"Hey, hurry up and go in first!"
"Why do I have to go in first?! You go in first! You're the older one!"
"That's exactly why you should go in first since you're the younger one! It's a rule of etiquette!"
"What kind of rule is that?! There's no such rule! And besides, you're the older sibling, so you should set an example by going in first!"
"You're so stubborn! Come on, go in now!"
"No way! You go first!"
The two of them—Lunar and Noah—stood in front of Nova's room door, glaring at each other with stubborn expressions. Both had their arms crossed over their chests, neither willing to back down.
Inside the room, Nova was sitting leisurely on the hospital bed reading a book—a book her mother had brought from home.
*What are those two doing out there now? They've just been having an unproductive argument. Why don't they just come in if they want to visit?*
She tried to focus on her book again—but the arguing didn't stop. It only got louder.
"I already told you, you go first!"
"No, you!"
"YOU!"
"YOU GO FIRST!"
Finally, Nova couldn't take it anymore. She closed her book.
"Haah... how long are you two going to keep arguing pointlessly out there? If you want to come in, just open the door and come in!"
"Ehh?!" Two shocked voices echoed simultaneously from behind the door.
After a few moments, the room door finally opened slowly. Two heads appeared from behind the door at the same time.
"So... so you knew we were out here the whole time, huh?" Lunar asked with an embarrassed smile.
Nova looked at her two younger siblings. "Who couldn't hear your voices from in here? You whisper like people shouting in a market. So... what's up? Why did you come to visit?"
She glanced at the wall clock—3 PM. That meant they had just gotten home from school and came straight to the hospital.
"Hmm, it's nothing," Lunar answered while looking away toward the window, avoiding direct eye contact with her older sibling. "We just... just came to see how things are here."
"Just say you came here because you're worried and wanted to see my condition with your own eyes. No need to use excuses like 'just curious.'"
"Hah!" Lunar's face immediately turned red. "As if! Who's worried about you! You're too full of yourself! Really too full of yourself!"
*This kid really has trouble being honest with her own feelings.*
Noah, standing next to Lunar, just shook his head.
"So... are you okay now?" His voice came out softly, his eyes glancing at Nova briefly before looking away again. "I mean... your condition... has it gotten better?"
"Do I look like someone who's dying and will be dead tomorrow? As you can see, I can still sit normally, speak clearly, even read a book. So the answer is no, I'm not dying."
"I was just asking nicely!" Lunar protested with a face that was still slightly red. "And anyway... why did you get hurt so badly that you had to be hospitalized for a whole month? We heard from Mom that your condition was very critical at the time. What actually happened?"
"That's right," Noah chimed in while stepping closer to the bed. "Isn't that very strange? We also go to school on the same road every day and we're always fine. There's never been any strange or dangerous incidents. So what really happened to you?"
"Maybe it's because you two are still too weak and uninteresting, so that creature wasn't interested in taking you to its realm!"
"Hey! You're talking as if you're much stronger than me! When you're the one who got seriously injured and had to be hospitalized for a whole month!"
"That's right! Big sister, you're too arrogant! You don't even have special powers yet but you're already acting like the strongest person in the world!"
Nova looked at her two younger siblings with a flat stare that showed no offense whatsoever. "Just because I haven't awakened special powers doesn't mean I'm weaker than you two, right?"
"Besides, Noah just recently awakened his power, and still can't use that power properly, right?"
"Who says I can't use it properly! I can use my power quite well now! Look at this!"
Noah raised his right hand high. He closed his eyes briefly, concentrated, then opened his palm.
From his palm, small blue electric sparks appeared. The lightning sparks jumped between his fingers in an irregular pattern.
"Woah, that looks pretty cool, I can't deny it. But... it also looks very weak and unstable. What can you do with that power right now? How long can you maintain it?"
That question made the lightning in Noah's hand immediately go out—probably because his concentration was disrupted or because he indeed couldn't maintain it for long.
"That's..." Noah answered in a slightly disappointed tone. "Not much, honestly. I can only maintain it for about ten seconds if I'm fully concentrated. And its strength... is only enough to light a small lamp or give a mild shock. Can't use it to attack or defend yet."
"I see... But that's normal. You only awakened your power not too long ago. It takes years to master a power perfectly. So don't be too down."
"Even though that power still looks weak and unstable for now, but anyway... congratulations on successfully starting to use your power."
"Th-that... I don't need praise or anything..."
"Hehehe, look! Look!" Lunar immediately caught that moment excitedly, her finger pointing at Noah while laughing gleefully. "Now your face looks so embarrassed!"
"There's no way I'm embarrassed!" Noah protested.
"If you're not embarrassed, then show your face now!"
"Don't wanna!"
"Hehehe, you're really embarrassed, aren't you!" Lunar laughed with satisfaction. "Just admit it, no need to cover it up! You're happy to get praise from big sister!"
Meanwhile, in the room—
"Look at them," Hanah whispered softly to her husband. "They look so happy and cheerful, don't they?"
"Yes, that's true," Nolan nodded. "Lunar and Noah have come with us to the hospital every day after school since Nova was admitted here. They've never missed a single day. They must be very worried about their older sibling even though they won't admit it directly."
"They look happy now. I remember how sad and worried they were when Nova was unconscious for a whole month."
"By the way, honey... What should we do now about... about that threat? What if the vampire you told me about is still alive and comes back to attack Nova?"
"I already told you before, right? The spiritual presence of that vampire hasn't been detected since the first day I found Nova lying on the road. I've checked that area many times over this past month."
"It's true," he continued, "I can still sense traces of the vampire's presence left in that place. But strangely, the vampire itself has completely disappeared."
"As if... that vampire is already dead—or more precisely, annihilated—killed by something or someone."
"And what surprises and confuses me the most until now is... how could Nova survive a battle with a high-level vampire like that? Even with the best assumption, she should have died or at least been injured far worse than what we saw. But she's alive, and her injuries—though serious—weren't fatal. That's truly beyond expectations."
"Maybe someone helped her? Someone strong who happened to pass by and saved Nova?"
"Maybe," Nolan admitted with a doubtful tone. "I did sense a very strong spiritual presence in that area just before I found Nova. But when I got there, that presence had already disappeared."
"Hmm... I don't know exactly what Nova did at that time or who helped her, but what's certain is I'm very grateful she survived and is okay now. I hope the three of them can always be like this."
Inside the room—
*How long are those two going to keep standing there peeking from outside?*