Side effects of the unknown part 3

Upon waking, Reo discovered himself ensconced within a modest, immaculately whitened room. He was comfortably nestled atop a capacious bed, surrounded by a pair of wooden-encased, glass fronted cabinets. His attention was drawn to their content. One cabinet was filled with an assortment of needles. The other, seemingly, housed miscellaneous medical implements.

Gradually, he attempted to rise to his feet. He observed a discussion transpiring between physicians and two individuals known to him as Amelia and Michael. The topic of the conversation stemmed from concern over his health status.

As he endeavored to take a step towards them, he faltered. He was unexpectedly weakened as a result of his prolonged wakefulness and strenuous activities. Days had elapsed during which he felt no compulsion for sleep. Thus, he decided to bide his time patiently, awaiting the conclusion of Amelia and Michael's consultation with the medics.

The doctor, distinguished by his black hair, brown eyes, and the scrubs he wore, typical of his profession, turned his attention to Reo sitting on the floor. Immediately, others rushed in to help Reo back onto the bed. Reo swiftly apologized for the inconvenience before posing a crucial question, "What's wrong with me?"

Finding the question intriguing, the doctor responded in a light, amicable manner, "That's an interesting approach. Instead of querying if something is wrong with you, you assume there is and ask what it is. It suggests you were already aware of a problem."

When Reo heard this, he turned towards Amelia and Michael. Both looked visibly distraught as they had just learnt about his ailment without any prior knowledge. The doctor inquired, "Can you describe the symptoms you've been encountering, Reo?".

"Since my visit to the museum and exposure to a mirror, my vision has changed dramatically," answered Reo. "I can only perceive it as nighttime - the sun and clear sky are no longer visible to me. I see a sky filled with stars and the moon and everything seems as dark as it would be at night."

However, he refrained from divulging any information about his dream or discussing his inability to sleep.

I cannot recall an event similar to this occurrence before. Consequently, the solution administered was to prescribe Reo with sleeping pills, assuming that the root of the issues could be sleep deprivation. Reo readily accepted the pill bottle.

Meanwhile, Amelia posed a question, "Is there any other issue?" The doctor responded affirmatively, assuring that Reo should be fit to discharge within two hours.

This prompted Reo to scan the room in search of a clock, as he was anxious he may forfeit a workday. Preceding this, he posed a question to the doctor, inquiring if there was any means of ascertaining time.

At 3:30 pm, the doctor announced that Reo would only have 24 minutes to rest. Falling asleep was therefore a luxury Reo could not afford. With some persuasion, Reo managed to exit the school building after 23 minutes to head to work. Despite it still being nightfall, Reo chose to dismiss this fact, comforted by the idea that the pills he had taken would help him sleep, thus ending his hallucinations. As he walked with Amelia in silence towards the dorms, she issued a resolute statement: "I'm telling Mom and Dad that you've been concealing your health issues."

Eventually, at 7:30 pm, after completing his work shift, Reo stopped by a store to buy food to take back to the dorm. Upon his return, he found Michael asleep. Setting aside Michael's meal in the kitchen, Reo ate, showered, and changed his clothes. Now prepared, he decided to take his sleeping pill with a glass of water.

After ingesting the pills, he ascended the ladder leading to the top bunk bed. He had previously turned off the lights and made preparations to fall asleep. Over half an hour ticked past while he blankly stared at the ceiling. Realizing that this approach wasn't beneficial, he descended from the ladder to engage in some meditation.

Beforehand, he delved into his drawer and fetched out an alarm clock. He had earlier intended to set it. Now, finding the time, he proceeded to adjust the settings on the alarm, creating a safety net which would make sure he didn't oversleep. With this done, he finally closed his eyes and launched into his meditative routine.

Upon sealing his eyes shut, he experienced a sense of flight, of once again being aloft in the sky. Astonishingly, he perceived the entire span of the city beneath him, while he hovered weightlessly above. Baffled by his circumstance, he made the decision to explore his airborne environment, and headed over to his school's front entrance. He soon noticed that the gate was suffering from neglect - it had rusted to the point where it had detached and collapsed entirely.

From there, he toured the rest of the city, taking care to sidestep areas blocked off by an unseen, yet tangible, force.

Following a protracted period of metaphorical flight, the monotonous beeping of his alarm brought him back into the realms of physical reality. He slowly stirred from his slumber, noticing in the process that Michael was also no longer asleep, a consequence of the harsh, intrusive sound.

Bemoaning his lack of foresight in obtaining a less unpleasant alarm, he and Michael proceeded through their daily pre-educational ritual. With this completed, they embarked for their place of study and, upon reaching the school's entrance, Reo noticed the dilapidated gate - a victim of both time's relentless passage and an unfavourable reaction with oxygen resulting in rust, just as he had foreseen in his aerial nocturnal reveries. His countenance reflected his consternation, a ghostly pallor falling upon his face. With a sudden realization, he arrived at a distressing hypothesis - he had been afflicted with a ceaseless night vision but simultaneously endowed with a gift of prophetic dreams that replicated his real-world experiences.

Eagerly, he entered the school premises, proceeding towards his designated class. His unusually late arrival triggered a wave of concern among the students, resulting in a cluster of worried faces inquiring about his delayed appearance. He simply responded, "Buoyed by several sleepless nights, I had succumbed to fatigue."

Resuming his habitual routine, he detailed his after-work hours in the dormitory where he undertook a meditative practice. This unique method allowed him a glimpse into the wider world, not merely observing real-time occurrences but also tapping into ongoing conversations. All this, while remaining unseen by the unknowing participants.

This explanation evoked a sense of awe among the students, enhancing their respect for their late-arriving classmate.