’He is like this...’

’Because of me...’

The realization hit her with a devastating clarity.

She understood why Soren pushed himself past his limits every single day, why he entered hazardous Gates and returned with exhausted eyes, and why he was so desperate to gather wealth and resources. It wasn’t just to improve their daily lives, buy better food, or make their home more comfortable.

He was doing it all to help her, to find a cure for her.

A wave of intense grief and self-loathing washed over her, far sharper than the initial shock. Her chest tightened, and her breath became shallow as the sheer weight of his sacrifice pressed down on her. She stared at his pale, unmoving face through a sudden blur of tears, her heart twisting with an agony she couldn’t express.

’I’m sorry...’

The words repeated like a quiet refrain inside her mind, over and over, as she stared at his pale face.

’I’m so sorry, Soren.’

Tears started leaking from the corners of her eyes, tracing slow, silent paths down her cheeks before disappearing into the fabric of her collar.

She stayed frozen like that, her fingers resting against his cool palm while the guilt slowly ran its course.

Eventually, her breathing steadied, and the chaotic spiral of her emotions began to settle.

’W-what am I doing?’

The question pulled her out of the haze. She looked at her trembling reflection in the dark screen next to the bed, realizing how pathetic it was to sit here and weep when crying and feeling sorry for herself would do absolutely nothing to change the reality of the situation.

She closed her eyes for a brief second, forcing the tears back. When she opened them, she looked past her own reflection and focused entirely on Soren.

For too long, she had retreated into her own helplessness, letting him take the entire brunt of the world’s harshness on his shoulders while she simply waited by the window. He had been fighting a solitary war in the dark for her sake, but now that he was trapped in this deep sleep, she could no longer afford to be completely passive.

’I... I can’t just be a burden anymore.’

She repeated the words to herself, forcing them to settle deep inside her.

Obviously, saying it wouln’t magically make her physical limitations vanish: she still couldn’t stand, run, or walk.

The stark reality of her broken body remained exactly the same, but the way she looked at it changed.

Soren had sacrificed his safety to give her a future, and she would not let that sacrifice be wasted on a version of herself that gave up.

Even as paralyzed, she refused to remain entirely useless.

Her body was broken, but her mind was untouched.

She could still observe, she could still think, and she could use her intellect to find solutions, resources, or answers to help him.

She would find a path forward, using whatever small leverage she had, to become someone he could also rely on.

’Soren.’

Her fingers, previously limp and motionless, tightened with a sudden, deliberate effort around his. She forced her grip to hold, interlocking her fingers with his cool palm as her gaze hardened with resolve.

’I promise... I will find a way.’

’No matter what it takes, I won’t let you carry everything alone anymore...’

’I promise...’

"Ethea," Clara’s soft voice broke the heavy silence, snapping her out of her thoughts. "We should leave now. The doctor said he needs rest."

Ethea recovered her composure and gave a small nod. With Clara’s help, she gently released her grip on Soren’s hand. Clara stepped behind the wheelchair and carefully maneuvered it away from the bedside, pushing her toward the door. The sliding door opened with a soft click, and they stepped out into the sterile light of the hallway.

As soon as they exited, they came face to face with new faces standing right outside the room.

In front of them stood a beautiful, blue-haired young lady dressed in pristine white robes. Beside her stood a middle-aged couple, their expressions worn with exhaustion and worry.

Their eyes met, and the hallway fell into a brief silence. The blue-haired young lady looked down at Ethea in the wheelchair, her eyes widening slightly with a flash of surprise as she took in her condition. A moment of quiet realization passed through the young lady’s eyes, and her expression quickly softened into one of deep empathy.

"Are you... Mr. Soren’s wife?" She asked gently.

Ethea nodded faintly, her voice still trapped in her throat.

"Great, I was-" Just as the young lady opened her mouth to speak again, the middle-aged couple suddenly stepped forward, interrupting her. Before Ethea could process what was happening, the man and the woman bowed deeply toward her, their shoulders trembling as they began weeping and thanking her repeatedly.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!"

"We won’t ever forget this grace!"

"...?" Confusion etched across Ethea’s gaze. She blinked, looking from the deeply bowing couple to the young lady in white robes, entirely lost as to why these strangers were crying in front of her and showering her with such sudden gratitude.

"If it weren’t for your husband..." the mother sobbed, her hands clasped tightly together as she looked up with tear-filled eyes. "If it weren’t for his bravery, our son wouldn’t have made it out alive. He risked his life to rescue him from that awful place."

Hearing their words, the pieces finally fell into place. The confusion vanished, replaced by a clear realization as she understood what must have happened.

"Alright, alright, Auntie, Uncle," the blue-haired young lady chimed in softly, stepping forward to gently place her hands on the couple’s trembling shoulders. "You’re gonna overwhelm her. Let’s let her process this. She just left her husband’s bedside."

The couple slowly straightened up, wiping at their faces and nodding apologetically, though their eyes still shone with immense gratitude.

Ethea watched them, the weight of their words settling deep into her mind.

’So... He was protecting someone...’ 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

’That’s so... like him.’