Who… are you? He whispered
His eyes fluttered open, slow, then sudden, like they didn't quite believe they were allowed to work again.
And then… he just stared at me.
I blinked.thinking of what to say to this human child
When the thing beside him started going crazy. Loud beeping. Flashing lights. One of them sounded like a wailing dragon and I swear I saw something red blink like it was calling for backup.
Not good. Not good at all.
I could hear footsteps. More than one. voice echoing in the hallway. Fast and Urgent .
I panicked.
"I'm nobody," I whispered, backing away. "Just…hum … get better, okay?"
Then I did what any totally mature, wise royal princess would do, I ran.
I ran like my life depended on it, my feet barely making noise on the shiny hospital floor. My heart was thumping so loudly I was sure someone would hear it. The moment I turned the corner, I saw Uncle Kone. Still standing there with that mysterious doctor like the world wasn't seconds from discovering that we were here, I would have found this situation amusing, if i was not freaking out right now he look like he was scared of this pretty little human doctor
He looked surprised when I grabbed his arm. The doctor raised an eyebrow like she was about to say something else, but I cut in before she could unleash whatever awkward history they had left.
"Uncle Kone," I panted. "We need to go. Now. Adventure over. Pack it up."
He studied my face. His smile fell, I guess I must've looked shaken, because he didn't argue.
He nodded once and turned back to the doctor. "Rain check," he said gently.
She didn't say anything, but her eyes followed me like she knew something weird had just happened. Like she could feel how tensed I was.
We stepped outside and into the cold night, the hospital doors whooshing shut behind us.
And just like that, we were gone
********
I lay on my bed, the silk sheets feeling colder than usual against my skin. The moonlight filtered in through the tall crystal windows, casting soft patterns on the floor. I should've been asleep but how could I, after what had just happened?
We'd made it back without a sound,Uncle Kone slipping past the guards like it was nothing and they were just so stupid and incompetent, and me trying my best not to trip over my own excitement. The second I got to my room, I shut the door quietly, slid under the covers, and just… stared.
My hands. That was what my mind kept going back to.
I slowly raised them up, watching them in the silver light. Perfectly normal. Small, soft hands. But something had happened. In that hospital
I held that boy's hand. I felt his pain. I felt that cold sadness that clung to him like fog.
Then... the glow, The warm, golden light that started in my chest and bloomed down my arm and went through his body,
And he opened his eyes, I did that
I blinked, my chest tighten at the memory
I didn't tell Uncle Kone what happened. Because… I didn't know how to explain it.
I've always been Azura the Princess with no gift. The only heir of Celestara who couldn't summon even a drop of starfire. All the children my age could bend water and wind.they could shift time and walk on air. And me? I could barely get my wings to work properly.
The entire kingdom pitied me. They smiled kindly and bowed, but I saw it in their eyes. She's weak. She's unworthy. How can she rule without power?
I used to sneak into the gardens and cry. I stopped going to spell lessons because I was tired of being the only one left behind. Even Mother stopped asking me about it and we all pretended everything was great
So what just happened,What was that?
I turned my palm upward and tried if something would happen. A spark. A flicker. Anything. Nothing came. Just the normal hum of my breath and the sound of my heartbeat, quick and confused.
But I knew what I felt. I knew it was me.
I didn't want to tell Uncle Kone. Not yet. I just… I wanted to keep this one moment to myself. To hold it close and wonder. To relive that warmth over and over and pretend, just for tonight, That maybe… just maybe… I was something else.
Not useless.
Not weak.
Not a disappointment.
Maybe I was just different.
A soft smile tugged at the corner of my lips, and I wrapped the blankets tighter around me, curling into the warmth. Whatever it was… it felt like the beginning of something.