Chương 2

The first thing he felt was pain. It felt as if a football player has kicked his balls with his full force, except his entire body here was the balls. He slowly opened his eyes. A nurse gasped, looking completely shocked that he was actually conscious, and immediately bolted out of the room. Another nurse hurried over, hovering around his bed and nervously checking the monitors to make sure his vitals weren't crashing. A few moments later, the runaway nurse returned with a doctor.

The doctor took one look at Rudra's agonized expression, muttered something to the nurse, and plunged a needle directly into his IV line. Darkness returned instantly. When he finally came to again, the agony had dialed down from "ball-kicking" to "Pinkie toe hitting the edge of table." He could actually form a coherent thought. Rudra tried to shift his weight to sit up a little better. Terrible idea. The pain flared instantly, multiplying by ten.

"Wait!" The nurse rushed over, her hands fluttering.

"You shouldn't try to move your body yet. Let me help you." She adjusted the mechanical bed, raising his back slightly.

"So..." Rudra gasped, taking a deep breath between every word.

"How bad.. is it?"

"Let me get the doctor. He will explain everything," she said quickly, hurrying out the door. While waiting, Rudra stared at the blank white ceiling. If my memories are right, I encountered an opportunity for both an isekai and a transmigration, and I failed to achieve either. If my life were a novel, I would be laughed out of the comments section.

"Ah, Mr. Rudra, it seems you are finally awake," a middle-aged doctor announced as he stepped into the room.

"Before we discuss your condition, let me check your vital signs first. I hope that's fine." The doctor didn't wait for an answer. After thoroughly checking him over, the man looked at Rudra with a hint of solemnity.

"Honestly, it is a miracle you survived this accident at all, Mr. Rudra. Your heart actually stopped beating for two full minutes before we were able to revive you. And what is even more of a miracle is that you won't have any major permanent injuries. You have to thank the gods for taking mercy on you." Rudra stared blankly at the doctor. Two minutes? He had literally been dead for two whole minutes. That entirely explained the bizarre, aggressive soul-snatching tug-of-war he had experienced on the asphalt.

"All's well.. that ends well… I guess..." Rudra wheezed.

"Well that… bad huh?" Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

"You have a clean fracture in your left arm, and your left leg is broken in two places. Add in three cracked ribs, a severe concussion, and minor internal bleeding that we managed to stop during surgery" Rudra winced at those words "Based on the severity of these wounds and its healing process Mr. Rudra, you need at least six months of mandatory rest. No strenuous activities whatsoever." Silence hung in the hospital room. Then, the corners of Rudra's mouth twitched upward.

"Ha... I can... finally... quit... my job." The doctor stared at him. He hadn't expected a severely injured patient to look so utterly triumphant.

"I suggest you rest for now," the doctor sighed.

"I have informed your family of your awakening. They should be arriving shortly." The doctor promptly left the room. Left alone, Rudra lay there, sifting through the chaotic memories he had absorbed when he blacked out on the street. He couldn't remember everything clearly. But one specific word kept repeating in his mind, echoing with a strange, heavy weight. Satisfy. The door suddenly pushed open. His mother, Meera, rushed inside. She was normally a fiercely disciplined woman.

She ran multiple successful restaurants across Tamil Nadu, holding the entire family together as the sole breadwinner after his father passed away. But right now, there was no discipline. There were massive dark circles under her eyes, and her hair was an absolute mess. By the time she reached his bedside, her hands were trembling. She didn't say a word, just slowly stroked his head. Rudra hated seeing her look so fragile. He immediately fell back on his usual strategy to break the tension.

"So how... are you... have you... eaten... what did... you eat..." he rasped, firing off questions just to confuse and amuse her. It worked. A shaky chuckle escaped her lips.

"Do you know how scared I was when I heard you were in an accident?" Meera's voice finally broke through.

"You were fighting for your life! How many times have I told you not to overwork and sleep on time? How could you be so careless crossing the road?" She launched into the signature move of all terrified mothers: relentless nagging. Rudra wasn't annoyed at all. He just listened. He could hear the tremble in her voice and see the sheer relief in her eyes. After scolding him for a solid fifteen minutes, she finally stopped, exhaling deeply and sinking into the chair next to his bed.

An hour later, his older brother, Shiva, strolled into the room. He was thirty, a doctor himself, and looked quite the part. But today, the heavy bags under his eyes were mixed with a massive, tired grin.

"So, how's almost dying, little brother?" Shiva joked.

"Shiva!" Meera snapped warningly.

"I was just kidding." Shiva walked over, casually grabbing Rudra's chart.

"Anyway, I heard you scored a six-month vacation. Are you happy you finally don't have to work anymore, even if it is only for six months?" Rudra let out a chuckle that immediately made his bruised ribs ache. Shiva flipped a page.

"I just read the records. It is advised to restrict outside exercise for at least four months. So, no gym till then for you." Shiva patted his good shoulder and stepped back. Rudra stared blankly at the hospital window. Six months without access to gym did hurt him a little but his mind was currently pre-occuped. The phantom weight of a weapon still lingered in his empty hands. The memories of a blazing sun, a vast field, and a dragon still burned in the back of his mind.