Benjamin clamped his hands over his ears, but the high-pitched shrieks of children and the guttural cries of men and women still tore through.
He lunged for the sliver of light at the door, but his limbs were leaden, ignoring his silent plea to move. The ground gave way.
Pale, frantic hands breached the surface of a viscous black sludge, clamping around his ankles and dragging him into the depths.
I must live. Benjamin clung to the thought, but there was nothing to grasp. He thrashed until his lungs burned, finally surrendering to the dark.
He jolted upright, gasping as if the tar were still in his throat.
That dream... again. Benjamin stared at his unfamiliar surrounding before the recognition hit him like a slow wave.
I'm back. This is my room. The one I grew up in.
Looking out the window across from his bed, it was still early in the morning. Living on the outskirts of the city, near the edge of the forest, it was hauntingly still and quiet. After years of the constant roar of bustling places, the stillness felt heavy.
Twelve years. That was how long he had been away from Aster, the capital city of the Kingdom of Isadora. He had only been back in the capital for a few months now, and it still felt foreign.
I just have to go to Madam Wagner's today. It was Sunday, the only day his clinic was closed.
Returning to Aster as a doctor, Benjamin had wasted no time. He transformed the ground floor into a small clinic, where the scent of modern medicine mingled with the earthy aroma of the herbal remedies he learned to make from his mother.
He had achieved his dream of opening a clinic, but not in the way he had envisioned. This left a persistent, heavy knot in his chest.
I have my parents' blessing, he reminded himself, so I hope this clinic runs for a long time. I'm sure they're happy for me, too.
Stop thinking and start doing! With a sharp exhale, Benjamin swung his legs out of bed to face the day.