CHAPTER 309: A HOPE TO HOLD ON

Evaline:

I held my breath as Kieran moved closer to Naira’s bed. His tall frame cast a shadow across her fragile body, the dim hospital lights outlining the sharpness of his features.

I stood right beside him, every nerve in my body wound so tightly that I thought I might snap. My gaze never left his face, as I searched for even the smallest flicker of change in his expression.

But his face was carved from stone, completely unreadable.

On my other side, Rowan shifted uncertainly. I didn’t need to look at him to know he was confused, maybe even anxious, but he stayed silent. Just like I had asked him to. His silence pressed heavier on me with every second, his unspoken trust both a comfort and a burden.

Kieran lingered, his eyes fixed on Naira. The room was quiet except for the steady beep of the monitors, each sound echoing in my chest. Then, finally, he turned to me.

"Who is she?" His voice was calm, but there was an undercurrent of weight in it.

I swallowed, my throat dry. "She’s... Rowan’s family," I explained quickly. "Last March, he found her in the woods after she failed to return home. She wasn’t injured - no wounds, no sign of poison, or curse, or anything at all. But she never woke up." My voice faltered slightly, but I forced myself to continue. "The doctors couldn’t explain it. The authorities couldn’t either. She’s been like this ever since."

Kieran’s gaze stayed steady on me, unblinking, while his mind seemed to work behind those deep green eyes. He looked back at Naira once more, his expression tightening ever so slightly before he spoke again.

"Evaline... you called me here because you think she might be-"

"No." I cut him off sharply, almost too quickly. My chest tightened as panic rushed through me. "Maybe..."

His eyes narrowed slightly in concern, but I pressed on. "I recalled that guy from back that night." My words tumbled out, heavy and shaky. "The way she looks... it’s exactly the same as him." I stopped short of saying more. My fists clenched at my sides. "I want it to be wrong. Stars, I want it to be wrong." My eyes lifted to his, desperate, pleading. "Tell me I’m wrong."

"Eva?" Rowan’s voice broke through, uncertain, thick with questions he didn’t dare put into words.

I reached out instinctively and gave his arm a gentle squeeze, silently asking him to wait just a little longer. My heart hammered in my ears as Kieran finally stepped forward, lowering himself beside the bed.

With a steady hand, he reached out and placed his palm against Naira’s forehead. His eyes slid shut, and the room felt like it held its breath with me.

Seconds stretched into an eternity.

When his eyes opened again, he turned to me. And in that moment, I didn’t need words.

The apology in his gaze told me everything.

My stomach dropped. My knees wobbled, strength draining from my legs as if I had been struck. I swayed, and immediately Kieran’s arm was there, steadying me. On the other side, Rowan caught me too, his grip firm, his voice rising with concern.

"What’s going on? Eva-what is it?" His panic grew with every word, his eyes darting between the two of us.

Kieran looked at him then, his tone low but unyielding. "Evaline called me here because she had doubts about Miss Naira. And... it’s true." He paused, his voice gentler when he spoke the next words. "She’s Soul Dead."

Rowan froze. Confusion flickered across his face as he repeated the term slowly, almost disbelieving. "Soul... Dead?"

Before Kieran could speak further, I stepped forward. My voice came out steadier than I felt inside. "Rowan... since last year, there have been a few cases like Naira’s. But they have been kept confidential by the Council for various reasons."

His eyes widened, but he didn’t interrupt, so I continued. "There have been people... just like her... unconscious, no wounds, no poison, no curse. Nothing anyone could explain. Their bodies alive, but..." I swallowed hard, forcing myself to say it. "But their souls gone. That’s what Soul Death is. Something, or someone, took their souls."

Rowan’s lips parted, his breath catching. Shock washed over his features, but even then, his gaze turned back to Naira, as if he hoped she would suddenly stir and prove me wrong. His hands curled into fists, the veins in his arms standing out.

"How-how do we heal her?" His voice was almost a demand, trembling under the weight of his desperation.

My heart clenched.

Kieran inhaled, his lips parting as if to answer, but I couldn’t let him.

"No cure has been found yet," I cut in quickly, words spilling before Kieran could speak the truth. "But Professor Kieran... he and the Council... they are looking into these cases. They are searching."

I turned sharply toward Kieran then, my eyes pleading with him. Please don’t. Please don’t take away the only hope he has left.

He met my gaze, his jaw tightening, and for a moment, I feared he would speak the truth anyway. But then he stopped, silent, his eyes shifting back to Naira.

I exhaled slowly, then forced a small smile for Rowan, though my chest ached. "This is actually a good thing, Rowan. We didn’t know before. But now... now we do. We know what’s wrong with her, and we know where to search for her cure."

Rowan’s eyes suddenly with something fragile yet powerful at my words... hope. He nodded quickly, as if clinging to my words with all the strength he had left.

"Yes. Yes, you are right," he whispered, almost to himself. His hand reached out, gently brushing Naira’s pale fingers as though she might respond. "We know now. We’ll find it. We’ll find a way."

The sight twisted something deep inside me. I wished I could believe my own words the way he did.

But I didn’t.

And the weight of that truth pressed harder on my chest as Rowan held on to the hope I had just given him.