Aethercrest // FayeYoko, LingOrm, MilkLove

Chapter 4

Seiryu's POV

Ang hirap gumalaw. Every muscle in my body felt heavy as if someone filled me with lead. I cracked an eye open to find the plain white ceiling of the infirmary staring back at me.

Great, naubos yata lahat ng energy ko kagabi.

The smell of herbal salves and clean linen clung to the air, making it clear na malayo pa ako sa tuluyang recovery. Beside me, the sound of soft breathing pulled my attention.

I turned my head slightly—Hana. She was lying on the next bed, her red hair a mess, and her brows slightly furrowed even in sleep. Psh. As usual, mukhang galit pa rin kahit tulog. Kahit pagod at bugbog na, wala pa ring tatalo sa resting scowl n'ya.

A nurse passed by and gave me a sympathetic smile. "Stay still. You and Kurohana overexerted yourselves," she said before walking away.

"Great," I muttered under my breath. This was exactly what I wanted—to be bedridden and, on top of that, share the space with Hana. Yehey. Tangina talaga.

I let out a soft groan. Being stuck here, unable to train or even move properly, was worse than losing a fight. And to make things worse—of all people-Hana had to be here, too.

"Gising ka na pala," her voice cut through the silence, making me flinch.

I glanced at her. She was already awake, her dark eyes scanning me like she was still trying to win the battle we lost hours ago.

"Ang lakas ng hilik mo, akala ko ginamit mo na lahat ng mana mo," she teased, sitting up slowly.

"Wow. Galing. Comedian ka na pala?" I shot back, propping myself up on one elbow.

"Psh. Andami mo talagang alam."

We stared at each other for a moment, the usual tension lingering in the air. But this time, it felt... different. Softer, somehow. Vulnerable. Maybe it was the exhaustion or the fact na halos magkaubusan kami ng buhay kagabi, but I couldn't muster the energy to be annoyed at her.

"You did good last night," she mumbled, almost too low to hear.

I blinked at her, stunned. Compliments weren't exactly her thing. "Wow. Compliment ba 'yan? Hindi yata ikaw 'yan."

Hana rolled her eyes. "Huwag kang epal. Cinomplement ka lang once, feeling mo iba na ako? Baka gusto mong bawiin ko na lang."

A small laugh escaped me, and for the first time in a while, it wasn't forced. "Huwag na. Sayang naman."

For a few moments, we sat in silence. Not the awkward kind, but the kind na okay lang kahit walang magsalita. We were both too tired to pretend that everything was fine. For once, it felt peaceful.

"Bakit ka ba palaging galit?" I found myself asking.

Hana turned to me, her sharp gaze softening. "Ikaw nga laging may pader sa paligid mo, eh. Sino ba talaga sa atin 'yung galit?"

That caught me off guard. I was about to respond when the nurse came back, breaking whatever fragile moment we were having. "Good news, mga iha. You're both cleared to leave by noon, basta magpahinga pa kayo hanggang lunch."

Finally.

By the time afternoon rolled around, I was itching to move again. Hana and I parted ways after leaving the infirmary—thankfully, without more weird moments between us—and I immediately joined the others for training. Walang tatalo sa recovery through training.