The silence in the medical bay felt heavier than any wound Arin had ever taken.
He sat on the bed, head slightly bowed, fingers curled in the sheets—not shaking, not crying, but just… still. Too still. The sterile white lighting hummed faintly above him, like it was afraid to speak.
Om Sai's earlier words echoed in his mind.
"Kalink is inside you."
Not a myth. Not a symbol. Not a hallucination. Real.
Arin didn't move. Didn't breathe too deeply. Even blinking felt like it might break something inside him.
On the other side of the door, Shivani stood frozen, one hand lifted as if she had tried to knock… but couldn't. Her throat was tight. She had fought monsters, seen her squad bleed, watched Arin nearly die—and yet this was the first time she hesitated like a frightened child.
Om Sai walked toward the room with his usual lazy posture… but the air around him wasn't lazy at all. It was sharp. Focused. Dead serious.
He stopped beside Shivani.
"You going in?" he asked casually.
She didn't meet his eyes. "...I don't know what to say."
Om Sai didn't comfort her. Didn't tease. He just said quietly, "Then don't say anything yet."
He opened the door.
Inside, Arin slowly looked up. His eyes weren't wild like before. They weren't glowing or broken. They were calm.
Too calm.
Om Sai walked in, closed the door behind him, and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, watching him with a strangely unreadable expression.
A beat of silence.
Then Arin finally spoke, voice low and flat. "So... he's really there."
Om Sai nodded once. "Yeah."
Another silence.
Arin's jaw clenched—not in rage, but in fear. Not fear of pain. Not fear of death. Fear of becoming something he swore he wouldn't.
His voice cracked slightly—not from weakness, but from the weight of realization: "If I lose control again... someone might not survive next time."
The image of Vayushri collapsing in his blood-covered arms flashed in his mind. Her breath fading. Her warmth barely there.
A deep breath entered his lungs—but didn't leave easily.
Om Sai stepped forward, crouched in front of him.
"Listen," he said calmly. "Right now, your pulse is rising even though you're sitting still. Your breathing is uneven. You're drowning in your own thoughts."
He tapped Arin's forehead with two fingers.
"You're not scared of Kalink. You're scared you'll hurt more people you... care about."
Arin didn't respond—but his silence confirmed it.
"Look at me," Om Sai said.
Arin slowly met his eyes.
"Can you trust yourself enough to fight this?"
Arin hesitated—just a moment—but then nodded.
Om Sai smirked slightly, somewhere between encouragement and challenge. "Then first we make sure you can breathe without panicking."
He straightened up.
"Stand."
Arin stood. His body was still weak, wrapped in bandages, healing but not fully stable.
Om Sai placed a hand lightly against Arin's chest—not forcefully, but firmly.
"Breathe in with a count of four. Hold. Then release slowly."
Arin obeyed. It wasn't easy. His chest trembled as buried panic tried to rise.
"Again."
They repeated.
"Again."
Time moved differently in that moment—not rushing, not dragging. Just steady.
When Arin's breathing finally found rhythm, Om Sai stepped back and said,
"Good. You're not falling apart. That's the first step."
Arin's voice came out quieter than before. "...What's the next step?"
Om Sai smiled slightly—not joyful, not mocking—just confident.
"We prepare your mind before we lock that monster down. Because if we seal Kalink without stabilizing you first… you'll still break from the inside."
Arin understood. He didn't speak. But his eyes hardened with resolve.
Om Sai relaxed his posture, turning toward the window as he spoke in a calm tone.
"A sealing chamber is already being prepared. Ritual inscribers are being brought from the capital. Aisha's dealing with political approval. Shivani's… trying to calm herself before seeing you."
At the mention of Shivani's name, something flickered in Arin's eyes—something like guilt, pain, fear… and the desperate hope she was okay.
Om Sai glanced at him.
"You're going to walk through hell again soon. But this time, wide awake."
Arin exhaled slowly.
Then nodded.
Om Sai grinned.
"Good. Then let's begin."
Outside the room... Shivani's hand dropped to her side as she heard muffled instruction through the door.
She silently exhaled, whispering to herself:
"...Keep it together."
And turned away—for now.