Kyra flew toward the 2nd Rock, her heart heavy with worry. At a secluded corner, she entered a guesthouse—she had chosen this place deliberately because there were fewer people here than on the other rocks. Since there wasn't much to do in this rock district, she could relax here a little with her son.
As she thought about her boy, a sweet smile touched her lips, but it vanished the moment she heard a crying. Her steps moved faster than ever as she burst into her room and saw a baby in pain, crying his heart out while the maid tried desperately to calm him down.
A young one-year-old boy struggled in his bed with all his might, trying to get rid of the pain but couldn't. Sweat dripped from his entire body, and black and purple body markings flickered on and off across his skin. A machine surrounded his bed, working nonstop, but for now it seemed far from effective.
"Miss Kyra, you came! Please do something—he's not calming down!" the maid said in panic as she gave space to his mother.
"It's okay, you can go. Thank you for your hard work all this time. I'm truly grateful you came here all the way from the Land of Dreath with me," Kyra said softly, her voice strained. "Pack my things and his, then you can go back to your family. And don't worry—I'll pay you extra for doing all this for me."
Kyra picked up her little struggling boy and hugged him gently, then started humming.
Hush, hush, my baby, it's okay... mhhh hmmmmm...
As she sang, she slowly drifted back to that dreadful day.
.
"Commander, good work today! I heard your son is turning one year old tomorrow—congratulations, Commander Kyra! And don't forget to invite us to the birthday party!"
A beautiful, smiling Kyra Mills was talking with her colleagues as she laughed and said, "Hey, why would I want you sweaty, filthy people out there with my son? I'm going to enjoy all the things with him alone!"
Kyra Mills, with a big smiling face, waved them goodbye and went down the streets. She tilted her head upward and saw lots of grey smoke everywhere. Even though it was daytime, they could rarely see any bright sky.
I hope one day I could go to a bright, cheerful place instead of this foggy place, Kyra smiled as she walked happily, even in this sad, cold environment.
She walked through the fog, her boots soft against the damp stones. The city glowed faintly—lamps blurred, windows warm, the air full of hush. She smiled to herself, clutching a small box in her coat pocket. Tomorrow is his birthday. Her little boy's.
Hush, my bright one, don't you hide,
The dawn will lift this silver tide.
The clouds may blur, but stars still gleam,
You'll wake to chase your shining dream.
She passed the bakery where he loved the chocolate rolls, the window already fogged with sweet steam. She could almost hear his laughter there, see his small hands pressed against the glass. Her heart lifted—gentle, bright.
Hush, my bright one, skies may grey,
But you will find your golden day.
If roads turn long, if winds still sigh,
Just know your wings were made to fly.
At the bridge, she paused. The river below was hidden under mist, but she could feel it moving—alive, steady, like hope. She whispered his name into the fog, a wish carried by the wind.
Hush, my bright one, don't you hide,
The dawn will lift this silver tide.
I'll walk beside you, come what may,
My love your home—your endless day.
As soon as she finished her song, she took out the box and felt it with her hands, wanting to go toward her home but as soon as she turned she saw her maid running while carrying her boy.
Hmm, why are they coming here?
Then she saw the panic expression on the maid's face as she came closer.
"Madam! Madam, your son—your son, he suddenly got very sick! I... I don't know what to do! I took him to the doctor, but he said this is an overdose of EIRNET energy, so I went to the energy absorber in the city, but he said he can't help it. I... I don't know what to do, Madam!"
Kyra stood still in shock, couldn't really fathom what was going on. Her eyes checked the boy in the maid's hands, trying to see whether it was truly her son.
Suddenly, the box left her hand as she, with tears immediately forming in her eyes, grabbed her son and knelt while checking on him. He lay like dead weight in her arms, breathing harshly with lots of sweat.
"Huh... huh... what happened to my son? Tell me what happened to my soooonnnn! Pleeeaaase! Whyyy is he not smiling? My baby, please open your eyes! Ohhh, what should I do? What should I do? My Baby, My Babyyy, please look at your Mom, see I am here, look up smile to me my baby, please child just once ,just once open your eyeesss!!!!"
Kyra knelt as she became soaked in her son's sweat.
"Madam, please calm down! You have to show him to someone capable—we don't have much time! Your son is getting worse!" the maid shouted to wake Kyra up.
"Ahhh, yes, yes! Doctor! I have to see a doctor!"
She picked him up in her embrace and ran with her full power. Her breathing was ragged, her eyes wet with tears, barely able to see the road ahead. She tightly hugged her son and hummed.
Hush, my darling, don't you fade,
Ackk!Sob!
The night is long, and I'm afraid.
Huff, huff, hufff!
Your breath is thin, the hours lie—
Agh! Uff!
Don't leave me where the childless cry.
She sang a song as she wept and ran crazily, her son clenching his jaw, not able to even cry.
"My baby, please hold on! Mother will treat you, I promise!"
Kyra ran back to her army district. Ignoring everyone, she ran to the doctor present for the forces.
BOOOMMMMMM!
"DOOCCTTOORRR! PLEEEAAASEEE LOOOOKK ATTT MYYY SOOONNN!"
Kyra came in a hurry and let him lie down gently on the bed as the forces doctor came and started checking him out.
"PLEEEAAASEEE! PLLLEEAASSEEE! PLLLLEEAASSEEE! I BEGG YOOUUU, PLEEEAASSEEE cure my baby!"
Kyra closed her eyes as she prayed with her heavy breathing, tightly clenching her hands.
After a while, the doctor came to her, who was still closing her eyes, and said, "Sorry, Commander Kyra, we can't fix your boy. It looks like EIRNET energy overdose but still a little bit different, and also it's rare to have this in a kid. Secondly, we can't really absorb the overdose energy, even with the best machines we have. We are at a loss. If we had more time, then maybe we could find something, but I don't think your son could handle more days."
The doctor said with a rough, sad voice.
Hearing this—THUMMPP!—she fell down on her knees.
"WHY? WHYYY? WHHYYYYY? Why is this happening to my son? I can't... I... I..."
Kyra couldn't breathe properly as she gasped for air, her tears falling heavily.
Seeing this, the doctor said, "Maybe the people in those places may have some weird thing that could help him, but I don't—"
Before the doctor could finish, Kyra got up and dashed toward her son, lifted him gently, and saw his feet and palms getting black. With tears on her face, she ran again, her messy hair fluttering in sadness as she ran and ran, while still humming, trying to calm her son.
Hush, my baby, stars don't cry,
But I do when they pass by.
If love could trade, I'd bleed it dry—
Just don't let me be childless, why?
As she sang, she reached the dark part of the city with weird people checking her out, but she paid no mind to them. After asking some people, she reached where she wanted to be. She entered like a storm into a place where a bunch of poor people and people with weird clothing were getting treated by some rowdy-looking men and women.
"PLEEEAAASEEE! ANYYOOONNEEE! PLLLEEAASSEEE CUUURREEE MYYY SOOONNN!"
She shouted with full force.
Silence for a second, then she heard laughter. "Hahahahha, there's a desperate bitch out here! Oohhh, look at that—we have a decent forces woman! What, army girl, can't your doctor cure your LITTLLEEE BOOOYYY? Kekekekke!"
A man came, laughing at her desperation, but Kyra couldn't hear these things. She said again, "Please help my son, pleeeaaase."
"Sure, sure, that's why we're here. But looking at your son's condition, and your forces doctor failed, I think we need more than just some pennies."
As the man held her crying face, he squeezed it. "Hmm, nice lips you have!"
The man's eyes glowed with depravity.
"PLLEEAAASSEEE HOOOLLPP MUUU SIIOONN!"
With barely able to speak, she said it again.
"Hmmm, I need five years' worth of your salary, and I WANT YOU NAKED IN MY BED WHEN YOUR LITTLE BOY GETS CURED! KEKEKE! HOW'S that sound?"
The man held her neck now and whispered in her ear.
Kyra nodded immediately. "Okay, okay, take everything I have. I will also sleep with you—just please cure my son."
Kyra, with tears in her eyes, said again.
"Good woman. CURE HER SON!"
They took him away. While they were trying lots of different approaches, Kyra slumped down, tired from all the pressure and running. She waited, just waited to hear some good news, not worrying about afterwards.
"Hey, hey, do it properly! Why is he not getting better?" one man said.
"I am doing everything, but this little brat's not showing anything positive!" another woman replied.
Hearing lots of negative comments, Kyra's mind blacked out. She just stood up with no energy, slowly went to the bed, grabbed her son, and started moving outside.
"Hey, bitch, where are you going? We have used—"
"Leave her be."
A better-looking man came from behind and tapped his shoulder.
"Boss!"
Everyone stood straight and looked at him.
"It's okay, leave her be. She is not our meal," he said while looking outside, thinking, Aren't we bad guys? Then why are you looking worse than us?
He looked toward a towering black structure surrounded by lots of smog.
Kyra walked slowly on the streets, now all dark. Nothing could be seen on the street properly. Her eyes were in full daze, no power in them, holding her son tightly. With her footwear broken and thrown somewhere, with her hair full of mess, her face lost all color. Now even the tears were dried from her eyes. She just walked mindlessly, going to other places, trying to find hope while humming.
The walls still hum your little tune,
Your toys still dream beneath the moon.
I pray to gods I once denied—
Don't make me live where mothers die.
"Sorry, we can't help you," said another doctor.
Hush, my baby, stars don't cry,
But I do when they pass by.
If angels come, I'll tell them lie—
You're sleeping still, not said goodbye.
"Commander Kyra, I'm afraid we can't help you!"
Kyra walked somewhere slowly, her feet now covered in blood. Her son's whole arm was black, and his leg too. He had lost more energy, and now just whimpering could be heard. Kyra kept looking at her son as she kept walking straight.
Hush, my baby... hush, don't cry...
A mother breaks, but won't comply.
The stars look down—they don't reply...
And I am left... the childless sky.
"Wait, stop right there! You're not allowed to go further—this is the CROWN Area. Common people are not allowed."
Kyra lifted her head and, with a dead face and voice, said, "I am Commander Kyra Mills, looking for a Crown doctor for my son. Please let me go."
"Hmm, even though you're from the forces, we can't let you go. Come with your higher official, then we can talk!"
The guard rejected her straight.
"PLEEEAAASSEEE LET ME GOOO! MY SON IS DYING! I... I... I WANT TO SAVE HIM!"
Kyra begged while crying. As they were going back and forth, a voice sounded—a childish, taunting voice.
"Hey, hey, don't be rude to people! Commander Kyra, it's nice to meet you. My name is Kane Cox, and this gentleman beside me is Babkin Iosif. Why not we help you?"
"Greetings, CROWNS!"
The guards saluted.
"Let her be. She is serving us, so it's her right to get the best possible treatment for her son. Come, Commander Kyra, let's see a doctor."
Kane gentlemanly brought Kyra inside, who just nodded in thanks as she kept humming and went to see the doctor.
They came inside, and Kyra just knelt and put her head down on the bed, hoping to find some light. Kane saw her and just smiled.
After a while, she heard the doctor say, "This is tricky, to be honest. It's hard to cure it."
As the doctor finished, Kyra's mind screamed, NOOOOOOOOO! PLEEEAASSEEE, just one time, just one, justttttt... pleaasseee!
As she was about to faint, she heard him continue, "We could stabilize him for now, but if we have to save him, then we have to bring him to the Empire of Echor for more specialized treatment."
As the doctor said this, Kyra got a surge of energy as she said in a loud voice, "Please, please stabilize him for now! I will take him there! Please, I beg of you, doctor!"
Kyra desperately looked at the doctor.
"We could stabilize him with that machine."
The doctor pointed sideways to a cuboid-shaped box with a smaller version of a Heart Machine with a tube going inside the box, making a WHIR WHIR sound as it glowed.
Kyra, seeing this, moved toward it.
"THIS! THIS! Is this... can this help my son? THANK YOU! THANK YOU!"
As Kyra was about to touch that machine—PATTT!—her hand was slapped lightly. Kane came forward with a gentleman's face and stopped her, saying, "Hey, hey, that machine is really hard to get by, you know? Its single day of working could take one year of your salary. It's hard to use and very rare. We can't just use it on you. I empathize with you, but some things are not in my hands, you know. And also, going to the Empire of Echor will not just help you out of nowhere. Coming inside here was already a challenge, right? Do you think you could get help from the top doctors in the world's strongest Empire?"
Kane said while making a sad face.
Hearing this, she saw her son getting blacker, and seeing the machine that could help him, she knelt and bowed, touching her head to the ground, and said loudly, "PPPLLEEASSEEEE, Mr. Kane, help my son! I WOULD DO ANYTHING YOU LIKE! PLEASE HELP MY LITTLE BABY! PLEEEAASSEEE CUUURREEE HIMMM! MY LIFE IS YOURS TO TAKE! I WILL BE ETERNALLY YOURS TO KEEP! PLEASE HELP MY BAABBYY!"
Kyra shouted clearly—not crying, just desperate begging.
Seeing this, Kane first smiled, then, making a sad face, said, "Hm, what should I do? You are one of the talented individuals in our forces. We can't leave you like this. This machine was brought here by this representative of the Empire of Echor. Why not help him doing his task in the City of Eirs? Then he could help your son get some treatment in the Empire. Until then, he may allow you to use the machine. So, what do you think?"
Kane slowly said, making sure she heard it clearly.
Hearing this, Kyra lifted her face up and saw Babkin Iosif, who was seeing her with calm eyes. She came forward while kneeling and begged again.
"PLEASE, MR. REPRESENTATIVE, PLEEAASSEEE HELP ME!"
After a while, Babkin simply said, "Okay."
And just turned and walked away.
"THANK YOOOU! THANK YOU! MY LIFE IS YOURS TO KEEP! THAAANK YOU!"
Kyra thanked him a lot as the doctor made the kid sleep inside the cuboid container, which was surprisingly big enough for him to sleep inside comfortably while the machine stabilizes him.
Slowly, the night passed. Kyra didn't know when she closed her eyes, but she suddenly woke up.
"MYY BAAABBYYY!"
She looked toward the machine where her son was now sleeping comfortably—not really in pain, but not 100 percent okay either, still whimpering occasionally, making her heartstrings pull.
She sat there a lot, then went outside.
"Hey, I hope your son is okay. Why not let you meet the others with whom you'll be working?"
He pointed toward a group of people.
.
Hush, my bright one, don't you hide,
The dawn will lift this silver tide.
I'll walk beside you, come what may,
My love your home—your endless day.
Kyra woke up from her little dream as she looked toward her son, who was clearly more relaxed. She gently placed him back again and touched his forehead and kissed him there. She closed the glass lid with many holes in it and she carried it with a machine on one end that stood like an antenna, protecting the little one from all the harmful things.
"Madam, all your things are ready and placed inside the carriage!"
The maid bowed.
"Hmm, thank you! I will take my leave then."
"Madam, everything will be alright. I hope to see your son smile again."
The maid smiled warmly while Kyra nodded. She sat inside the carriage and rode the winds, going toward the palace. She looked at the tall tower with mixed feelings, trying to calm her mind, and saw her sleeping boy. She said, "I will take you there and cure you, my son."
She calmed herself down as both she and her son slowly reached the Palace.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
END OF CHAPTER
AUTHOR NOTE:
That dreadful day is still so heavy in her mind. The raw, terrifying feeling is almost too much to carry. She learned then that even the strongest mother's love can hit a limit when facing the world. The hope Kane and Babkin offered wasn't a true gift. It felt like a heavy, golden cage. She paid for it with the most vulnerable part of herself.