Dorian was shocked.
For a moment, his mind couldn't process what he was seeing. He didn't know what to think or what to do. Then his legs weakened, and tears began pouring down his face, tears of happiness. His body shook as he approached his little sister. He couldn't believe it. And yet, after everything supernatural that had happened to him, maybe this was real.
He wanted to believe it.
He grabbed her hands. "You're alive," he said, his voice breaking. "You're alive."
He hugged her again and again, crying uncontrollably.
His sister, strangely calm for someone who had just awakened from death, said quietly, "Yes. I woke up a few days ago. I've learned that many people died… and many others suddenly came back. No one understands why. No one knows the cause. But I'm alive."
Dorian held her even tighter. "Yes," he whispered. "That's all that matters. Nothing else matters."
She hesitated.
"Before I died that day," she said slowly, "there was a question I really wanted to ask you. I didn't get the chance."
Dorian wiped his tears. "What is it? Ask me anything."
She looked at him. "You didn't want me, did you? I was always a burden to you. That's why you let it happen."
Dorian froze.
"What?" He stood up abruptly. "What are you talking about? I would never do that. Never. I was sick when you disappeared. I searched everywhere for you. And when I found out who did it, I went and killed him."
She shook her head. "I think you did that because you felt guilty. You always wanted to be with your friends. To go out. To keep the money, you earned for yourself. To build your future. I always felt like a burden to you. Even after Mom and Dad died. You probably asked our aunt to take care of me, didn't you?"
"I was fifteen," Dorian said desperately. "I couldn't even protect myself. I only wanted the best for you. That's why I said that. And after that, I worked nonstop to keep us together. To keep us safe."
"Why are you saying this?" he pleaded. "I never refused you anything. I always did what you wanted. I love you more than anything in this world. You know that. Why are you acting so strange? Even the way you talk… it's different."
She looked at him, her expression unreadable.
"There's something you don't know," she said. "I'm more mature now because when I died, that moment replayed hundreds… thousands… maybe millions of times. I was trapped there. Alone. Surrounded by that monster. By endless darkness."
Her voice trembled slightly.
"When I woke up, I thought I'd see my brother. I was so happy. But where were you? You weren't in the hospital. You were out there playing with your friends."
"That's not true!" Dorian shouted. "I wasn't playing. I was trapped somewhere. I couldn't leave. You were the only thing on my mind. At one point, I even gave up on living because you were gone."
But as she spoke, something inside him broke.
He collapsed into sobs, biting his lips until they bled, clutching his hair, pulling at it, overwhelmed by anger, grief, and guilt. He couldn't even begin to imagine what she had gone through.
As he struggled to reassure her, she asked another question.
"You said you killed him," she said softly. "But he's still alive."
Dorian froze. "What?"
"I was told he's in this hospital," she continued. "I will not live in the same world as that monster."
She cried. "Please. I know I'm asking too much. But please… kill him."
It was like lightning struck Dorian's mind.
"Do you know which room?" he asked immediately.
"Yes," she said. "Room 206."
Dorian turned and ran.
In the hallway, a group of nurses passed by. He grabbed a knife from one of them and kept moving. His eyes were bloodshot. His breathing was heavy. There was only one thought in his head.
Kill him.
But Dorian didn't realize two things, two crucial details that could have changed everything.
First, his sister's eyes had changed. They had once been brown. Now, they were green.
Second, he couldn't remember her name.
Not a single memory. No shared moments. No laughter. No childhood scenes. He knew he had a sister, but nothing else.
If he had stopped for even a moment, he might have noticed.
But anger and grief blinded him.
Or perhaps… his eyes were made blind by the AliZaxa.