After silently staring at the black screen, trying to sort out his emotions, Victor snorted strongly, and a smirk soon appeared on his lips. "You know what?"
"Why am I even bothering to mop like an absolute idiot? Obviously, it isn't going to turn me back into... well, me magically. And it sure as hell isn't going to fix this kid's screwed-up life," Victor said, pushing himself up slightly against the pillows. "Yeah, I had better take action myself to rebuild this crumbling life."
"And the first step is that I've got to get used to calling myself with that name no matter what," Victor muttered, gazing at the ceiling. "Edwin. Sounds… soft. Not exactly the kind of name that strikes fear into anyone's heart, you know?"
"But hey, three days in, and I haven't slipped up too badly. Baby steps, right?" He chuckled again, a little less humorlessly this time, before shifting his gaze toward the TV remote control that he put on the bedside table earlier. "Alright…"
"Enough wallowing," he declared, reaching for it and flicking the TV on, the sudden burst of colour and sound jarring him slightly. "Let's see what kind of crap I can find at this time."
He started scrolling through the channels. Reality shows with screaming people, cooking competitions that looked way too intense, and a news channel droning on about something he couldn't bring himself to care about, but after a few minutes of aimless channel surfing, Victor stumbled upon a talk show in full swing.
"Oh?" Victor uttered, putting the remote down and carefully sitting upright with his back leaning against the pillow. Usually, he wouldn't care much about a talk show, but he noticed the preview mentioned interviewing a hunter, which kind of intrigued him.
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen!" the host, Olivia, announced cheerfully, her smile infectious. "For this next segment, we're going to be discussing the devastating gate disaster that occurred last week."
"And joining us today is a special guest," Olivia announced, her voice filled with excitement. "He's one of the renowned hunters who survived after braving the most dangerous yet extraordinary mission and confronting legions of the most terrifying creatures."
"Please welcome the captain of the third hunter division from The White Tiger guild! Captain Marcus Turner!!!" Olivia's voice resonated through the studio, and the audience's applause filled the room. The camera panned to the entrance, revealing Captain Turner entering the stage, dressed in tactical gear with a hardened expression. He nodded appreciatively at the audience before taking his seat opposite Olivia.
"Captain Turner, welcome to the show!" Olivia greeted, shaking his hand. "Now, tell us about this high-grade gate you and your team just faced and cleared after a week alongside other guilds. It's been making quite the news."
Marcus leaned back in his chair, his gaze steely and focused. "Thank you for having me. The mission was very intense. We were dealing with a level of threat we hadn't encountered before. Honestly, that disaster that we faced was unlike anything we've seen."
Olivia leaned forward, curiosity gleaming in her eyes. "Can you walk us through the operation? What challenges did you and your team face?"
After taking a deep breath and exhaling, Marcus continued, recalling the harrowing details. "When we first received the news, I felt really horrified to hear that the gate suddenly broke open, unlike usual, where there is time to prepare for the situation, with hundreds of monsters pouring out after it suddenly happened in the densely populated downtown area."
"And when my team and I finally arrived at the scene, it was a complete mess in many ways than I could describe for example, our team had to immediately face a lot of aggressive monsters like those hordes of harpy that target our archers and hordes of basilisk that our tanks have difficulty dealing with."
"With the added hundreds of more gates suddenly appearing out of nowhere, you could say the entire situation can rival the first era or perhaps surpass it with all of that destruction and chaos." Marcus then said, shivering a little, recalling that horrifying moment. "Despite all of that, we fortunately managed to minimise the damages they caused as much as possible with the coordinated effort of many, including the production association, the unaffiliated hunters, and the authorities."
Olivia nodded, absorbed in the narrative. "And how did your team manage to close those gates? What was the turning point in the operation?"
Marcus's eyes glinted with a mix of pride and melancholy when he heard that question. "It was thanks to the combined effort of many guilds that took action at the scene, whose leaders at the scene, I'll admit, are very adaptable and flexible, allowing us to close those gates successfully."
"And the main turning point of this event is thanks to the effort of Techno guild's specialists who lead all the tech support during the event and worked tirelessly to pinpoint the gate's boss and the leaders that have been leading the monsters, while the rest of us held the line against the onslaught," Marcus said, looking at the crowd with a soft smile, reminiscing about that moment. "After gathering all of the necessary information, it finally came down to a precise sequence of dealing with every type of monster with its weakness, and when the moment presented itself, some of us who had the opportunity quickly dived into the gate and sealed it by defeating the final boss and destroying the core, preventing further incursions."
Olivia leaned back, feeling impressed. "Incredible. Now, Captain Turner, there's been speculation about the aftermath of such operations. Can you shed some light on the impact and the measures taken to ensure the safety of the affected area?"
Marcus nodded, his expression grave. "After closing a few of the gates, our White Tiger guild's main priority was securing the area and providing immediate aid to those affected by the aftermath with the challenging part being required to provide constant ongoing support but fortunately, thanks to the collaboration between us, the local authorities and relief organisations, we're able to provide enough relief to all communities that lives in the area."
Olivia leaned forward, her tone serious. "Captain Turner, you and your team are hailed as heroes after that event. Would you like to share any final thoughts or messages with our viewers?"
Marcus smiled with a hint of humility in his eyes. "I appreciate the recognition, but the real heroes are the ones who endure the aftermath. To the affected communities out there, please stay strong and stay safe. We're here for you, and together, we can overcome anything."
The audience erupted in thunderous applause, acknowledging Captain Marcus's and his team's sheer bravery in facing disaster head-on. Olivia, visibly moved by their tale, expressed gratitude to him and even bowed down, as her mother was also one of the disaster survivors.
While the show headed into a brief break, Victor sighed heavily, leaning against the pillow even more, and his gaze staring at the ceiling. Frustration etched itself onto his brow as he ran a hand through his hair and quietly growled, "Fucking hell."
"Well, at least that explains that weird last moment I recalled," he muttered, turning his gaze down toward his bandaged body, and a wry smile soon crept across his lips as he traced the white cloth that wrapped his arm and torso. "You must also be a survivor from that disaster, huh?"
"Such a hero," Victor muttered, the word tasting bitter on his tongue. He traced the bandage on his arm again, a humourless chuckle escaping him. "Risking your neck for strangers, getting mangled in the process…"
"I hate it so much," Victor snarled, his voice dropping to a dangerous, icy tone. The bitterness in his mouth intensified. "All that hero crap. What's the point? You put your life on the line for people you don't even know, and for what? A pat on the back? A 'thank you' that doesn't mean a damn thing when you're lying in a hospital bed, or worse, pushing up daisies?"
"I have seen it firsthand," He scoffed, a humourless laugh escaping his lips. "Growin' up, the 'heroes' were always the first ones to get screwed over. They'd bust their ass, do all the dirty work, only to be tossed aside once they weren't useful anymore. Or, they'd be so busy playing saviour that they'd forget about themselves, about their own lives. Then boom, they're gone, and everyone just moves on. It's a joke."
As he tried to keep his flaring emotions under control, outside in the hallway, Mrs Emily's friendly smile vanished as she wheeled the medical cart with surprising speed towards room 307. Her brow was furrowed with concern, and she muttered, "Please, please let him not have made things worse."
Reaching room 307, she pushed the door open without knocking, her eyes immediately scanning the scene. A young woman lay still in the bed, her face pale and her breathing shallow. Beside her stood a man, his back to the door, fiddling nervously with some equipment attached to a monitor.
"What's the situation?" Mrs Emily asked sharply, her voice losing its earlier gentle tone. The man whirled around, his eyes wide with a mixture of surprise and panic. "Mrs Emily!"
"Thank goodness you're here. Her heart rate… it just plummeted." He gestured frantically at the monitor, where the numbers were indeed dropping rapidly. Mrs.Emily didn't waste any time. She moved swiftly to the bedside, her experienced eyes assessing the patient's condition.
"What did you do, you idiot?!?" she asked, her voice firm but controlled. "I told you to just monitor her vitals, and nothing else!"
"I… I just wanted to make sure everything was working properly. I adjusted the oxygen flow a little, and then… then this happened." The man replied, wrung his hands, and Mrs Emily's lips tightened. "Adjusted the oxygen flow? WHY THE FUCK DID YOU DO THAT?!"
"She's on a very precise setting for a reason! Her lungs are incredibly fragile." She quickly began checking the equipment, her fingers moving with practised efficiency. "Get me the emergency resuscitation kit, now!"
"I'm so sorry, Mrs Emily. I didn't mean to…" The man said, scrambling to obey. His face was etched with guilt and fear, but he was immediately silent when he noticed Mrs.Emily glaring at him. "Just shut up…"
"And hurry up!" Mrs Emily snapped, her focus entirely on the young woman in the bed. She gently took the patient's wrist, checking her pulse. "Come on, come one, stay with us."
"If anything happened to you," she murmured, her voice softening slightly. "Your father would never forgive me."
To Be Continued