"How old is he?" a woman wearing hospital scrubs asked the person on the other side of the room. One of them checked the equipnt, while the other monitored the patient peacefully lying on the bed. They made sure that the old man was alive and breathing.
The equipnt surrounding them could only be described as sothing that ca out of a sci-fi book. Digital panels upon digital panels kept appearing in the air, detailing the condition of the convalescent old man.
"He's 110 years old," the nurse on the side said.
"110 years old? He's probably already lived a good life, but he's still holding on," the woman checking the equipnt said.
"Probably? Use the word 'definitely.' Don't you know him? He is the richest man in the whole world!"
"Richest man? That Apollo Leone?!" The nurse exclaid in surprise. She then looked carefully at the old man's face. Apollo Leone had white hair so thin and sparse that she could count it easily. His body resembled a twig, a cold twig from the winter snow.
"Hey, keep your voice down," the nurse checking the vitals of the old man looked up with a frown. "Didn't you read the roster?"
The nurse checking the equipnt could only scratch her cheek.
Seeing this, the nurse on the old man's side shook her head. While they were doing their tasks, Apollo's closed eyes twitched ever so slightly.
"I heard he doesn't want to die yet. He even gave this hospital a big sum just to make sure we will give him the best treatnt."
"But looking at him, I don't think we'll be able to save him…" They talked about the old man on the bed for a while before they left.
Once the door closed, silence lingered in the air.
"I want to live…"
Darkness.
That's all that he could see.
"All my effort… all my money, are they going to die with ?" He heard what the two nurses were talking about.
Just like what they said, he was the richest man in the world. No one could compare to him. His money beca much more when he focused on creating a company that focused on prolonging the lifespan of a human being.
Biology, dicines, Technology, Gerontology, etc… The company covered almost everything that could prolong the lifespan of a human.
But there was nothing the company could do. In the end, he ended up in a private hospital subsidiary to his company, though he was the only one who knew this.
"I don't want to die."
Suddenly, in the darkness, light shone upon him. It was so strong that in his ntal world, he wanted to close his eyes. But there wasn't much he could do. His world was swallowed by intense brightness.
After a while, he felt his foot touching the ground, and the sound of birds reached his ears.
Opening his eyes slowly, he couldn't help but tilt his head. He then looked around the surroundings.
Apollo was standing in a wide plain of grass. He could see a creek nearby with small fish swimming gleefully. Looking up, he noticed the birds playing with each other and chirping to create a beautiful lody.
"I'm alive?" Apollo muttered in disbelief. He looked around once more before he burst into laughter. Although he didn't know what was really happening, he felt intense happiness.
He ran to the creek and stared at his own reflection. Brown hair and blue eyes. He was familiar with this feature, but sothing great was different…
Reaching out his hand to touch his face, his body shook. "I beca younger too?!"
Then, like a lunatic, he stared at the sky and laughed like never before.
"HAHAHAHA!"
The excitent of being alive clouded his mind, preventing him from thinking further about his situation.
He was alive and young, there was nothing for him to think about…
While he danced and sang like a crazy person, he suddenly heard the sound of strings. He couldn't help but stop as the lody imdiately caught his attention.
Apollo turned to the side. He saw a tree up on a hill. He had already noticed it when he surveyed the surroundings, but at first, he only thought of it as normal.
Squinting his eyes, he beca surprised as soone was currently underneath the tree, wearing a white dress and holding a guitar-like instrunt.
"There's soone beside here? That's great!" Apollo said before he dashed towards the hill.
"Hey! Why are you—" After he arrived, he was about to ask a question when he halted. The lody coming from her instrunt was so srizing that it made him close his eyes and savor the mont.
He felt like he was in a dream and at the sa ti in reality, but it didn't matter. In his perceptions, what was important was the song caressing his heart and soul.
Apollo Leone doesn't know how long it has been. He only opened his eyes when the tune ended.
"You are so talented," he praised with a smile. Because the woman had her back to him, he couldn't see her appearance.
"Thank you," the woman turned around.
"No wo—" Apollo froze in his spot. The woman didn't have a face. It was only darkness, like a black hole staring straight at him.
Then the world started shaking, and the lush grass and trees began to wither. Dark clouds rolled across the sky, shrouding the warmth of the sun.
"W-what… why… how…" Apollo beca confused and scared. He finally realized his situation.
What is happening?! Why am I here? Is this hell?!
As a person who believes in science, what is happening right now shattered his worldview. He could feel everything was real. The sensation of his feet touching the now cold ground and the sll perating his nose made him certain that he was not dreaming.
He took a step back while his eyes never left the faceless woman.
"Don't be scared, Apollo Leone," the woman spoke. Neither warm nor cold, it was like a thought speaking directly to him.
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