1 The Holy Friday, The Grace, and The Disgrace

'Holy Friday'. That time everything has changed.

Solar eclipse that happens that day was just some usual total solar eclipse, at the beginning. But when the moon just right totally blocked the sun, was the most disturbing feeling in my life.

Every eye was fixated on it, for a moment. And then closed their eyes as if they pray for something. But I was not. My eyes keep glued on it.

Expectation. Fear. Shiver. Goosebumps. Even if at that moment I was in crowded, there was no one could product a bit of hearable sound. A perfect moment of silence. I can hear my heart beat clearly. As if, everyone is expecting something. As if, I waiting for something, I didn't even know.

[Wait… what?]

Yes, it's just like their prediction, but not to be expected by any sane body. Those so called paranormal predict some new viral comedy again. Just like what they did, 21-Des-2012.

Yes, they did it again. Those so called worst global rank prank 2012. As an individual sane mind, I would just think it as a comedy made by some clown.

"On that 'Holy Friday'. The sun will be devoured by the moon. This world will be a total darkness. An eclipse. But, when the sun reappeared, it won't be the same as it is. What was this long from the East will now rise from the West. This world orbital will be reversed. That so called 'grace' will be given upon us, human."

Now, I gulped back my word. They were right.

From that total eclipse, the sun was just reappeared from the side its was devoured. The sun is going to set at the East.

[Then what is 'grace'?]

As I still confused with what happen, the view has turned white.

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It's all white. So bright. As I opened my eyes the first thing a see is just a white ceiling with some bright lamp attached to it.

"Where am I?"

I tried to wake and just sit on my position. My sight was still blurry. But my whole body was totally alright cause I don't feel anything wrong with it. I think. Even if there was some black spot on my skin.

"Awake already?"

I searched the source of the voice that answering me. I hope that no angel that would asked me question "What good you have done in your life, etc".

"Thanks for helping me. Good job"

Some familiar voice. I can't confirm it as my sight is still blurry. But, she has long black hair, and bright blue eyes.

"Everything has been handled, payment and all"

"Time for me to go, just rest as long as you wish"

As she said, a bright light, stroke my eyes.

"Wait… where am I?"

I try to wake from my bed and reach her. But she vanished right when the light went disappear. Standing still, I looked again where I am and just to find that this was just some hospital room.

I could back to enjoy the time on my bed. But just what you enjoy on top of hospital bed. I don't even feel hurt in my body.

"Argghhh…"

Damn this table leg. Always got my little toe.

My curiousness was drive me to leave my room and take some walk. Maybe it will help me arrange the fuzziness in my mind.

Just when I leave my room I realized. That my room is one of the highest class. One good quality bed, a sofa, led tv, air conditioner, wifi, and more luxurious facility. It's nice to know that I don't have to pay for this. The question is for how long she registered my in this room.

I walked trough the corridor. From the edge to the edge on this floor. Just to find a usual sight in a hospital. Its quiet in this floor. I Just see a few men walking by. Is there some patrol in this floor? Feels like VVIP.

I decided to prolong the period of my walk. To the first floor. I want to know what happen to my body, and how healthy it was after treatment. And above that all I want t know who is she, who registered me to that room, and how long I can use the service here.

Wait, is it some hotel?

By the time I went down, floor by floor, with elevator especially. It was more crowded the less the number is. It's just strange at how some people carrying some UFO. And some have a black spot on their body. Is it a new disease?

I think its usual sight since the highest floor is just for the VVIP in this place so the bottoms were crowded. Yes, I'm one of them, with zero payment.

It stopped at the third floor. I'm out. People were also wished to use this facility. I continued my walk with the stairs.

But, to think there were so many people in this stair also.

[Did something happen?]

My curiousness got increased. I fasten my walk, and…

"Arrgghhh…"

A voice come from a room at the second floor not far from this stair.

[Again? Did someone's little toe just hit a table leg?]

"Help me!"

"My son, help my son please…"

"Arghh… My leg, can you help me first, it really hurt"

I hear it the time I arrived at the first floor. Its rather usual for people to be in haste to seek for aid when their self or their beloved were hurt. When that happen, the other was to appease it with "It's alright, everything will be ok". That's the normal pattern.

But it's strange to hear its continuously as if the patient is outhandled the medics. It's just not every day. No, it's strange.

"Help me, the blood was just not going to stop…"

"My hand, help please!!! The burn! IT'S HURTTT. Where is the healer"

"Where is the healer, I need the healer!"

Hmm? Healer? Not Medics? Did I miss heard it?

"I will pay you a high amount of money if you can heal my dear daughter, so could you please prioritize me sir Healer!"

NOW… it's not NORMAL.

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I stopped my tour and standing still in some space not far the end of the stair that free from the people traffic. Just to take a break and try to figure it out by myself.

This place is a hospital, right? Why do I hear someone ask for 'healer' rather than doctor? Did they were just misspelled? Some chunni? No no no, it's more than one who said it. Did I'm in a wrong place? Or I'm transferred to another world of sword and magic?

"Did it's not the world I used to know anymore"

My inner voice slipped. Rather than arranged my mind, there are now more question I needed the answer.

"In fact, it is. How long you've sleep in your bed kid?"

An around 30 years old man with metal-head style from the hair to the heels just randomly appeared.

Ah, I like this pattern. I was read it so many times in manga.

'Truth revealing conversation' event. It was when the confused one murmured its question product of its confusion and a random all-knowing person suddenly appear to answer its question.

So, I should act as all-not-knowing person to spice this conversation.

"I don't know. I can't remember anything. Where it is? What happen?"

I said that, but the fact is I really am an all-not-knowing person here. My mid is still fuzzy, I can't clearly remember what happen to me before I got here.

He seems shocked as if he, find some answer to his expectation.

"You… you don't remember anything. You got amnesia? How long you've been here? Are you a cured from your longed ill by the given grace?"

Oh, damn this old man. He has spice it by himself. I just put some salt but he poured the whole bottle on it.

But what was he mean by grace?

"I don't know? What exactly happen here? And, grace?"

"You don't even know 'grace'? How about 'Holy Friday'?"

Yes, 'Holy Friday'. That words were like a key to big part of my question.

Now, I remember it. That Friday I was going to school, meet that woman, got caught in some incident, meet that woman, and eclipse happen, all white, awake at this place, meet that woman, do some hospital tour, meet this old man.

But the detailed part of the incident is still blurry. I don't know, just when I tried to remember this part, it's always hurt my brain. I just remember some part of it. Especially about the prediction that was unexpectedly right. The sun is NOW rise from the west.

Now the question is, what happen to the other? I mean this world.

"Ever since that day this place is always like this"

He smiled at me as if he had known that I have remembered some part of my temporary lost memory.

Wait, why use 'since that day'.

"Err.. what day is it? How long it is since that Friday?

"Its Friday, about a week from that incident"

"Then what is-"

"It's about a magical ability some people received on that day"

"Then your given grace is mind rea-"

"Nope."

Damn this old man. Its like he was playing game and just pressed skip on NPC dialog. Now I feel sorry to the NPC I've ever skipped its dialogue.

"My 'grace' is healing, I'm a healer?"

Sooo you're they've been looking for damn old man. And that grace didn't suit your style man, sorry to say.

"Then you come here to heal them?"

"Yes, this- many hospitals hired people like us. Since that day, this kind of sight is normal. Crime rate risen in a blink of eye. This grace is like a double edge knife. But this early, people tend to use it recklessly. There are yet, no specific law to use this grace. To try, to brag, to compete, or even purposely to harm and to hurt others was the root of this sight."

"It's unavoidable, I think. Since we got new unexpected things to trample others, isn't it normal to try, to brag, to compete, and to purposely try to avenge, with this unexpected power. I mean its like a reset button to the hierarchy."

His eyes widen as I bluntly replied his with my personal statement.

[Crap, I said what I though]

For me to said something like personal perspective is a big no. As I learned, they who didn't reveal itself, cannot be controlled and played as a pawn by others.

"You seem calm about this."

"Hahaha, I think I just watched too many films to be known what to say in this situation."

"Hou, strange kid. Did you also get it?"

"Get it? What?"

He shows me his big unscratched right palm. The left was searching something in his jacket. A Knife, and he just slashed his right palm carefully.

"Ughh..."

There some scratch now. It's about 2cm long and not too deep, about 1,5mm I think

A soft green light appeared from its right, and just around 5 second to recover it to unscratched condition.

"Cool isn't it? But I can't do it forever even I got paid for this."

Now I know why he's here. As if he gives me a hint to my curiousness. It takes around 5 second just to heal that scratch. What if its a deep wound, or a fatal one.

Is it depend on the surface area of the wound? Or what its healing also matters? Like, is it take the same amount of time to recover scratch on a skin compared with one for example… a heart? An artery?

And, he said he can't do it forever. So, is it also affect the use of energy? But, what kind of energy I was referred? Stamina? Or something like Ki? Ah… Mana. Let's assume it as it is.

I think it's not for me to think about it, for now. For now…

"Do you have one kid?"

Yes, that what I want to figure out.

"How to check it?"

"Nah, you should know it by yourself."

"Then, in your case sir?"

"I was attending to some music event with my friend and got caught in some fight on the way home. I win just FYI, only got some scratch. But my friend got a deep wound in his back. I tried to seal the wound with my two hand just to hope some one would pass the area and called an ambulance. And, that's when I figured what grace I've received."

"Isn't it good that you could heal a deep wound?"

He shook his head.

"It takes a long time just so seal it, just to stop the bleeding. Fortunately, an ambulance arrived just when I feel I was going to collapsed any time. I feels really exhausted from it rather than when I was fighting with 10 people. Maybe that's because I'm just an E-rank healer so that's my limit."

Wait wait wait! What E-rank he's talking about? Is this grace also have a ranking system? And there also one more important thing. He said "that's when I figured what grace I've received" rather than "I figured that I was also receive a grace".

"Did everyone have the grace?"

"Not everyone. But ones also can't guarantee if it not the given or not since people could randomly receive 'grace' any time, not just when the 'Holy Friday' occur. Those who yet receive it remains 'human' while those who get, was called 'high human'."

Ok, now even if it still many discriminations among human races they made a new one. But more importantly…

"And… how to check it whether we have received it or not?"

He looks around the surrounding. As if he's confirmed something is ok, he glares at me, and take some step away.

"Al-Grace"

A floating black box appeared as he said those word. Rather than black it's more like vanta one. It reflects no light. I barely know it's a cube, gladly it first appearance is when it's floating diagonally at two of its axis.

He touching the air as if there was a floating layout of menu on them.

"This box contains its owner data. It also indicates that you're yet get it or not. It will remain appear for a moment and then will automatically disappear when you didn't operate it."

So that's how to call and return it. I don't know person whose name is 'grace' feels from this time. While calling 'grace' name would make it appear.

"So, you can't determine whether I have it or not. I kind of fear this kind of luck assessment."

"Hahaha, I know it. It's kind of disappointing when you didn't get what other get, but you should try it by yourself."

Ok, time to try it. But should I say it loudly or just with soft and lovely voice? Is it affect the summoning? It's kind of embarrassing to say it out loud when I didn't even know the outcome.

"Al-Grace"

"----"

"Err… is it any other term to call it? Like, you should believe in yourself, or empty your mind and just focused imagining a black box?"

He shook his head. Ah… so that's it.

"Don't worry, maybe not know. Everyone has their own time to shine kid, hahaha."

I lower my face sadly. It's always like this, lack of luck.

"Thank you, sir! thanks for telling me such information. Hope it's a good day for you."

"No prob kid, I think I should get back to work also."

He turned away to the wounded patient. As I bend down, I leave for good back to my room.

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"What a good old man"

Yes, he's a good one to tell me many things in this situation when you supposedly keep silence about information you have. In this 'reseted world' condition, information is worth several fold compared to the previous.

He tells me about what happen after that 'Holy Friday'. What is 'grace'. He also tells me about the black box, how to call it, how to return it, the worth of it. Then his being, and his ulterior motive.

First, there was some man patrolled in this hospital, in each floor. They seem to seek people like me, who bedridden at the moment of 'Holy Friday' and tells them 'their' information to feed their curiousness. My positive assumption is that they were not belong to this hospital. One of them are following me since 5th floor.

Next, the black box can be stolen from its holder. I assume it would increase your power by infusing, combining, or something similar to your own box. That old man was trying to steal others people black box, since the one who following me is walking around continuously near the stair.

Right before he shown me his black box, he confirmed something with that stalker. His act of take some step back from me was to tell that he's afraid of something happen and to proclaimed as a third party or a victim when something happens.

Also, he purposely only tells me 'Al-Grace' without tells me the 'Dis'. The black box didn't automatically disappear, it needed to be 'Dis'ed.

It takes some time for me to realize it, that his black box didn't actually returned by itself but when he said "…disappear…". Since he still operated it just right before the black box disappeared. It was to let someone to call it without returned it back so when they find a chance, they would steal the black box. That's the use of the patrol.

Third, from that information I have known, that I was not one of the who have received the 'grace'. And, others can't see if other is one of their kind or not.

Last…is, I can see it even when it not being called. The UFO others carrying and the black spot on their body was not a disease. It was their black box.

I can see whether someone is high human or just a mere human. I was able to know their black box location. But I don't know if I could take theirs or not.

"…If, I can steal it, would it break the system and obtain the 'grace' by force?"

I slipped my inner voice again as I look my reflection in the mirror. A half black and half white.