Truths in the Hospital

“Is he involved in the Royale?”

“Yes.”

Those words rang in Ryu’s ears, reverberating throughout his head.

None of it made sense.

A royale? Him?

But that man, the one he murdered, had mentioned a competition.

A royale is a form of competition.

The room began to spin.

Ryu grabbed the small cold metal tray sitting next to him to steady himself.

Just what had he accidentally gotten himself into?

“Ryu? Honey?” His mother’s voice was distant. Everything was distant. Growing quieter and quieter.

His vision was narrowing.

His heart was pounding so hard he could feel it throughout his body.

Short breaths were all that he could manage.

Ryu was shaking uncontrollably.

His mother and grandmother; two people who never got along. Yet here they were, acting like everything they said was planned.

Who were they?

What was going on?

Ryu couldn’t focus on a single question.

His brain was moving at miles per second.

He- He- He-

“Ryu!” Ryu’s mother pulled him into a tight hug. Her warmth slowed down his thoughts. It slowed down his heartbeat and steadied his breathing. “It’s alright.” She was rhythmically patting his head.

“Mom, what’s happening to me?” Ryu’s voice was barely a whisper. Quiet enough that only his mother should’ve heard him.

“You’re-”

“He asked me, not you, mother.” Ryu’s mother cut off his grandmother.

Ryu heard the shuffling of some feet and soon heard the door to the room open and shut. When he looked up, his grandmother was gone.

It was just his mother and him now.

“Mom…” Ryu let the word hang. He didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know what to do. How was he supposed to explain anything?

His mom held his face. The two looked into each other’s eyes, and after a second his mom smiled. “You’re still my baby boy, no matter what happens, okay?”

“Okay…?”

“Why did it have to be you?”

“Why did what have to be me?” Ryu was pleading for an answer. He just wanted to know the truth.

“Magic,” His mother took a sharp breath in. “My mother, your grandmother, is a mage. To be more exact, she is known as Jormangandr’s Priestess to those in the know. She’s called that because she has a special connection with the Earth’s spirit; Jormungandr.”

“Grandma said that I have something similar. Last night, I… I heard something screaming in my head. It was telling me to ‘Use’ it. Was that Jormungandr?”

His mother gravely nodded. “Most likely. That’s your grandmother’s expertise though. She had six children, myself included, and almost every single one of those children was able to use magic by the time they were in their teens. The only one who couldn’t was me. Mother, she…, she held out hope that I would awaken magic one day. When I turned 26, five years after you were born and right after I had conceived your little sister, we were involved in a serious car crash. When I didn’t awaken magic during that crisis, your grandmother gave up on me and disowned me…”

“And then dad left you because of that, didn’t he?” Ryu vaguely remembered the times when his father was there. The last few times he remembered seeing him in the house, his father had always been in a foul mood.

“Mhm,” His mother smiled sadly. “He only married me for the chance at a magician child. When he learned that I had been disowned for not having magic, he left because he thought that you and Riko would never have magic either. Not that I can really blame him. I thought the same thing all these years.”

“That’s why you never brought up any of this? Never told me why dad left, or why you never get along with the old hag?” Ryu chuckled slightly. “Though I do get the latter.”

His mother chuckled alongside him. “That’s why.”

Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt.

Ryu’s pocket began to buzz. He was getting a call on his phone. As he pulled out the electronic device and looked at who was calling him, a familiar face and name appeared on the screen; Chika.

Ryu declined the call. As much as he wanted to ask her a few questions about what had happened after he had passed out, it could wait a few minutes.

“Did you need to take that?”

“No, it was just Chika. I’ll call her back in a few minutes.” Ryu turned his phone off and stuffed it back in his pocket.

“Are you sure you don’t need to get it then?” His mom had a grin on her face. Ryu’s face burned at the suggestion hidden in her words.

“We’re not like that!”

“Still? Really?” His mother’s words were tinged with exasperation as she solemnly shook her head in disappointment.

“Not like what?” His grandmother appeared behind Ryu and caused him to nearly jump in shock.

“Ryu and a longtime friend of his. A girl named Chika. The two would be perfect together.” Ryu’s mother mused out loud.

“Oh, her. I think I met her last night if I’m not mistaken.”

Ryu stood up and put his hands out. “We are not talking about this right now, okay? I want to know what this ‘royale’ you two keep talking about is. And why am I suddenly seemingly being thrown into the middle of it.”

His grandmother looked at his mom. “You hadn’t gotten to that yet?” She was met by a small shake of the head. “Alright then, let me explain this one.”

Before his grandmother could continue speaking, Ryu’s pocket began to buzz again. Ryu pulled out his phone and found the name “Chika” once again under the caller Id.

Ryu frowned. Chika never called consecutively like this. If Ryu didn’t answer the first time, she usually just sent a text or waited for him to call back. To call him a second time meant that something was going on.

“One sec, let me take this really quick.” Ryu turned around and answered the phone. As he brought it up to his ear, he began to whisper into it. “Chika? What’s up? I’m at the hospital right now so I can’t talk long.”

“...” He was only met with silence. No, it wasn’t complete silence. There was something there. It sounded like something on the other end was making tiny noises, almost like there was someone whimpering.

“Chika? You there?”

“Ryu… I- I need to talk to you,” Chika’s voice was shaky. She was crying or something on the other end. Was the whimpering Chika? “Can you come by my house, now? It’s important.”

“Don’t worry, I’m on my way. What’s happening?”

Click! Ryu wanted to get more out of Chika but the call abruptly ended.

Ryu looked at the call over screen on his phone, confused at the sudden ending of the conversation.

“Sorry, I- I need to go.” Ryu ran out of the room, leaving his mother and grandmother standing there confused.