The Stellate Vortex

GAAHH—

Kieth screamed upon seeing the spider. It tried moving toward him, but its flesh fell apart, and it died, twitching slightly before finally going still.

Kieth cautiously stepped closer to examine it.

"What the fuck is this?" he muttered.

"This isn't even a spider... too big, and it has a human eye that looks melted. Whatever attacked it must be close. I should get moving and figure out how I even ended up here."

He began crawling through the cave. The passage grew narrower as he pressed forward. An hour passed, the suffocating space draining his strength. Dehydrated and exhausted, he eventually drifted into an uneasy sleep.

In his slumber, blurred images of someone—something—appeared. It was indistinct, yet strangely familiar. He tried to move closer.

The figure turned toward him. It was a silhouette of a woman, weeping softly. Then, she spoke.

"Please... don't leave me here alone."

Kieth jolted awake, breathing hard. He looked around in confusion.

"What the...? Did I teleport? Again? Is sleeping triggering this? Wait... is that my ability?"

He stretched his stiff back, still sore from crawling for hours, and began walking.

"Well... where even am I?" he muttered.

"Close to me, I guess," a voice responded.

Kieth spun around and saw the doctor standing there.

"Doctor! So glad to see you!"

The doctor smiled faintly. "Yeah, me too."

Kieth bombarded him with questions. "How did you even end up here? And where are we?"

The doctor sat on a pile of rocks, his expression somber.

"Makar... it's no more," he said quietly. "Sofia was assassinated by the rebels. Her final order was to evacuate as many as possible. I tried, but no one listened to me."

Kieth's eyes widened in shock What? All of this happened in one night? While I was asleep? What about the others? Rita, Vasil... Gilbert?

The doctor glanced at him, as if calling kieth a moron with his facial expression

"While all that chaos was happening, you were sleeping peacefully."

Kieth scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Ah... yeah. My bad. I'm a heavy sleeper."

The doctor smirked. "Sure you aren't a scrawny sleeper?" He tossed Kieth a water bottle and some bread.

Kieth accepted them gratefully, devouring the food like it was his last meal.

"Ashu ou id we et ere?" he mumbled through a mouthful of bread.

The doctor sighed. "Swallow your food before speaking."

Kieth swallowed and asked again, "Also... how did we get here? Teleportation, I suppose?"

The doctor nodded. "Yep, that's my ability. I can teleport people while they're asleep or unconscious. That's how I got you here. As for your two friends? Yeah, they ran off somewhere. If I find them, I'll teleport them close to you."

Kieth frowned. "Oh... thanks. So, why did you bring me here?"

The doctor stood. "Well... you'll see."

Suddenly, they heard thuds echoing through the cave, accompanied by a familiar clicking noise.

Out of the darkness emerged a swarm of spiders—around thirty of them. They looked identical to the one Kieth had seen earlier, with melting flesh and grotesque human-like features.

But the spiders didn't attack. Instead, they were retreating.

"What the... are they running?" Kieth asked, his voice sounding confused.

Then, from the same dark hole, something enormous emerged. The ground trembled as the predator appeared, its presence filling the space.

Kieth's stomach dropped. "They're running from that thing."

The doctor grinned. "Well, there it is. That's the reason I brought you."

Kieth blinked in disbelief. "What do you mean? You want me to fight that?"

The doctor laughed. "You? Nah, we. I figured I could use some help, and lucky for me, you were sleeping at just the right time."

He handed Kieth a dagger.

"You'll need this. Oh, and by the way... that thing shoots acid. It'll decay you if you're not careful."

The dust clear and it looked like a humanoid figure having a monster like armor

"What is that?"

"It's.....well it was a friend, not really.....a patient probably"

"Give a straight answer"

The monster spoke, "cleo long time no see, it seems you have been well"

The doctor looked at it and smiled

"Definitely you looked a lot more handsome back then"

"I was a girl what do you mean?"

...

Kieth looked at doctor "you don't know who she is right?"

"No..."

"Guessed it"

The monster replied, "dosent matter if you remember or not I'll kill you here and your little friend"

"I'm taller than you"

...

The doctor pushed him as kieth got up he looked at the place the ground looked as if it had melted

"I think you agiated her by talking about height"

"Well she started it"

The two got up and ran towards the monster, it responded by grabbing doctor and before it could throw him kieth stabbed it's hand

AAAAA— another stab in its neck ripping out it's vocal cord as it threw doctor and backed

"The Armor dosent really protect it completely, if it did it wouldn't be able to move"

Doctor got up and and grabbed his sword as the monster was trying to stop the bleeding, without waiting the two jumped it cutting it in the vulnerable spots

It tried screaming but couldn't. it's nerves were damaged it couldn't move, it was doomed to die, yet as a final attack it exploded it's body

"Shit."

kieth tried backing but it was too late it would hit him, but doctor came in the way taking the full acid

DOCTOR—

he lied down there as the acid was slowly melting his skin but he wasn't dissatisfied

"Calm down....it will probably take hours to kill me."

"That dosent make it sound any better!!"

The doctor smiled at kieth as he remembered something he had forgotten

...

Studying was hell still i wanted to be a neurosurgeon so I kept going on....a dream i wanted to achieve...but I had to drop halfway our family condition was bad

To become a neurosurgeon I needed years of study but my family couldn't afford it

I took a loan from the bank and with the money I took half a year setting everything up as quickly as I could too support my family all the procedures and going back and forth the government office just to get the legal procedures done

But it was done.... I started a pharmacy, years passed yet we barely made ends meet, I still hadn't paid back the loan and the bank was nagging me about it, if I didn't pay soon as per the contract they would legally be allowed to sell the property i have for money

"AGHHHHH!!!" i shouted at the top of my lungs

Tears filled my eyes why wasn't anything right in my life? Even starting a pharmacy we were losing money due to the low sails

Why should I even live? I climbed the border to end it all but was pulled away i looked back it was a stranger

His name was Kelvin, though a stranger we became friends. I enjoyed our conversation

All times I was down he would always be cheerful and whenever I was around him it was hard to be depressed

"What??? You studied that high? Holy! you should totally continue it."

"I can't i dropped midway and if I need money to go higher"

"Ah that so? Hmm well not like I have much either." he laughed akwardly

"But still you help people, you know though less people there are lots who can help themselves all because of your instructions and medicine."

I looked at his eyes he didn't have a inch of pity for me but had respect...why I didn't deserve it, I hated people the closest to me all because I thought they dragged me down, yet why...I didn't know but I felt happy I felt acknowledged

If nothing else I knew that I had succeeded in having a friend

Or so I thought

I was infront of the hospital bed, I was there during his final heartbeats, why didn't you tell me?.....no it was my fault I never noticed any sort of symptoms

He was terminally Ill, he had heart problems yet I didn't notice anything, why?

Because he was a light a star that kept growing brighter in my life, and that's the part I didn't notice a star grows brighter as it slowly dies.

I wanted to say so many things but not a word could come out of my mouth, it was my fault i was selfish I always told my problems never tried asking yours

Yet you listened always smiled always cheerful, I saw how many people came at your funeral, yet you included me in your will

"Why..."

i broke down reading his final letter for me

Dear Cleo

I am sorry, I don't know whether you are devastated or not, but I hope you don't get stuck up on this.

When I saw you the first time about to jump off the bridge...I had come there to end my life too but, I didn't because I saw you... i always thought if you weren't there I would have jumped, as for some reason I didn't want to see someone die. When I found out I was going to die in a a couple of months I decided to dedicate it to you a stranger..a friend.

I want you to live and I want you to be a doctor just like you always said a neurosurgeon right? Dunno what's that about but I want you to pursue it, don't blame anything on yourself, as a doctor you can't save everyone. But still dont give up try saving more. But when the time comes save yourself.

Thank you my friend for giving me some of the best months of my life

From

Kelvin

I gave the pharmacy to my sibling to take care of it, and I focused on my studies getting back in and aiming high...I became a neurosurgeon in total it took me 16 years before I quit and after i rejoined.

I saved a boy, he was suffering from cerebral hemmorage, he had lost in life, he wanted to end it, but I saved him, the first life I saved just like you saved mine

"Doctor..."

the kid approached me

"doctor...thank you i wanna give you something."

"Don't worry kid your parents did it already"

"No...i wanna give you something."

he handed me a teddy bear

"His name is Kelvin he helped me when I was scared, if you are scared hug Kelvin...i hope you will take good care of him"

It could be a coincidence but I was happy, i always carried it with me everywhere, it reminded me of you

And then even I died in a car accident, a hope to see you again ignited within me

When I realised that all people who passed away are here I was overjoyed to think I would meet you again.

You were a doctor huh? That's good I needed someone who could treat my citizens, my name is Sofia I'm the monarch of makar and I'll find your friend if you help me

She was a kind-hearted woman who called me multiple times saying she found a guy called Kelvin but it wasn't him each time, she seemed disappointed each time but I was thankful that she cared

She told me she knew she was going to get assassinated soon as the rebels have been growing stronger in influence.

That's when you came in a sarcastic and full of energy guy you reminded me of Kelvin the kid and sofia.

When she was assassinated I ran to find you all because I wanted to save another life I thought was important to me, I found you.

And I can't let you die so don't look sad I'm happy I saved you among the countless I saved.

I wonder if Kelvin would be happy if he saw me.

With my last strength i summon I decided to teleport him, awake it's a lot more painful as when they are sleeping brain activity is low and easier to transport but still, the poison will slowly fill the air, I need to save him.

"DOCTOR PLEASE WAKE UP PLEASE" he held my hand tight I could only smile as he was devastated.

.....I think this is how you felt too when I was with you at your final moments.

"Kieth.....thank you." I uttered my final words he might not even understand but it's alright as I saved myself in time by meeting him.

"W—"

And he vanished I was succesful, but my head didn't hurt.

It's peaceful.

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