Kael buried his face deeper into his crossed arms, turning his head away from the light. "Mmm... just five more minutes, Mom," he mumbled sleepily, his voice thick with exhaustion. "I want to sleep more."
Sara watched him with a soft smile, while Elara gently shook his shoulder, trying to coax him awake. The bedroom door clicked open, and Adrian stepped inside, his deep voice cutting through the quiet room.
"Kael, wake up."
Kael's eyelids fluttered open. Blinking against the dim light, he realized it wasn't his mother shaking him, but his father standing over him. He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, trying to shake off the heavy grogginess. "Yeah…. Good morning," he muttered.
Instinctively, Kael tried to swing his legs out of bed and stand up. But the moment his weight shifted, a sharp, biting pain shot through his leg. He let out a sharp gasp, the agony cutting his breath short, and immediately dropped back onto the mattress.
Adrian stepped forward quickly, placing steadying, firm hands on Kael's shoulders. "Easy there. Kael, it's still evening."
Kael blinked, looking past his father toward the window. The fading twilight painted the sky in deep shades of purple and blue. He nodded numbly. "Okay."
Elara sighed softly, her eyes filled with worry as she looked at Adrian. "It was his first day back at school after the fracture. He's completely exhausted."
Trying to make himself useful and mask the awkwardness, Kael reached out to organize the books scattered at the edge of his bed. But before his fingers could even brush the covers, Sara quietly scooped them up. She walked over to his desk and stacked them neatly. Kael stared at her in disbelief—not because she had taken the books, but because of the heavy, somber mood hanging over her. She looked deeply, profoundly sad.
Later that night, after the dinner dishes had been cleared away, the house grew quiet. Kael and Sara found themselves sitting side by side, the silence between them heavy with unspoken questions.
Leaning in slightly, Kael finally broke the silence, his voice dropping to a muted whisper. "Hey... why did you talk to me like a system back in the beginning?"
Sara kept her eyes fixed on her lap, her fingers twisting nervously. "Because... I hadn't fully evolved inside you yet."
Before Kael could even begin to process the weight of those words, Elara approached them. Her expression was filled with gentle, maternal concern as she knelt slightly to meet Sara's downcast eyes. "Sara... are your parents well?"
Sara's gaze dropped even lower, her shoulders tensing up as if bracing for a blow. "I never knew them."
A wave of profound sympathy washed over Elara's face. She closed the distance between them, placing a warm, comforting hand on Sara's arm. "You can come and live with us. Honestly, we've already been thinking that you should stay here permanently anyway."
From across the room, Adrian nodded firmly in agreement. "Yes. Our home is yours."
Overwhelmed by the sudden influx of unconditional kindness, Sara looked up, her eyes moving from Elara to Adrian, before finally landing on Kael.
Kael offered a warm, encouraging shrug, hunching his shoulders with a small smile as if to say, 'What are you waiting for?'
Feeling the collective warmth and genuine acceptance of the family enveloping her, the tension left Sara's shoulders. A small, relieved smile crossed her face. She looked at them and softly replied, "Alright."
Adrian smiled warmly. "Good. From next year on, you can go with Kael to college."
Kael looked up at his father, surprised. Adrian's smile remained steady as he walked over, carefully lifting Kael up to adjust his position, moving him closer to the desk. Then, Adrian reached out and pulled forward those specific, ancient books—the ones Kael had never been able to read in the past.
The moment Kael's eyes locked onto the strange characters on the pages, a voice echoed sharply inside his mind.
"I knew it. This is devilish style language." The voice belonged to Vajr.
Kael focused on the book, replying in his thoughts, 'Read it then. I have so many questions I want to ask you.'
In his mind, Vajr slowly sounded out the characters: "R-e-b-i-r-t-h."
Then Vajr added, "I translated them for you."
Kael frowned internally. 'I just heard you spell it out. I still don't understand what it means.'
Before he could argue further with the entity inside him, his father leaned closer, holding the book open. "Are you able to read it?"
Kael shook his head, staring blankly at the complex, jagged script. "No…."
Adrian let out a heavy sigh, a shadow crossing his face. "Because this is a story about those who cannot read it. Even your mother's brother, who was hailed as a great hero... even he couldn't read this book."
Adrian's tone suddenly grew intensely serious. He leaned in closer to Kael, his voice dropping to a grave whisper. "Burn this book, Kael... if we are no longer alive."
Kael's heart skipped a beat. He stared at his parents, terror gripping his chest. "Dad, please don't say things like that."
"Kael, you need to understand," Adrian insisted, his eyes locking onto his son's with absolute urgency. "Information is more powerful than the power of infinity itself."
Kael swallowed hard and nodded. "I will do it... but then, you already know about Sara's true nature, don't you?"
Adrian smiled faintly, a gentle but knowing expression. "Yes…."
"Then why would you talk about dying?" Kael's voice cracked. His eyes widened as hot tears finally spilled over his cheeks. "If you know everything, why say that?"
Adrian reached out, gently patting his shoulder. "Kael, don't overthink it."
But Kael couldn't let it go. The air in his mind felt electric; every single soul residing inside him had gone dead silent, waiting in breathless anticipation for the one answer they all desperately needed. Kael looked straight into his father's eyes and asked the ultimate question:
"How can *you* read this language, then?"
Adrian stared back at him, completely deadpan. "Some devils in front of me were learning it once, and I just understood the whole language by watching them."
Kael froze, staring at his father, entirely expecting him to suddenly burst out laughing, jump up, and yell that he was just messing with him.
One second passed. Complete silence.
Two seconds passed. Just the quiet hum of the room.
Three seconds passed. Adrian's face didn't change a bit.
Kael's jaw dropped. "Are you kidding me, Dad?!"
Adrian gave a calm, single nod. "No..."
Kael shook his head, turning on his heel to hobble out of the library, letting out a long, incredulous sigh.
"Dad, seriously? You're telling me you just picked up an ancient, forbidden language by casually watching two literal devils study?"
Adrian followed him out of the room, a low chuckle escaping his chest. He clapped a hand on the boy's shoulder, looking entirely too proud of himself. "What can I say, Kael? Your dad is just too intelligent."
Before Adrian could bask in his own genius any further, Elara marched down the hallway, her hands planted firmly on her hips. Her sharp gaze completely bypassed the heavy, mystical tension of the moment and locked onto Adrian.
"Listen to me, Mr. Genius," she interrupted, her voice dripping with dry exasperation. "If you're so incredibly brilliant, why did you forget to put your shoes in the shoe rack again?"
Adrian's grand smile instantly vanished. He blinked, completely defeated by the domestic reality check.
Watching his father get immediately humbled, Kael squeezed his eyes shut, a mix of amusement and exhaustion washing over him. Adrian cleared his throat, trying to recover a shred of his dignity, and quickly handed Kael his crutches.
"Go on," Adrian muttered, nudging him toward the living room. "Go and sit with Sara."
Nodding, Kael balanced himself on the crutches and made his way over to the couch, carefully easing himself down next to her. The heavy, somber mood from earlier still lingered around her like a shadow.
Sara turned her head to look at him, her dark eyes searching his face. The playful banter of his parents seemed to fade into the background as she leaned in, her voice dropping to a serious, quiet tone.
"Kael..." she murmured, staring intently at him. "Were you talking about the forgotten soul?"