Liora walked heavily down the corridor. With each step, her feet grew heavier. The burden she carried wasn't just Kael's body, but a storm of thoughts that had taken root in her mind.
"Tomorrow… tomorrow I'll definitely kill you," she whispered, her voice low and hoarse, the words slipping tiredly from her lips. "If this torment doesn't have a price… I swear I'll kill you."
Beads of sweat rolled down from her shoulder. The weight in her arms had become less of a physical burden and more of a test of her patience. She no longer remembered why she was trying so hard, why she was struggling this much. "I should've left you there… should've let you keep fainting on that table," she muttered inwardly, gritting her teeth. But her feet didn't stop. Every step echoed the anger she was trying to suppress.
As she neared the end of the corridor, a silhouette began to form in the shadow of the wall. Standing silently was Althar.
Althar, beneath the dim lamp, lit a cigarette, his back resting against the stone wall. He had been quietly watching Liora for several minutes. A faint trace of surprise hovered at the corner of his lips. He slowly pulled the cigarette from his mouth, letting the smoke trail upward. His gaze fixed on Liora's face.
"Is this the same cold, killer-eyed Liora I know?" he thought. The woman he saw wasn't the familiar silhouette he'd worked with for years—disciplined, seemingly emotionless. She was drenched in sweat, her breathing irregular; the expression on her face was angry, yet oddly like a weary protector.
Liora, unaware, had caught Althar's attention. But she ignored his gaze, ignored the shadow. When she reached the door, she nudged it open with her elbow.
Inside was quiet and tidy. Clean sheets, an empty chair, and a water bottle left at the bedside… everything was in place and oppressively silent. As she laid Kael on the bed, a faint groan from his body added a human sound to the room.
She carefully lowered Kael onto the bed. When her coat sleeve ended up beneath his head, she adjusted it and pulled her hands back. Without saying a word, she dragged the nearby chair across the floor—its wooden legs creaked—and she sat down.
She took a deep breath. When she closed her eyes, she felt sweat trickling down her forehead. She noticed the small pitcher beside her, poured some water into a glass, and drank it in one go. The coolness passing down her throat gave her a brief moment of relief. But as she rested her head in her hands, the fatigue returned to her shoulders.
"Why am I trying so hard?" she wondered. "Why does the burden of everything always fall on me?" While rubbing her temples with her fingertips, she realized she was murmuring to herself. That breath within the silence lifted the room out of its tomb-like stillness, filling it with a sense of life.
She sat like that for a while. Minutes might've passed, or just seconds—she couldn't tell. Finally, she opened her eyes and slowly lifted her head.
Turning to the bed, she saw Kael shifting restlessly. His lips were slightly parted, his eyelids twitching.
"No… no… no…"
His voice was barely a whisper, but clear. He seemed to be dreaming. His face was tense. The beads of sweat forming around his eyes reflected the silent screams of a man in pain.
Liora froze momentarily. She didn't know what he was seeing. But it was clear—it wasn't anything pleasant. "You too…?" she thought. "You've got things chasing you too, it seems…"
She stood silently. Headed toward the door. As she opened it, she glanced back one last time. Kael was still writhing.
The door slowly closed.
When she stepped into the cool corridor, her footsteps were quieter now. The fatigue wasn't just in her muscles anymore; it was in her shoulders, her back, even in her gaze.
She walked toward her own room.
Kael suddenly opened his eyes.
A void… a ringing… then a sharp throbbing echoing in his head. The world beneath his eyelids was blurry; the images wavered, and the light stabbed into his pupils like knives. He slowly turned his head. Every movement hit his brain like a slap. He rubbed his eyes. The images trickling between his lashes gradually began to clear.
Stone walls… a ceiling with wooden beams… a simple bed… and a narrow room lit by dim light.
"Where is this…?" he whispered. Even hearing his own voice made the pounding in his head worse. His eyes scanned the room; nothing looked familiar. A table a few steps away, a pitcher beside it, and an old-fashioned faucet mounted in the corner.
He sat up slowly. As he rose, his head felt like it was trying to separate from his body. He brought his hand to his forehead; it was slick with cold sweat. His knees trembled slightly, but he managed to take a step. His soles made a faint sound on the wooden floor.
He walked to the corner with the faucet. Reaching under it, the chill of the rusty water filled his palms. As it splashed on his face, he felt a touch of relief. Then again—this time more firmly—he washed his face, as if trying to truly wake up.
He looked up at the mirror.
The reflection before him… was familiar, yet foreign. His hair was disheveled, eyes red, his pale skin looking like it belonged to a lifeless mannequin. The veins on his forehead pulsed slightly, and the throbbing pain around his temple intensified when pressed. He stared into his eyes. Something buried deep inside—something unreachable—was there.
And then…
A fragment of memory…
A table…Broken glasses…Loud laughter…Mark…And then… darkness.
"We were at the tavern… with Mark. Then…" Kael closed his eyes, trying to remember. His mind was fogged, but he felt something stirring behind the mist. He remembered passing out. But nothing after that.
"Who brought me here?""Was it Liora…?"A vague voice echoed in his ears. Things he'd shouted while drunk… Had he called her the angel of death? Or was it just a dream? He couldn't be sure.
He stood there before the mirror for a while. As if searching for an answer in that reflection. Maybe a trace of his past, or a clue about the night… but only the eyes of a tired man looked back. Answerless. Expressionless.
He took a deep breath. The air filling his lungs eased the pressure in his head slightly. Then he dried his face, tried to straighten his clothes. Rolled up his sleeves, smoothed the wrinkles in his jacket. But no matter how he tried to compose himself, his body still felt dizzy and sore. The headache hadn't gone away; if anything, it had settled in deeper. A pressure pulsed at the center of his forehead.
"What happened last night?"
He didn't know the answer. But he wasn't even sure if he should know it—he was just… curious.
He headed to the door. The wooden floor creaked. As he reached for the latch, he paused. Another deep breath… then opened the door.
The sound of footsteps echoed through the corridor, leaving a humming silence behind as they bounced off the stone walls. Kael's steps found a rhythm—not hurried, not slow; he was just walking… without thinking, without knowing where to go.
The spiderwebs along the stone walls showed how long this place had been untouched. Here and there, rotting oak doors, cracked open rooms, and dust particles drifting beneath drooping lanterns accompanied his lonely walk. Wind slipped through narrow cracks, brushing against the stone and touching his skin like a cool breath.
There was no one.
It was as if the entire inn or castle… or whatever this place was… had become a temporary cell just for Kael. Or maybe a slit between dreams.
As he turned the corner, a dim light from above caught his attention. Sunlight spilled from an open door at the top of a staircase… golden warmth spreading between gray stones. Kael felt a pull—curiosity, and something else. Without hesitation, he climbed the steps. With each one, the light grew stronger. With each step, the darkness receded, and the daylight became more inviting.
When he reached the last step… his breath caught.
It was a terrace, or a wide balcony, opening to the open air. He only realized the height of the structure he stood on when he saw the view before him. At first, he said nothing. He couldn't even think.
The scene before him… looked like it had been painted by a master's hand.
Endless greenery…Forests stretching in waves… different shades of green, with yellowing leaves in some places… and further ahead, majestic mountains rising toward the sky. Even though it was summer, the peaks were still white. Clouds drifted slowly around those summits, like a curtain between sky and earth.
Kael walked slowly.He approached the low, thick stone wall meant to prevent falls. He touched it—felt its coolness spread through his palms. He leaned forward, getting closer to the view. It felt like if he took one more step, he'd fall right into it.
Below, the rest of the structure came into view. Castle-like walls built with gray stone, a small but orderly courtyard in the center… buildings clustered around it, and a few chimneys releasing thin smoke above.
"A castle… yes, this is a castle."The thought filled in some of the blanks in his mind.
He turned his gaze back to the horizon. The beauty of this place hidden among the mountains and forests… made him forget the shadows of the past for a moment. He took a deep breath. The air carried the scent of soil and pine. Birds chirped in the distance, blending with the soft hum of the wind.
"How beautiful…" he whispered, almost unconsciously.
He was surprised not only by the scenery—but by what he felt. He hadn't felt such peace in a long time. The calm that came with silence… was unlike anything he was used to. Despite the chaos in his mind, the throbbing in his head, a small light seemed to seep into the dark chasm in his heart.
Kael closed his eyes.
For a moment… just a moment, he stood there, thinking of nothing. The wind tousled his hair, and the sunlight stroking his body soothed him.
But then, the peaceful silence was suddenly torn apart by a voice.
"What are you doing here all alone?"