PANG!!
The sound of a sharp slap echoed across the cramped living room.
The boy didn't cry.
He simply stood there, body swaying slightly, face turned to the side where the red mark bloomed. His arms trembled. His shirt, too large for his thin frame, barely hid the bruises scattered across his skin.
"Why can't you do it properly?!"
His mother's voice cracked, venom curling around the paper she held in her shaking hand — a report card.
"I… I was first in the class…" he said in a small, timid voice.
PANG!!
Another slap. Harder.
"You can do better!! You are his son!!"
She struck again. Sometimes it was the back of her hand. Sometimes her fists. Sometimes other things. The pain had become a routine — predictable, almost. The boy stopped reacting to it long ago.
He stood there, silent, enduring. His eyes, once bright, now held only emptiness.
-----------------------------------------
A spoonful of porridge slipped from Kael's lips, landing on his chin and dripping down to his collar.
Robert sighed softly, wiping it with a cloth. "You have to eat… please," he whispered, voice fraying at the edges.
Kael sat there on the bed, thin as a shadow. His arms barely moved. His eyes were open, but distant — as if staring at something only he could see. He hadn't spoken since that day. His lips were pale, his skin nearly translucent, the whites of his eyes dull.
"Just one more bite," Robert said again, trying to coax him gently. But there was no response. The food slid off again.
Robert dropped his hand. "...I'm sorry." He looked down at the untouched bowl and stood, sighing. "I'll clean this up."
He moved like someone older than he was. Fatigue clung to his every gesture. His usual poise was dulled by sleepless nights and a constant undercurrent of helplessness.
Elric entered quietly and stood beside him. She saw the deep shadows under Robert's eyes and the way his hands trembled as he tried to carry the tray away.
"You don't have to do this alone," she said, placing her hand over his. "I'll help you."
Robert didn't look up. "...Should I tell His Majesty?"
She hesitated. The tension in her jaw gave her answer before her voice did. "It's not the time… yet." Her voice dropped lower. "But I'm returning to the capital for a few days starting tomorrow. I'll… find a way to notify him without drawing attention. Quietly."
He nodded faintly.
She moved closer to Kael and knelt beside the bed, brushing a hand gently along his cheek.
"Please get better, Kael…" she whispered.
But the boy did not flinch. Did not move. His chest rose and fell, slow and shallow. He was still alive — but barely. Like a flickering candle left in a storm.
"I'm sorry," Robert murmured behind her. "I'll do my best to improve young master's condition."
Elric looked at him over her shoulder, her expression softening.
"You already are. Just… don't push yourself too far, Robert."
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That night.
Moonlight spilled through the tall windows, silvering the floorboards. Kael was asleep — or something close to it. Robert, sitting in the chair beside the bed, had finally drifted off as well, still wearing his uniform. His head tilted against the edge of the mattress, his breathing shallow.
The door creaked open soundlessly.
A tall man in dark clothing stepped inside, holding a fresh bouquet of white flowers. As always, he moved without a sound — a ghost among nobles, though very much alive. His face was unreadable, but his eyes softened as he saw the room.
He glanced at Robert, sleeping beside the bed, and gave a quiet sigh. "You're working yourself to death again, brother…"
He replaced the vase's flowers with new ones and set the wilted ones gently aside.
Then, moving to the bedside, he looked down at Kael. His expression twisted — a rare flash of grief piercing through his usually stoic mask. He reached out and took Kael's hand — frail, thin, barely warm.
A soft golden glow pulsed from his palm as he transferred mana into the sleeping boy.
"Look at you," he whispered. "What have you done to my Robert…"
He tightened his grip slightly. "Just get better quickly, will you? Give me one of your rude remarks again. Steal from my plate when you think I'm not looking…"
A faint chuckle escaped him. But his voice wavered at the end.
"I won't be around for a while. Elric's coming to the palace. I need to be there. So I won't be able to change your flowers for a bit."
He leaned closer, resting a hand over Kael's heart.
"We're all waiting for you, you know… Our hero."
A pause.
Then he stood and moved to the balcony, slipping into the night without another word.
A single tear slid from the corner of Kael's eye, soaking into the pillow beneath him.
Unnoticed.