Waking Of A World Chapter 23: Chapter 23: A Slap On The Wrist.

Read chapter 23 of Waking Of A World by Victor_WIlliam on NovelPedia.

“How can you accept this? This rotten world and the people in it? How can you expect me to be kind and righteous when this… this god-forsaken world doesn’t allow it?!” A woman’s voice cracked as she slammed her fist onto the table. Her hand trembled, clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned pale. Not far behind her, an older man stood silently, watching over her with a heavy heart. “I know… I know this world is unfair. I know it’s disgusting. But that doesn’t mean we have to be.” Before he could finish, the woman spun around and threw something at him. “SHUT UP! How long are you going to keep this up? Your stupid hope, your stupid ideas of fairness and goodness. Why do you still cling to those fairy tales our mother told us like they were facts? They’re just stories!” Her voice rose into a scream filled with raw rage. “Don’t you get it?! All your kindness, your fairness, your delusional beliefs, they’ll only bring harm to you! People will use you. They’ll abuse you. Why won’t you understand?!” Her voice slowly weakened. She lowered her head as tears began to fall. The man’s expression was complex, filled with pain, but he didn’t deny her words. He stepped closer and spoke gently. “You’re right. My ideas are foolish. They’ve brought more harm than good, and there have been many times when I’ve questioned them myself. But despite my foolishness… I’m still alive, and I’m still taking care of us. Aren’t I?” Facing the older man’s question, the woman raised her head and looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears. “You idiot! What will you have if you continue to walk down this path?” The woman slowly raised her tear-streaked face to look at him. His smile was the warmest she had ever seen as he brought his hand up to give her head a reassuring pat. “I will still have you, Liesel.” Then, suddenly, Liesel’s eyes fluttered open. “Lukas…?” Her voice was weak and hoarse. Her mind was still dazed from waking up. Above her was an unfamiliar ceiling. For a long moment, she didn’t move. The steady beeping of a heart monitor filled the quiet room. Her throat felt painfully dry, and a dull ache spread through her entire body, as if she had been asleep for far too long. She blinked slowly, trying to focus. Everything felt unfamiliar. Even the clothes she was wearing weren’t hers. A clear IV bag hung from a metal stand to her right, its tube disappearing into the back of her hand. Thin curtains surrounded the bed, and the faint smell of antiseptic lingered in the air. Soft sunlight filtered through a narrow window, casting gentle lines across the floor. “Where… am I?” she whispered. Slowly, she pushed herself up. As her mind cleared, she finally realized she was in a hospital. “What… happened?” Liesel brought a hand to her head as fragments of memory began returning. She remembered joining a Fixers Office today. They had taken on a request. During the investigation, she was… forced to hide inside a box by that Liang Shen guy, and then… Suddenly, a flood of memories rushed back all at once. “Ah!” She clutched her head in pain as the memories overwhelmed her: the moment she subconsciously activated her Aspect, the desperate fight in the alley, and the overwhelming exhaustion that followed until she passed out. Liesel’s eyes widened. Her breathing hitched. She finally understood what had happened. Liesel tried to get off the bed quickly, but the moment her feet touched the ground, her legs gave out, and she nearly collapsed. Her body was still weak and shaky from the long period of unconsciousness. “Damn it…” she cursed under her breath, using the bed as support to pull herself back up. Her mind was still foggy, and her body trembled. Just then, a nurse rushed into the room and gently helped her back onto the bed. “Miss! What are you doing? Please lie back down. You haven’t recovered yet.” Liesel grabbed the nurse’s arm tightly. “The White Crane Office… Do you know where they are right now?” The nurse looked startled by her sudden intensity