Kang Johoon finally opened the jam jar with all his might. His little sister beside him jumped in joy, now shaking his whole body. The dimly lit kitchen only consisted of these two siblings.
"Yes! Yes! Wait, I will bring the spoon." She shouted.
"Don't shout, you will wake them up" Johoon turned to the girl, putting his index finger on his lips.
The girl reached the counter and swiftly grabbed the spoon, then she turned back to see… nothing.
Johoon wasn't there.
"Brother?" she said, looking around in the darkness. She couldn't see him.
"Hey! Don't run away with the jam!! I want some too!!"
She moved forward, trying to check if he was hiding behind the table, just then her foot hit something.
It was the jar, still open, the thick jam spilling out on the ground.
"…Brother?"
--
The door opened with a loud clatter, Aldryn rushed inside. So did Varn.
"Hey! Wai- wait!!" He grabbed Aldryn's wrist, but was flung inside with him. As he lost his balance, Varn fell right before Aldryn.
"Move." Aldryn's voice thundered down, Varn's voice hitched but he did not lose his conviction.
He got up, threw his arms outward and blocked Aldryn's way. There was no reason for him to go that far. He knew Aldryn was far stronger than him, and if Kairon wasn't done with that stupid ritual he was talking about, he was also done for. Yet Varn kept it up.
Aldryn was already fighting a battle of guilt inside of him and now someone was trying to take the only hope away from him, his mind had gone blank.
"I SAID MOVE AWAY!" Aldryn jostled him, the push filled with grief had no self-control. Varn flew into the wall, but somehow retained no injuries.
Aldryn drew his attention to the bedroom, the same bedroom that once used to be filled with that disgusting magic that took away everything he held dear. He ran, with all his might, he ran and yanked open the door.
In front of him was a large bed and on that bed was her.
He rushed towards the side, and noticed her face, it was slightly pink, not the scary pale but the healthy pink. Her dry, purple lips had regained their moisture.
His hand shivered as he extended it, he had already felt the beating of her heart and the calm rhythm of her breathing, but there was an uncertainty that still crushed down on him.
His fingers twitched, he was scared to bring them closer. He didn't know what he was so afraid of, but there was something that kept on pushing his heart away.
A feeling that this was the last moment of a star. That star was to die.
He fell to his knees, gripping the bedsheet and burying his face into it. His whole body crumbled beneath weight of the moment.
"Aurelia...
It's okay, I am here now."
His hand reached for hers, the same hand that could crush buildings held onto hers as though it were made if glass.
"Your brother is here now."
__
Varn gripped tightly onto his ribs, laying his back on the wall with a tired face, the ribs weren't broken but they did hurt like hell.
He exhaled sharply before glancing into the room. The room Aldryn rushed into, and now where he was crying his heart out while clutching the bed like a toddler.
"You've got some explaining to do, *kairon*"
The thick foggy aura was gone, as if it never existed in the first place. This wasn't just weird, it was ridiculous.
That aura is a sign of an undead, similar to how humans sweat, undead release the extra aura their body aren't able to use. That was gone.
"Guess I should go check too…" Varn tried to get up, but failed.
"The hell!" He grabbed his thigh in shock, "My leg's numb!"
He struggled, but his leg wouldn't move, not because it was broken or because it hurt badly. But simply because his muscles had been pumped too much.
"Was it when he threw me into the wall. But how does that correlate?
No way… did he use Aura?"
"Shit. Shit. Shit." Varn repeatedly patted his leg, but it was futile.
Just then he heard footsteps, slow and calm footsteps. His face turned forwards, and from front door entered Elira.
Relief washed over Varn as his eyes followed the approach of the knightly woman.
"The hell are you doing?" She stared, narrowing her eyes.
"I am injured."
Elira did not give any witty remark, she could see what was the case here and what had caused Varn to be in such a position.
She turned to the room, her hand resting on her sword hilt. She slowly walked inside, there she saw Aldryn crying his heart out. Aurelia was still sleeping, her complexions had gotten better.
"Strange. Where's Kair-" Her eyes fell to the other side of the bed. There was a limp body on the floor. Her face stiffened.
No mana. She couldn't sense it. She couldn't sense any mana from him.
She rushed to the body, but as her hand landed on his head, she froze.
She shook the body, even slapped it. There was no movement.
"KAIRON! Hey!!" She hit harder, but there was not even a sign of response.
"IF this is some kind of prank, you'd better stop it, okay!?"
…
Kairon did not move.