Chapter 16: Awake

While having breakfast, Ayen noticed that the two returned to their usual demeanor, and no one mentioned what happened yesterday.

Ayen, who thought of trying to guide them, suddenly found himself unable to tell them his intention. As a result, he maintained his silence the whole breakfast and merely listened to the two talk.

Once more, the two left to patrol and do their daily clean-up of the zone.

Ayen could only sigh as they parted and stared at the main door. After lingering for a short while, he decided to stay where Keeran was.

Then he discovered…

“You’re awake?”

As soon as he entered the room, Ayen noticed Keeran had her eyes open but did not move or get up. He walked towards the bed and pulled a chair.

“Can you still remember me?” Ayen was not joking but truly asking genuinely, as the woman was merely looking at him blankly.

Keeran blinked, then opened her mouth and answered in a hoarse voice. “A…yen…”

Ayen nodded and quickly stood up, went to the small table beside the bed, and poured water into the glass. “Here, moisten your throat.”

Helping Keeran get up and sit on the bed, Ayen put the glass to her mouth while holding them. She did not drink a lot, but probably enough for her this time.

Keeran seemed more awake now, and she could now observe her surroundings. Ayen let her and sat in silence. This behavior of his was not new for Keeran, and more often than not, they had the same interaction on a daily basis.

“Where are… we?” Keeran licked her lips, fiddled with the quilt, and her knuckles went white from the force she was using. The events gradually sank in on her, and the panic returned.

Ayen was not one to comfort someone, and Keeran was not seeking that from him either.

“We’re in a forbidden zone…” Ayen saw how Keeran’s eyes widened like saucers at the revelation, as she went pale, as though someone had told her she had only a few days to live.

Ayen coughed and admitted that it was a mistake. Saying that outright to a newly awakened patient from a coma who had experienced a traumatic event was cruel.

He quickly told her what happened from when they entered the gate to meeting Devion and Khal, and that they were temporarily staying at their place in the forbidden zone.

Of course, he did not elaborate on the events and only told her the necessary details, enough for her to understand their current circumstances. The others were not related to her and did not need to be shared.

Keeran looked at him the whole time he spoke the details, and although her expression changed when hearing Devion and Khal’s names, she managed to hold her verbal reactions.

“That’s what happened,” Ayen ended his speech. Keeran stared at him intently. “What?”

Keeran gave a weak smile. “You… spoke a lot. It’s my first time hearing you speak so many sentences at once.”

Ayen narrowed his eyes but did not retort. Since she was right, the opportunity for him to talk a lot was hard to come by, and he would rather keep things that way.

“Now that you’re awake, we… can leave here,” Ayen remembered what he said: once Keeran was awake, then they would leave the forbidden zone.

Ayen briefly paused on his words, thinking of his intention to try guiding the two before he left. Keeran did not notice his pause, and she nodded in response.

“By the way, where are they…?” She became nervous again as the terror of their names was almost on par with monsters. But at the same time, there was also reverence that one would inevitably feel once their names were mentioned.

It was conflicting, but it solidified that Devion and Khal were the pinnacle of humanity’s strength, inviting fear and worship.

“They are doing their usual stuff,” Ayen nonchalantly answered, not wanting to talk about this with Keeran.

It was better for her not to be involved more than necessary.

“Usual what?”

Ayen did not answer her; instead asked, “Aren’t you hungry?”

This question pulled Keeran from asking about the two further. She frowned, observed herself, and shook her head. “I don’t think so?”

Ayen watched her expressions; she did not look like she was lying. And was there any reason for her to lie about this?

It was unusual as she was asleep for almost four days.

“I’ll prepare a simple meal for you.”

Ayen decided to give her a meal nonetheless, but thinking her stomach could not handle a heavy meal yet, he thought of heating some soup or whatever he could find in the fridge.

It just so happened that Devion had this habit of cooking large portions at once.

Just as he was about to stand up and go to the kitchen, Keeran’s voice stopped him.

“Wait!” Keeran almost grabbed Ayen’s wrist to stop him, but remembered he did not want others suddenly holding him and stopped. “Is… is it okay for you to go to their kitchen without their permission?”

Ayen paused. He did not think about that. Perhaps because the two had always been accommodating and friendly, Ayen momentarily forgot that they were still strangers who had barely known each other for less than a week.

Although he had the possibility to be their guide, that did not warrant him raiding their kitchen without their permission.

It seemed his sense of time was muddled in this forbidden zone with only darkness, and he thought he had been staying for a long time. And the two also made it seem they already knew each other a lot.

Ayen sat again and nodded. “You’re right.”

Keeran sighed in relief. To her, the SS-class espers were dangerous, and offending them would not be good for little guides like them.

“You won’t be able to eat in a while.” Although Ayen expressed his concern, it did not register in his tone or expressions.

As Devion said, his listless expression was almost his default expression.

Keeran smiled at that. “It’s fine. I’m not hungry.”

Ayen also noticed this point, and aside from the initial hoarseness of her voice, Keeran did not appear weak. He could not help but glance at the IV and thought that because of it, her condition was fine.

He remained in that room, and Keeran also did not have the mood to talk. She only looked fine, but her silence proved that what happened was still on her mind.

Unlike Ayen, who was a loner, Keeran was a social butterfly and had her friends in that zone, and it only made sense for her to worry about them and probably feel guilty for escaping alone with Ayen.

However, she did not voice her concerns, and Ayen also would not entertain her thoughts. Ayen was, after all, a selfish human, living for himself.

His presence, though silent, was enough to keep her company. But Ayen knew… Parting ways after they leave here was inevitable.

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