A warmth similar to Origin extraction flooded Gale’s body. Each fibre of muscle, shattered bones in his shoulder could be felt being stitched back together through the warmth. Even when his eyes were closed, the interface popped up, notifying him what the hell was happening.

[Aurumn’s Warmth successfully applied.]

[Core Integrity fully repaired.]

[Core Density loss: 0.09]

[Core Density: 11.33/12]

The word Aurumn, or name, also appeared in the ring Rachel gave him. His consciousness went in and out as the warmth continued to spread through him. He didn’t know how long he hadn’t opened his eyes, just that he wanted to continue resting.

Scritch. Scritch.

Something metal carved into wood. Loud enough that Gale noticed he could finally twitch his fingers. Opening his eyes, at first everything was a blurry mess. Slowly, the view of blue walls came into focus. Along that wall were golden stars that lined the whole ceiling, making it look like the starry sky.

Turning his head to where the screeching noise was, Rachel sat by the door with a knife, carving something into the wooden door. Her hair covered her face as she worked, tongue sticking out.

“Rachel?” His gravelly voice came out. But really, how long was he out for?

She jumped, and the knife slipped. It cut her finger. A thin red line appeared, and she stuck it in her mouth and turned.

“You’re awake,” she said.

Gale tried sitting up. That didn’t go too well. The soreness everywhere made him wince as his elbows buckled and he fell back, sinking into the pillows.

“Where am I?” He turned his head, looking at the ornate room. Blue curtains with gold edged trimmings hung at the windows. The starry night ceiling seemed to twinkle whenever he moved his head around. “This doesn’t look like a hospital.”

“You’re at my house,” Rachel sat on the bed’s edge.

“How long?”

“Two days.” She reached for water on the nightstand.

Two days was a lot of time to take a nap, especially if…

“Ollie,” he said suddenly. “Lily. Are they ok?”

“They’re fine,” Rachel said. “Ollie took a bullet to the shoulder, but it was clean. Through and through. Lily had a concussion. They’ve both already been released.”

“And Wang? The tech?”

A small smile formed on her lips. “Both in custody. Our custody.”

“The Ann family’s?”

She nodded. “Gerard can be… persuasive when he wants something.”

“I bet he can.”

The butler had dismantled the whole scene in literally less than 10 seconds after their arrival. Note to self, Gale. Never get on that guy’s bad side. Shoot, too late. He already brought his friends to play in Rachel’s house.

“You should drink something.” Rachel moved the glass closer to him. As her hand went behind his head, he twitched when it made contact, causing him to wince again from the soreness.

“It’s okay. Just drink water,” Rachel said, trying again, this time successfully lifting his head up as she held the glass to his lips.

A tiny amount of water spilled and dripped down onto the pillow.

“Sorry.” He tried to move and take the glass himself.

“Don’t.” She put the glass down and grabbed a cloth. She wiped the water from his chin, neck, and collar. “Just rest, ok?”

“Ok.” Gale relaxed his head back down. “Does your family usually drink hot water though?”

“Uh-wha. Yeah. Definitely, we usually drink hot water,” Rachel said.

“About the ring…” Gale said. It did get hot when she showed up at the airport. The air warming up, the ring getting hot. Those were probably just her abilities. “Were you mad?”

Rachel stopped wiping, pulling back. “I wasn’t mad… I was concerned.”

What’s the difference? Concerned or mad could be the same thing in that scenario. “Concerned? You looked like you were going to burn Wang’s face off.”

“I considered it.” She smiled, putting the glass back at the nightstand. “Still am.”

For some reason, that smile didn’t look like a smile. Wait, isn’t that what his mundane friends saw when he smiled after they thought he was eaten by that skin walker? No wonder they were scared. He needed to go back home and smile at the mirror. Practice makes perfect.

Gale’s right hand moved to his left, feeling for the ring, half expecting it to be taken back by now. To his surprise, the ring was still there, pulsing at 87 beats per minute. It was body temperature, a bit warm on his fingers.

“What is Aurumn’s Everlasting Fire anyways?”

Rachel froze. Her eyes snapped to his. “How do you know that name?”

Shit. Looks like that was a super rich super secret Ann Family mysterious secret.

“I… don’t know.” He turned his eyes to the curtains.

Rachel stared at him for a full ten seconds, then sighed. “Ollie probably told you. Always analyzing everything in his lab.”

“Yeah. Ollie told me.” Sorry, Ollie. I’ll buy you coffee later. Adults usually apologized with coffee anyways. He’ll understand. “What is this room though? It doesn’t look like a guest room.”

Rachel smiled softly. “It’s not.”

“Then what is it?”

“The blue room.” She fixed his blanket, tucking in the sides. “It’s… special.”

“Special how?”

“It was my mom’s favourite.” Rachel smoothed the blanket. “Now it’s for family. Or important guests.”

“And which am I?”

Rachel didn’t answer.

He tried to move again, loosening the blankets, wincing all the while. “How bad my injuries?”

“Bad.” Rachel’s voice tightened. “Multiple fractured bones, grade 3 muscle tears everywhere, and a bullet in your lungs.”

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Gale closed his eyes, imagining the barrel of Wang’s gun to his forehead. “I was… scared.”

Rachel took his hand, the one with the ring. Her fingers slid between his.

Gale squeezed her hand. “I thought about dying. Right there. And all I could think of was everyone disappearing… again.”

He looked up, looking at the stars. “You. Ollie. The survivors from Blue Haven. Mia and the others. More friends than I’ve ever had in my whole life.”

Rachel’s grip tightened. “I wouldn’t have let you die.”

Those words made Gale smile even though he tried his best to hide it. “My family never gave me much choice about having friends. Moved too often. No one consistent except them.”

Rachel tilted her head. “Why did you move so much?”

“That was just life. Stay low, blend in, survive. Everyday, they’d repeat that to me.” Gale opened his eyes, turning his head towards her. “Every six months, we’d pack up, go somewhere else. Different town, city, and maybe even different countries. Forest, tundra, desert. Whatever wild you can think of.”

“That sounds rough for a kid.”

Gale mentally shrugged at the statement. “I guess kids just take it as is, right?”

“Right, me too. I mean when my parents were still here.”

“Dad taught me how to track and hunt animals everyday, and how to fight with so many weapons. Play hide and seek too with real weapons like knives.”

Rachel’s eyes widened. “Knives? Seriously?”

“I thought it was normal,” Gale chuckled. “Every night, mom and dad would nag me, ‘What do you do if strangers come?’ ‘What’s your exit route?’ but not like Ms. Molly.”

“But you liked it?”

“I did.” Gale frowned. “And then they disappeared.”

Before his eyes could well up, Rachel squeezed his hand, her warmth spreading to his arms.

“This room has memories for me too.” She looked up at the ceiling stars. “My mom used to bring me here whenever grandma scolded me, which was plenty.”

“What did you do here?”

“She’d be where I am right now, while I lie down where you are and curl up next to her.” Rachel’s voice softened. “Then she’d point at those stars and tell me stories. Not the normal bedtime stories told here. Real ones, about other worlds where warriors fought indescribable things that could swallow cities whole. The stars would seem to move when she talked, like they were acting out her tales.”

Gale squinted at the ceiling. “Is that also… magic?”

“Maybe. Mom never said.” Rachel moved over to lie down beside Gale, looking up at the stars. “She’d wrap me in these blankets you’re in and whisper that someday I’d see those worlds myself. That I’d light the way when darkness came. That I was special.”

“She sounds like she really loved you.”

“She did.” Rachel said.. “Your parents also loved you, but it sounds like they were tough on you.”

“They had to be. At least that’s what they believed.” Gale shifted, trying to get comfortable. “Everything they did was to keep me safe.”

“From what?”

“I don’t know.” He sighed, staring at a specific star much larger than the others on the ceiling. “Whatever it was, it helped me in the Eclipsed.”

“Do you miss them?” Rachel asked.

“Every day. Even after all this time, I sometimes want to tell them something and…” He stopped. “Yeah. I miss them.”

“Me too. My parents, I mean.” Rachel pulled her knees up to her chest, making herself small on the bed’s edge. “Grandmother says they went far away to find somewhere safe. But that was fifteen years ago.”

“Do you have many pictures of them? Your mom and dad?”

Rachel shook her head. “There’s not many. Grandma usually doesn’t like to keep them except a painting of mom just down the hall. It’s so lifelike you’d think she could step out of the frame.”

“Like the one I saw earlier? When I was coming to your room?”

Rachel nodded. “That one… grandma took it down already.”

“Why?”

“Because she’s stupid.”

Gale laughed, and then suddenly stopped as the soreness stung his lungs.

“You’re stupid too,” Rachel said. “You can still see mom though. Wanna go see? The painting is so lifelike that you’d think she’d walk out of it.”

“Yeah. I’d like that.” Gale tried to sit up again, soreness making him fall back.

“Careful.” Rachel stood and put her arm under his shoulders. “Lean on me.”

The world tilted when Gale stood. Black spots showed up at the edges of his vision as he swayed.

“Maybe this isn’t such a good idea,” Rachel said, keeping him steady.

“I’m fine.” Gale locked his knees so they wouldn’t give out. “Just give me a second.”

“You lost a lot of blood. And you were poisoned.”

“Is gone now, right? You said so yourself.” He took a small step, Rachel supporting him. “See? I can do this.”

Rachel sighed but didn’t argue. She guided him toward the door, her arm around his waist.

The hallway was different from the one that Rachel had led him through to her room. This one had more furnishings. A table sat against the wall at every other door they passed by, ornately carved with floral and fiery patterns. The walls were lined with portraits of women, dozens of them, all with similar features of the dark red hair that Rachel also had, all wearing a soft smile.

“Family?” Gale asked.

“Ancestors.” Rachel helped him walk down the hall. “The Ann House going back generations.”

“And the men?”

“There are some. Not many.” She didn’t say more.

They stopped in front of a portrait larger than the others. It was definitely Rachel’s mother, same hair, eyes, and the most similar jawline and warmth that radiated from her features.

The portrait showed a woman in her black armour. Not medieval looking, but something sleeker that fit her form with red linings. It looked more like tactical gear, except more futuristic. Her hands wore red knuckles. Her hands had red knuckles connected to a red orb-like gem that sat at the backhand. And then the familiar ring she wore on her left ring finger, the silver ring with a red stone that Gale now wore on his left middle finger.

“She was a fighter,” Gale said.

“She was.” Rachel’s voice had pride and sadness. “That’s what the Anns do.”

Gale stared at the woman’s face. There was a kind of warmth that Rachel portrayed, but also something different he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

“She’s beautiful,” Gale said. “Like you.”

A soft cough broke the silence.

Rachel turned so fast she almost knocked Gale over. Pain lanced through his shoulders from the sudden action, but he stopped himself from making a sound. Hunters never made a sound, no matter the occasion.

When Gale looked up, a woman stood nearby, watching them. She was young, maybe about 28 or so, wearing a loose yet form fitting long sleeve dark red qipao, embroidered with a golden dragon. Her hair was tied in a neat tight bun that had no fraying. She wore a necklace that had a gem similar to the one in the ring he wore.

“Your sister?” Gale whispered.

Rachel ignored the question. “Grandmother,” she said instead. “What do you want?”

Grandma? Gale looked again. The woman had no wrinkles. No gray hair. She looked not much older than Rachel, maybe even the same age.

“Sorry for the intrusion,” Gale said, trying to stand straighter despite the pain. “I just wanted to look around.”

“Mas-” The woman paused, her lips thinning, then continued. “Gale Hathie. You should be resting instead of wandering the hallways. Your wounds were quite severe.”

Definitely not old. Her voice sounded just a tiny bit huskier than Rachel’s but barely.

“I’m Esther Ann,” she continued. “Rachel’s grandmother, as you’ve gathered.”

Gale blinked, turning to Rachel, then back. Grandmother? More like an older sister. A 28 year old can’t have a daughter that also has a daughter that is around his age plus 5.

Rachel smiled softly. “Did you need something, Grandma?”

Esther glanced at the portrait behind them, then back to Rachel. “Wang is willing to talk. Rodriguez as well, though he’s proving… more stubborn.”

“What did Gerard do to them?” Rachel asked, her grip on Gale’s waist tightening.

“Nothing permanent.” A small smile appeared on Esther’s lips, or maybe a smirk. “Yet.”

“Is she rea-“

“Mr. Hathie,” Esther interrupted Gale. “I’d like to forward you an invite to dinner this coming Monday. In the evening.”

Gale looked into her eyes, same colour as Rachel’s, but a deeper red.

Rachel stiffened beside him. “There’s going to be other house members there.”

“I’m aware,” Esther replied, still looking at Gale.

“And Gale’s technically still an outsider,” Rachel said.

“Is he really?” Esther let out a small laugh, moving her head closer to Rachel’s ear. “Is that what you tell yourself on what this is.” She moved back and turned to Gale. “Mr. Hathie is not as much of an outsider as you think he is. There’s also a debt he’s incurred.”

“Debt?!” Rachel said. “He’s still recovering.”

“Of course after he recovers,” Esther said. “I’m not unreasonable, Rachel.”

“I’ll be there,” Gale suddenly said. “Monday evening. I know I caused trouble for your family. I’d like to show my gratitude for saving my life.”

“Very good,” Esther said. “Seven o’clock. Rachel will show you where.”

She turned away immediately and walked down the corridor. The two watched her disappear before continuing the conversation.

“You shouldn’t have agreed,” Rachel said.

“Why not?” Gale said. “She’s your family.”

“Because she never does anything without a reason. And nothing in this house comes without a price.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep