Something In The Way-SYLUS X MC X ZAYNE

Chapter 13 "Growing Pains"

The pain hit me out of nowhere, sharp and deep, like something was clawing at my chest from the inside. I gasped, clutching at my heart, stumbling back into the nearest wall. It wasn't just stress—it felt like the Aether core inside me was twisting, pulsing, trying to rip its way out.

My breathing came in short, panicked bursts, the pressure in my chest unbearable

I stumbled to the nearest wall, bracing myself against it as my mind raced. The old man's voice echoed in my head, his haunting words reverberating through the pain: Blood and evil will reign over you. You're cursed.

I reached for my phone with trembling hands, dialing Zayne's number on instinct. He picked up after only two rings, his voice steady as always.

"Zayne," I gasped. "Something's wrong... it's my heart. I'm near the hospital—"

"Stay where you are. I'm coming," he said, calm but firm, his words grounding me. I clung to the sound of his voice, forcing myself to breathe through the pain.

I made it to the hospital just as Zayne appeared at the entrance, his face stoic, but there was a flicker of concern in his eyes. He wrapped an arm around me, guiding me inside without a word, his touch steadying me as the weight on my chest seemed to lessen.

Inside, he wasted no time, moving me to an exam room, hooking me up to machines in his efficient, clinical manner. I watched him work, trying to focus on his hands, his movements, anything but the pain still lingering in my heart. The monitor beeped beside me, a rhythmic sound that should've been comforting, but all I could think about were the words the old man had said.

The beeping continued as Zayne checked the readouts, his brow furrowed slightly, though his face remained unreadable.

"Your vitals are stable," he said at last, glancing at me briefly before turning back to the machine. "But I can see the fluctuations in the Aether core. It's linked to the pain. You need to rest."

I swallowed, my mouth dry. The pain was easing, but the fear hadn't left me. The old man's words gnawed at me, and I could hear them louder now, echoing inside my mind.

"There's something else," I said, my voice weak but insistent. "The man I saw, the one at the village today. He knew things... about me, about the Aether core. He said I was cursed. That blood and evil would reign over me."

Zayne's hands paused for just a second, but he quickly resumed, his face giving nothing away. Still, I caught the brief shift in his expression, the slight tension in his jaw.

"Curses don't exist," he said, his voice controlled, unwavering. "Whatever he said—it's superstition. Legends."

"But he knew," I insisted, my pulse quickening. "He knew about the Aether core, about my heart. He called me the girl with the marked heart. How would he know that if it wasn't true?"

Zayne glanced at me then, his dark eyes locking onto mine, but his expression didn't change. He was as stoic as ever, and yet... I could feel something else beneath the surface. Something he wasn't telling me.

"I don't believe in curses," he repeated, his voice measured. "What's happening to you—it's something we can explain. We just need more time."

"But what if this isn't just science?" I pressed, my voice trembling despite my best efforts. "What if there's something more going on, something we don't understand?"

Zayne's eyes softened, just for a moment, before he turned back to the monitor, adjusting a few settings as if the conversation hadn't affected him. "I'll run more tests," he said, his tone neutral again. "But for now, I need you to rest. Stressing yourself over superstitions isn't going to help."