The evening breeze slipped gently through the cracked-open hospital window. The sky over Virelia stretched wide and calm—pale blue tinged with streaks of orange that slowly crept across the horizon. From behind the glass that framed the cityscape, Kael sat quietly on the sofa. His body, now mostly recovered, was able to stand, walk, and even sit for long periods without pain.
But today... it wasn't his body that felt heavy.
His gaze was vacant, fixed on the slowly shifting sky—as if searching for something beyond the drifting clouds. But it wasn't the sky he truly saw. Not the city. Not the sunset.
Only one name filled his mind.
Raeya.
That girl.
That human girl with the warm smile that, for some reason, kept lingering in his thoughts—soft, yet deeply rooted.
The past few days with her had felt... strange. Soothing, but confusing. A quiet warmth had begun to spread into the corners of his heart that had been frozen for so long.
"Is this... comfort?" he wondered.
But as always, Kael couldn't admit it. Not out loud. Not even to himself. He wasn't ready to open his heart completely. There were still walls he guarded tightly. Still questions he couldn't answer—Could he really trust Raeya? Could he trust this world? Could he... ever feel safe?
Then came dusk.
The time when Raeya usually appeared—light footsteps and a gentle smile, bringing warmth and a calming presence.
But this time...
Silence.
No approaching footsteps. No quiet creak of the door. No soft voice calling his name.
Kael glanced toward the door. Waiting. Hoping. But no one came.
He bit his lower lip lightly. "What are you expecting?" he murmured, barely audible. "She never said she was coming today."
And yet… his chest tightened.
What is this? Loneliness? Worry?
I can't possibly feel... lost just because she didn't come… right?
Then—
The sound of the door opening shattered his thoughts.
Kael turned instantly. His eyes lit with a flicker of hope, his body almost rising from the sofa on reflex.
"Raeya…"
But he froze in place.
It wasn't her.
Standing in the doorway was someone else—a grown woman Raeya always referred to as Aunt Lily. She stood still, unmoving. Her eyes locked onto Kael, but there was no smile, no words.
Kael tensed. His face hardened. The cold aura that had long been dormant crept back around him like a shadow. He was never truly comfortable around anyone... except Raeya. This world was still too foreign. Too dangerous.
But this time… something felt different.
The woman's eyes were dull. Her face pale. Her eyelids swollen. And her breath… unsteady—like she was holding back something that could break at any moment.
Kael narrowed his eyes.
Something was wrong.
"What happened?" he asked immediately, voice sharp and direct.
Aunt Lily clutched the hem of her jacket, fingers trembling slightly. Her voice cracked as she finally spoke.
"Kael… Raeya… she…"
Kael went still. His body froze, but his soul felt like it was screaming.
"What about Raeya?"
Aunt Lily took a deep breath, struggling to keep her tears from falling.
"She's had a high fever since this morning. Hyperpyrexia—extreme fever. They rushed her to the hospital…"
Time stopped.
What...?
Raeya... in a coma?
"I'm not lying," she continued, her voice laced with pain. "I didn't even want to leave her… but I knew you'd want to know. You deserve to know…"
Kael stood up. His body was still fragile. But his heart... was even more so.
"Raeya... that can't be... she was just smiling yesterday..."
Aunt Lily saw the shock drain the color from his face. She knew—even if Kael rarely spoke—those feelings were there. Quietly growing. Feelings that had never been allowed to bloom.
"I want to see her," Kael said. Quiet, but firm.
"Kael... you're not fully recovered yet…"
"I don't care."
Aunt Lily hesitated, then exhaled slowly. "I spoke to the nurses. As long as you walk slowly and don't stand for too long… they'll allow it."
Kael looked at her. A small nod was his only reply.
She met his gaze for a moment—then finally nodded back.
And led him down the hallway.
---
+:｡.｡ ｡.｡:+
The room was quiet.
The sharp scent of disinfectant filled the air as the door opened, greeting them with a cold, unfamiliar chill.
Raeya lay motionless on the pristine white hospital bed. An IV line was attached to her small hand. Her face was pale—too pale. Her breathing soft... uneven.
No smile.
No voice.
No laughter that usually filled the space.
Kael stepped closer, carefully, as if afraid to touch reality. He stood beside the bed, his eyes fixed on her face without blinking.
"That smile... it's gone today…" he thought.
The warm smile that—without him even realizing it—had become the light in his dark world.
Something clenched in his chest. An unfamiliar ache. Hollow. Sharp.
"Is this... sadness?"
Kael gritted his jaw, holding back something he didn't fully understand.
"Don't leave me..."
He slowly sat in the chair by her side. His fists clenched tightly on his lap, as if holding on hard enough could bring things back to how they were.
"I was just starting... to want to be close to you."
His voice was barely above a whisper.
Aunt Lily stood behind him, trying to offer calm with a soft tone.
"The doctors say she'll recover. But… we don't know when she'll wake up…"
Kael said nothing. His gaze never left Raeya. Long. Steady.
He looked at her pale face—and for the first time, the world that once felt foreign and frightening... felt unbearably quiet without her.
And he prayed.
Softly. Silently. But truly.
"Wake up, Raeya. You're going to be okay… right?"
●○●○●○●○
Aunt Lily had received the news earlier that morning—Raeya had been rushed to the hospital. At first, she couldn't believe it. No, it couldn't be. Raeya had to be fine. That girl was strong… wasn't she?
But as the messages kept coming from the people at the Alvera household, her hands began to tremble. She didn't even have time to change her clothes properly before rushing out, accompanied by a few of the household staff.
When she arrived, it wasn't Raeya's usual cheerful smile that greeted her.
What she saw was a small, unmoving body lying on a hospital bed. An IV line was attached to her hand, and medical machines monitored her vitals in steady beeps. Her face was pale, her skin hot to the touch despite the coldness of the room.
Aunt Lily covered her mouth, and the tears fell without warning. It felt like something had been ripped out of her chest.
"No… little miss… why are you here all alone…" she whispered, gently brushing the corner of the bed.
Some of the others murmured, "We should inform the Master."
But Aunt Lily shook her head immediately. "No. The Master has an important meeting at the office today. It's been on his schedule for weeks. We can't just interrupt him without going through the proper channel."
"But… the young miss is sick. Nothing should be more important than that."
Aunt Lily's heart twisted. Yes… of course Raeya was more important than anything. But she also knew how strict Mr. Arvind could be when it came to work. If she disrupted him carelessly, it might only make things worse… and cause him to resent Raeya even more.
So, carefully, she made a call to Celene—the Master's wife, and his personal secretary.
Her voice was shaky as she said, "Madam… young miss Raeya… she's sick. She's at the hospital now. She… she's in a coma."
There was a pause on the other end of the line. Celene's voice sounded stiff, but she acknowledged the message and said she would inform the Master.
Time passed.
The sun moved, and the sky began to dip toward evening.
(Before she went to inform Kael.)
But still… there was no response. No sign that Arvind would come.
Aunt Lily sat in the corner of the room, holding Raeya's cold hand in hers. Her chest ached. She didn't know—had Celene truly delivered the message? Or… did the Master know, and simply choose not to come?
"What could possibly be more important, sir?" she thought, her heart tight. "How can you not be here… when your daughter is lying like this?"
She gently stroked Raeya's damp hair, soaked from the fever.
"It's alright, sweetheart… your father will come. You want to see him, don't you? Let's wait a little longer, okay…"