Unbearably bright light assaulted my eyes as I came to. I felt disconnected, like I wasn't totally there. As I began to open my eyes, the brightness became overwhelming. I tried to lift my arms to shield my eyes from the light, but they felt like nothing more than dead weights anchored at my sides. As I continued to struggle to regain movement, I watched with blurred vision as a figure approached me out of the corner of my eye.

"She's coming to...," I heard a voice whisper, "Doctor Marshall! She's awake!"

As I listened to the sound of footsteps, I found myself struggling to regain focus as well. It was like waking up from a deep sleep. That was until a shadow loomed over where I laid.

"...Miss? Miss!" When everything came back into focus, I could see a doctor leaning over me.

"Ah, you're awake," the doctor said, "How are you feeling?"

I turned my head towards him as I felt my paralysis fade. I felt strange... it was like something was different, yet I could not put my finger on what. Instead I turned my focus on my surroundings.

The walls of the room were starch white, save for a small pair of round windows to my left. Across the room in front of me were counters and cabinets of the same color as the walls, with bits of paint chipped off here and there. A strong chemical odor, like disinfecting cleansers, filled the air; it was so overwhelming that it nearly made my eyes water. The counters looked rough and aged; bits and pieces of the countertop were either peeling away or permanently stained various colors by spills made by other unfortunate visitors to this place.

"...W-where am I?"

"In sick bay, miss. I was beginning to get worried; had you remained unconscious for much longer, we would have feared for the worst...."

I sat up and rubbed my temples as I blinked at him.

"What happened? How... how did I get here?" The doctor frowned.

"We were hoping you could tell us," he replied, "Tell me, do you remember anything that happened before you lost consciousness? Anything at all?"

I furrowed my brow, trying to remember anything at all. As images of that night filled my mind, I could feel my headache begin to worsen.

"My head hurts...."

As I said that, the doctor thumbed through the cupboards. I looked at him more closely. He had a dark complexion, as well as dark hair rivaling my own. If I was ignorant, I suppose would have figured him to be from India or somewhere out in the Middle East. After a moment, though, I decided to look away. I could hear the sound of a kitchen sink running, followed by something being filled with water. Not long afterward the sound of running water ceased and he returned with two white pills and a paper cup full of water. I nodded at him, sensing his gesture of kindness as I swallowed the medicine gratefully.

"I remember standing out on the deck," I began as the memories of the evening fully surfaced, "I was out getting a breath of fresh air when I saw the comet trail through the sky. After that, I don't remember much...."

The visages of the trinity of figures flashed in my mind, though I questioned the validity of those events. The doctor returned an expression of puzzlement.

"That is strange... tell me, do you have any sort of history of blacking out like that?" he asked.

It was my turn to offer a confused look.

"Not at all...."

"Strange indeed...."

I sat on the hospital bed, sitting through examination after examinaion. When he was through, he could only continue to give off a puzzled look.

"You appear to be in perfect health, miss-"

"Donovan," I said, "Mireiyu Donovan."

He offered an apologetic gaze.

"Yes. Forgive my manners, Miss Donovan. Now, as I was saying...."

As he continued to talk, I noticed a pile of clipboards on the counter. From where I sat, I read the information on the clipboards. They had names of people on them, along with notes regarding them. Most of the people on that list had notes about being comatose next to them...that was, until I saw my name crossed out on that list. As I tried to piece together all of this information, it finally dawned on me. This was a list of people who collapsed last night...and they had somehow fallen into a coma. As I watched the nurse behind him remove those clipboards from the room, the words of the trinity echoed in my mind....

There is but one force that can withstand the darkness- the Light of the Soul-Gatherer, Aetherus....

They called it a Soul-Gatherer... if that is true, then did the comet somehow... steal their souls? If it did, then why am I the only one left untouched by it? Just what was happening?

Oh god no, I thought. As my expression became one of worry, the doctor interrupted my gaze at where the clipboards were.

"Is there something wrong, Miss Donovan?" he asked.

I snapped out of my reverie and looked back at him.

"No, I'm fine." He smiled.

"Well, you are free to go. If you are ever not feeling well, please come back to see me."

I returned a sad smile and made my way out of sick bay. As I made my way down the halls towards the deck outside, I noticed something on my left hand.

In the dim light, I could make out the mark of three triangles seemingly burned onto my hand.