#8 A Tender Voice
"Vera? Vera? Wake up."
Who owns that voice? Who owns that tender voice?
Why is it so familiar?
"It's me..Winter."
Winter? Huh?
"Future Hechicera Vera, please wake up."
Future Hechicera?
What on Tartarus—
"Please wake up."
The tender voice was getting desperate and quiet. As if she's drifting away in a distance.
"You have to wake up."
The tender voice quietly said.
"Please wake up, Your Majesty."
Those words sent a jolt into my consciousness, and I slowly woke up to find myself being surrounded by doctors and nurses.
There's an attached IV on my hand, and I can hear the machines beeping.
I studied their expressions, it was a mixture of relief and tiredness.
Suddenly, one person I assume is the doctor called out a nurse.
"Nurse Silvana please tell Madame that her daughter regained consciousness, and that we will proceed to transfer her in the private room."
The nurse followed, and the doctor faced the others.
"Is the private room ready? The patient shall be transferred there immediately. I see no need for her to stay any longer in the Intensive Care Unit. Let's move." the doctor declared.
They were moving me through the hallways.
Whilst they whisk me away, I tried to move my hands, but it was of no use. I also tried to speak, but I can't open my mouth.
I was also thinking about the possibility why the thing inside me—
'I'm not a thing. I'm a soul, thank you very much.'
I'll be ignoring what the thing just said.
This freaky thing of a soul inside me shouted something that says "It's her." or whatever it's been growling about, when it heard my professor's voice.
'Well, you could've just asked me about it. I can be blunt, you punk.' it said to me with a haughty tone.
"Alright then. Why'd ya shout freak? And why the f**k did I blacked out again?" I grumbled.
'Well, your professor is one of the traitors. That's why I shouted and growled. But I do not know about you, darling. You're a weak vasal. Tch.'
"A traitor? Huh?" I was confused, but when I recalled what she said—
"I dare say, what the f***ing Hades?! I'm a weak vasal? Well it was your choice, you dummy. You chose to invade my body as "your vasal" and then insulting me?" I angrily shot back at the thing that insulted me.
'Well, I never expected that Vena's line can be so weak.' the thing said.
"Vena? Who is that even?" I questioned.
'She's your freaking ancestor. She's my first cousin. Knowing that the prick is your grandfather, Lady Vencilla Naomi Wisteria, or Lady Vena is most likely your grandmother. You can ask your mum about it.'
"Vera? Vera? Can you talk? Darling?"
It was my mum.
"Huh?" I looked at her, with visible confusion.
"You were in a daze for a while now." she said, concerned with me spacing out.
"I.. I was having an argument with the voice, or the thing inside me you know." I carefully said.
My mother was shaking.
"W-What did it tell you?" she was sweating bullets.
"Mum, who is Lady Vencilla Naomi Wisteria?" I said in a low voice.
"She's my mum. She's your grandma Nallah." she quietly said.
"And is it true that Vera Wisteria is grandma Nallah's first cousin?" I asked again.
"Yes, it is true." she gulped and lowered her head.
"I see." I responded.
"So, what would my princess love to eat?" she tried to be cheerful, but it failed.
"Can we have pizza, burger, and fries?" I suggested.
"But you were in a vegetative state." she said.
"But mum, I want pizza, burger, and fries." I said.
"Fine, I know a place where they use healthy ingredients for those three. I'll be giving them a call." she said and left my room.
Whilst she's away, I began to recall what I dreamed about. Or probably what I heard when I was asleep.
It was a voice of a woman. Soothing but cold. Nevertheless, it was very tender. It was definitely enthralling too.
It was as if Hypnos and Pasithea were combined into one person.
'Beware of the tender voice, Aurelius. People with a tender voice can be venomous too. Winter Venimeuse is an example of it.' the thing warned me, the tone was dead serious.
'Beware of Winter Venimeuse Wallace.' it said before "vanishing" away.
Wait.. Wallace—as in Professor Wendy Wallace?!