The room froze as the monitor gave it's final cry, it was a flatline, the monitor's beeping filled every corner of the room. Nurses moved in, they became busy at her bedside trying to bring her back. "She's crashing, let's get the procedure started", one of the nurses shouted, snapping on gloves, "I'm on compressions!", another said, climbing onto a stool to begin steady thrust on Juliana's chest. "Charging the defib", "Clear!", the nurse yelled.
Andy cried out, pressing against the window, her fists pounding the glass with mouth open in a soundless scream. Inside, the paddles pressed to Juliana's chest, her body jerked in reaction. "No change", came a tense voice, "flatline holding". "Is that her sister?" another asked, glancing toward the window, "hold her back", another muttered, "she's going to break the glass" Ethan didn't move, trying not to let his emotions out, his hand still wrapped around Juliana's, the warmth fading fast. The red on his ring flared, brighter, deeper, whispering again—the old voice from the circle, calling him to break the chains. "Let her go," the doctor barked, trying to pull him back. But he didn't listen, his head bent lower as he brought his lips close to her ear, "you don't leave me, you hear? You stay", "what would I do without you". The ring's glow spread through his hand, into hers, and as the lights flickered overhead, a pulse surged from their joined hands, sharp and invisible, knocking papers to the floor. Nurses staggered back, eyes wide, "what the hell was that", someone gasped, "something surged… from them". The flatline held for three more seconds—then broke.
Beep, another followed, her chest moving with a steady rise and fall, slow but steady, color flushed faint back into her skin. Her eyes fluttered, lashes trembling before slowly opening, everyone stood still, shocked at the miracle that just happened. "She's back", one whispered, the doctor stood there frozen, his hands hovering in the air, "that's not possible…" A nurse looked from Juliana to Ethan, her voice barely audible, "what is he?". Andy gasped, bursting in, "Julie!" she grabbed her hand, crying hard. Juliana's gaze darted weakly around, dazed but alive. "Andy…? Ethan…?" Ethan's shoulders sank, his grip loosening but not leaving her hand, his voice was low and rough. "You came back," the doctors scrambled, checking vitals, reattaching lines. "She's stabilized, heart rhythm restored, but she needs rest."
Juliana nodded faintly, her lips forming a weak smile. "I feel fine," she whispered, though her voice cracked with fatigue. Andy shook her head, tears falling, "don't say that, you scared me to death." Ethan stood there, silent, watching her chest rise and fall, the monitors now steady, relief came like a wave, heavy enough to bend him, but he masked it, stepping back. He turned to the doctor, "she stays here, whatever she needs, she gets", "I'm only a phone call away", the doctor nodded quickly, no one questioned him.
Ethan looked down at her once more as she tried to meet his eyes, and for a moment the mask slipped—he let her see the storm in him, the fear he would never speak. Then he turned and left the room.
That same night, Reiun City's air shifted, Jason stood beneath a lamppost, watching the lights of the hospital glow against the dark sky. He flicked the edge of his watch, a calm smile on his lips. Around him, whispers traveled in small circles—merchants in taverns, drivers in the square, messengers between firms. 'Ethan Cole's girl collapsed', 'poisoned, some say'. 'It's the Devil's aura, no one close to him stays alive long'.
Jason didn't need to speak the rumors, he only gave them a little push, careful and slow, like stirring embers until they caught flame. He shook hands with old traders, bought drinks for guards, whispered in ears of clerks who lived on gossip, each word traveled faster than the last. At the docks, he stood among sailors, his coat clean in the grime, his voice steady. "Strange, isn't it? Healthy girl, working under him, suddenly crumbles, almost like he drains them, like he doesn't care." The men muttered, eyes narrowing, suspicions forming. Jason didn't press, he never pressed, he only left them with seeds, and by morning the city carried the weight of it. Ethan's shadow stretched longer, darker, as Jason moved quieter, deeper, becoming a presence felt but unseen. He visited the hospital, of course, Juliana's room, soft-lit and guarded. But each time he stepped inside, Ethan was already there—silent by the window, his coat still wet from rain, his eyes fixed on her. He didn't speak much, but his presence filled the space.
Jason smiled politely, spoke kindly to Juliana, his tone low and gentle. "I just came to check, to see how you're holding up." Juliana thanked him, her voice soft, her face pale but warm, "thanks for checking up on me", "anything for you, Jason responded. Ethan standing at the corner of the room didn't look at him once. And so the tension grew, Jason left with calm words, but his fists clenched tight in his pockets, with finger nails biting into his palms.