Path of the Unmentioned: The Missing Piece-Chapter 112: Fragile Strength [2]

The steady beep of the heart monitor filled the sterile hospital room.

Kyle sat propped up against the pillows. His gaze fixed blankly on the wall across from him.

His fingers absently traced the edge of the white hospital blanket, his mind far away.

The door creaked open.

Seraphina stepped inside. Her usual energetic demeanor softened into something quieter.

She closed the door behind her with a soft click and made her way to the chair beside his bed.

For a moment. She just watched him.

The way his shoulders were tense despite the exhaustion in his eyes.

The way his jaw clenched ever so slightly. Like he was holding something back.

"You look like hell," she said finally, her voice light but careful.

Kyle blinked, as if pulled out of a trance, and turned his head toward her. A faint, tired smirk tugged at his lips.

"Thanks. I feel like it."

She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "You’ve been staring at that wall for ten minutes straight. What’s going on in that head of yours?"

He exhaled, long and slow, before dropping his gaze to his hands. "Nothing important."

Seraphina raised an eyebrow. "Bullshit."

Kyle huffed a humorless laugh. "Yeah. Maybe."

Silence settled between them again. But this time, it was heavier.

After a beat. Seraphina sighed. "You don’t have to carry everything alone, you know."

Kyle’s fingers stilled on the blanket. He didn’t look up.

"I don’t have some hero complex or whatever. I just..." His voice trailed off, frustration creeping in.

"I don’t want to see kids getting killed. I can’t just stand there and do nothing."

His hands curled into fists.

"I know it was too much for me to handle alone. I get that. But I can’t help it. I don’t want anything happening to the people I care about. I just—" His voice cracked slightly.

"I was scared."

Finally. He lifted his head and met her eyes, forcing a weak smile. "That’s all."

Seraphina stared at him for a long moment. Then, without thinking. She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.

Kyle stiffened in surprise.

"It’s okay," she muttered into his shoulder. "You don’t have to act mature all the time."

His breath hitched.

Then, softer. So quiet he almost missed it, she added, "You were like this in the past too."

Before he could process that. Another voice cut through the room.

"What are you doing?"

They both turned.

Aurelia stood in the doorway, arms crossed. Her sharp blue eyes locked onto Seraphina with an intensity that could melt steel.

Seraphina immediately let go of Kyle. Scrambling back so fast she nearly knocked the chair over.

Her face flushed bright red. "I—uh—just—he looked like he needed it!"

Aurelia’s gaze flicked between them, unreadable. Then, after a beat. She stepped fully into the room. Her expression smoothing into something more neutral.

"You’re supposed to be resting," she said to Kyle, though her tone lacked its usual bite.

Kyle rubbed the back of his neck. The movement slow and tired. "Yeah. I know."

Aurelia studied him for another long moment before sighing. "...Good."

The tension in the room eased slightly, but the silence that followed was still thick.

Seraphina, still standing awkwardly by the chair. Suddenly clapped her hands together.

"Right! So," she said, her voice deliberately bright.

She reached into her storage ring and pulled out a small bag. "I brought apples" she said.

Kyle blinked as she pulled out two perfectly red fruits, their skins gleaming under the hospital lights.

Without waiting for a response. She plopped back into the chair and grabbed a small knife from the bedside table.

"You look like you could use something fresh," she continued, already peeling the first apple with quick, practiced motions.

The blade moved smoothly, the peel curling away in one long, unbroken spiral. "Hospital food is basically cardboard, right?"

Aurelia watched her for a second, then shook her head slightly. Though the corner of her mouth twitched.

She turned back to Kyle. "How are you feeling now?"

Kyle hesitated. The question was simple, but the answer wasn’t.

His body ached, his ribs still tender, his legs stiff from the burns.

But the physical pain was nothing compared to the weight pressing down on his chest. The images that wouldn’t leave him alone.

"Better," he said finally, because it wasn’t entirely a lie. He was better than he had been when he first woke up.

Aurelia didn’t look convinced, but she didn’t push.

Instead. She reached out and adjusted the blanket over his legs, her touch careful. "You need to rest properly. No rushing things."

Kyle nodded absently. His gaze drifting to Seraphina’s hands as she finished peeling the first apple. She sliced it neatly into pieces. The knife clicking against the plate.

"Here," she said, holding out a slice to him. "Eat. You’ll feel better."

He took it. The apple cool and crisp between his fingers. The first bite was sweet, almost startlingly so after days of bland hospital meals.

Aurelia watched him for a moment before sighing again, this time softer. "You scared me, you know."

Kyle froze mid-chew.

She didn’t look at him as she spoke. Her eyes fixed on the window instead.

"When I got the message about the train..." Her voice trailed off, and for the first time.

Kyle noticed the faint shadows under her eyes. The way her usual sharpness was dulled by exhaustion.

He swallowed hard. The apple suddenly tasteless in his mouth.

Seraphina, sensing the shift. Quietly set down the knife and picked up the second apple, peeling it with exaggerated focus, giving them space.

"I’m sorry," Kyle said quietly.

Aurelia’s shoulders tensed for a second before she finally turned back to him.

"Don’t be stupid. You didn’t do anything wrong." Her voice was sharp, but the edge was gone.

Seraphina cleared her throat and held out another slice of apple. This time to Aurelia. "You look like you haven’t slept in days. Eat something."

Aurelia stared at the offered fruit like it was a foreign object before reluctantly taking it. "...Thanks."

For a while, the only sound in the room was the quiet crunch of apples and the steady beep of the heart monitor.

Then, softly, Kyle spoke again.

"...I really am okay, you know."

Aurelia didn’t answer right away. But after a moment. She reached out and ruffled his hair.

Her touch lingering just a second longer than usual.

"I know," she said.

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