"Erus! Erus!" Cana called out, trying to wake him. He was burning up. His heat could cook an egg. He had been fine before they went to sleep, so why did he have a fever now?
Erus moaned. His hands trembled every few moments.
Cana looked at the door, hesitating. Should she wake Uruja? She knew Uruja was in a deep slumber after a day of grueling chores. She had no choice but to take over. After all, she was used to taking care of her younger siblings.
She suddenly remembered them, but now was not the time to reminisce. Someone needed her right now.
Cana ran to the washroom. She hurriedly prepared a small stone basin and poured in some water, then grabbed a clean cloth. The problem was the cold water. Using it on someone with a fever could backfire and make things worse. Left with no other option, she brought the basin to Erus anyway.
"No, just do it. You can do it," Cana whispered to herself, panicking. She felt desperation as she stared at Erus' fingers. She forced herself to remember how that flame had sparked from his hand. She could do it—her gut told her she could. But how?
She closed her eyes. Her desperation drove her to attempt the impossible. She focused until her breathing steadied. Then, she felt something warm within her. It traveled through every nerve but did not hurt. It was comforting, like the warmth of a hug. When she opened her eyes, her gaze had transformed. Her irises bled into deep shades of purple and black, swirling with the image of galaxies and stars as if the universe and the void were colliding within her stare.
She looked at her hands. There was no flame, but she could feel the surge of energy. She could see the white aura. Her inner self told her she had exactly what she needed. She dipped her hand into the basin, and the water instantly became lukewarm.
I did it! She almost cried and wanted to jump out of excitement, but there was no room for drama.
She grabbed the cloth and drenched it in the warm water. She wrung it out well before gently wiping Erus' neck and shoulders. The moment the wet cloth touched Erus' skin, there was fading steam. It only took four consecutive wipes and the cloth was almost dry, as if his skin were thirsty for water. At that moment, she also cast aside her dark thoughts about Erus' abs. His safety was the priority. She gently wiped the skin under his shirt, repeating the motion over and over until she felt a slight change in his temperature. She did the same for his legs.
Erus only moaned throughout the process, appearing completely delirious, though his hands were not trembling like before.
"Erus!" She called his name again, but he seemed to be in a deep sleep. "What do I do? Do they even have medicines here for a fever?"
The mask on Erus' face was a hindrance too. She could not tend to his forehead, yet she did not have the courage to remove it. She had noticed how he wore that mask everywhere he went, no matter what he was doing.
Cana sighed. Then, her eyes caught something crawling across Erus' skin. His left arm was turning black.
"Erus, what is happening to you?" She said in a panic. She was about to run to Uruja for help when Erus' left hand reached out, grasping her hand in a tight grip. He held it for some minutes.
"Stay here," he said in a raspy voice, his eyes still closed, when she tried to remove his hand.
"But your arm—"
She was cut off before she could complain. Cana had no idea how Erus managed it, but he pulled her until she landed perfectly on top of him. She had to blink many times out of pure shock. She only snapped back to reality when he hugged her tightly, as if she were a hotdog pillow.
It was incredibly awkward for Cana. Her intention was only to help, not to find herself in such a critical position.
How could she even call for help now? She wanted to shout, but she noticed Erus was finally calming down. His breathing became steady, even though his body remained scorching hot. Besides, what would Uruja think if she walked in and saw them like this?
Then, she remembered his left arm. She turned her head, desperate to see what had happened. To her surprise, the black color was fading, leaving nothing behind but Erus' flawless skin. She let out a sigh of relief, her eyes remaining fixed on that arm.
If this were an ordinary event in her life, she would have punched Erus. She might have been drawn to his well-toned body, but that did not mean she would allow such behavior from anyone. Oddly, she could not find any hostility or irritation toward him. She even considered savoring the moment. She knew he was recovering. The moaning had stopped, and he was no longer shivering.
"Seems like you just needed body heat," Cana murmured, but that realization flushed a flustered blush onto her face. Someone was sick. Why would she even have such thoughts?
Minutes passed.
Erus' steady heartbeat became music to Cana's ears. She did not even notice the rhythm was lulling her into a deep slumber.
They stayed in the same position for more than an hour until Erus shifted, pulling Cana to sleep beside him. The next hour became chaotic. Erus felt heaviness in his body while something was gently blowing at his face. Then, he woke to the warmth of air on his eyes—Cana's breathing. He almost lost himself thinking he was dreaming when he saw Cana's face in front of him. He had no idea why Cana was sleeping in his bed. Did she take advantage of him? And there went the erratic beating of his heart again. Was Cana sent to be the cause of his death?
He wanted to wake her or push her away, but her peacefully sleeping face made him feel guilty. It was not him who trespassed onto another's bed.
He tried to rise and sleep on the long chair, but he could not move. He was stunned realizing his current situation. There was a slender arm hugging his neck, and he could not even move his body to turn around. His left arm even served as a pillow for her, while Cana's long legs were pinning his waist down. Just how could a slim girl be this strong while sleeping?
He had been fighting many beasts and mortals, but no one had pinned him down like this, not to mention how long he had been captured in this situation.
He could smell her natural fragrance—a mix of sun-warmed skin and the faint, sweet scent of crushed wildflowers. He swallowed hard then immediately looked away from her. He turned his head the other way only to see the small stone basin with the cloth still floating in the water.
Was she the one tending to him while he was feeling cold and struggling with the mark's control? He could not even wake. It felt like he was under the curse of a nightmare until he felt a warm golden light enveloping him. It smelled just like Cana. It made that heavy aura of the black mark retreat like it was afraid of her presence.
Did it mean they really had to stick with each other because of the heirloom's mark? Though he did not understand the choice of the heirloom.
He looked again at her sleeping face. This was his first straight gaze at her without blinking. He must admit, the longer he stared, her beauty became ethereal and familiar. Against the dim, messy room and the stale scent of his own sweat, her features were a sharp contrast. Her perfectly curved brows, her cute bridge nose, her long lashes, her rosebud lips, the flawlessness of her face—everything was perfectly aligned.
He felt no hostility toward Cana. This was the first time someone had taken care of him while he was sick, aside from his mother.
"Hm! Hm!" He cleared his throat and fixed his gaze on the dark wooden beams supporting the roof when he noticed he was staring too long at her lips. But he absentmindedly bit his lower lip, lucky it wasn't that strong or he'd bleed.
Cana shifted, moving her hand until it rested over his chest. Erus went still, nervous she would realize he was awake. He shut his eyes, trying to force himself back to sleep before she could stir, but it was useless. Even the slight warmth of her breath made him too restless.
Then, Cana did something confusing. Her fingers moved, tapping against his chest. At first, it seemed like the random twitching of someone deep in a dream. But he noticed a rhythm to the way she tapped; her fingers dropped in a synchronous pattern. It was the steady, deliberate motion used to make a child sleep.
Had her subconscious felt his hammering heart?
He couldn't help it. He gave a light, brief smile at the thought that she was treating him like a child. In her sleep, she didn't feel like a predator about to ambush his body.
What Cana did worked. Even his hammering heart was tamed by the rhythm. He could hardly believe he was falling for such a simple trick, but it helped him sink back into sleep.
By the time the first light of dawn hit the room, though the sun wasn't up yet, Erus was awake again. He realized the weight was gone. No one was pinning him down anymore, but he wasn't on the bed. He was lying on the cold, hard floor. He looked up and saw Cana on the mattress, slightly higher than him. He furrowed his brows, having no idea how he'd ended up on the ground after falling asleep.
Did Cana push him? Or did he roll off the bed himself?
Either of the two, he chose to rise and saw how Cana had clumsily taken over the entire bed. Her hands and legs were sprawled everywhere, leaving no space for another person. He understood now. He shook his head before reaching for the blanket on the long chair. Erus used it to cover her from head to toe.
His action was part revenge and more about protecting his sanity in that early morning.
Cana woke up when the sun was fully up. She brushed off the blanket covering her face and startled the passing Uruja. Both of them looked at each other—Uruja wide-eyed and blinking fast at the sight of Cana on her son's supposed bed.
"Why? Wait. Did Erusiel swap beds with you?" Uruja asked.
Cana shook her head.
"No. I only tended to him last night. He got a very high fever."
"A fever?" Uruja's face showed she did not believe Cana's words. Erus was feeling well before they went to bed last night.
"Yeah. I didn't wake you up because you were sound asleep," Cana explained. "Wait. Did you get the stone basin?" She was about to use it as proof that what she was saying was true but the basin was nowhere in the living room.
She rose from the bed and fixed it before heading to the kitchen. Uruja followed her still confused. Cana found the basin she used was already cleaned and sitting in the right corner of the kitchen. Even the cloth she used for wiping Erus' body was already washed and hanging in the washroom.
"So, it wasn't you who cooked early?"
Cana turned to Uruja and shook her head, then she noticed the covered plates on the table.
"I just woke up," she told her. She checked one of the plates and smelled the nice aroma of the food. She looked back at Uruja.
"I just woke up too," Uruja said.
Then, a sound coming from outside became clear to Cana's ears. She could hear the sound of cracking wood.
Wait. That delirious man last night is now chopping wood? What does he think he is doing?
Then, both Cana and Uruja went outside and found Erus at a distance busy chopping wood—there was a mountain of chopped wood near him. Both women looked at each other confused.
"Why is he chopping wood?" Uruja asked.
Cana scratched her head. She wondered if he was already fully healed and just doing a morning exercise? But why cut the wood?
"Erus!" Cana called out loud which quaked Uruja's entire system. It was not the loudness but the name Cana used. No one dared to call him like that because he hated it. He preferred his full name instead.
To Uruja's surprise, her son looked back without a tiny hint of being mad or shocked. He looked normal which confused Uruja and made her rethink what truly happened last night while she was deep asleep?
Cana walked towards him while he waited for his next move like a pup. She checked his neck with the back of her hand. His temperature was normal. She also checked the mark on his left back.
"Stupid mark," Cana mumbled while she touched it.
Erus felt the warm energy from Cana's hand where her palm was placed on his mark. He could feel his mark responding to her touch.