Julia was an older woman, though age had done little to diminish her beauty. Her grey hair was pulled back neatly, and her face carried the kind of quiet dignity that came from decades spent serving a noble household. She had been the head maid of the Noctra estate for as long as Aric could remember, and she had been the one who cared for him every morning for the past three years.
The door opened and she stepped inside with a bowl of water in one hand and a folded towel draped over her arm. She entered with her gaze lowered, walking steadily across the room until she reached the bed where Aric lay.
Aric watched her in silence.
She set the bowl down on the small table beside the bed and unfolded the towel, dipping one end into the water and wringing it out with careful hands. The soft sound of water dripping back into the bowl filled the quiet room as she turned toward him at last, raising the damp cloth to begin cleaning him as she had done every morning for three years.
Her hand rose with the wet cloth, but before she could bring it to his face, her gaze fell upon his eyes.
She froze.
For a long moment, she simply stared at him, as though her mind could not accept what her eyes were telling her. The wet cloth slipped from her fingers and fell to the floor, but she did not seem to notice.
Aric looked at her and smiled.
"You do not need to do that anymore, Julia."
Her lips parted, but no words came out. Her hands began to tremble as she took a hesitant step backward, her eyes never leaving his face.
"Young Master, you’re awake."
Aric gave a quiet laugh, the sound rough from disuse but unmistakably his.
"I am. Surprise."
Julia blinked at him, and for a moment she looked as though she did not know whether to laugh or cry. Her hands were still trembling and her eyes were still shining with unshed tears.
"You’re awake."
"I am."
She stood there staring at him, her lips parted and her whole body still, as though moving might break whatever strange dream she had walked into. Aric smiled at her, unable to hide the amusement in his eyes.
"You do not have to look at me like that. I am not going anywhere."
Julia smiled through her tears, a wide smile that seemed to light up her entire face, and then she turned and ran from the room.
"I must fetch the Duchess."
Aric watched her go, blinking at the empty doorway.
"Wow. She’s fast."
He looked down at the pale thin hands resting on the blanket.
"Alright. Time to get out of bed"
He pushed the blanket aside and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, the stone floor cold against his bare feet. He sat there for a moment, gathering himself, then pressed his hands against the mattress and tried to stand.
His legs gave out immediately.
"Shit"
He fell forward and caught himself on his hands and knees, the impact sending a jolt of pain through his arms and wrists. He knelt there on the floor, breathing hard, his arms trembling under his own weight.
I don’t remember my body being this bad
He took a breath and tried again, this time using the bed for support. His legs trembled as he slowly pulled himself upright, and he nearly stumbled back down before grabbing the edge of the mattress.
"Easy."
He stood there for a moment, gripping the bed as he waited for his legs to stop shaking.
The sound of footsteps suddenly reached him.
Two pairs of footsteps echoed through the corridor, growing louder with every passing second.
Aric looked toward the doorway and two figures burst into the room.
The first was a woman with orange hair falling loose around her face and green eyes that were already streaming with tears. The second was a girl with dark hair and the same green eyes, the younger girl close behind her, her hair bouncing wildly as she rushed into the room.
His mother and his sister.
They rushed straight toward him, giving him barely enough time to react before they crashed into him at full speed, their combined weight sending him tumbling backward onto the bed.
"No. All my effort." Aric thought.
He had just spent several minutes trying to stand up. He had nearly fallen on his face twice. He had finally gotten to his feet and now here he was, right back on the bed where he started.
But then his mother’s arms tightened around him and he stopped thinking about his legs.
"Aric. My boy. My sweet boy."
Her voice was shaking and she was crying into his shoulder, her whole body trembling as she held him, and Aric could feel every tear that soaked into the fabric of his shirt. She pulled back just enough to look at his face, cupping his cheeks in both hands as though she could not believe what she was seeing.
"You’re awake. You’re awake. Oh gods, you’re awake."
Aric did not have a response for his mother. He knew that this woman had visited him every single day for three years, had held his hand and spoken to him and begged him to come back, and the boy who had once lived in this body had listened to all of it and resented her for moving on with her life while he was trapped in bed.
But that boy was not here anymore.
"Yes mom, I’m awake." Aric said, his voice cracking.
His sister was still wrapped around his other side, her small arms squeezing him so tightly that he could barely breathe, and she was crying so hard that her words came out in gasps.
"You’re awake. You’re really awake. I knew you would wake up. I told everyone you would wake up."
Aric turned his head toward her and saw a face that was the same as the one in his memories but older now.
"Would you look at that. You’re still a crybaby," Aric said with a smile.
She looked up at him with red eyes and tears streaked cheeks.
His mother pulled back and placed both hands on his face, her palms warm against his cheeks.
"How are you feeling?" she asked, her voice still unsteady. "Are you in pain? Do you need anything? Do you want water? Are you hungry?"
Aric reached up and gently took her hands in his, lowering them from his face.
"I’m fine, Mom. Really," he said.
"Are you sure you’re okay?" she asked, her fingers tightening around his.
"I’m sure," he said.
"Because if something is wrong you have to tell me," she said.
"I know mom," he said.
She stopped questioning him
"I can’t feel my arms anymore" he said.
His mother blinked at him, then looked down and realized that Emilia was still wrapped around him so tightly that his arms were pinned against his sides. She let out a wet laugh and gently pried her daughter away.
"Emilia, let your brother breathe," she said.
"But I don’t want to," Emilia said.
"You can hold him again in a moment," her mother said.
"But what if he falls asleep again?" Emilia asked.
"I won’t fall asleep," Aric said.
"You promise?" Emilia asked.
"I promise," Aric said.
Emilia reluctantly loosened her grip, though she kept one small hand wrapped around his wrist.
The door opened and Julia stepped back into the room.
"Your Grace, why don’t you and the young lady call the house doctor to check up on him and also to inform the Duke and the young master that Aric has woken up," Julia said. "I’m sure they would be delighted."
"I’m sure that can wait a little," his mother said. "I’m speaking to my son for the first time in years."
Julia walked over and gently took the Duchess and the young lady by their arms.
"We need the doctor to check the baby too because of the way you ran," Julia said. "And the young lady has swordsmanship training."
"But I don’t wanna," Emilia said, her voice rising into a whine as Julia dragged both of them toward the door.
"You can see your brother again after your lessons," Julia said. "He is not going anywhere."
"But—"
"No buts Emilia," Julia said.
The girl slumped in defeat, her shoulders sagging as she was dragged toward the doorway. She looked back at Aric with wide pleading eyes.
"I’ll see you soon," she said.
"I’ll be here," Aric said softly.
She nodded, satisfied, and allowed herself to be pulled out of the room. The Duchess looked back at him one more time before she disappeared into the corridor, and Aric raised his hand in a small wave.
The door closed behind them, and the room fell quiet once again.
Aric let out a slow breath, letting his head sink back against the pillow for a moment.
He was glad Emilia had grown up healthy. After seeing her again, the thought brought him a strange sense of relief.
He pushed himself off the bed and carefully rose to his feet, keeping one hand against the mattress for support. His legs trembled beneath him, barely able to support his weight, but this time they held.
He waited for his legs to steady before slowly stepping away from the bed.
He took one step.
Then another.
On the third step, his vision suddenly blurred.
A wave of dizziness hit him without warning, and the room began to spin around him. His balance disappeared almost instantly, his knees buckling beneath him as he reached out for something to hold onto.
He missed.
His knees slammed against the floor with a heavy thud.
He gritted his teeth and tried to push himself up.
His arms trembled violently beneath him.
"Come on..."
But they gave out.
His head spun harder, and a sick feeling twisted through his stomach. He barely had time to turn his head before his body lurched forward.
He vomited.
The contents spilled onto the floor in a thick, dark stream, spreading across the floor beside him. The sight alone made his stomach twist again, but what caught his attention was the color.
It was almost completely black.
Aric stared at it, his chest heaving.
"What the hell..."
He looked down at his trembling hands, then back at the strange liquid pooling on the floor.
That was not normal.
He swallowed hard, but the nausea remained, and his body felt heavier with every passing second. He tried once more to lift himself, only for his arms to collapse beneath him.
He could not stand.
Aric remained on the floor, breathing heavily as the black liquid slowly spread across the floor, creeping toward the legs of the bed.
He stared at it for several seconds before slowly closing his eyes.