She sat on the bench, holding him in her lap. His head rested against her legs, eyes still closed. One hand pressed to his forehead. Her palm glowed with golden light. Brighter now. Warmer.
She didn't know what happened or what to do.
Her fingers moved through his hair, nice and slow.
"Kael…" she whispered.
No answer.
She looked down—
He wasn't joking. He was different. No longer the same person who left for the Underworld. Something inside him had changed. His appearance. His behavior. All of it.
He was curled up, shaking in empty space. Cold. Silent. Alone.
Then—
A light appeared in the dark. Soft. Warm.
He crawled toward it like a wounded animal. When his hand touched the light, his eyes began to open.
The glow from her palm hit his face.
It felt like sunlight after a long nap.
"Hey, sunshine… can you turn the light off?" he murmured.
The worry in her eyes slowly faded, replaced with relief.
