Meanwhile, in another section of the building. Lucas had settled down into his bed as he stared at the ceiling silently. His eyes were wide open as if he had no intention of sleeping.
His mind was still actively working on full-throttle. He was beyond exhausted, mentally and physically. The last two weeks of his life were the most brutal by far. He didn't even know how he survived this long alone and yet somehow, here he was, in a safe place.
He had a warm bed, a ceiling, and no fear of monsters attacking him and killing him when he was asleep. Yet, he couldn't even feel a shred of relief. It was but another night he had to spend alone without his soulmate next to him.
Turning around to his side, he stared at the empty spot where someone should've been. That spot was cold and gloomy with nothing familiar about it.
As he was like that, the door to his room was knocked, snapping him out of his thoughts. Looking to the side, he frowned.
'Who's coming to visit me now?' He thought to himself.
After Talon left, Hyun-Jae ordered some workers to escort him to a room and tend to his needs. She also made sure that he was checked up for any illnesses beforehand and handed him food.
He didn't recognize the girl and yet she treated him very kindly without saying a single word. He also noticed the dark expression on her face the moment the news of Talon's mother reached her so he assumed that she was a friend of his son.
After entering his room, nobody gave him a visit. Yet, now, at almost 12 in the morning, someone was knocking on his door.
So, he stood up and walked to the door before he opened it. There, he saw someone he didn't expect to see at all. A man he was very familiar with.
"... Evan? Is that you?" He asked with a shocked expression.
The man looked up with a serious expression. "It has been a long time, Lucas."
"... It has been. I didn't know you were here. I met your daughter earlier today but she didn't tell me about you."
After hearing the news, Sophie left the place immediately with tears in her eyes. She was intending to chase Talon, only for Hyun-Jae to stop her. The two broke into an argument over it and she ended up returning to her room after it.
The situation was so tense that Chin-Hwa had to interject and stop them from fighting.
"Yeah, I have been in her room... She isn't doing well." Evan replied before he pointed behind Lucas. "Would you mind if I talk to you for a minute inside?"
"Of course, you're welcome!" With that, Lucas let his old friend inside before closing the door.
The two walked into the room and sat on the chairs facing each other. Then, Evan exhaled a small breath before he spoke. "I'm sorry for your loss, Lucas. Your wife was a good woman. I couldn't believe it when I heard that."
"... Thank you." Lucas nodded his head. "I still can't believe that it's reality. Everything is just too blurry for me."
"I feel you... Even to this day, I still didn't get over my wife's death." Evan nodded his head with a sad expression. "After all these years, it still hurts to think about it just like the first day."
"Thank you for telling me. I appreciate it."
"Any time. Even though we had our disagreements before, I still see you as a friend, Lucas."
"The same here. I wished we wouldn't cut each other for such a long time. But, life does ruin you when you let it."
Evan nodded his head as he stood up and approached his friend before he extended his hand. "The past is in the past. Let's work together for the sake of our children."
Looking surprised, Lucas took a few seconds to react before he took Evan's hand with a tired smile. "Yes, for their sake."
After that, Evan excused himself so that Lucas could rest. The latter wished he could talk to his old friend more and catch up on so many years. But since it was late, he let him go. When he went back to his bed, he fell on top of it tiredly. Yet, for some reason, his heart felt a lot lighter after that conversation.
He didn't know why, but his mind cleared up a little and he could think better. 'Mee, I think I know what I'm going to do... Please look over us...'
With that hopeful thought in mind, he felt his eyelids finally close as he drifted to sleep for the first time in two weeks.
***
The morning eventually came and the sun peeked through the window in Talon's room. Looking to the side, Acrypha sighed. "It's already the morning."
Then, her eyes shifted down to the human sleeping in her lap. Her hand was still gently caressing his hair. She didn't notice the time passing when she was doing it and she was rather displeased that the day had arrived.
As she was like that, she felt a subtle movement from Talon. The young man frowned slightly as he opened his eyes. Staring up, his eyes made contact with Acrypha.
"Acrypha..." He murmured as he tried to rise up, only for the woman to pull his head down.
"I'm going to close the curtains, you can go back to sleep. It's still early." She said softly as she snapped her fingers, making the curtains move on their own as if some kind of invisible force touched them.
"... I can't sleep more..."
"Then sit here and just relax. You aren't going to do anything today. I want you to rest. Understood?"
Talon wanted to retort, but deep inside, he didn't want to move an inch. The comfort of Acrypha's lap was simply too enticing for him. Not to mention the horrifying lack of motivation he was going through at that moment.
"Ok..." Sighing, he replied as he put his hand over his eyes.
"Have some time off. It's as important as hard work. You deserve a break after everything that happened." She smiled softly as she rubbed her thumb across his cheek.
A//N: If you enjoyed reading, don't forget to support the book with GT and PS. Thank you!