Chapter 191: To Hold an Anchor Still
A few hours passed before Soren, sensing Ethea’s consciousness returning, stopped his cultivation and opened his eyes. The hospital room was pitch black, saved only by the weak moonlight cutting through the window.
He sat up, keeping his movements silent, and looked over at her bed.
"..."
He watched as Ethea’s eyelids trembled slightly before parting. Her mesmerizing ice-blue eyes came into view, staring at the ceiling for a few seconds before she stilled and quickly turned toward him.
Their gazes met.
Soren smiled gently, keeping his posture relaxed. "You are awake."
"...Mm." Ethea’s lips curved upward into a faint smile. "You too."
Soren nodded before standing up from his bed. He stepped onto the floor, carefully monitoring his own pacing so he didn’t appear overly eager or tense. "Are you feeling better now?"
"...Yes," she whispered, the single syllable carrying a bit more clarity than before.
A flash of genuine relief crossed Soren’s face. He turned toward the wall, reaching out to flip the switch and light up the room. The sudden light made them both blink, breaking the gloomy atmosphere of the darkness.
"...W-what about you?" Ethea asked, her eyes tracking him as he walked back toward her bedside. "Are you... alright?"
"Me? I’m good," Soren said, offering a small laugh. "In fact, I’ve never felt better."
To prove his point, he extended his arms and stretched a few times, letting his joints pop naturally. He wanted her to see that all the injuries and exhaustion from that day were completely gone.
Ethea’s smile widened slightly at his exaggerated movements, though her amusement quickly turned to curiosity. "What are you doing? Isn’t it still the middle of the night?"
Soren chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Of course, but I want to eat."
"Eat?" Ethea repeated, her brows knitting together in confusion before she quickly realized that he was not talking about his own hunger, but rather framing it that way to gently press her to eat.
"T-There’s no need," she started to say, but the words caught in her throat as her stomach betrayed her. After going so long without food, the sheer physical reality of her hunger was impossible to ignore. In fact, the mere mention of a meal suddenly made her crave his cooking, a luxury she knew she couldn’t expect in a place like this, leaving her to hope he might simply have a few sweets on hand.
Yet, to her shock, Soren leaned down toward the bedside cabinet and produced a neatly packed container of food, a bunch of pastries, and a couple of drinks. She stared at him, her mind struggling to process how he had managed to arrange all this in a hospital ward in the dead of night.
Noticing her gaze, Soren chuckled. "The nurses brought an evening meal while you were out, but I ended up clearing it all myself because my stomach was completely bottomless at the time. It felt a bit lacking, though, so I got permission to use the kitchen and whipped up these."
Ethea found herself nodding at his explanation, the absurdity of the situation easily overridden by the familiar aroma drifting through the room.
"Besides," Soren continued, setting the container down for a moment, "I think I made a bit too much, so let’s eat together."
Before she could say anything, he walked over to the small microwave in the corner of the room to heat the food. While the machine hummed to life, Soren moved back to her bedside. He gently helped her brace herself and sit up against the pillows, then brought over a basin of water and a clean towel he had already prepared. He dipped the cloth, wrung it out, and started washing her face and hands.
A familiar warmth swelled in Ethea’s chest at the gesture.
He moved with an effortless care that always seemed to shield her from the rest of the world. Watching him prioritize her comfort so naturally brought a profound sense of security, a feeling of safety that only existed when he was near.
While he focused entirely on the task, carefully wiping her fingers, she found herself just staring at his face, the rest of the world fading away until she was completely lost in the moment.
Soren paused, noticing her intense gaze, and looked up. "Is something the matter?"
Ethea opened her mouth to speak, but her eyes caught the faint blush tinting the tips of his ears. A smile touched her lips as she barely stopped herself from teasing him, choosing instead to just shake her head.
"Ahem, that’s good." Soren cleared his throat and looked away, pretending to be very focused on folding the towel. "But tell me if anything feels uncomfortable."
Right on cue, the microwave beeped across the room, seamlessly breaking the silence.
"Wait a moment," Soren went to retrieve the steaming meal. He brought it over, pulled up a chair, and began to feed her as he always did.
To keep her mind at ease, he spoke casually about how he had passed the day, describing the mundane details of the hospital staff, Ryan and Seria’s quick visit, and his own visit to Uncle Ben’s ward.
However, he intentionally left out any mention of the Icebreaker Emperor or his father-in-law’s unexpected visit, fearing it would ruin the atmosphere.
Their talk gradually tapered off as they finished the last bites of the meal.
Soren set the empty container aside, gathered the pastry wrappers, and stood to tidy the bedside table. He walked over to the trash bin, disposed of the remnants of their late-night meal, and washed his hands at the small sink.
Once everything was clean, he returned to her side, pulling his chair closer to the edge of her bed. "Need anything else?"
Ethea shook her head softly before locking her eyes with him, silently conveying an emotion she had been holding back since she woke up.
"Soren," she said, her voice soft. "...Thank you."
"..."
"Thank you for saving my life," she continued, her voice catching slightly. "And... I want you to know that... waking up to see you again, and... still looking out for me even after everything you went through... it means more to me than I can ever put into words."
Soren fell silent, a wave of conflicting emotions washing over him as he listened. Her gratitude hit him heavily, bringing a deep sense of relief mixed with a lingering ache from how close they had both come to disaster. He also wanted to tell her she didn’t need to thank him, but the sheer gravity in her voice kept him quiet.
"B-But..."
That lingering reflection was cut short as his expression shifted, his attention snapping to a sudden change in her. Her breathing grew shallow, and her features tightened as a shadow of fear crossed her face. She couldn’t move her arms to reach out, but her fingers twitched weakly against the sheets, desperately trying to bridge the small distance between them.
Soren didn’t let her struggle. He immediately closed the gap, covering her trembling hand with his own and threading their fingers together.
The solid warmth of his touch seemed to ground her instantly. A small, shaky breath escaped her lips as she squeezed his hand with what little strength she could muster, holding onto him like an anchor.
"But... please promise me," she continued, her voice thick with overwhelming emotions. "Don’t throw yourself into danger... or destroy yourself to protect me."
Tears shimmered at the edges of her eyes, her voice trembling as she delivered the final words.
"If... If keeping me safe means losing you... then... it isn’t worth it."
"..."
Soren went entirely still.
The raw desperation in her voice, paired with the fragile strength of her fingers squeezing his, hit him harder than any agony from the previous day.
Looking down at their intertwined fingers, he felt her words echo in his mind, forcing him to realize the terror she must have endured while he lay unconscious: left entirely alone with the fear that he might never wake up.
Confronted with that depth of fear, he found himself completely at a loss for words. He wanted to give her the quick reassurance she needed, to offer a simple promise just to soothe the pain in her eyes, but looking at her, he knew she would see right through it.
Letting go of his hesitation and driven by the need to comfort her rather than find the perfect words, Soren slowly leaned closer.
He reached up, his fingers gently brushing away the stray tear tracing down her temple, before bringing that hand back down to cradle hers. He trapped her small hand completely within his warmth.
"Ethea, look at me," he murmured, his voice dropping to a soft register. He waited until she met his gaze, ensuring she could see the absolute sincerity in his eyes. "I’m not going anywhere. I promise you, I have no intention of leaving you behind."
"Because..."
