle.
It is a tragedy that we will not get to see this wedding.
Eventually, a middle-aged woman stepped out from one of the rooms, drawing Squall's attention from the TV. Everyone called her Dr. K. Upon seeing her he had an onset of headaches. He vaguely remembered being injured and getting a motherly lecture from the doctor in the infirmary. He shook off those thoughts and focused on the situation at hand.
He succinctly explained the situation and requested her to come to where they were staying. The doctor was kind enough to readily agree to help. She carried her small briefcase as they made their way to the hotel Leville.
He fumbled around for the keys in his pocket. Once he opened the door, he let Dr. K in first.
"Poor thing. What happened to her?" Dr. K said, as she looked at her. She walked around the bed to examine her closely.
"Her pulse is very low," she said with a hint of concern, as she examined her pulse.
She examined her ankle and said, "I hope it's not a grade 3 tear. We would need an X-ray of this."
She examined her hand and saw dressing on it. "You did this?"
He nodded in response.
"You did well. This might have prevented septic," she said with a nod of approval.
She examined her shoulder and noticed some swelling there too. "Possible fracture. Did she feel on one side?"
"Yes," he replied, keeping it short, not wanting to go into detail.
"No one gets these many injuries normally. Tell me honestly, what happened to her?" She probed.
'Short version. She woke up God. He got angry. And he smash.' His mind conjured.
"We were attacked by imperials and then ambushed by deamons on the way here," he lied convincingly. He was genuinely surprised how quickly he came up with this lie.
"Did you just say we?" Dr. K asked, looking straight at him.
"That was not the most important part of the sentence," he complained with his hand instinctively going to his forehead in his typical style.
"If you were attacked by the Empire and daemons then we need to examine you too, young man," she said in a tone which left no room for argument.
"Okay, but first Stella," he said, deflecting the attention.
"Right," she said, as she sat down next to her to examine her more carefully. "Do you mind stepping out for a bit, I need to run a few tests on her?"
"Of course," he said, before taking his leave.
In the corridor, his new friend, Umbra, was eagerly waiting for him. Squall got on his knees and started playing with Umbra.
"Where is that white dog who was with Lunafreya? I haven't seen her all day today," he spoke with Umbra, who barked lightly in response.
After a few minutes, the door opened with a grim-looking Dr. K, "Her condition is far worse than I had thought initially. She is not responding to any stimuli or reflexes. When was the last time she was awake?"
"Last night, about 16 hours ago," he recalled.
"Oh God, I hope we are not too late. We need to take her to the clinic immediately. I'll go ahead and send someone with a stretcher to bring her there," she suggested.
"I can carry her," he said with an urgency that matched Dr. K's.
"Okay, let's go then," she said, not wanting to waste any time.
He quickly went into the room and tried to scoop her. He kept one hand by her back and another by her knees. He had barely lifted her a few inches from the bed when he had to suddenly let go of her.
Anguishing pain radiated through his left arm as he squirmed in pain. He had a high pain threshold, but this was one of the worst pains he had ever experienced.
He was debating whether to wait for additional help or carry her to the clinic all the way on the other side of the town and risk damaging his arm further.
He asked himself a simple question, 'What would I regret most? Some damage to my hand or her not waking up?'
'Her condition is far worse than mine, so she wins,' he concluded.
Once he made up his mind, he always followed it through, no matter what the odds may be. He took a deep breath and braced himself for a world of pain, as he lifted her in his arms.
With every step, his pain kept increasing, but with every step he had the solace of knowing that she was one step closer to recovery. It was as if he was paying the cost of her recovery with his pain. He kept telling himself that she was his only way to get back home.
He carried her in his arms in a bridal style in broad daylight in the middle of Lestallum. Lunafreya would have fainted out of embarrassment if she was awake at this moment.
'Sorry Lunafreya, this is a pretty tabloid story material.' The tiniest of smiles graced his lips. He continued following Dr. K to the clinic.
Once they entered the clinic, the nurse guided them to room 113. He gently placed her on the bed, making sure not to hit any bed railings. He immediately clutched his left arm instinctively, a behavior not gone unnoticed by Dr. K.
They hooked up a pulse rate monitor and started an IV line on Lunafreya. The phlebotomist came and drew eight vials of blood for various tests. They scheduled Lunafreya for an X-ray after half an hour.
It was a frenzy all around him. He felt dumb for assuming that she was just sleeping all this time.
'I hope she is okay,' he thought. He stood there carrying for a stranger. His mind kept rationalizing that her well-being was part of his mission.
While he was lost in his thoughts, Dr. K fake coughed to get his attention. She gestured to follow her, and he complied.
They came to one of the exam rooms across the corridor.
"Sit. We need to examine you," she instructed.
"It's okay, I am fine," he resisted.
"Oh, really?" She said, before playfully punching him on his left arm. He winced in pain.
"You wanna be cool, huh? I get it-"
"No, it's not about that," he cut her off. "I am new here; I barely have any money. I don't even know how I will afford her treatment, let alone mine." He admitted almost sheepishly.
"Oh, that's it?" she said, putting him at ease. "We are in the middle of a war, there are refugees pouring in every day. We are not in this business for making money; We are in this to help people live a better life. We run voluntary payment programs where people pay whatever they can afford. So, don't worry about money, get your treatment done first."
"No, I can't take a charity like that. I hate owing to people," he replied.
"Stop being stubborn," she said, shaking her head. To which, he just folded his arms and looked away like a small child, further proving her point.
"Fine, if you want to pay back that much then how about you help us? Because of this influx of injured refugees, we are running short on supplies. We could use some help in getting some ingredients, supplies, appendages from animals and such."
"I'll do it," he replied enthusiastically.
"Good, now let me see that arm of yours," she said, as she started her examination.
During examination, Dr. K made a few small talks to keep his mind away from the pain.
"You know, people like you are very rare," she said. "Because you had limited money, you chose to get her treatment done instead of yours. It is very noble and exponentially more romantic," she finished with a hint of mischief in her voice.
"It was a practical choice, not a romantic one," he said, clearly getting annoyed. "The choice was between a broken arm or possible coma, so it was a no-brainer."
"True, but sometimes how you do is more important than what you do. I saw the concern in your eyes," she argued.
"Whatever," he said, hoping to end the conversation.
She just laughed in response and added, "We'll need to take an X-ray of your arm. I hope it's not a dislocated shoulder. I will send a nurse to do a full-body checkup."
Within an hour, the result of X-ray was back. It showed a dislocated shoulder. After all the treatment was done, Squall stepped out with a cast on his hand, supported by a sling. Turns out his vision was no longer 20/20, perhaps from being in the beyond for so long. He now had to wear glasses, which actually complemented his looks.
Once free from the scrutiny of Dr. K, he went to the town to take care of chores. He had paid off the hotel bill, grabbed something to eat, and brought some soup with him in case Lunafreya wakes up at night and was hungry. He wanted to shop for new clothes as well, but decided to wait until he had more money.
After a few hours, he made his way back to the clinic. He ran into a grim-looking Dr. K in the reception area.
"Squall, a word," she said, gesturing him to follow her. They entered her office and once Squall was seated; she closed the door behind.
"We got the preliminary results back for Stella. She is suffering from multiple injuries. She has multiple fractures, concussion, exhaustion, and some muscle strain. All that can be accounted for, but what we cannot account for is her lack of consciousness. She should be awake, but the fact that she is not, worries me. At this point, I don't know when or if she will wake up again."
There wasn't really anything Squall wanted to say after hearing the somber news.
"I have reached out to my colleagues to get their professional opinion on this case. Rest assured, we will do everything in our power to save her," she said, trying to comfort Squall.
"Thank you, Dr. K," he replied as he got up.
"Oh, and one more thing, Squall."
"Yes?"
She pointed at the cast on his left hand. "You need to take extreme care of your shoulder. Any sudden movement would snap it right out of the socket."
"Understood," he said, before leaving her office. He made a long walk to room 113. The door creaked open, and he entered the room. In the room, there were familiar strangers. A white dog was sitting at the bedside of Lunafreya while Gentiana sat in the visitor's chair. Umbra ran towards him and started playing around his legs. He gently petted Umbra and made his way towards Lunafreya.
He noticed she had a cast on her entire right hand. She also had cast on her leg, which was suspended slightly by a string. A cotton gauze wrapped around her head, and a Band-Aid on her cheek. There were some cuts and bruises on her left hand as well, which were covered with more bandages.
He kept the soup he had bought for Lunafreya on the table adjutant to the window. He walked towards Gentiana with Umbra in tow.
"You two have gotten close very quickly," Gentiana said, in her usual cold demeanor with her eyes closed.
For a second, he was not sure if she meant that for Lunafreya or Umbra.
As if reading her thoughts, she said, "Umbra really likes you."
"Ya, he does," he said, petting Umbra.
"Of course, you two were very close in your world as well," she said, sitting straight.
"I don't recall owning a dog in my world," he countered.
"Umbra is a messenger. Messengers can take various forms such as animals, divine beings or even humans. Umbra's power is over time magic. Umbra can send people or their consciousness back in time. In your world, Umbra appeared as a female and you two were extremely close since childhood."
"Since I don't have all my memories, I don't remember any of that," he complained.
"When the souls inhabit a new body, the memories of the old life are erased. Even if you had all your memories, they won't remember who you are."
There was an awkward silence that followed.
After some uncomfortable silence Squall pointed at the white dog who always sat by Lunafreya, "She is a messenger too?"
"Yes, she is Pryna. Pryna's power is similar to Umbra's but opposite. Pryna's time magic can let people see the vision of the future at an opportune time. Even in your world, as a dog, she was very loyal to her owner. Although she had no such powers in your world."
Gentiana stood up, "This world, Eos, is governed by Astral. There are six Astral: Titan, Shiva, Ramuh, Ifrit, Leviathan, and Bahamut. Only the Oracle is allowed to commune with the gods on behalf of humanity. She is a link between the gods and humans. Through divine messengers, Gods let their will be known to the Oracle, and she carries the words of the gods to the people and thus bridges humankind with the divine. Lady Lunafreya is the chosen Oracle of this time."
Squall listened intently as Gentiana continued. "The Lady inherited her duty as the Oracle at a very young age. In fact, the lady is the youngest Oracle in history. You are to guard her against any harm," she reiterated his core mission.
"Doctors don't know what is wrong with her. They don't know when or if she will ever wake up," he relayed the grim fact.
"She will wake up. It is in her destiny to keep going on. Forming a covenant with the god can be extremely taxing to mortal health. She must be exhausted from the covenant. Let the lady rest for now as a new battle will be on the horizon soon."
She took a couple of steps towards the window and within a blink of an eye; she disappeared, leaving small ice crystals dancing in the air where she stood a moment ago.
"I hate it when she does that."
He turned around and noticed that both Umbra and Pryna were gone too.
"Guess it's just you and me now," he said, to sleeping Lunafreya.
Author's notes:
Three new FFVIII characters were revealed in this chapter; Hope you caught them all.
The answer from the last chapter: If you go to Timber hotel with Rinoa in party you find out that the name of the owner of the hotel is Francesca DiMarco.
This chapter's question: Who is Wimbly Donner?
Please leave a comment if you've enjoyed the story so far. I would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks :)