Darkness receded slowly, like heavy water pulling back from the shore.
The first thing to return was the sense of touch—beneath him was a mattress, soft yet providing firm support. The fabric covering him was light and breathable, carrying the warmth of sunlight and a faint, lingering scent like fresh flowers. It was the fragrance unique to Goddess Astraea's chambers.
Then came the sense of hearing. From outside the window, the usual daytime bustle of Orario drifted in, muffled and serene.
Su Lun forced his heavy eyelids open. His vision was blurry at first, gradually coming into focus. He was lying on a plain single bed in a spacious, bright room decorated with simple solemnity. Goddess Astraea sat in a chair by the bed, her side to him, head lowered in deep concentration as she wrote upon a scroll of parchment.
The morning light draped the Goddess's figure in a golden mantle. Her long eyelashes cast shadows downward, her expression calm and focused. As if sensing his gaze, the tip of her pen paused. She slowly raised her head and turned toward him. Her sea-blue eyes met Su Lun's newly opened, somewhat dazed ones.
Astraea set down the quill, carefully propping it against the inkwell. Her movements were light, yet Su Lun could somehow feel a weight suppressed beneath that calm exterior.
"Oh? You're awake?"
The Goddess's voice rang out, deeper than usual and carrying a deliberate steadiness. Su Lun tried to speak, but found his throat so parched he couldn't make a decent sound; he could only manage a slight nod.
Astraea rose, walked to a small side table, and poured a glass of warm water. She returned to the bedside but didn't hand the water to Su Lun immediately. Instead, she sat back down, cradling the glass in her hands, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the rim.
"You were unconscious for a full day and night."
She spoke while keeping her gaze fixed on the water rippling slightly in the glass. "Blood loss, mana depletion, severe mental exhaustion, a torn muscle in your left leg, two cracked ribs, and numerous scrapes and contusions."
With every injury she listed, her voice grew a shade heavier, and her grip on the glass tightened.
"Lyra told me everything."
The Goddess finally raised her eyes to look at Su Lun. That gaze no longer held its usual gentleness and indulgence; it was a mixture of stark terror, unyielding anger, and deep, aching pity.
"Blood Claw's final [Earthen Spikes] were aimed at both you and her. You shoved her away, making yourself a half-beat too slow."
Su Lun croaked, forcing his voice through his dry throat. "Is she... alright?"
"She is fine!"
Astraea's voice spiked momentarily before she quickly suppressed it, her tone turning into a stifled rasp. "Do you have any idea... if that claw had been just a bit more centered, or if those spikes had struck just a few inches higher, you wouldn't be lying here right now. You would be..."
She couldn't finish the sentence. The Goddess turned her head to look out the window, her chest rising and falling slightly. The room was silent, save for Su Lun's breathing and the faint sound of the Goddess trying to regain her composure.
After a long moment, Astraea turned back, her emotions seemingly under control. She brought the glass to Su Lun's lips, her voice returning to that precarious, forced calm. "Drink some water first."
Su Lun took a few sips of the warm water from her hand. The cool liquid slid down his parched throat, bringing a measure of comfort. The Goddess set the glass down and sat back. She stared at Su Lun's pale face, his bandaged left leg, and the faint traces of medicinal herbs seeping from the edges of the gauze.
As she watched him, the forced stoicism and reproach in her eyes melted away like snow under the sun, eventually leaving only an overflowing, heartbreaking tenderness. She reached out, gently brushing away the stray hairs stuck to Su Lun's forehead by sweat. Her touch was incredibly tender, a world away from the suppressed fury of a moment ago.
"...Idiot," she whispered softly. "Protecting your companions is the right thing to do; every member of the Astraea Familia would do the same. But... next time, could you think about yourself a little more? Just a little?"
Her fingertips lingered near Su Lun's cheek, warm and soft. "When I saw you being carried back, covered in blood, and unable to wake up no matter how we called your name..." Her voice trailed off into silence. "We... we were all so terrified."
Just then, there was a light tap on the door, and it was pushed open just enough to leave a crack. Alise's head poked in first, her eyes brimming with anxiety and concern. Seeing Su Lun awake, she let out a visible sigh of relief. But the moment she caught sight of Astraea's expression, she shrank back slightly, her movements becoming much quieter.
Next, Lyu appeared at the door, carrying a tray with clean bandages and ointment. Her gaze landed on Su Lun instantly, scrutinizing his condition. Deep within her ice-blue eyes, the tense emotions loosened ever so slightly upon seeing him conscious, only to be overwritten by deep worry.
Lyra followed behind Lyu, her small face clouded with guilt, her eyes rimmed with red. She bit her lower lip, her gaze toward Su Lun filled with a complex, unspoken grief. Finally, there was Kaguya. She leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed, her face maintaining its usual cold expression, but her sharp gaze swept over Su Lun's body, lingering for a moment on the bandages around his leg and ribs.
"Lady Astraea, Su Lun, he..." Alise spoke in a small voice, wanting to come in but hesitant.
Astraea withdrew her hand and sat up straight, her face returning to its calm mask, though the softness in her eyes hadn't quite faded. "He's awake. He's essentially out of danger now."
Her words were plain, yet they allowed the four girls at the door to breathe a collective sigh of relief. Alise immediately wanted to rush in, but Lyu stopped her with a look. The elf walked to the bedside with steady steps, gave a slight nod to the Goddess, and looked at Su Lun. "It's time to change the bandages."
Her movements were professional and gentle. As she unwound the gauze, Su Lun could feel the warmth of Lyu's fingertips through the fabric. When the deep, long wound on Su Lun's leg—where the bone had been nearly exposed—was revealed, Lyu's brow furrowed slightly, though her application of the ointment became even more meticulous.
Lyra crept to the bedside, head lowered, her voice thick with distress. "Su Lun... I'm sorry... it was all because of me..."
"It wasn't your fault," Su Lun said raspily, but his tone was firm. "In that situation, anyone would have done the same."
"But—"
"There are no 'buts,'" Astraea interrupted, her gaze sweeping across everyone in the room. "Protecting a companion is expected, but placing yourself in a situation of certain death is not bravery—it is recklessness."
Her words were meant for everyone, but her gaze remained fixed on Su Lun.
Alise couldn't help herself. "But Su Lun's final move was so cool! He blew the monster up with a sword! That was an Enhanced Species!"
"And he did it by nearly taking himself to the grave with it?" Kaguya spoke coldly. She finally stepped in from the doorway, standing a short distance away. "That last strike—if the monster's claw had been a bit more on target, or if he had been a second slower drawing his blade, we would be discussing the location of his burial plot right now."
Her words acted like a bucket of cold water on Alise's excitement. The atmosphere in the room grew stagnant. It was a tangle of concern turned into chaos, of the dread that follows a close call, and of anger at Su Lun for "acting tough."
Astraea looked at the girls gathered around the bed: Alise's blunt urgency, Lyu's silent worry, Lyra's guilt-ridden unease, and the tension hidden beneath Kaguya's cold words. She let out a soft sigh.
"The medicine has been changed, and you've seen him," the Goddess said, standing up with a tone that was gentle but brooked no argument. "Su Lun needs peace to recover. All of you, out. Let him rest properly."
"Lady Astraea..." Alise started to protest.
"Out, children." The Goddess's tone remained warm, yet it carried a faint exhaustion and a finality that could not be challenged.
Lyu was the first to nod. She gathered the used bandages and said softly to Su Lun, "Rest well." She then pulled on Alise's sleeve, who still wanted to stay.
Lyra gave Su Lun a deep look, whispering, "Please get better soon," before she too retreated.
Kaguya was the last to leave. She paused at the doorway, looking back at Su Lun. Her lips moved slightly as if she wanted to say something, but she ultimately just pursed them and turned to close the door behind her.
Silence returned to the room. Astraea walked to the window, looking out at the bright streets of Orario. Her back was straight, but she looked as if a great burden had finally been lifted from her shoulders.
Outside, in the hallway, the four girls did not disperse immediately. Alise leaned against the wall, scratching her red hair as she muttered in a low voice, "I know Su Lun was being too reckless... but... seeing him standing there at the end, his sword glowing and the monster's head exploding... I..." She couldn't find the words. That moment was etched just as deeply into her heart.
Lyu stood silently, her gaze fixed on the closed door, as if she could see the pale, weakened boy through the wood. She remembered the silhouette of the person who saved the old man in the alley; she remembered the sweat on his brow as he gritted his teeth through sword drills; she remembered his calm face while providing magical support in every battle; and she remembered her own heart nearly stopping when he was carried back covered in blood yesterday.
It's always like this... she thought. He always threw himself to the very front without a second thought, standing between them and danger. Lyu quietly clenched her fingers inside her sleeves.
Kaguya leaned her back against the hallway wall with her arms crossed, staring up at the ceiling. Her long black hair fell, obscuring part of her profile. The final images of the battle flashed through her mind: the boy's absolute resolve as he charged forward on a mangled leg, the brilliance of the golden blade as it cleaved the foul skull, and the heart-stopping moment the claws grazed his ribs.
What a... reckless member, she thought. And yet... she found it impossible to look away from him. A complex emotion surged in her chest—a mixture of annoyance at his foolhardiness and a sense of "dread" that she didn't even want to examine too closely. She turned her head away, looking toward the light at the end of the corridor.
Inside the room, Astraea remained by the window. Her gaze seemed to pierce through the city's clamor, landing on a distant, unseen point.
Only three months...
In that time, he had gone from a lost stranger to the core of the group—someone his companions trusted completely, even subconsciously relied upon. He had gone from being endangered by common thugs to staring down the malice of the Dungeon and striking it down.
This child was growing at an alarming speed—not just in power, but in spirit. Such qualities were precious, yet they were equally agonizing to witness. Because the brighter a light shines, the more it attracts the darkness, and the easier it is to... burn itself out.
The Goddess slowly closed her eyes, her lashes casting faint shadows on her eyelids.
The qualities of a hero...
But the path of a hero was often littered with thorns and loneliness, and the end of that path was not guaranteed to be bright. When she opened her eyes again, they were filled with clear determination and tenderness.
No matter what, this is your home. And we are your family.
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Danmachi: My Magic Style is Different from Yours (43 Chapters – Ongoing)
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