The tension in the room hadn't fully settled by the time Elyonari turned her eyes to Vastarael again. Then, with that piercing emerald stare, she exhaled sharply through her nose and spoke.
"But don't think for a second that you're off the hook, Darling."
Vastarael didn't flinch. He was still nursing the lingering sting of Adelasta's slap. His gaze drifted toward Elyonari, quietly acknowledging what was coming.
"You didn't do something right either. Whatever you did out there almost cost you your life. It almost broke her. It almost broke us. So I'm asking you now, in the name of Spheraphase itself, promise us that you'll never do something that reckless again ans you'll never endanger yourself like that."
Vastarael's lips parted but not for an apology.
"I can't promise that."
"Why?"
"I won't lie to you, Ellie. The stronger I become, the more I'll put myself on the line. That's what power is for. It's not just for existing safely. It's for enduring what others cannot. If I had the strength before, none of this would've happened in the first place."
He glanced to Adelasta, whose hands were clenched in her lap.
"I'm sorry, but I'll keep endangering myself, especially for all of you."
Elyonari's mouth opened slightly as if to argue but she didn't. Instead, she swallowed the lump in her throat and looked away, nodding faintly.
"You're a fool. But at least you're our fool."
That's when Adelasta tried to speak but instead of a word, only a soft, choked breath left her lips. She lifted her hand slightly and then collapsed sideways, her knees giving out under her.
"Adelasta!"
Vastarael lurched up, ignoring the soreness in his body but Narisva was already there, catching her before she hit the ground. The shock in the room spiked immediately. Narisva steadied her, cradling her limp frame carefully.
"She's burning up."
Elyonari kneeled beside them, placing a glowing hand gently on Adelasta's temple.
"She's not sick. She's exhausted. That lava she's been diving in and the mental strain from watching you in a coma for so long finally caught up with her."
"She hasn't been resting," Narisva added. "She didn't stop moving once to rest."
"I didn't—"
Adelasta began to protest but Elyonari silenced her with a look.
"You don't get to talk right now. You're done carrying everything."
Without waiting for more arguments, Narisva carefully placed Adelasta next to Vastarael on the bed. She lay beside him, panting slightly, her forehead damp with sweat. Her hair clung to her cheeks. Before she could gather strength to push herself back up or argue, Elyonari raised a finger at the both of them.
"You both better be resting when we come back tonight or I swear on the Tree I will drag your exhausted souls back into the earth myself if I have to."
Narisva pointed at them too. "And don't try anything cute. You're emotionally unstable and sleep-deprived. Not a good combo for anything productive. Sleep."
They left the room with a final glance, Elyonari's gaze softening just for a heartbeat as she closed the door gently behind her. The room fell quiet again.
Adelasta lay there, breath shallow and warm against the pillow, her fingers twitching slightly. Vastarael turned his head slowly to look at her. She didn't meet his gaze. She was too exhausted to even open her eyes. But he could tell she was awake. Just barely. He exhaled softly. The weight in his chest had only grown heavier.
This was his fault. All of it.
"I'm sorry."
-------
Elyonari stood with her back to the mansion as the rain intensified. Her hands were clenched over the railing. She let out a long, shaking breath.
"He's really okay..."
Her voice was so fragile it almost vanished into the wind. Narisva stood beside her. She didn't respond right away but she just watched Elyonari with those sharp eyes of hers.
"What do we do now, Nari?" Elyonari said, finally looking toward her.
And just like that, like the string holding her upright had been cut, her face cracked. Her eyes shimmered and a moment later, the first tear traced down her cheek, then another, and then they simply wouldn't stop.
"Ely—" Narisva started, but her voice died out.
"Do you know… do you even know what it felt like? Waking up every morning wondering if he was going to make it? Wondering if she was okay? Seeing Adelasta hold herself together like stone and crack the second no one's looking?"
Her words came out fast now, each sentence dragging another sob out of her chest. Narisva didn't reply with words. Instead, she moved in quietly and wrapped her arms around her. Elyonari collapsed into her like she'd been waiting for someone to finally hold her. Her sobs were muffled in Narisva's shoulder, her hands clutching the back of her blouse, her, knuckles white from the sheer weight of every feeling she had been forcing down since Vastarael fell into that cursed coma.
"I thought he'd… I thought he'd never wake up. I thought I was gonna lose him. I—I kept looking at that door every day hoping, and it never opened. Every time it didn't open, I felt like I was drowning."
"I know," Narisva murmured, resting her chin atop Elyonari's head, her own arms tightening. "I know."
For someone like Narisva, this was rare. She didn't get as emotionless and cocky like she did. Her tone was warm and comforting. She didn't tease or throw in some smug remark to lighten the mood. She just held her. Elyonari's tears finally began to recede. She clung a little less tightly, her breathing getting steadier. Narisva pulled back gently and cupped her cheeks, her thumbs brushing away the wet trails on her skin.
"He's okay. He's not broken or dying. He's okay."
Elyonari nodded, a weak, almost childlike one, and her lips wobbled into the faintest of smiles.
"And she's okay too."
"She is. You kept them afloat. We all did. You're allowed to cry now, you know? You don't have to be strong all the time."
"I'm not strong," Elyonari mumbled, sniffling.
"You stayed on your feet while the people you care about most were falling apart in front of you. That's strength, Ellie. Don't mistake softness for weakness."
Elyonari laughed through her tears. "That was… oddly wise of you."
"Don't let it go to your head. "I'll deny it later."
The two of them turned back toward the cliffs, side by side, both leaning on the railing now. Elyonari let her head rest against Narisva's shoulder.
"Thanks for being here, Nari."
Narisva didn't respond with words. She just gently bumped her forehead against Elyonari's.
"Hey, we share the same cute suicidal guy. I'm always going to be here for you."
"Hey Nari?"
"Yeah?"
"I think I'm ready to finish my test. Can you... come with me please?"
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. I'm ready now. You're at the Second Enlightenment with Veneri and I can't be left behind."
Narisva knew why she was saying this. The three of them were Splits and she was just an elf blessed by a Supreme Entity. If anything, she felt like she wasn't as good enough as them, which was actually far from the truth. But, she didn't tell her that. She wanted Elyonari to figure out her own importantance in other people's lives.
"Okay then. Let's go."