Chapter 10

I lay on the bed with the pain hitting my head like a never-ending wave. Faint noises around my room started to come through, though I still couldn't open my eyes fully. My head felt heavy, and every time I tried to move my body, the dizziness came back, making me want to pass out again.

Fainting from exhaustion is also painful but fainting from a mind disorder like this is really more painful in my opinion. I've compared the two feelings and I honestly admit that the pain I feel now is really unbearable.

Even when I wake up now, I still feel a sense of discomfort that spreads throughout my body. Yes, I now feel very nauseous and want to vomit like I've just been shaken or stirred up on a rollercoaster ride.

Images of memories that weren't mine continued to haunt my mind. Most of them were just blurred fragments of crying, despair, and a strong sense of loss. I knew they were Dean's memories, but why were they appearing now? And why did I feel so overwhelmed by them? It was as if my mind and body were at war with each other, unable to fully merge.

The voices in my room became clearer as I slowly came to my senses. I slowly opened my eyes and looked around. Several people were standing around me, they were the royal physicians, with their distinctive clothes and attentive looks on their faces. They were busy examining me, treating my body that felt weak, but there was something different about the look in their eyes. Behind that concern, there was a sense of wonder that they found hard to hide.

I tried to gather the strength to get up, but one of the healers held me back gently. "Don't move yet, Your Majesty. You have just regained consciousness. Rest for a while longer."

I could only nod slowly, feeling unable to say much. But I couldn't ignore the whispers I heard among the healers. They seemed agitated, whispering to each other while keeping their focus on me. I tried to listen more clearly, even though the pain in my head was still piercing.

"Do you sense that His Eminence Dean's life energy flow is not in sync with his heart and body centre energy?" whispered one of the healers, his eyes directed at me with a puzzled expression.

DEG

I just pretended not to know and continued to stare at the ceiling of the room so that those who were talking about me would not realise that I heard their words. Even though they whispered quite loudly, my ears were still sensitive enough to hear the words that came out of their mouths.

It's quite surprising that they can sense such things, I admit, but the abilities in the Jordan Kingdom are extraordinary. They really mastered the internal energy and life energy in living beings. They can even sense the balance between the human spirit or soul and the human body.

"I feel it too," replied the other healer in a low tone, but enough to be heard in my increasingly alert ears. "But there is no indication of anything wrong with his body. This is really confusing."

I swallowed nervously. What were they talking about? Could they sense something different in my body? Did they realise that I wasn't the real Dean?

"I felt that too," one of the healers continued. "But doesn't that mean His Highness Dean's body and soul aren't in sync? That's strange, but we'd better not assume anything. Maybe it's just the influence of negative energy from the palace environment."

I could feel my breathing getting heavier. They were starting to suspect something. Although they didn't fully know what was going on, the talk of soul and body being out of sync made me even more anxious. If they continued to delve into this, what would happen if they found out the truth? What would King Domiano do if he found out that his son's body was filled with the soul of a stranger, namely me?

I'm actually not afraid of being forcibly expelled from this kingdom if King Domiano finds out, but I'm not sure if he'll let me live, he might forcibly expel my spirit from this body even though I'm not sure that's really possible in this world, and if he kills me here then I won't be able to return to my home universe either.

That's horrible. I'm reminded of an anime where a group of people play a game and then enter the world in the game, but if they die in the game, they will also die in the real world. Couldn't something like that be similar to what's happening now? And if I die here, it means that I also die in my world, I don't know, it's still just an assumption.

I fell silent, my body stiff on the bed. The pain in my head was still stinging, but now fear was starting to dominate my feelings. I didn't know what to do. Should I try to talk? Confess everything? But how can I explain something that even I don't fully understand?

"We'd better stay focused on treating His Majesty Dean," the other healer whispered. "We don't want King Domiano to be angered by this. After this, we will meditate to balance our minds and magical energy."

Hearing that, my stomach twisted. I knew how much influence King Domiano had in this kingdom. If he got angry or suspicious, then my fate would be on the line. Although I didn't know much about the healers' magical abilities, but they seemed to be able to sense something different in me. I can only hope that they won't continue their investigation any further.

I tried to calm myself down, trying not to let my face show the fear that was taking over my mind. Don't panic, Jou, I said to myself. They don't know anything yet. Don't let yourself look suspicious.

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, pretending to fall back asleep. The sound of the healers' whispers could still be heard, but I tried to focus my mind on not thinking about it too much. I couldn't let them know that I wasn't Dean. But on the other hand, I also don't know what to do if they get suspicious.

Time passed slowly, and I could feel them still around my bed, watching me closely. My heart was beating fast, and cold sweat started running down my forehead. I was really on edge now. If they found anything strange, I didn't know what would happen to me. And even scarier, what would King Domiano do if he found out?

I tried to remember what I should do next. I had to find a way out of this situation, had to refocus on my goal of returning to my own world. But how? There were no clear clues, and now I didn't even know if this body would continue to stabilise.

Briefly, my mind went back to the images of Dean that I saw before I fainted. There was something so sad in those memories, something that felt so deep and dark. Dean, the person whose body I was occupying, held a big secret that I had yet to fully understand. And now, those memories are starting to affect me. I couldn't ignore it anymore.

"Your Honour Dean?" one of the healers called out to me in a low tone, breaking the silence that felt so oppressive in this room.

I opened my eyes slowly, pretending to be confused as if I had just woken up from a long stupor. "I... I feel dizzy," I said softly, trying to keep my voice calm even though I was still shaking inside.

"We have done our best to treat you, Your Majesty," the healer replied with a gentle smile. "Get some more rest. Things will be better once you rest."

I nodded, trying to smile despite the worry still lumped inside my chest. They might not know what really happened yet, but I had to be careful. Every move I made could raise more suspicion. And if King Domiano finds out something improper, I might be in grave danger.

The healers finally left my room, and I again lay alone in silence. My mind was whirling, filled with uncertainty and fear. What should I do now? Would they continue to examine this body, finding out why Dean's energy felt misaligned?

I closed my eyes again, hoping to calm down and find a way out of this situation. But all I could think about was fear, and the strange memories that kept popping up in my head.