The hospital room was quiet except for the soft beeping of the machines beside Rick's bed.
Bella sat beside him, holding his hand tightly as if she was afraid that letting go would make him disappear.
Her eyes were red and swollen from crying.
Quinir stood near the window.
He had been silent for a long time.
His gaze moved slowly across the room before settling on his father again.
Rick lay motionless on the hospital bed.
A bandage wrapped around his head.
His chest rose and fell slowly with the help of the machines.
The sight made something heavy settle inside Quinir's chest.
Rick had always been the strong one in the family.
The one who carried everything quietly.
And now—
He looked fragile.
Bella wiped her tears again.
"I don't understand…" she whispered.
"He left home just like every other day…"
Quinir didn't answer immediately.
He was thinking.
He remembered the conversation from that morning.
Rick standing near the door with the folder in his hand.
"I spoke with my boss this morning."
"I'll leave work early and go to your school to register you."
Quinir slowly closed his eyes for a moment.
Rick had also said something else.
He had mentioned that conversation openly.
His boss had asked why he needed to leave early.
Rick had proudly explained that his son had received a scholarship invitation from Jackson Private High.
Rick had never been the type to hide good news.
He had probably spoken about it happily.
Quinir opened his eyes again.
And the pieces slowly began falling into place.
Vanessa knew.
Not just about the scholarship.
But about the exact day Rick planned to go to the school.
Quinir's expression didn't change.
People like Vanessa always had ways of hearing things.She must have kept tabs on his father.
Quinir's eyes slowly darkened.
For something as small as a scholarship…
Vanessa was willing to go this far.
Bella looked at him again.
"Quinir…"
Her voice broke.
"I'm scared."
Quinir walked over and gently placed his hand on her shoulder.
"It's going to be alright.Mom"
His voice remained calm.He has to strong to support his mother.
His gaze moved back to Rick lying unconscious on the bed.
Tears welled in his eyes. He tried to hide it from his mother but he resolves in his heart that. he is not going to let it slide.
Vanessa hadn't just threatened them.
She had acted.
And if they stayed here—
She would keep acting.
Quinir exhaled slowly.
Then he spoke quietly.
"Mom."
Bella looked up at him.
"I'm going outside for a bit."
She nodded weakly.
"Okay."
Quinir stepped out of the hospital room and walked down the long hallway.
The bright lights overhead made everything look sterile and distant.
His footsteps echoed faintly against the floor.
Vanessa had crossed a line.
And once someone crossed that line—
Things could never go back to how they were before.
Quinir straightened slightly.
His eyes were calm again.
But something inside them had changed.
The quiet determination that had always been there…
had turned colder.
More focused.
He pushed himself away from the window and began walking toward the hospital exit.
He needed air.
He needed space to think.
Quinir pushed open the hospital exit doors and stepped outside.
The evening air was cooler than inside the hospital, carrying the faint smell of rain that had fallen earlier in the day.
Life continued around him as if nothing had happened.
But Quinir felt like the ground beneath his life had shifted.
He walked toward a small bench near the hospital entrance and sat down.
His elbows rested on his knees as he lowered his head slightly.
Rick's unconscious face appeared again in his mind.
His father had always been someone who endured everything quietly.
Even when money was tight.
Even when relatives looked down on them.
Rick had never complained.
He simply worked harder.
And now,
He lay in a hospital bed because someone schemed against the man who was just trying to protect his son's future.
Quinir slowly clenched his fists.
Quinir could not allow his family to remain vulnerable.
His gaze hardened slightly.
If protecting them meant giving up the scholarship—
Then he would do it.
His future meant nothing if his parents were not safe.
Just as that thought settled in his mind, he felt a sharp pain in his head and fell down while clutching his head.
The warm feeling just started burning in his chest again.
In his blurry state he saw, Something bright streaked across the sky. His pain started fading away.
Quinir blinked.He felt some kind of power enveloping the air around him . He felt this must be cause for his sudden pain , it's just his instinct.
It almost lit half of the sky. He gaped in astonishment but when he looked at the people around him. They are just carrying around like nothing happened.
Curiosity stirred inside him.
The direction the light had fallen wasn't far.
Somewhere beyond the hospital grounds, near the river that ran through the edge of the city.
For a few seconds, Quinir hesitated.
He had come outside to clear his mind.
But now his attention had shifted completely.
That falling light…
Something about it felt unusual.
Without thinking further, Quinir began walking.
He left the hospital entrance behind and followed the quiet road toward the riverbank.
Streetlights flickered above him as he moved through the empty sidewalks.
The city noise faded the farther he went.
Within ten minutes, he reached the small riverside path.
The water reflected the dim glow of the streetlights.
And there—
Near the edge of the river—
Smoke rose faintly from the ground.
Quinir slowed his steps.
The grass around the area looked disturbed.
As if something had crashed there.
His heart beat slightly faster as he approached.
Then he saw it.
A small crater in the dirt.
And inside it—
Someone was lying there.
A boy.
Around Quinir's age.
His clothes looked strange, unlike anything Quinir had seen before.
For a moment, Quinir simply stared.
Because there was only one explanation that made sense.
The falling star…
was not a star.
It was a person.
Quinir rushed forward.
"Hey!"
The boy didn't respond.
Quinir knelt beside him and checked his breathing.
Still alive.
Barely.
Quinir frowned slightly.
"Where did you come from…"
But the boy remained unconscious.
The wind rustled the nearby trees as the river flowed quietly beside them.
Quinir looked around.
There was no one else nearby.
If he left the boy here,
He might die.
Quinir sighed softly.He wanted to call an ambulance but he was not sure because of the strange phenomena whether he would be able to call them or not. and he did not have a phone on him he left it inside the bag which is at the hospital.
"Great."
Carefully, he lifted the unconscious boy and supported him over his shoulder.
The boy felt lighter than expected.
Quinir turned and began walking back toward the hospital.
As he did, he didn't notice one small detail.
For a brief moment,
A faint light flickered beneath Quinir's shirt.
And the unconscious boy stirred slightly.
Almost as if something inside him had recognized something inside Quinir.
The night remained quiet.
But somewhere beyond the world Quinir knew,something ancient had just taken its first step toward waking.
Quinir adjusted his grip and continued walking.
The boy's arm hung loosely over his shoulder. His clothes were strange, thin silver threads woven into dark fabric that almost shimmered under the streetlights.
They didn't look like anything from this city.
Or even this world.
Quinir frowned slightly.
Who are you…?
The boy didn't move.
His breathing was shallow but steady.
The path back to the hospital felt longer than usual. The pain from Rylan's beatings slowly returned to Quinir's body as adrenaline faded. His ribs still ached where Rylan had kicked him, and carrying another person didn't make things easier.
By the time the hospital building came back into view, sweat had begun to gather at his temples.
The lights from the emergency entrance shone brightly against the dark sky.
Quinir stepped through the sliding doors and carefully lowered the unconscious boy onto one of the waiting chairs.
A nurse immediately noticed them.
"Hey, what happened?"
Quinir straightened slightly.
"I found him near the river. He was unconscious."
The nurse quickly called another staff member.
Within seconds, two nurses rushed forward with a stretcher.
"Are you Okay?"
"Yes," Quinir replied.
They carefully lifted the boy and placed him onto the stretcher.
"Bring him to examination room three," one of them said quickly.
The stretcher rolled away down the hallway.
Quinir watched them disappear.
Only then did he finally exhale.
The exhaustion from the day suddenly hit him all at once.
He rubbed the back of his neck and leaned against the wall for a moment.
The hospital hallway buzzed with quiet activity.
Doctors walking past.
Machines humming faintly.
Life and death passing each other in quiet moments.
After a few minutes, Quinir pushed himself away from the wall and walked back toward Rick's room.
Bella was still sitting beside the bed.
She looked up the moment he entered.
"Quinir… where did you go?"
"Outside," he said quietly.