Chapter 49: Reactive Hypoglycemia.

’Helios found him.’

The thought hit Ezra like a jolt of lightning, and his body moved before his mind could catch up.

He ran, feet pounding against stone, lungs burning as he chased the source of the golden light cutting through the palace halls.

That beacon.

Ezra wasn’t completely sure. Not yet. But Helios wouldn’t use magic like that without reason. Not something so visible. So unmistakable.

So he ran.

And ran.

“It’s not that far,” Ezra muttered under his breath, more to steady himself than anything else.

But it wasn’t close either.

Each turn stretched the distance just enough to keep panic clawing at his chest. The palace corridors blurred past him, familiar yet wrong, because every second without Lior felt unbearable.

’Please,’ he thought desperately. ’Please let him be with Helios.’

The air felt different the closer he got. Warmer. Brighter.

And then Ezra realized it.

The light wasn’t leading him back toward their quarters.

It was pulling him farther away.

Closer to Helios’s palace.

Ezra didn’t slow down.

If anything, he pushed himself harder.

His foot clipped the edge of a stone, balance slipping just enough to send a jolt of panic through him.

For a split second the ground tilted and his breath caught in his throat. He barely managed to steady himself before forcing his legs to move again, lungs burning as his heart slammed violently against his ribs.

’I’m almost there,’ he told himself desperately. ’Just a little more. Please.’

The golden light dimmed as he rounded the last turn, the glow thinning until greenery replaced stone. Bushes lined the path. Low trees.

A quiet stretch of garden hidden between palace walls, too calm for the terror tearing through him.

And then he saw it.

White hair.

There was no mistaking it.

Ezra’s breath hitched painfully as his steps faltered.

’I’m here,’ he thought, panic clawing up his throat. ’I’m right here.’

Through the leaves and uneven shadows, Helios stood still, the last traces of golden light fading around him. His arms were wrapped around something small.

No.

Someone.

“Lior,” Ezra whispered, the name cracking as it left his lips.

His body moved on instinct. He shoved through the bushes without caring about the branches scraping his sleeves or the sharp sting along his skin. He stopped short the moment he saw Lior clearly.

His world tilted.

Lior was motionless.

His head rested against Helios’s shoulder, golden hair damp with sweat, curls clinging to his forehead. His lashes lay still against his cheeks, his expression far too peaceful for a child who should have been crying or calling out.

His small hands hung loose, fingers barely curled.

Unconscious.

Ezra’s eyes burned, vision blurring as his chest tightened so hard it hurt to breathe.

’No,’ his mind screamed. ’Please. Please, no. Aurethys, let my baby be okay.’

“H-Helios…” His voice barely held together.

Every muscle in Ezra’s body screamed at him to move.

To grab Lior. To pull him close and check his breathing himself. His hands twitched, fingers curling as instinct threatened to take over.

He forced himself to stop.

Barely.

“What happened?” Ezra asked, his voice low and strained, each word dragged out through sheer will.

Helios turned fully toward him, concern etched clearly across his face. “I found him like this,” he said at once.

“He was already unconscious. I didn’t move him at first, but his breathing was slow.”

Ezra swallowed hard, throat burning.

’I should have been there,’ he thought viciously. ’I should never have let him out of my sight.’

Helios adjusted his hold carefully, movements practiced and deliberate. “He was burning up,” he added. “I sent Fizzy to call the palace physician immediately.”

Ezra nodded once, though the world felt unsteady beneath his feet.

“My palace is closest,” Helios continued, steady but urgent. “It’s safer to bring him there.”

Ezra’s gaze never left Lior.

His chest felt hollow, cracking open with every shallow rise of the child’s breath.

Ezra looked at Lior again, and his chest tightened so sharply it almost stole his breath.

His sweet boy.

His entire world.

Unmoving in someone else’s arms.

Lior’s face was flushed, skin too warm, lips parted slightly with each shallow breath. Ezra catalogued it all without meaning to.

The rise of his chest. The way his fingers twitched once, then went still again.

’Stay with me,’ Ezra pleaded silently. ’Please. I’m right here.’

Helios took a careful step forward, close enough now that Ezra could see the concern in his eyes. Not the composed prince. Not the commander. Just Helios.

“Ezra,” he said quietly, voice low and steady, meant to anchor him. “Calm down. We need to move so we can lay him on a bed. The physician is already on the way.”

Ezra swallowed hard.

His instincts screamed at him to take Lior. To pull him close, feel his warmth, make sure he was real. Alive.

But Helios was already holding him properly, careful and secure, and Ezra forced himself to breathe through the panic clawing up his throat.

’I can’t lose control,’ he told himself harshly. ’Not now. Not when he needs me.’

He nodded once, jaw clenched so tightly it hurt.

“Take us there,” Ezra said hoarsely, the words scraping out of him. “Please.”

· ─ ·✶· ─ · ·

“It’s a sugar crash, Your Highness.”

The doctor’s voice cut through the tight air of the room, calm and measured. Ezra and Helios both looked up at the same time, then at each other.

“A sugar crash?” Ezra repeated, his gaze dropping back to Lior. There was more color in his cheeks now, a faint warmth returning to his skin. “What does that mean?”

The doctor folded his hands, clearly choosing his words with care. “A sugar crash occurs when there’s a rapid drop in blood glucose. I was told the child consumed a large amount of sugar for the first time and became highly energetic, yes?”

Ezra nodded slowly.

“For a young child, especially one not used to it, the body reacts strongly,” the doctor continued. “After the surge, the blood sugar drops quickly. That can cause dizziness, sudden fatigue, and loss of consciousness.”

Ezra’s throat tightened.

’So he just…burned himself out,’ he thought weakly. ’Because I wasn’t there.’

“So,” Ezra asked quietly, barely trusting his voice, “he isn’t sick?”

“Not severely,” the doctor reassured him. “When he wakes, he may feel nauseous and extremely tired. Keep his meals light. Little to no sugar for now. Plenty of fluids.” He paused, then sighed softly. “And next time, please avoid giving him large amounts of sweets.”

Ezra frowned, his eyes never leaving Lior.

He didn’t want to blame Fizzy. He truly didn’t. Fizzy hadn’t meant any harm. He’d just been trying to make Lior happy.

But that didn’t stop the guilt from settling heavy in Ezra’s chest.

’I should’ve known,’ he thought bitterly. ’I should’ve been the one watching him. I should’ve at least advised Fizzy…’

This wasn’t anyone else’s fault.

It was his.

Helios seemed to catch the shift in him. He inclined his head toward the doctor. “Thank you. We’ll make sure to keep that in mind.”

The doctor bowed. “It’s no trouble, Your Highness. Make sure he drinks fluids. Call for me if his condition worsens, but I expect he’ll recover fully.”

And then he was gone.

The door closed softly behind him.

The silence that followed was heavier than before.

Ezra’s legs gave out the moment he let himself stop holding everything together. He sank into the nearest chair, elbows braced on his knees, one hand dragging back through his hair as a shaky breath left him.

“Fuck,” he muttered, barely louder than a whisper.

’He could’ve gotten seriously hurt,’ his thoughts spiraled. ’He could’ve—’

A gentle weight settled on his shoulder.

Ezra stiffened, then slowly looked up.

Helios stood beside him, concern written plainly across his face, hand still resting there like an anchor.

“Ezra,” Helios said quietly, not as a prince, not as a commander, but as someone worried. “Are you okay?”

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