Medics and nurses helplessly stood aside the pair, and managed to get William's clothes over his drags, which Mi-Yung accepted, but not because it was necessary.

  They wondered if their duty was worth it for these kinds of people, but they were better than that. They were polite, reasonable, and tasked by the Second Head and Rey, the Association Pillar, to help out this boy.

  Unknown to them, it backfired when Mi-Yung deemed the situation too sensitive and refused to allow anything else.

  Nudging William with her arm, Mi-Yung poked at him, hoping he would stay present. “Keep at it. We are almost there.”

  “I am forced to remain awake like in cold, bloody mudlands. Thanks for worrying about me... It is painful... So damn dumb. I am glad I don't have to do it ever again, but why do I feel it is like a start to more pain?”

  “I think you said it has always been like this. Is it that different?”

  “No. Which is disturbing.”

  “Then, keep going and don't get lost. It's not cool. Are you a loser?”

  “I guess you are the same as ever, eh... Fine.” William mumbled and tried to relax, imagining the demon again. Mi-Yung was unaware of it and kept looking at him with unsettling curiosity.

  “Yes. The path forward is no better,” Mi-Yung mumbled in a self-mocking tone.

  “Wh..”

  “Oh, we are here. Let's go.” Without continuing, Mi-Yung shoved William's arm a bit further, jerking his hand and causing more pain, and opened the door. Then she let the medics do one part of their job: show her the way to their room. Two stayed, and the rest went back down with the elevator, awaiting the next injured Walker, because, again, it was a matter of fact that they were needed.

  The elevator ended up in a familiar building complex with white, bright hallways. Mi-Yung squinted and almost closed her eyes at such a stark difference. The underground wasn't different, so adjustments took less than a second.

  Aside were simple corridors with rooms and many people walking or hurrying somewhere. The clutter of voices was everywhere, as if they were in the middle of a war. It was a modern building with clean, shiny tiles and nice wooden doors. It was a hospital, which William felt from the scent alone, but where and how was he going to do this? Was he ever in the hospital before? Maybe some of those... events, did show he were. Or weren't.

  “Is this... what I think this is?”

  Apart from the absurdity of many hurrying people and medics, it seemed like a calm place.

  “Most Walkers need recovery and a place for themselves. Welcome to the best hospital in the world, I guess.”

  “Hospital...” William gulped, feeling pain in his throat, but not the dryness.

  “Another broken freaking guy? Not a single luck is down there for a single bratty brat? Some could at least walk straight and steady like proper freaks,” A loud and firm tone of a chubby lady aimed at Mi-Yung and William.

  “H-hello, Miss Rachelle,” Mi-Yung said with a forced smile, looking at a head nurse who wasn't giving a single fuck to any Walker or Pillars. She was busy, so she spoke and treated everyone equally, because everyone who was hurt was still a human being.

  “You? Oh, I remember you. Are you the one from the Assembly? Song... Oh dear. Where are the rest of your medics? Wait. No. What are you doing here alone with Host 130?!” Rachelle asked in an angry, surprised tone that came off as very intense and offended. Rules were rules, yet Mi-Yung was still Mi-Yung.

  Her eyes were set on the truth, her arms were thick and wide, and her stature was firm. The truth didn't matter to this lady too much. Whether someone was from the Assembly or Outside, the human body still had its limbs, and blood, and usual problems. If not, well, there were all sorts of doctors in this place to look at anything wrong. For the most part, that is.

  “I am taking care of my problem, miss.”

  “You a Proxy for this broken young man?” Rachelle asked with a doubtful look, since she had hundreds of kinds of reports and information to attend to. There were too many, so she knew very little about every incoming patient. For this one, she overlooked Mi-Yung's status, but not her condition, or... this boy's shitty condition.

  “Yes. Can you lead us to our room?”

  “No. He has a badly injured hand and that... Emblem seems crazy. Is he fine? What about the rest? Is the head alright, or... Jezus. This is terrible,” she continued, speaking and observing William closely without giving Mi-Yung a chance to speak up.

  “I am fine.” William tried to argue, but before he could do anything, a hand grabbed his mouth, and Rachelle looked at him with a deadly stare.

  “Not a single bit of this boy is fine. Don't talk when the adults are speaking, child.” She uttered as if nothing else mattered.

  “He is understandably tired. Nauseous feelings are common. A room for rest is all he needs right now, so if you may?” Mi-Yung argued with a little lie, hoping to get this over with fast.

  “Really? If so, his Emblem is very active for a reason, or what exactly are you doing, hm? What's up with what?”

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  Fortunately, before Rachelle had a chance to voice anything further, a man halted their talk. He talked in a hurry. “Head nurse, number seventy has another episode!”

  “Again? Blood, I bet she needs another slap on her face. Leave that to me!” She replied in resolution and strided forth without another glance at Mi-Yung.

  “Lucky me,” Mi-Yung chuckled at their backs before feeling great. Then, she looked at William. “Fold your drags around your right hand. Some people might have second thoughts about it. It is better to be safe than sorry.”

  “I tried. It turned to dust.”

  “Dust?”

  “Well, it disappeared into ashes, I guess. Oh, my poor shirt... or...” William ruefully smiled, figuring that most of his body was in drags, including that long robe-thing those nurses gave him. His body was kind of exposed, and for the first time, he dared to glance down at his numb right hand. The screen was still in the way, but he noticed the red, gushing stuff beyond and felt an immediate blow of pain.

  “Freaking Annihilation, William. I guess you take it from your father. Before doing anything else, let's find that room. I am not comfortable with so many people around, but this place will do.” Mi-Yung decided and forced a pair of medics to get her a key to one of the best rooms for Walkers in mind. It went well, since she was rather persuasive when she wanted to be.

  “Easy.” Mi-Yung soon smiled, opened the door, and dragged William inside a nice-looking room with a table, chair, and a big, clean bed. There was also an open window through which fresh air rushed in.

  It was midday, but the two arrivals didn't seem to care, since the whole day and this event were hardly over. It would take more than a day to complete. The Forced Awakening process still had hundreds of youths to attend to, and no one knew for sure if there would be any further issues. Then, individually attending the Examination and deciding on a lifetime was the next part of the gruesome, long process.

  Forcing William onto the bed was a matter of a simple toss. Frankly, if he could, he would get there on his own, rather than like a sack of potatoes. The whole bed creaked, and one part of the frame cracked. Much to his grunting protests, Mi-Yung's piercing gaze was enough to silence him. She stared at him, wiped her face with her cloak, and kept an eye on him for a whole minute.

  “I will rest. Rest, alright.” William argued, feeling the soft pillows and the nice mattress as he hugged his right arm. He felt terrible. Everything quickly worsened and bloodied the moment he touched anything. One portion got even turned to ashes the moment his right arm brushed against things, so he pulled his numb hand to his stomach instead, where it couldn't do more damage.

  His skin didn't turn to ashes or expose the inards or bones, which was good. He couldn't imagine the otherwise. The Emblem faced the bright ceiling, revealing the strange flow of thick Vectors, wounds around his muscles, and various cracks around his arm. As for the Emblem itself, it was no longer as protruding but slightly deeper in his arm, moving and revolving inside it. The residual flow of the Vectors occasionally appeared as mist or thin lines. Typical Vector shit, if Mi-Yung had to look at that way.

  “Your Emblem is extra active. So is your System. Weird. You should be exhausted beyond belief, which you are, but not too much. Again, you shouldn't be active either... damnit.” Mi-Yung said, after taking a seat on a chair beside the bed.

  “I kind of... am bad. Figured that out already. What am I supposed to do to stop it? Is there a switch?”

  “Rest. Think. Speak. Since it is something coming way too soon, it is a matter of principle to guide it down. You know some factors of your Rank 0, but those won't work anymore. I bet you tried them already.”

  “Should I try it more?”

  “Do you want to?” Mi-Yung attempted to be sensible, yet it didn't make her feel any better.

  “No...”

  “Then it should be better to take my words seriously because I wish to give you proper awareness. Your Awakened Emblem is like a chainless beast. You should pull it closer towards the Screen, endure what shall happen, and try to solve it through effort and less beating.”

  “Hand... Emblem?” William said, feeling as if he knew about it but didn't want to acknowledge it.

  In fact, it was doubtful for him to even move his body, let alone do stuff with his new, thicker, and crazier arm.

  As for the Screen, was it really that bad? Was an active Emblem supposed to feel different? What was even inactive? Rank 1 was a mark of endless activity, wasn't it? William was confused, and it was no wonder. His mind wasn't ready to face this, albeit some parts were.

  Mi-Yung felt there were countless disparities in young Walkers. Celeste felt steady, like a deep mountain, taking on a perfect form. William became a deeper cave from a big, questionable void. Their differences were unmistakable. William's Vectors were profound, while Celeste's Vectors were milder, looking closer to Arcana, but... that sword was more ideal than anything else, similar to her sheer scale of 99 Affinity.

  One might wonder if something much more devoted should happen with such an affinity, but it wasn't even that terrific. Most people were astounded by the number alone, rather than by what she stood for or what she had generated or handled. At least she collapsed like a sensible young lady, a bit taller and with muscles that would boost her newfound strength.

  Then, there was William. Mi-Yung wondered if touching that Emblem was fine right now, but didn't want to take her chances with it, considering she had guesses on what was going on.

  “So?” she asked. “Are you ready or not? You shouldn't question it, but where do you think this is? We are in the hospital. If something bad happens, we can fix you.”

  “How... convenient,” William said helplessly and did his best to push his right hand upward. He lay on his back, watching the shimmering Screen midway to the ceiling, striking his sight with bluish colors and signs that shifted, or turned, or stayed for a time. His hand felt much heavier than ever before. Sore muscles and stinging pain were part of the ongoing cutting and breaking bones and muscles, and rebuilding, all part of the insanity that was present because of that... thing—that object.

  The Emblem itself was the cause and answer, he knew. The whole body was now its home better than ever, and he was its fighter. The demon talked. Forever etched in his memory. That voice kept him awake.

  Putting his hand back onto his stomach, he hesitated, noting that Screen and his Emblem should feel separate, as they were first and foremost . Many details were noticeable when he wasn't moving in the slightest. He felt... everything. He couldn't understand a single thing on that Screen. At least he didn't gain another head, or arms, or grow horns. That would be silly.

  “Are you afraid?” Mi-Yung asked impatiently, trying not to sound worried.

  “I see that Screen... doing stuff, but that thing, my brain, what's that?”

  “You said it already. Use it if it's there.”

  “Is this... some language?”

  “I guess it is. Can't see it, you know, so don't know what's up with yours.”

  “Do you have a paper? I can draw it.”

  “Stop it. We don't have time for that.” Mi-Yung argued, standing over him and folding her arms.

  Not like William knew a lot of languages, so he assumed this System's strange manners and readings might be utter nonsense like everything else.

  Whether his hands felt like hundreds of bricks, he had to do something about it. Forcing his hand upward in a single motion shouldn't be the hardest thing he had done today, but cheering of a demon, or Mi-Yung, wouldn't hurt anyone.

  So he moved against his will and power, cracked a few bones, but hardly felt concerned or less in pain.