CHAPTER 263: CHAPTER-263.

Leaning against the rough stone wall, Kaya tilted her head back, her gaze drifting up toward the narrow strip of sky. Her steps had carried her up the worn stairs without her even noticing, her body moving in a daze while her mind lingered somewhere far away.

She had dreamt again. A strange, aching dream.

In it, she saw herself utterly alone, walking a world without end. The silence was unbearable until—like a whisper—came the truth she had always known: no one can walk alone forever. To survive, you need hands to catch you, voices to remind you that you still belong. People to lean on. People to stay.

But for Kaya, that truth was only salt in a wound. She had always struggled with this—always failed. That was the reason for her dream. A desperate reaching for the sense of continuity, of warmth, that she had lost the moment she was torn from her family.

Now, she lived here, in this strange world, bound by limits she did not yet understand. Her past—her home, her spoiling, her stories—felt like they had been stripped clean away, erased until only emptiness remained.

How was she supposed to move forward like this? Which path was she supposed to take? Was there even one left?

Her chest tightened as another thought slithered in. This poison. The way it seeped into her body, her mind, her days. What was it, really? Where had it come from?

Could she survive it?

And if she could... what would be left of her afterward?

The questions chased each other in circles, louder and louder, until her whisper cracked the silence:

"Have I already survived... or am I still dying?"

The physician’s words kept echoing in Kaya’s mind, circling like a curse she could not silence. Your body is giving up... slowly.

At first, she had refused to believe it. She had told herself it was only the weather, the sudden shift in climate, her body struggling to adjust. But today—today she knew it was more. Her body was faltering, piece by piece.

She had walked only a few kilometers, and already her legs trembled, her breath came shallow, her vision swam. In her own world, she had carried forty, even eighty kilos on her back and marched barefoot for hundreds of miles without breaking. But here? The distance she should have conquered in a single day, two at most—she had barely managed half of it.

A small, sharp fear took root in her chest.

Kaya lifted her trembling hand, staring at it as though it belonged to someone else. Then she caught it tightly with her other hand, pressing both palms against her face, hiding in the warmth of her own skin.

The truth was bitter. She was not afraid of death. But if someone were to ask her—do you want to live, or do you want to die?—who in their right mind would choose death? Even Kaya, who had long walked with shadows, carried a thin thread of hope to live. She had traveled too far, endured too much, to give up now.

And yet here she was. In a world not her own, her veins laced with some strange poison she could neither name nor fight, surrounded by faces she could not sort into friend or enemy. Trapped in confusion.

Her steps dragged her forward toward Veer’s mother’s house, but even that goal felt hollow. What did she expect to find there? A miracle? Answers? Perhaps nothing at all. And if she did find something—what then? What could one weakened body do against so many?

Kaya’s shoulders sagged. The path ahead blurred.

Suddenly, the air rippled with the sound of heavy wings. The loud, rushing flutter broke through Kaya’s tired thoughts. She froze.

Her head tilted upward instinctively—she knew this sound, too well. That rhythm of wings belonged to no ordinary bird. Her heart skipped.

But the sky was empty.

Confused, Kaya turned slowly, scanning the ridges, the rocks, the shifting shadows. Nothing. Not a feather in sight.

A hollow laugh escaped her lips, bitter and mocking herself. "So now I’m going senile... hearing wings that aren’t there. Imagining things, huh?" She shook her head, almost amused at her own mind.

And then—

"Sweetheart, what are you hiding here for?"

The voice cut through her like a blade wrapped in silk, playful yet all too familiar.

Kaya’s breath caught. She snapped her head to the side—and her blood ran cold.

There he was. Veer. Standing right beside her. His body trembling, but his amber eyes fixed on her, burning with something between fury and relief.

Kaya blinked up at him in shock,

"You... what are you—"

Before Kaya could even finish, Veer rushed forward and wrapped her tightly in his arms. The sudden force of his embrace made her stiffen, her eyes widening in shock.

"What...?" she muttered under her breath, her confusion mirrored in her frozen hands that hung awkwardly by her sides.

But Veer didn’t let go. His entire body was trembling against hers. His voice cracked as he whispered, almost in desperation, "Thank God... thank God you’re fine. I was so, so scared..."

Kaya blinked, stunned. For a moment, her heart faltered, caught between disbelief and a strange, unspoken ache.

Finally, he pulled back, his hands gripping her shoulders as he stared straight into her eyes. His expression shifted from relief to anger, the kind of anger born from fear.

"Are you crazy? Where were you going, huh? Couldn’t you just wait at home for me?" His voice rose, trembling with frustration. "At least tell someone! At least write a note, something—anything! Do you know how terrified I was? I felt like my breath had stopped!"

Kaya lowered her gaze, lips parting as if to speak. "I—"

But Veer cut her off again, his tone harsher this time.

"Why aren’t you answering? Say something, Kaya!"

That was the final spark.

Smack!

The sound of her slap echoed sharply in the silence. Veer’s face snapped to the side, his cheek burning red under her strike. He slowly raised his hand to the sting, eyes wide in shock.