CHAPTER 51
(Lyria POV)
Time stopped making sense after that.
Lyria stopped counting days properly.
She only measured them by Kael's breathing.
In…
Out…
Still there.
Still not gone.
That was all that mattered.
Kael remained on the bed where they placed him.
He did not wake.
But he also did not die.
That strange in-between state became both hope and torture.
Lyria sat beside him every morning before anyone else in the village was awake.
Her fingers would always find his hand first.
Like checking reality.
Like proving to herself he was still real.
"Kael…" she whispered one morning, brushing her thumb across his knuckles. "You are making me talk to you alone now."
Silence answered her.
She let out a soft, tired breath. "You used to complain when I talked too much."
A pause.
Nothing changed.
But she still kept speaking.
Because silence felt heavier when it was shared with someone unconscious.
Mara entered quietly one afternoon.
"You haven't left his side since you woke," she said.
Lyria didn't look away from Kael. "I don't need to."
"You will weaken yourself."
"I don't care."
That answer was immediate.
Mara studied her for a moment. "He must be very important to you."
Lyria hesitated slightly.
Then nodded. "Yes."
Not enough explanation.
But enough truth.
Mara didn't push further.
Instead, she glanced at Kael. "His body is not healing normally."
That made Lyria look up quickly. "What do you mean?"
Mara paused. "It is like something is resisting recovery."
Lyria's grip on Kael's hand tightened slightly. "Is that bad?"
Mara didn't answer immediately.
And that silence said everything.
Outside the small room, the village continued its quiet life.
Lyria began noticing more things now.
Strength in the people.
Unnatural awareness.
Eyes that saw everything.
She still didn't fully understand them.
But she was too focused on Kael to question it deeply.
Rina started coming more often.
At first, she only stood near the door.
Then closer.
Then she began speaking softly while Lyria sat beside Kael.
"He hasn't woken up yet?" Rina asked one day.
"No," Lyria replied simply.
Rina looked at Kael for a moment. "He looks like someone who shouldn't stay still this long."
Lyria's eyes narrowed slightly. "He will wake up."
It was not a question.
It was a statement.
Rina nodded quickly. "Of course."
But she kept looking at him.
Longer than necessary.
That night, Lyria noticed something small.
Rina had brought warm water.
And cloths.
"I thought I could help," Rina said gently.
Lyria took them without speaking.
But her eyes followed Rina's movement carefully.
Too careful.
Rina sat slightly closer than usual to Kael's side.
"He is very strong-looking," Rina said quietly.
Lyria answered immediately. "He is not available for admiration."
Rina blinked in surprise. "I didn't mean it like that."
Lyria didn't respond.
She simply placed her hand back on Kael's chest.
Claiming the space again without words.
Later that night, after Rina left, silence returned.
Lyria stayed alone with him again.
The fire outside flickered faintly through the window.
She leaned closer to Kael, her voice softer now.
"You are not allowed to stay like this forever," she whispered. "I don't agree to that."
No response.
But she kept talking anyway.
Because talking felt better than accepting silence.
Days turned into weeks.
Kael still did not wake.
But something strange happened in Lyria.
She stopped crying.
Not because the pain was gone.
But because she had used up all the tears she had.
Now there was only patience.
And waiting.
And refusing.
One evening, Mara returned again.
"He has survived longer than most would," she said.
Lyria looked at her. "Then he will survive longer."
Mara studied her quietly. "You are very certain."
Lyria answered without hesitation. "Yes."
Because doubt was not something she could afford anymore.
Not here.
Not with him like this.
That night, as Lyria held Kael's hand again, she leaned her forehead against it.
"I don't know where we are," she whispered, "but I will stay until you wake up."
A pause.
Then softer—
"Because you always come back to me."
Silence answered.
But for the first time in a long time…
Lyria did not feel like she was losing him.
Only waiting for him.