[Kael's POV.]
I woke up, in a well-lit room, it seemed like a hospital, white walls and i was in a patients gown, my body ached terribly, sore all-around, i looked around, i was laying on a bed, a shelf on my right side with a lamp that was off, and some other normal decorations.
There was no one in the room besides me, i was too tired and my body ached too much, i didnt have the will or power to get up on my own. I was thirsty, and slightly hungry, i had no idea how much time it had been since we killed that demon together.
I didnt even know if rin was okay, unconscious or not. I didnt even see a clock, shit services, i thought.
I hated this waiting. Not knowing if my brother was ten feet away or dead in another room. I tried sitting up, gritting my teeth as fire lanced through my side., Bad idea, i thought. As I fell back against the pillow with a grunt.
I turned my head to the side again, watching the door like it might answer all my questions. But it didn't open.
Enough waiting, I thought.
I swung my legs over the edge of the bed. The cold tile shocked my bare feet, but I barely noticed it over the pulsing ache spreading from my side. My knees wobbled, and I gripped the mattress to steady myself. Breathing already hurt, but this was worse, like someone was stabbing into my ribs with each inhale.
One step, I told myself repeatedly.
I pushed myself up.
The world tilted sideways for me. Pain exploded down my left side and across my chest, sharp and immediate. My legs gave out. I collapsed hard, my shoulder slamming into the bedframe on the way down.
"Woah-!" The word barely escaped as I curled up on the floor, panting. The pain was unbearable. burning, crushing, like my whole side had been broken.
I stayed there for a while. Couldn't tell how long, minutes maybe.
Sweat was on my neck. My fingers trembled as I gripped the sheet above me, trying to breathe through it.
Eventually, I dragged myself back into the bed, slow and clumsy. Every movement was a struggle.
Eventually, I dragged myself back into the bed, slow and clumsy. Every movement was a struggle. My arms barely worked.
Once I was finally lying down again, I stared at the ceiling and let out a long, shaky breath.
"Fine," I whispered to no one. "I'll wait."
[Rin's POV. - Velmaris ADC Central Hospital.]
The first thing I noticed was that it was quiet.
Not silence, there was always some kind of hum in hospitals, but quiet. Somewhere in the distance, the soft clink of metal trays, shoes against tile. But in my room, nothing.
My body felt... dull. Like the pain had been wrapped in soaked cloth—muted, but pressing.
My eyes opened slowly. White ceiling. A slow-turning fan. Light filtered through blinds, casting pale bars across the bed. I wasn't dead, and I wasn't home.
That narrowed it down.
I tried to sit up. Bad idea.
A tight sting lit up my ribs. My arms were sluggish. But my mind? Sharp enough. Or getting there.
Kael?
The thought came uninvited, and heavy. I hadn't seen him since-
The door creaked open.
A nurse stepped in. Pale blue uniform, clipboard tucked under her arm. She paused, noticing I was awake. Her posture changed.
"Sir Rin," she said gently. "you're awake."
I blinked once. She didn't wait for a response, instead walked closer, checking vitals with her hands. She was trying not to disturb me. Or maybe, not to upset me.
Sir Rin.
I didn't like the sound of it. I wasn't my sister.
She asked the usual questions, name, pain, and memory. I answered, briefly. Her eyes flicked up every few seconds, like she was making sure I wasn't about to snap.
"You've been unconscious for two days," she said. "Fractured ribs, minor burns, concussion.But your vitals are stable now."
I nodded. That lined up with how I felt.
I waited until she started scribbling on her clipboard before I asked what mattered.
"The other boy," I said. "Kael, Is he alright?"
Her pen paused.
"Sir Kael woke up earlier. Fewer injuries. He's stable."
I nodded again. Didn't say anything. My heart settled just slightly, like tension letting go of a thread.
We made it.
But only barely. That demon wasn't something we beat. We got lucky.
I laid back against the pillow, forcing my eyes closed. The room smelled like clean linen and antiseptic. I memorized it. The hum of the ceiling fan. The soft shuffle of paper.
I'd rest. For now.
Because if demons like that were real, luck wasn't enough anymore, And next time, I wasn't going to need saving.
The nurse left an hour ago, maybe two. Time was hard to measure here. The lighting never changed, and I hadn't seen the sky since I woke up.
I stared at the ceiling. The sterile glow of the walls made my head buzz faintly. I hated how comfortable the bed was. It made the memories feel further away, like I was meant to forget them.
I couldn't.
Every breath I took reminded me of it. The demon. The screams. The heat. Kael's voice. My own silence.
I shifted slightly. My ribs screamed. My leg felt numb.
They told me I'd cracked three ribs, dislocated a shoulder, and lost "a dangerous amount" of blood. Whatever that meant.
Still. I was alive.
I didn't feel lucky. Just... here.
There was a cup of water on the table beside me. I reached for it slowly. My fingers were still wrapped in gauze, and the grip was weak. It slipped once before I caught it. I sipped slowly. My throat still felt like it had been scrubbed with sand.
When I set it back down, I noticed something.
A name. Scribbled on a chart hanging at the edge of my bed.
Patient: Rin Sorin
Status: Stable
Location: Velmaris ADC Field Hospital - Level 2 Ward
Family Contact: Kael Sorin - admitted. - Meika Sorin.
Kael.
So he was here and alive
I stared at the name. My chest didn't rise. It just stayed still for a second too long.
I didn't smile. I didn't panic.
Just let it sink in.
Kael's alive.
Good.
I leaned back against the pillow. The pain in my ribs dragged a grunt out of me, but I didn't call for anyone. I didn't need more attention.
They already called me "sir." They didn't treat me like a kid. Ofcourse they didn't.
my sister was the Oh Mighty Solstice Meika Sorin. Our blood bought me better blankets and a cleaner room than I'd earned.
I didn't want it. But I wasn't dumb enough to reject it.
A knock at the door broke the stillness. I didn't answer. Whoever it was, they left after a few seconds.
I stared at the ceiling again.
Kael was alive.
And he'd be asking about me. Loudly. Probably yelling at someone. Maybe even trying to sneak out of his bed already.
Idiot.
But a good one.
I closed my eyes, just for a moment.
Let him be okay. Let him stay that way.
[2 Days Later.]
[Kael's POV.]
Kael's POV
My leg wasn't broken.
They told me that six times now, like it was good news.
Didn't feel like it.
Meika hadn't visited me, both unsurprisingly and surprisingly. Good for me though, I wouldnt have to deal with her.
I sat up halfway, then slumped back with a hiss. My side still burned, and my vision swam a little if I moved too fast. They said I'd "overdone it." Whatever that meant.
One of the nurses walked in again — tall, blond, too cheery for a place like this.
"Please, Sir Kael," she said, voice like the wind. "you need to stay in bed. You'll rip your stitches again."
I shot her a look. "You say that like it's worse than waiting around."
She sighed, adjusted the IV near my arm, and avoided eye contact.
That pissed me off more than it should've.
"Where's Rin?"
"We told you. Sir Rin is in the other wing. He's safe."
"Then let me see him."
"You can't walk yet—"
"I didn't ask if I could walk," I snapped. "I asked if you'd take me to him."
She flinched. Not much, but enough.
I felt the heat in my face, in my chest. My core sparked, just a flicker of fire that cracked through my ribs like lightning under skin.
She noticed.
"We'll let him know you're awake," she said softly. "Just rest for now, Sir Kael. Please."
I didn't answer. She left.
I clenched my jaw and stared at the ceiling.
It was spotless. Perfectly white. Like it'd never seen blood or smoke or bone.
Unlike me.
I hated this. The quiet. The waiting. Not knowing.
It felt like I was still trapped in that damn forest.
Every second ticked by like it was trying to annoy me. If I could just get up, if I could just move, I'd—
A sharp pain hit my ribs when I tried to swing my legs over the edge.
I doubled over and gritted my teeth, gasping once through clenched teeth.
Stupid.
I leaned back slowly, eyes stinging.
Fine.
He's alive. That's all that matters.
I'll wait.
But he better show up soon.