"Ahhh!"
I woke up screaming as though I had a nightmare, though what I went through might as well have been one.
I squinted as bright ceiling lights flooded the room, momentarily blinding me. The beeping of machinery echoed around me. I realized I was lying in a bed, surrounded by white walls.
Looking around, it was easy to tell where I was.
"I'm in a hospital?"
"You sound confused." A soft, feminine voice called.
My eyes snapped to the direction of the voice. There stood a strikingly beautiful woman with flowing black hair and sparkling brown eyes. She wore what appeared to be a military uniform.
She proceeded to sit down on a chair right beside the bed.
I took a minute to process the situation, mainly due to her face, and just as I was about to speak.
"Hello there, my name is Veronica Waver, and I'm here to ask you a few questions." She smiled as she spoke.
"You're probably wondering how you're here."
"Yes," I answered without hesitation, that was exactly what I was thinking.
"Alright then, but first, before I answer that, I want to ask you something." She said, staring straight into my eyes. Her gaze felt opressive almost as if to say I've got no choice but to answer her questions.
"Okay."
"Wonderful, now why were you in the Dark Forest?" She asked in a commanding tone.
'Dark Forest? oh that's what that hellhole is called bit boring of a name though.'
"Are you not going to answer?" She said, interrupting my thoughts.
"Oh, um, I don't know."
"..."
She stared at me expessionless but what was I supposed to do? I literally had no idea how I had ended up there.
"...Okay then ill ask a different, easier to answer question, who are you?"
"Who am I? I'm..."
'Wait, who am I?' The realisation struck me like lightning. I didn't know who I was. I tried to search my memories, but there was nothing, only waking up in the forest then on.
"As I thought." She spoke in a confident tone that made me confused as to what she meant.
"You probably already realize this, but you have memory loss."
"..."
I didn't know what to say, but just as I was in the middle of an self existential crisis, she spoke.
"Listen, you crossed into a restricted area illegally. This means you will be interrogated by the central police and possibly put on trial."
"Not to mention, there are no documents of you as a citizen of the Empire, which makes your situation ev..."
"Stop!" I cut her off. The more she spoke, the more depressed I became. I began to massage my head to ease the headache I was getting.
'Wait'
Looking at my hand, I then realized my left arm was somehow back, just covered in bandages.
"How?" I muttered in confusion as I stared at my left arm.
Hearing my confusion, Veronica spoke, "It's not real."
Taking my attention away from my arm i looked at her.
"Its a prosthetic, a quite expensive one at that, you'll have to pay for that also."
Hearing this, I almost thought dying at the hands of that creature would've been better, and just as I was wallowing in my despair, a sound came from my side.
"Pfft"
I immediately shot a look at Veronica.
'Sh-Shes laughing at me?'
"I'm glad my suffering is entertaining to you," I said sarcastically.
"Ahem," She cleared her throat, "Sorry its just the face you made was..."
She stopped smiling and immediately had a straight face again. "Regardless, you do not need to worry too much; the central police are really good at finding liars, well thats as long as you don't lie." She warned me.
Watching her switch moods in an instant somewhat pissed me off. 'What the hell kinda mood change is this?' I thought.
"And don't worry too much about the prosthestic seeing as you survived the Dark Forest with minimal injuries im sure you'd qualify for some jobs, maybe even an academy."
"Losing an arm is considered minimal?"
"A lot better than losing your life."
"Haaa," I sighed
'Shes right.'
Veronica then got up from the chair, seemingly intending to leave.
"Wait! you didnt explain how I got here." I said.
"Oh, right, we found you at the edge of the forest and brought you here. You've been in a coma for two days."
"Okay bu..."
"I'm sure you have loads of questions, unfortunately I can't answer all as I've got a lecture to attend Byyeee." She then left before I could say more.
"..."
"Haaa, I'm fucked."