Beep... Beep... Beep...

The sharp, loud blaring of the heart monitor echoed relentlessly from inside the emergency room.

Several doctors and nurses moved quickly, dividing up their tasks. They surrounded the patient's bed located in the room. The atmosphere inside felt incredibly tense.

"His blood pressure is dropping drastically again!" one of the nurses shouted, pointing at the monitor screen flashing red.

"Prepare the IV fluids now!" the doctor leading the emergency procedures commanded with a firm voice. "Don't let his heartbeat stop!"

The doctor immediately began chest compressions to save the patient's life, while another nurse attached a respirator to the patient's mouth, her hands trembling as she fought to stay calm.

Andrew lay completely motionless on the bed. Almost his entire body was now covered in tightly wrapped bandages. His face was filled with lacerations and bluish bruises from the violent impact of last night's crash.

"Doctor, his pulse is weakening!" the nurse shouted again, her voice rising.

"Increase the drug dosage. Quick, we don't have much time left!"

Every medical staff member in that room worked hard without pause, racing against the ticking clock to save Andrew's life.

Andrew's mother sat weakly on a corridor chair, weeping uncontrollably. Her face was streaked with tears.

"Andrew... hang on, son..." she sobbed in a trembling whisper.

Andrew's father just stood silently near his wife. His face remained cold and rigid—but his eyes never once left the emergency room door. He hadn't moved from that spot since they arrived.

Alex was also there, sitting by himself on a chair a few seats away from Andrew's parents. His face looked incredibly pale and filled with regret. He kept pulling at his hair.

"I already told you not to drive the car yourself last night. Why are you so stubborn, Andrew," Alex muttered in a low voice full of guilt.

Andrew's mother, who heard that, immediately snapped her head toward Alex. "What do you mean by that, Alex?"

Alex lowered his head, not daring to look at Andrew's mother. "Andrew drank quite a lot of alcohol at the party last night. I already told him to just go home by cab, but he was very stubborn and wouldn't listen to what I said."

Andrew's mother's crying broke down even further. She buried her face back into her lap.

Not long after, the indicator light above the door went out. A doctor stepped out from inside the room. Everyone in the corridor immediately stood up and approached the doctor.

"How is my son inside, Doctor?" Andrew's mother asked, her voice trembling between her sobs.

The doctor removed his medical mask and let out a short sigh before speaking. "The patient's current condition is still highly critical."

Silence fell for a moment.

"We have done every medical procedure we can in there. Now, everything depends on the strength of your son's body," the doctor continued in a regretful tone.

Andrew's mother burst into hysterical crying again in her husband's embrace. Alex hung his head and punched the wall a few times. Meanwhile, Andrew's father just stood there without uttering a single word.

---

Andrew still stood frozen, staring at the surroundings of the unfamiliar city that was getting increasingly crowded. He was trying to process the insane situation he was currently experiencing.

The people around him walked back and forth while carrying various kinds of goods he had never seen before.

The clatter of wooden cartwheels on cobblestone rang loud in his ears—almost without pause. Several merchants appeared to hawk their wares at the top of their lungs.

Andrew pinched his own arm to make sure that all of this was not a dream or a hallucination.

"I am really not dreaming..." he muttered.

His stomach rumbled as he caught the fragrant aroma of freshly baked wheat bread from a nearby shop.

"Damn it. I'm getting hungry," Andrew said, reaching into his empty pants pockets.

He resumed walking along the street with no clear final destination. His eyes stayed focused, glancing at his surroundings.

"Hey! Move aside quickly!" a carriage driver snapped as he passed near him.

Andrew hurried to the side of the road while trying to steady his heart lurching in his chest.

"Okay... Calm down, Andrew. Calm down," he whispered.

"I have to find out about this place right now."

As he walked again, his eyes locked onto a young girl walking from across the street while carrying a small basket.

Andrew stayed focused, seeing the girl's face clearly. His eyes instantly widened.

"No way. That's... Emily," Andrew said in disbelief.

The girl's face looked exactly like Emily—one of his classmates on campus.

Andrew immediately ran to approach the girl. "Hey, Emily!" he called out loudly.

The young girl stopped and turned toward Andrew. They looked at each other for a moment.

"Emily! Thank goodness I finally found someone I know!" Andrew exclaimed, standing in front of the girl.

"Emily? Who is that?" the girl said with a furrowed brow. She looked bewildered seeing Andrew standing in front of her.

"Hey... aren't you Emily?"

"I'm sorry. You must have the wrong person," the girl replied, shaking her head.

"Huh? What do you mean? Come on, don't joke around," Andrew said again with a short laugh.

"I don't know the Emily you mentioned at all. I don't know you either," the girl replied.

"Uh... if that's the case, I'm sorry," Andrew said, scratching his head to cover his embarrassment. "I thought you were my friend."

The girl kept staring at Andrew with an expression that looked increasingly bewildered. "Your friend?"

"Yes, my college friend," Andrew replied with an awkward laugh. "You look exactly like her. I'm sorry."

"College? What is that? You are truly a strange person."

Andrew could only manage a stiff smile.

The girl did not prolong the conversation and resumed walking away. Andrew thought for a moment, then immediately followed the girl.

"Wait a minute!" Andrew called out again.

The girl stopped again and turned around with an expression that was starting to look a little annoyed. "What else is it?"

"I just want to ask you a few things."

"What do you want to ask?" the girl countered flatly.

"I really need your help right now. I don't know where to go," Andrew said in a serious voice.

The girl looked closely at Andrew's face again for quite a long time. "What kind of help do you want? You don't seem to be from around here, do you?"

Andrew went silent. His heart thumped fast. "How could you know, Miss?"

"Because I was born and raised in this place. And I know almost everyone who lives here," the girl answered calmly. She walked closer toward Andrew. "Actually, what do you need?"

Andrew just stayed silent while continuing to look at the girl's face.

"Why are you just staying silent?" the girl said again.

"Uh, sorry. I just want you to help me find the way back to my city," Andrew said.

"Back to the city?"

Andrew nodded slowly.

"Where is this city of yours?" the girl asked.

"Westland," Andrew answered quickly.

The girl frowned in confusion. "I have never heard of a city named Westland."