Chapter narrated by Lira:
17/14/95
I had never been to a hospital before.
At the church, Brother Halven usually took care of us whenever someone got sick. He was really good at it, so none of us ever had to leave for medical reasons.
I was a bit curious about what a hospital would be like. From the way Brother Halven described them, they sounded like warm, comforting places where people go to heal before returning to their normal day-to-day lives.
I thought I would like them.
Now, for the first time, I'm in a hospital, and to be honest, I don't think I do.
I don't think I'm supposed to, either.
The Church of Reval hospital smelled of herbs mixed with different potions. It wasn't a pleasant smell.
The sounds, on the other hand, bothered me more than the smell. People were constantly running around—shouts, metal instruments clattering, medics using magic, people crying. All of it together made my head ache.
The hallways all felt the same. At night, without Ali to guide me, I felt completely lost. It was almost like a maze, and it made me more aware of my eyes than ever before.
Members of the Church of Reval came to speak with us. They asked some questions—Sera and Balyn answered most of them. Fin still hadn't woken up.
The soldiers told us we were in the clear. If we wanted, we could leave the hospital. They would ask Fin some questions when he woke up and then discharge him.
I wanted to leave this place.
In the end, we stayed for two days.
All of us.
Sera stayed because she was worried about Fin. She tried to hide it as best as she could, but her breathing grew heavier when she thought no one was listening.
She also tried to keep her usual energy in her voice, trying to sound normal, but at night, when she was more tired, her voice couldn't keep up the act.
Balyn, on the other hand, didn't try to hide his worry.
He paced.
Back and forth. Back and forth. His steps were heavy and uneven, stopping suddenly whenever someone entered the room, then starting again the moment they left.
Sometimes he muttered.
I don't think he realized.
They were both worried.
…We all were.
I stayed too.
At first, I told myself it was because I wanted to help.
And that's true.
But not entirely.
I liked Fin. He had been kind to me at the guild, but that was as far as I knew him.
I didn't like this place. Funnily enough, the hospital was making me feel sick.
But…
Leaving would have been… awkward.
I wouldn't have known what to say.
"Good luck"? "I hope he wakes up"?
I wonder if thinking like this makes me a bad person. What would Sister Mayreel say if she knew? What about my dad? Would Ali be angry if she heard my thoughts?
So, in the end, I stayed.
I helped where I could—passing things when asked, sitting close when the silence felt too heavy, and listening.
I'm good at listening.
After two days, Fin finally woke up.
I wasn't there when it happened.
Sera was.
Of course she was.
I knew something had changed the moment I heard her voice from down the hall. It was… lighter. Not completely, but enough.
Balyn stopped pacing.
For the first time in days.
Everything felt like it could move again.
The soldiers came back. They asked Fin the same questions they had asked us, and then they left.
Fin was fine. His wound had healed well. He was discharged that afternoon, but he wasn't allowed to do much physical effort for two more days so the potions could work properly and the wound wouldn't reopen.
When we finally left the hospital, I took the deepest breath of my life—the air finally free of herbs and potions.
We were all tired and dirty. We had been wearing the same clothes for the past three days. I feel a bit ashamed admitting it, but I didn't smell very good.
None of us did.
After talking for a little while, Fin and Balyn went their own way. Sera made them promise to meet later at the guild, and after that, she said a single word to me in the most tired voice I had ever heard from her.
"Inn."
She didn't need to say anything else.
With one hand in hers, we made our way back to the Sleeping Bear. After everything that had happened, I really needed a bath.
When we arrived at the inn, I took a bath right away. The water felt incredibly good, like it was washing away all the sickness the hospital had left in me, the lingering smell of the southern district, and some of my exhaustion.
My bed felt divine. Soft and comfortable compared to the couches in Fin's room. I had forgotten how it felt—lying here for the first time in two nights without hearing nurses running or distant screams.
In the end, the comfort of the bed and the soft sound of water from the bathroom were enough to make me doze off.
The best sleep I've had in a long time.
I dreamt of Ali and me going on an adventure together. We traveled all over the region together.
We helped people along the way, fought terrifying monsters, and went to beautiful places filled with the sounds of birds, the wind, and the sun warming our skin.
At the end of it, we returned victorious to the church and told all our stories to Dad, who listened in amazement to the tales of Ali and Lira, great adventurers of Reval's market.
Ali used her energy to exaggerate some of them. I just laughed beside her. After that, he went to bed and left the two of us alone.
The room grew warmer. I felt Ali getting closer.
"You know, Lira, there's something I've wanted to tell you for a long time," Ali said.
My heart skipped, and nervousness crept in.
"What is it, Ali? You know you can tell me anything."
My voice came out shyer than I wanted.
She let out a small laugh, and I felt her hand gently cup my cheek.
"I think it's better if I show you instead of telling you," she said, her voice sounding… different.
She moved closer.
Her breath grew clearer against my face with every second.
And just as our lips were about to touch—
"Hey, Lira!" Sera woke me up.
I sat up fast, my heart racing.
"Wow, are you feeling alright? Your face is red like a tomato."
A strange mix of embarrassment and irritation washed over me.
"I feel fine, Sera."
My voice betrayed me a little; my answer came faster than it should have.
She let out a laugh.
"I see, so you were having a good dream, hmm?" Her voice was smug and teasing.
"So who is the lucky someone that has Lira like this?"
"Sera!!!"
"Haha, alright, alright, relax."
She tried to hold her laugh but did a very poor job of it.
"I just wanted to tell you that I'm going to the guild to meet up with Fin and Balyn. Do you want to come with me or stay here dreaming about your special someone?"
I swear, one of these days I will get revenge for this. I could feel my face burning.
To be honest, the option of going back to dreamland with Ali was really tempting, but right now I needed some fresh air or the embarrassment was going to kill me.
Besides, Sera—even if I wanted to kick her out of the room—was my partner and friend. I wasn't going to let her go alone like this.
I got up, put on my shoes, and we began our walk to the guild.
At first, it was quiet.
My awkwardness had faded a bit, but halfway to the guild, Sera decided she couldn't stand the silence any longer.
"So…"
"So?"
"Are you going to tell me or not, Lira?"
"Tell you what, Sera?"
"Oh, come on, you know. Who is it that has my partner's heart sounding like a war drum and her face matching the color of her eyes?"
I felt the heat rise to my face again.
I wanted to scream at her for making me feel this embarrassed.
Instead, I stared straight ahead and stayed silent.
"Come on, Lira, aren't you going to tell your dear partner?"
I shook my head.
I wasn't going to tell her anything.
"Won't you talk to me, Lira? Come on, don't be like that."
She was teasing again, barely holding back her laughter.
I shook my head once more and picked up my pace.
"Hey, Lira, be careful with—"
Sera didn't get to finish before I crashed into what l think was a small stand in the street.
She hurried over to me.
I was now on the ground.
"Are you alright, Lira?"
"Yes, I am…"
Now the embarrassment wasn't just from her questions.
She helped me back up and checked to make sure I wasn't hurt.
After seeing I was fine, she laughed.
The rest of the walk felt less awkward.
She stopped teasing me after that and started telling terrible jokes instead, which was… slightly better.
After five tok-tok, two chicken, and one dragon, she ran out of jokes just as we reached the guild.
Inside, the noise of adventurers telling stories filled the room.
It may be strange, but part of me had missed this while we were in the hospital.
"There you are," Mary called.
"Master Holt is waiting for both of you upstairs. If I were you, I'd hurry. He's already talking to Fin and Balyn, and he didn't sound very happy."
A spike of worry shot through me—the same feeling I got when I accidentally broke a vase his mother had given to Dad.
Sera leaned close and whispered, worry clear in her voice.
"Lira… I think we're in trouble."