I was in pain. That was the first thing my brain acknowledged when I woke up. Every part of my damned body was aching.

  I groaned as I sat up, letting a blanket fall to my waist, my eyes narrowed. The light in the room was blinding. Why was it so bright? My room shouldn’t be this bright.

  I looked around and noticed that I was definitely not in my room. Otherwise, who was the strange man? He was wearing nurse scrubs so if I had to guess, he was probably a nurse. Meaning that I was definitely not in my room.

  I looked over and found my dad sitting in a chair beside my bed. He was sleeping with his arm on a table and his chin in his hand. I looked back at the other man.

  “Um, hello,” I said.

  The nurse who seemed to be leaving the room, jumped and looked back at me. He met my eyes and smiled.

  “Good morning,” he said.

  “...Good morning. What’s going on? Why-”

  I pressed my lips together and searched through my memories. I glanced down at myself-- at my hands and my legs. I seemed pretty human. Other than the cord thing attached to my chest and the needle in my arm that ran to a device next to the bed, I appeared normal. No claws, or horns, only bandages. I suppose some demons looked human so it wasn’t too surprising.

  I swallowed.

  I was one. No doubt about that. But that leaves at least two questions. One, why haven't I fallen into a frenzy? Was I just a late starter or did not every demon have frenzies? Is that something I should expect in the future– that I may lose myself at any moment? The thought made my hands shake.

  My second question, if I was a demon, how come I was in a hospital room and not… wherever demons go?

  “You were exposed to Entha,” the nurse said.

  “Now you’re in East Jefferson Hospital. Don’t worry, we’re only here to help you adjust to your condition and make sure your body handles it well.”

  “Condition?”

  The nurse nodded in understanding. “You’re an Eternal now. I know it’s shocking but I promise it’ll be alright.”

  Was it possible I was actually an Eternal and not a demon?

  My dad suddenly startled awake and blinked at his surroundings. His gaze found me and his shoulders untensed.

  "How're you doing?" he asked in that grouchy voice of his. I could see the worry in his eyes.

  "Awful," I said. "My head hurts and my body hates me." I gestured to the nurse. "He's saying I'm an Eternal. Am I?"

  "Well, you aren't dead." Dad sighed and leaned back in his chair. He watched me under his bushy brows. I don't think I've seen him so tired, not since Cory got injured a year ago. "Cain, you scared me to death yesterday."

  "Oh... Sorry."

  I didn't know what else to say. What else was I supposed to say?!

  "Please, just don't do it again."

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  "Cain," the nurse said. "I need to ask you some questions." A tablet that I hadn't noticed before was in his hand.

  The nurse went through a bunch of questions, like, 'Do you know the date' or 'Can you move your toes'. I probably aced the test despite not knowing the date. After many questions and the nurse recording the answers on his tablet he left the room, leaving both me and my dad alone.

  "So…" I started, hoping the room wouldn't fall into an uncomfortable silence. "How was your day?"

  "Not one of my best."

  "Who's taking care of the cafe?"

  "It's closed today."

  Well, Dickhead wasn't going to be happy about that. Do I have to deal with that now that I am a demon/ maybe Eternal?

  "Where's everyone?"

  "Mom's on her way. I texted her during your evaluation," Dad said. "Cory had a late night last night so he shouldn't be coming."

  "He'll be here later," I said. "Cory is impatient at best."

  Dad huffed. "You're one to speak."

  "First of all, that is a horrible thing to say. And two, you do not know your son well, trust me, Cory is as reckless as they come."

  Dad stared at me, seemingly unimpressed and unamused.

  "...Sorry," I said again.

  The door opened and in walked Mom. She was a tall woman with dark hair and pale skin. She was wearing the Warden Association uniform with a tie and a badge.

  She smiled when she saw me.

  "Honey," she said, coming over to wrap her arms around me. Her long sleeves brushed against my cheek as her chin rested on my head. She pulled back and searched my face.

  "You seem sickly. Do you feel alright?"

  "I'm just achy, it's all cool," I said, waving my hand.

  I hoped to ease her worries, but if anything her frown deepened.

  "What's wrong?" Dad asked.

  Mom's lips thinned. "He shouldn't feel achy."

  I pulled back. "What do you mean?"

  Mom let go of my shoulders and stood straight. She assessed my face. "After first exposure, Eternals should feel lively. Even after being drained. Wilson, something could be wrong."

  My heart thumped.

  "No! Nothing's wrong," I said, trying to smile. "I'm just confused. Like really confused. What happened last night? I remember the Giants and I remember, you know, becoming an Eternal but how am I here?"

  I remember fighting those Giants too. I don't know what came over me and sure, that part is fuzzy, but I definitely attacked them. Was that my 'frenzy'? I thought demons only attacked humans but I didn't even consider hurting that girl-

  "What happened to the girl?"

  "She's alright," Mom said, her face becoming more composed though still concerned. "She woke up an hour after we found you. She had a very minor concussion but otherwise is okay."

  It's good that those Giants didn't get her.

  "What happened to the Giants?'

  "Dead," Dad said. "Ron Basin killed them."

  I blanked.

  "?"

  "Yes, he was the one who found you guys."

  My eyes grew.

  The hero that saved me was ? I mentally scoffed. Of course Ron freaking Basin was the one who saved me.

  "Cory called him," Dad said. "After you called me, I called Mom, Mom called Cory and Cory called Ron. He was the closest."

  "It was a good thing he was there," I muttered. "It wouldn't have been good if he wasn't." A chill ran down my arms.

  "Hey," Dad said. "Do you want to tell us what happened?"

  "Yes," Mom said. "I want to know what happened to your arms. Did those scratch you?" She reached to grab my bandaged and uncovered arm. I yanked it back before she could touch me.

  "Sorry! I just thought… you surprised me…"

  Mom was searching my face again.

  "What happened," she finally said. She waved her hand and created a wall of glass that pushed a chair closer. She sat in said chair.

  "Nothing unusual," I said. "Okay, so it was unusual, but in terms of Giant attacks, it wasn't unusual!"

  "Tell me more."

  I took a deep breath and tried to recollect my thoughts. "Well, it's a lot."

  "Take your time," Dad said.

  I told them about how my train stopped working and how I got off a couple stops early. How I heard a scream and I followed it. I may have skimmed past the death of that woman though Mom told me I would have to recount it to the police later. I told them about the deal and the call I made to Dad. How they found out about the call and then drained me.

  "Then my mask broke and I became an Eternal."

  "Did you use a power?" Mom asked. "I have heard that using an ability immediately after gaining them may have some side effects. Usually it affects the power itself but perhaps it affected your body."

  My brain stuttered.

  "I jumped," I said. "Really high."

  Mom nodded, her expression easing. "That may explain it. If your power is a being ability then it could have affected your body as well. I'll bring in a doctor from the association. They should have more answers."

  I hoped they couldn't see the bullets I was sweating.

  "I just really want to go home as soon as possible."

  "Cain-"

  "Athena," Dad said, cutting Mom off, something that almost never happens. "He has gone through a lot, he deserves to go home.”

  "Of course he does," she snapped. "I'll just have to ask the doctor to come to the house instead. But he still needs to stay here until they make sure he's completely stable. I want to make sure there's nothing wrong with him."

  I swallowed.

  Here's my for all of the extra stuff I do with this story (playlists, art, tiktoks, deleted scenes) and if anyone's interested in donating. It would help out a lot but no pressure.