She silently stared at the gap where the mirror used to be. The blood dripping from her landed on the bathroom tiles.
[You've been working hard recently. Take a break.]
She turned her head towards her left arm—its surface painted in glass.
"Right."
[I'll summon you if necessary. Have a nice rest, Blanche.] the god said, his presence vanishing from the room.
"…Maybe I should get a new mirror."
***
Adria lifted her eyes open and met the tall roof of Kath's room. A sense of deja vu washed over her. She whipped her head towards the left and saw Armand sitting beside her; his head bobbing up and down as if he were trying to fight sleep itself.
'How long have I been asleep for?'
Each fibre of Adria's body tingled as if they were shrinking. The usually comfortable bed now felt like it was covered in thorns. She stretched her hands and sat up straight. Armand's head drooped lower, his hair brushing against his cheeks.
Outside was still as bright as ever with the sun resting at its highest point.
"Oh. You're awake." Armand said as he raised his head.
"Yeah," Adria replied. "Are you alright?"
"I should be the one asking you that."
"…How long has it been?"
"Three days, Kath," Armand said, his jaw clenched. "You hadn't woken up in three days. I- we thought something had happened to you. That you'd left us."
Adria's stomach sank. His actual sister had already long left them, and, for around seven days now, a stranger had been living on her body.
"I'm sorry for rambling on as soon as you woke up," Armand stood up and didn't let his face be seen. "I'll tell the physician that you're up."
"…Alright."
Armand's footsteps grew fainter as he walked down the hall, and now, Adria was left alone with her thoughts. She didn't want to think. She didn't know what to think about.
'What happens next?'
She was now a god's avatar. Each breath she took felt more impactful than ever. Her body was more energetic, but oddly enough, it felt as if she hadn't fully assimilated this power.
The bedroom door swung open. Charles came in, eyes wide and shaky, and regret painting his face. He jumped towards Adria and hugged her like a war veteran who hadn't seen his family in forever.
"I'm sorry, Kath." He said, choking and tripping on his words. "I'm so sorry."
Adria placed a hand on his back, reassuring him that he'd done nothing wrong. That she was alright. But all that did was make tears stream from his eyes.
"We should've left as soon as the play was over," he said.
"Don't blame yourself, Charles," she patted his back. "It's alright, see, I'm all fine."
"She's still a patient, Lord Charles." Sir Alaric said. "You shouldn't be hugging her that tightly."
"Right," Charles walked to the door. "…I'm glad you woke up, Kath."
Sir Alaric moved towards the chair beside Adria. "How are you feeling, my lady?"
"I'm alright, sir Alaric."
"That's good," he said, opening his bag and getting the necessary tools ready. "Can I remove the bandage on your head?"
Her finger went up to her forehead. The clean white bandage felt warm to the touch.
"I told them it was unnecessary, but they were worried about you."
"…Yeah, I guess they were."
The warmth of the orange sunset flooded the large room. The short amount of time she spent in the void made her forget just how comfortable this sensation was. The sensation of getting hugged by the sun.
'…I should tell Kath's parents about everything.'
But that same sun made her remember just how real this all was. Kath was cherished and loved by these people. Isn't it unfair to them to be pouring all this love into someone who stole their daughter's body?
Adria felt like a parasite. A monster that consumed and consumed until the host became drained and lifeless.
"Done, my lady," the physician exclaimed, breaking Adria free from her deep trance. "You've been unconscious for a while, but you look even better than before. Are these the advantages of having a god's blood running through your veins?"
She turned her head towards the mirror. The area where the bandage lay now looked paler than the rest of her face.
"Sir Alaric."
"Yes, my Lady?"
"Do you think I should tell my family that I'm an avatar?"
Sir Alaric paused for a moment and looked up at Adria's hazel eyes. He stared hard for what seemed like forever, and as she was about to blink, he replied, "I don't know, my Lady. What's the choice you're leaning towards?"
"I think… I don't want to tell."
"Then don't?"
"Huh?"
"I already told you, didn't I? I'll choose whatever you want to choose. If you think keeping them in the dark is the correct course of action, then I'm with you. If you want to tell them, I'll help you gain the confidence to go there with your chest up high."
"And what if these powers end up affecting me? Would it not be better if they were aware of them ahead of time?"
"That's indeed true."
"So would that be the right choice to make, then?"
"Kath…" Sir Alaric turned his head downward slightly, packing up the tools he left all over the place. "I just want you to pick a choice you're happy with. Telling them would bring you peace of heart and mind, but would it make you any happier?"
"…I'm not sure."
"And neither am I, my lady. Neither am I."
He rose from his chair and held his bag tightly to his arm. "Take care of yourself, Kath," he said, lightly patting her on the top of her head.
"You too, sir Alaric."
"Oh, and by the way, your body has assimilated a decent portion of that power already. Your chances of survival have increased." He said. "Do you know which god you're a vessel for?"
"…No. I wasn't made aware of that information yet."