Elion quietly entered the room where Stella was resting. The room was spacious, larger than the others in the house. The walls were painted a light color, somewhat worn by time, and a few old posters still hung on them: bands, movies, and anime series. On one side was a desk with stacked books and a bedside lamp, and opposite the bed was a half-empty shelf with some small, dust-covered figurines.
He carefully placed the plate of food he was carrying on the small table next to the bed. Then he pulled up a chair and sat down next to Stella, who was still asleep. He watched her for a few seconds, his face tired. He gently took her hand, lowering his head until it rested against her fingers.
— I'm sorry... —susurró.
Then, as if she had heard him from the depths of a dream, Stella opened her eyes slightly.
—Elion...? — she said in a barely audible voice.
He looked up, surprised. His eyes were red and wet from the tears he had been unable to hold back.
—What are those tears for?... Am I not dead yet? — Stella joked, forcing a smile.
Elion pursed his lips, clearly hurt by the joke. Stella noticed it immediately. She sat up a little, with effort, and placed her hand on his.
—Hey… relax. I'm fine.
—That's not true —Elion said, shaking his head —. You have so many wounds… If I had come back sooner, maybe I could have protected you and the others.
—Elion, look at me —she said, taking Elion's face in her hands and staring at him with a soft but firm voice—. It wasn't your fault. You had no way of knowing this would happen.
He clenched his jaw, wanting to say something, but in the end he just looked down.
—The important thing is that I'm alive, okay? That's what matters now.
Elion nodded slowly, swallowing the lump in his throat.
—You know…? —Stella added after a brief silence—. A little while ago, I was remembering Aslan. He always said that you and I were unbearable when we argued.
Elion raised an eyebrow, surprised.
—Yes… —he replied with a faint smile—. He also said that even though we fought so much, we were a good team.
—We were —she said with a nostalgic smile—. And Aslan was always there, putting up with our crazy antics.
—Yes, he was… —Elion lowered his voice—. Damn it, I should have realized. When he told me he wasn't feeling well… maybe if I had acted sooner… he would still be here.
—Before he completely transformed, even he didn't know what was wrong with him —Stella replied—. He thought it was something minor. How could you have known? So stop blaming yourself.
—Even so… I…
—I know it hurts, Elion. It hurts me too, and you don't know how much... knowing that I'll never see him again is horrible.
—It's not fair... Why did it have to be him? Why him? —he whispered.
Elion trembled, holding back a sob, until Stella rested her forehead against his in a gesture of comfort.
—It never is —she replied softly—. But we have to move on, okay? For him… and also for Grandpa and Grandma. They would have wanted it that way.
He nodded slowly, though the weight on his chest remained.
—So... —Stella added, smiling again— Is that food for me, or did you just come to show off?
—It's for you —he replied, getting up to reach for the plate—. I thought you might be hungry.
—Thank you —she said.
He carefully helped her eat, holding the plate and patiently offering her bites. Little by little, color returned to Stella's cheeks.
—If I keep eating like this, I'll recover sooner than expected —she said with a soft laugh.
—I hope so… —Elion replied, flashing a small smile.
—You must be exhausted too. You should go rest —Stella added.
—I'm fine. I can stay a little longer.
—It's not necessary. Besides, I need to get some sleep too —she said, giving him a gentle nudge with her shoulder.
Elion sighed, understanding.
— All right… I'll see you tomorrow, then.
— Okay… but promise me you'll get some rest. Grandpa Javier would have scolded us if he saw you looking like that — she joked with a tired smil.
— I Will… I promise.
Elion got up, but just as he was about to leave, Stella took him by the arm. He turned around, and without saying a word, she gently pulled him toward her and kissed him on the cheek.
—Thanks for coming… — she murmured with a small smile, closing her eyes—. Now you can go.
Elion blushed, smiled shyly, and nodded.
—Get some rest, Stella.
And he left the room quietly, closing the door carefully, his heart a little calmer.
After leaving Stella's room, Elion crossed the hallway silently and stopped in front of the room where Althea and Hael were. There wasn't much noise coming from the other side, so he carefully turned the doorknob and opened the door slowly.
Inside, the dim light of the candle softly illuminated the room. Althea and Hael were lying silently on the bed.
—Hael, are you awake? — Elion asked quietly.
—Brother — Hael replied, sitting up slightly.
—Sorry to wake you.
—It's okay, brother. — Hael said with a calm smile —. We weren't asleep, just enjoying the peace and quiet… right, Althea?
—Yes —she replied, sitting up slightly as she stroked Max, who was dozing beside her.
—I'm glad —said Elion, nodding—. Then let's go, Hael. Althea and Max need to rest… and so do we.
—See you tomorrow, Althea —said Hael, waving goodbye.
—See you, Hael —Althea replied with a smile.
Before leaving, Hael approached Max, gently stroked his head, and whispered:
—Sleep well, Max.
The little dog responded with a soft bark, almost like a contented sigh.
—Rest well —said Elion, gently closing the door behind them.
Althea sighed in the darkness, listening to Elion and Hael's footsteps receding down the hallway. For a few seconds, the room was silent, lit only by the flickering candle. She leaned over Max, who was yawning loudly, and stroked his back tenderly.
—Everything's fine —she murmured—. We're safe... for now.
She carefully blew out the candle, letting darkness fill the room. The world became quieter, more intimate. She slipped under the covers, letting Max's soft warmth against her chest comfort her.
As she closed her eyes, her mind returned to everything that had happened: the loss, the fear, the desperate races. She squeezed Max lightly against her, as if doing so could protect him from everything. The little animal curled up closer, letting out a soft moan of satisfaction.
Althea sighed again, this time more calmly. Amidst so much pain and chaos, they had found refuge. She didn't know how long it would last, but for tonight, she could allow herself to dream of a kinder tomorrow.
With those warm thoughts enveloping her, she finally drifted off to sleep.
Meanwhile, Elion and Hael slowly climbed to the third floor. Each step on the stairs creaked like an old whisper, and the air, colder and heavier up there, seemed to envelop them in a silence that tightened their chests.
Elion led the way, but every so often he turned his head to make sure Hael was still behind him, as if afraid of losing him in the shadows.
When they arrived, he lit a small candle. The faint light barely pierced the darkness of the hallway, casting shaky shapes on the faded walls.
There were two doors facing each other.
—The room on the right is yours —Elion said quietly, nodding slightly—. The one on the left will be mine.
Hael didn't move. He stood there, small and uncertain, crumpling the edge of his shirt between his fingers as if trying to cling to something he couldn't see.
—Can I sleep with you tonight? — he asked, lowering his gaze even further —. I don't want to be alone …
Elion didn't answer right away. He just opened the door to his room wide, letting the gesture answer for him. Hael walked toward him silently.
The room smelled of old dust and wood.
The candle cast a warm light on the single bed, the worn bunk bed, and the forgotten desk by the window. A half-fallen poster hung sadly in one corner, a reminder of simpler times.
They settled down together on the lower bunk. Hael covered himself up to his neck with the blanket, shivering slightly, while Elion let his tired body fall down beside him.
Several minutes passed in which all that could be heard was the wind outside, the creaking of the old house, and their ragged breathing.
—Brother… —Hael whispered, finally breaking the silence—. I can't… I can't stop thinking about them.
Elion turned his head slightly, listening intently.
—Grandmother… she stood in front of me—Hael continued, his voice breaking—. She didn't hesitate. She just lunged forward to protect me. She wasn't afraid. She didn't try to run…
His small shoulders trembled as he remembered.
—And Aslan… he… —his voice trailed off into a sob—. He was in pain… I saw it… he was fighting against whatever was consuming him. But even so, he tried to smile at me… until the end.
Elion felt something tear inside him, as if Hael's words were knives in his own chest.
—I was so scared —Hael confessed, pressing his hands against his chest—. I froze. And when I could move, I just… ran. I left them. I abandoned them.
The guilt in his voice was so thick it seemed to fill the entire room.
—When I was Little —Elion murmured, struggling to find the words—, I was scared of everything too. Of the dark. Of noises. And above all, of losing everything.
He paused, closing his eyes for a second, as if he could go back in time.
—One night, Grandma sat with me by the window. She hugged me and told me that being brave wasn't about not being afraid… it was about not letting fear make you forget who you want to protect. And you are what I want to protect most in the world.
Hael sobbed harder, curling up against his brother. Elion put his arm firmly around his shoulders.
—You didn't abandon them, Hael —he whispered against his hair—. You lived. And that was their greatest act of love. They chose to save you because you deserved to live. And that's something I'll be forever grateful to them for.
Hael clung to him, as if afraid he might vanish too.
—So… it's okay for me to still be here? —he asked, his voice breaking.
Elion rested his forehead against his, closing his eyes.
—Not only is it okay —he replied as tenderly as he could—. it's what they wanted.
—But it hurts so much, Elion…
—I know —susurró—. It hurts me too.
He pulled away slightly just to look him in the eyes.
— But you won't have to carry this burden alone, Hael. Never. I'll be with you, every day, until it hurts less. Until we can remember them without our hearts breaking. Okay?
—Yes —Hael replied, wiping away his tears with the back of his hand.
Elion hugged him tightly, closing his eyes as he felt the words well up from deep within his chest.
—We're going to build something new —he promised, holding him close—. A home, Hael. One where you can sleep peacefully, where we can laugh again.
He paused, his voice hoarse with emotion, before continuing.
—When all this is over … I swear … we're going to plant a garden. And you get to choose all the flowers.
—Flowers...? —Hael murmured, barely lifting his face.
—Yes —Elion smiled, though his eyes were filled with tears —. Flowers for each of those we love. So that we never forget, but also so that we never stop growing.
Hael let out a small sob that ended in a stifled laugh. He curled up against his brother, feeling that, for the first time in a long time, he could believe him.
—I want … I want to plant sunflowers —he whispered sleepily.
—Then we'll have a garden full of sunflowers —Elion promised —. And no wind or winter will ever take them away.
The candle flickered one last time before going out, plunging them into warm, safe darkness.
Outside, the night remained relentless... but in that little corner of the world, a promise was born.
And sometimes, a promise is enough to sustain an entire world.