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The man turned his gaze toward the girl, whose soft whimpers seemed like the prelude to someone trapped in the depths of a nightmare.

Her body, which had once lain still, now stirred slightly, her lips trembling in an almost inaudible whisper, broken words that made no sense but oozed distress.

He knew what was coming. There was no time.

“Damn it…” he thought as he turned toward the open window, where the rain continued to beat down, tracing cold lines across his face.

The humid air filled his lungs, but instead of calming him, it only urged him further. He had to act quickly. Closing his eyes and focusing was all he could do at that moment.

With a barely perceptible whisper, he began to murmur.

The words were ancient, from a language forgotten by men, loaded with an energy that seemed to vibrate in the very air. They were powerful words, older than the forests, more ancient than the mountains that surrounded this cursed place.

He extended his hand toward the sky as if he could touch the clouds hanging heavily over the cabin. His fingers moved with precision, as if parting the curtains of a stage where only he knew what would happen.

And then, the clouds began to open slowly, revealing a clear sky beyond the storm. The rain ceased almost immediately, as if obeying his will.

However, he knew that wouldn’t be enough. “It’s not enough…” he thought, clenching his jaw.

There was still something more he had to do.

With another gesture, this time wider and more deliberate, he summoned the sun’s rays toward the cabin.

The light filtered through the window, bathing the small room in a warm, golden glow, illuminating the man’s face, whose eyes, narrowed in concentration, gleamed with fierce determination.

The light caressed the girl, making her pale skin take on a slight golden hue. Her movements on the bed grew more frantic, as if the light itself was calling her back to consciousness.

But he couldn’t stop now. Something was still missing, something else he needed.

He raised both hands, and with a delicate motion, he summoned a steady breeze that filtered through the open window.

The fresh air entered the room, making his silver hair and worn coat flutter softly.

The girl stirred more intensely, her eyelids trembling as if she were struggling to open them. The sound of her breathing grew louder, irregular, as if her body was waking up by force.

—Come on… —the man gritted his teeth, feeling the urgency take over him—. She’s going to wake up any moment.

With a final snap of his fingers, all the moisture on his face and clothes vanished instantly.

The storm that had drenched him now seemed a distant memory. The atmosphere in the cabin changed completely, and the air was no longer heavy with the weight of rain.

He looked at the girl again, knowing that at any moment, she would open her eyes.

Her small hands trembled, her slightly parted lips emitted a soft gasp, and her eyelids, still closed, moved rapidly.

“It’s time,” he thought, his eyes fixed on the girl’s face, waiting...

The girl gave a final spasm, and suddenly, her eyes opened.

A ray of sunlight pierced through the window at the exact moment the girl opened her eyes. Her gaze, still unfocused from exhaustion and pain, landed on a figure standing, illuminated by the golden light filtering in.

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The breeze, now flowing through the open window, gently moved the man’s silver hair with an almost supernatural grace. Around him, the air seemed purer, as if the impurities of the world refused to touch him.

He gazed toward the horizon with a solemn calm, his posture rigid and elevated, like a being beyond the earthly.

The girl, confused, parted her lips slightly.

—A... celestial being? —she murmured in a raspy, weak voice, her eyes squinting in an attempt to better focus the vision before her.

The man, who had been trying to maintain a calculated and almost heroic pose, heard the girl’s words. He remained completely still, waiting, almost hoping she would say something more.

“A celestial? Well, that’s not exactly what I was expecting, but I can work with that,” he thought, holding back a smile.

—So... I’ve died… —the girl’s voice was barely a whisper—. Of course, that makes sense! —she continued, apparently convinced of the idea—. I see the light... peace... I’m... I’m in the celestial realm.

The man narrowed his eyes, keeping his rigid and solemn posture, but inside, he began to curse.

“Celestial realm? No, no, no! She should be hallucinating about my impressive stature! My elegance, my dominant presence! Does she think I’m an Aurean? Bah! Those celestial beings are... too simple, too presumptuous.”

—Why aren’t you speaking? —the girl continued—. Oh, I get it! You’re one of those serious celestial beings who only speak in important situations, like in the old stories. Right… —A sigh escaped her lips—. I guess it’s my time to accept it.

The man gritted his teeth, still maintaining his posture, while his mind raged in a storm of complaints.

“Serious? I’m not serious! I’m mysterious, profound! Serious?! Damn brat. Heavens, ask anyone, I’m charismatic, brilliant! You should be begging to know more about me, not confusing me with one of those arrogant winged beings.”

The girl began nodding slowly, as if processing her situation with alarming speed.

—Well, at least it doesn’t hurt as much as I thought. So... I’m already... dead. —She swallowed. —Goodbye, cruel world! —She briefly closed her eyes, then reopened them.— Wait, no! I don’t want to go! —A few seconds of panic crossed her face before she took a deep breath. —No, no, it’s fine! Everything’s fine. This is how it’s supposed to be. I accept my fate. I am... I am... free!

The man finally let out a snort of frustration, crossing his arms as his eyes rolled toward the ceiling. “For the love of... really? This is what I get for saving you? Rapid acceptance of death?!”

The girl raised a trembling hand, as if trying to touch his divine face.

—Thank you, celestial being… —she whispered with devotion—. Thank you for coming to fetch me.

The man finally lost his composure. His pose crumbled as he let his arms drop to his sides and turned around, a mixture of irritation and resignation on his face.

He paused for a few seconds, taking a deep breath to calm the frustration that pulsed beneath his skin. “Stay calm... Keep your composure. You can’t lose it now.”

With a soft sigh, he resumed his solemn pose. This time, a gentle, almost paternal smile appeared on his face. Every step he took toward the bed was deliberate, calculated. His feet seemed to float above the ground, as if each step blessed the place with his presence.

The girl watched him with wide eyes, fascinated by the way the man seemed to move effortlessly, as if the air itself was propelling him.

The confusion on her face soon gave way to awe when, with a casual gesture of his hand, a chair that had been in the corner of the room slid toward him, positioning itself just behind his leg. He sat with inhuman grace, as if the chair had been waiting for that moment for centuries.

—Listen, little one, —the man said in a warm, soothing voice, like a whisper in the night—. I’m not a celestial being… —His words seemed to resonate with serenity as his eyes glowed with that mysterious intensity he sought to captivate her with.

But before he could continue, the girl frowned and looked him up and down with a brutally honest assessment she couldn’t help but voice.

—Oh... well, that makes more sense, —she murmured in a still-weak voice—. You don’t look like a celestial being... more like... —She paused, staring at him intently—. You look a little... scruffy, don’t you?

The man froze. Literally, his entire body went rigid. Not a single muscle moved as the girl’s words sank into his mind, one by one, like knives plunging deeply.

“Scruffy…?” His right eye twitched slightly, but he quickly regained his composure. “Stay calm. She’s just a child... she doesn’t know what she’s saying.”

As he tried to resume his speech with dignity, the girl, oblivious to the internal conflict she was unleashing in him, looked at him with sudden compassion, her eyes filling with tenderness.

—Are you poor...? —she asked softly, with a mixture of empathy and sadness—. Like me…

The man blinked slowly, trying to process what he had just heard. “Poor? Is she... pitying me? Me…”

The girl, with great effort, lifted a trembling hand and placed it on his leg, giving him small pats of comfort.

—It’s okay... —she said in a gentle voice, looking at him with eyes full of understanding—. Everything’s going to get better. Don’t worry.

The man remained completely still, like a statue. His gaze stayed fixed on the girl, while his brain seemed to have gone completely blank.

For several seconds, time seemed to stop. Neither of them spoke. Not a single word, not a single movement. Only the soft sound of the wind entering through the window broke the silence.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the man slightly shook his head, as if just waking from a trance. Ignoring entirely what had just happened, he resumed his elegant posture and decided to continue exactly where he had left off.

—My name is Ralkar, —he said in a firm, deep voice, with a touch of drama that seemed to defy the absurdity of the situation—. Ralkar Drakhalir.

His gaze remained fixed on the girl, but inside, something in his pride had crumbled a little.