Doctor

*Cough* *Cough* *Cough*

A violent fit of coughs broke out in the room. A nurse in the room rushed to the doctor, afraid for her failing health.

"Doctor! Are you okay?" The nurse asked in a concerned tone.

"*Cough* I'm *cough* fine dear," the doctor managed to get out before another fit.

"Doctor wait here, I'll get a glass of water!" the nurse hurriedly ran out of the room to fetch a glass of water.

*Cough* *Cough* *Cough*

Another bout of coughs racked the doctor's elderly body, sending spikes of pain through it.

"Here doctor," The nurse handed the glass over to the doctor.

After downing the glass in big gulps, the doctor leaned heavily against the chair behind her.

"*Cough* Thank you Kyla dear," the elderly doctor thanked her assistant.

Kyla nodded as she accepted the glass from the doctor.

"You can go, I'm *cough* fine," the doctor told Kyla after seeing her sitting anxiously in her seat near her.

Nodding hesitantly, Kyla left to see to her own work.

"Take care, doctor," Kyla called out before shutting the door.

In the next instant after Kyla left, the doctor's harmless and frail demeanor vanished. Replacing it was a sickly and vicious aura that reflected her mood right now.

"They found my parasite after all...." the doctor cursed unbefitting to her own age.

When her parasite in Emmia had been erased, she received a backlash.

'It doesn't matter now...'

Taking a moment to calm herself, the doctor reeled in her anger.

'It doesn't change things in the slightest.'

Taking out a small scrap of paper in her drawer, she scribbled a single sentence on it and then channeled universal energy into it. In moments, it was set ablaze sending the message that she wanted to send.

'The girl is awake.'

----------------------------

Luna woke up with a hammer in her head. Her whole body was sore, her throat dry, and her vision blurry.

'Does everyone get the symptoms of a hangover when they overexert themselves?' Luna thought to herself randomly. She didn't know the answer to that. She could try asking people, but that would require social interaction which was hard to do.

'Ah, whatever, it just hurts....' Luna's thoughts returned back to her original track of thought.

To distract herself, Luna thought back to what had happened that landed her in this bed.

'I figured out how to kill that parasite, Great'

'I managed to seal it and then Seril killed it I think.'

'annnnnd then those voices tried to take advantage and leave.'

Luna recalled their constant pressure and their trying to pour energy into her to try to break the restrictions placed on them.

But how could she let those things that made her life so miserable get away so easily?

'Heh, they were so angry.'

Luna had used the rest of her remaining strength and some of their own to tighten the seal placed on the voices.

'I think I tightened the seal...' Luna thought feeling uncharacteristically giddy for some reason.

Her happiness was short-lived as the hammer in her head returned with a vengeance breaking her current train of thought and any other that seemed to be forming.

"Mmm" Luna unconscious groaned through her closed mouth.

'It's hurting even more...'

Luna thought to herself when she heard the click of the door opening.

Turning her head with difficulty, Luna found that she could, in fact, see who it was through the halo of light surrounding them as they stepped into the room.

Luna thought to squint her eyes and managed to twitch them with much difficulty.

'Mission accomplished,' Luna rolled her eyes internally.

"Hey Luna, how are you doing?" a voice which she recognized as Seril sounded out.

Luna opened her mouth only to find that she couldn't say anything. This time, it was like she couldn't form coherent sentences due to the pain all over her body.

Noticing Luna's condition, Seril felt a pang of sympathy.

"It's fine, you don't have to speak," Seril excused Luna.

Taking the ticket, Luna closed her mouth, not wanting to exert herself.

"I'm here to say thank you," Seril expressed suddenly after a pause.

Luna blinked in response.

"Emmia's woken up finally, and is recovering fast."

Luna nodded slightly which thankfully Seril was able to see.

'That's good.' Luna sighed in relief internally. Right after sealing the voices, Luna had promptly fainted and wasn't able to find out if her plan worked or not.

In fact, even Seril wasn't sure that it had worked. After taking care of the collapsed Luna, Seril herself had fallen asleep due to exhaustion only to wake up to Emmia calling out to her.

"I didn't know if she was going to....wake up again," Seril continued while taking her time. "But she has. And thank you for that."

Seril was beyond grateful that Luna had been willing to exert herself like this.

She didn't think Luna was willing to pour even her own life force into sealing the gift.

But that raised a different set of questions.

'Why was she so eager to help Emmia?'

'How was it that only she was able to find the problem?'

'What was that ominous aura right before she fainted?'

Overall the main question was: Is this all a setup?

Seril locked eyes with Luna, trying to discern what this girl was thinking and what was her motivation.

Luna stared back, mostly because she was too tired to turn her head. And also it was a good distraction.

"What is your goal here?" Seril finally said, unable to find anything out.

Luna blinked as if she was trying to say 'What?'

Seril's eyes flashed dangerously as she waited for Luna's answer.

'She's serious...' Luna thought and fell into contemplation.

'Why did I do all this?' Luna questioned herself.

Everything felt like a blur from when she had left the house today morning. From one thing to another and finally, she had winded up in a hospital ward next to Emmia's.

But no matter how much she searched, Luna already knew the answer herself.

'.....I'm just lonely....' She didn't realise how much she enjoyed spending time with Emmia until she wasn't there. All her life she had been alone, so alone that loneliness was her only friend. Now that she had met Emmia, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make friends with loneliness again.

But she would never say that out loud.

"....I...just wanted...to help.." Luna croaked out to Seril.

"I see," Seril mused. Her glowing eyes dimmed and returned to their usual color.

"Thank you again," Seril thanked Luna again and then added before she left, "You're welcome to visit Emmia anytime."

Luna gazed at the closing door and just thought, 'So what was that all about?'