Aeris Pov

Warm.

For once, I wasn’t waking up in a cold sweat.

For once, I didn’t feel exhausted or drained from another round of nightmares from my past life.

No shadows lurking in my mind.

No screams.

No pain.

Just… peace.

I slowly blinked my eyes open, adjusting to the golden morning light seeping through the windows. The silk sheets beneath my fingers felt softer than ever, and the cold morning breeze barely reached me.

This was… nice.

For the first time since I woke up in this world, I felt rested.

I stretched lazily, a small, content sigh escaping my lips.

Maybe, just maybe, this wasn’t the worst place to live after all.

That was… until I turned my head and saw—

No one.

I blinked. Once. Twice.

Then sat up, looking around my room in confusion.

Where was he?

My eyes darted toward the bedside, expecting to see a certain stupid lizard, but—

Nothing.

No sign of him.

Not even the faintest trace that he had been here.

Not a blanket tossed aside.

Not a single black scale.

Not even his usual infuriating presence.

A frown tugged at my lips as annoyance started bubbling in my chest.

That overgrown reptile just left without waking me up?

Without a single word?

Without so much as a "Good morning, little blossom" to irritate me?

I gritted my teeth.

"That stupid lizard!" I cursed under my breath, grabbing a pillow and violently throwing it at the empty side of the bed as if it was his fault.

I wasn’t expecting him to stick around or anything, but at least a warning?!

At least some dramatic announcement like he always does?!

Typical Zephirion.

Always doing whatever he wanted.

I was going to punch him later.

With a huff, I flopped back onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.

That’s when my mind wandered back to last night.

To the reason I ran into Zephirion’s room in the first place.

To the man.

I stiffened slightly.

The man with the single horn.

I could still see him in my mind.

His eerie smile.

The way he touched my window as if he was touching me.

That… hungry look in his eyes.

Who was he?

And why did I feel like…

Like he wasn’t just a stranger?

A cold shiver ran down my spine.

I clutched the sheets beneath my fingers, my heart pounding against my ribs.

Something about him felt wrong.

And the way Zephirion reacted last night…

The way he looked terrified.

Like he knew exactly who the man was.

Like this wasn’t just some random intruder.

What are you hiding, Zephirion?

And more importantly…

Who was that man? I groaned, rolling out of bed and heading downstairs for breakfast.

As I approached the dining hall, I heard low, serious voices.

Zephirion. Valerion. Caelum.

They were talking about something important.

I stopped at the entrance, trying to listen, but—

The moment I stepped inside, they all went silent.

Valerion, who had been deep in thought, immediately lit up when he saw me.

“Aeris!” he grinned, standing up. “You’re awake!”

Before I could respond, he rushed over and pulled me into a hug.

“I didn’t sleep at all last night! I was too worried!” he whined.

Caelum sighed, crossing his arms. “We told you she was fine.”

But even he… looked a little relieved.

I blinked at him. Was Caelum… actually showing concern?!

Zephirion, on the other hand, was leaning back in his chair, watching me with an unreadable look.

I frowned. “What were you three talking about?”

Silence.

Valerion quickly dropped the hug and turned away, whistling suspiciously.

Caelum looked at Zephirion.

And Zephirion?

He just took a sip of his tea. Calm. Silent. Too casual.

“…Nothing important,” he finally said.

Liar.

I narrowed my eyes.

They were hiding something.

And I was going to find out.

But before I could question them—

CRASH!

A cup suddenly fell from Valerion’s hand, spilling tea all over Caelum’s lap.

A long, terrifying silence filled the room.

I stared at the mess.

Valerion stared at the mess.

Caelum stared at the mess.

And then—

“RUN!” Valerion yelped before dashing out of the room.

“VALERION, YOU IDIOT—!!” Caelum roared, grabbing a napkin and chasing after him.

I stood there, blinking.

Then turned to Zephirion.

He calmly took another sip of his tea.

“…Do they do this often?” I asked.

He smirked. “Every morning.”

I sighed, shaking my head.

Maybe… just maybe…

This place isn’t so bad.

To be continued