"Urgh…"
Alaric let out a low groan, his muscles aching as he tried to sit up.
Sari immediately reached out and helped him, her hands warm against his slick skin.
"Easy," she said, guiding him up until his back leaned against the bedpost.
Once he caught his breath, she asked, "Do you… feel anything? Any changes?"
Alaric shut his eyes.
At first, there was silence, only the quiet rhythm of his breathing.
Then he murmured, "Yeah… I can feel something."
His brows furrowed slightly.
"It's like, there's something inside me now. Like a current flowing. Like fire in my veins, but not burning me. But just, there."
Sari's lips parted slightly as she watched him. Then, without a word, she stood.
"Come," she said.
"Huh?"
"Sit on the floor."
Alaric blinked. "The floor?"
She nodded.
He gave her a suspicious look but didn't argue.
With a grunt, he pushed himself off the bed, wincing slightly, and crossed his legs as he sat down on the wooden floor.
