A young boy, no older than eight, stood in a quiet, shadowed corner of a richly decorated room.
He clutched a piece of paper in his hand, crumpled from nervous fingers.
The paper bore the marks of his hard work: scores and a small gold star, awarded by his tutor for outstanding performance.
He'd worked for days.
He stood at the threshold of the room where his mother was seated, engrossed in a book, with his four-year-old sister nestled by her side.
His sister had a smile so bright it lit the room, and his mother's gentle laughter echoed as she brushed the girl's hair softly, whispering sweet words that he strained to hear.
His heart thudded with the hope that perhaps today, his mother would see him.
He took a small step forward.
"Mother," he whispered, voice trembling with excitent, "I... I got full marks today." He held the paper out, his hand barely steady, hoping she'd look up, that she'd smile at him with the sa warmth she gave his sister.
But his mother didn't turn to him.
Her eyes didn't leave his sister.
"That's nice, Aeron," she murmured, her tone distant and indifferent, as though she were speaking to soone on the other side of the room.
Aeron's heart sank. He clutched the paper tighter, his face dropping as he realized she hadn't even read the scores.
Aeron's heart twisted, a painful, heavy ache filling his chest.
He felt invisible, like he was sohow less real, less worthy of her attention.
For a mont, he stood there, clutching the parchnt, watching her, hoping she might still say sothing. But she didn't.
"Why... why don't you love , Mother?" His voice broke, barely audible, but she didn't hear him.
It was like he was speaking to the walls, to the empty space around them.
Desperation clawed at him. He needed her to see him, needed her to care.
"Mother," he said, louder this ti, his voice shaking. "Why don't you love ? Please... just tell ."
But she didn't turn. She didn't even react. She only continued to smile at his sister, holding her close, her gentle laugh ringing in his ears as Aeron's heart sank further, the emptiness growing inside him.
The silence was deafening, a heavy weight that pressed down on him.
..
..
"Why"
Kael jolted awake, the haunting echoes of his past life fading as he realized he was still crying, his voice raw from the emotion he'd unleashed.
As he blinked, trying to gather himself, a gentle voice broke the silence.
"Hey, are you okay?"
He looked up to see a girl standing near his bedside, her deep purple eyes filled with concern. Her hair, the sa shade of violet, frad her face, catching the dim light in the room.
It took him a mont to recognize her.
"lumia..." he muttered, quickly wiping the tear stains from his cheeks, feeling a sudden wave of embarrassnt for having shown such vulnerability in front of her.
He lowered his gaze, clenching his hands to keep them from trembling.
How much aura have I lost here?
Lumia spoke again, her voice gentle. "Thank you, Kael. For saving my father."
Kael's eyes widened. "Your... father?" He hadn't expected this.
He hadn't done anything, or at least, he didn't think he had. But he managed a weak smile. "It was my pleasure," he said.
"How many days was I asleep?" he asked, feeling the fatigue still clinging to his bones.
"Three days," she answered softly, watching him carefully as if gauging his strength.
He nodded, absorbing her words.
The exhaustion seed to deepen with the knowledge that ti had slipped away from him.
Just as he was about to say sothing more.
Lumia turned and quietly left the room.
Kael leaned back, staring at the ceiling, still feeling the weight of Aeron's mories heavy in his heart.
THUD THUD!
Kael heard hurried footsteps approaching.
CLICK
The door clicked open, and there stood Celestara, her face lighting up as soon as she saw him awake.
"Oh, Kael, you're awake!" she said, relief evident in her voice.
Lumia was beside her, watching him closely, a faint smile on her lips.
"When you feel ready, please co to et in my office," Celestara continued. Her gaze softened, lingering on him for a mont before she turned to Lumia.
Celestara's expression softened as she looked at Kael.
"Firstly, Kael, you should wash up," she said with a gentle smile, noting the fatigue still lingering in his eyes.
Kael blinked, realizing he must look as worn out as he felt after all he had been through.
"Of course," he replied.
Celestara glanced back at Lumia.
"Afterwards, Lumia will show you around the castle. Take your ti," she added kindly, her voice warm with reassurance.
As she turned to leave, Lumia stepped forward.
"I'll be waiting to take you on the tour," she said with a friendly smile. Kael nodded, watching as they both left the room, leaving him alone to gather himself.
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