A little angel

Third-person POV:
At Serenity Hospital...

The atmosphere was very gloomy with the sound of crying as people hugged loved ones who had become corpses. Some screamed, pleading with doctors to save their cherished people, and others were silent, as if their minds were no longer there.

The conditions in the hallways were like a battlefield. The smell of blood filled the air, and all the doctors and nurses looked rushed, trying to help as best they could. Their white uniforms were stained with blood from the victims they were trying to save.

News of the Grim Reaper incident spread everywhere. Many murmured among themselves, filled with fear, worry, confusion, and sadness. All they knew was that only a few places were hit by the Grim Reaper attack that had happened an hour ago.

From the news, what they could gather was, "The Grim Reaper's game of hide-and-seek lasted for an hour but claimed nearly 500 lives, including children, in Serenity City. When the palace and the public from outside tried to help, a visible wall prevented them from entering.

Not a single power magic could break it. Even those from the strongest families or someone with high-level magic couldn't break the wall surrounding the affected areas. They could only hear screams for help and cries of depression, feeling hopeless.

Serenity Palace also didn't escape this terrifying event, but what was on everyone's lips was the Serenity orphanage. It was said to be worse there than in other places. Only 4 children survived that horrifying event, and--," the voice of the newsreader coming from the crystal orb fell silent when Eirian turned off the crystal orb using the wand in his hand.

Although he had no magic, he could use the wand specifically for the crystal orb, which was for viewing news, dramas, and shows.

His gaze was blank as he stared at the black crystal orb, as if he were lost in thought again. The blood- and dirt-stained pajama he wore earlier had been changed to a clean, white hospital gown. His hair looked a little damp after showering.

After a while, lost in his thoughts, he turned around to look at Darien, who lay on the hospital bed, unconscious. Several magic machines were at his side, and a breathing apparatus was on his small face.

His face still looked pale, but now he seemed more serene than when he was in terrifying pain and had nearly lost his life. 

Eirian walked slowly towards his brother's bed, then stood beside it, staring at Darien with an unreadable expression. His hand, in a reflex, gently and carefully adjusted the long bangs on Darien's forehead.

His mint eyes then looked at Darien's face before he held his brother's hand, which had an IV drip connected to his small hand. He held it gently before closing his eyes, taking a breath, and exhaling again. Eirian kept doing the same thing as if trying to ground himself.

He knew that the boy on the bed was not his brother, but his heart seemed to have already become attached to this person he didn't know. Eirian was already familiar with this Darien's warm presence; it was still different from the real Darien, but he still felt comforted by this Darien's existence.

His mind said, this is not your real brother; you shouldn't be with the person who took your brother's body. But at the same time, his heart said otherwise. Stay with this child; remember what Darien last said, he's just a fragile child in your fragile brother's body. You can't leave this child. Eirian could even feel a strong urge to protect him.

Sigh

'I must be going crazy if I continue like this. I guess I'll wait for the right time to ask him. Who is he really? Why is he in my brother's body, and what happened--' Eirian frowned at that thought and shook his head.

"I wish I could question him now, but... I need to wait and see more. How far is he willing to lie and continue to impersonate Darien," Eirian whispered to himself before turning to look at his brother's face, which was still sleeping peacefully.

His gaze softened, but his heart felt as if it had been stabbed, reminding him that this was not the real Darien.

Knock knock knock...

Eirian was startled when someone or two people knocked on his brother's wardroom door. He raised an eyebrow, wondering who would visit them at this time. If it were the investigation team from the palace, they said they would come tomorrow to give them time to recover from the trauma.

"Ah... Come in?"

When the door opened, Eirian was surprised to see that Raiden and the blue-haired girl were his uninvited guests. He was puzzled but let them in, and they came towards him with looks of relief and guilt.

"Raiden? Lirael? What are you doing here? Shouldn't you two be resting now?" Eirian asked. Raiden and the blue-haired girl, whose name was Lirael, looked at each other before looking back at him.

"We just wanted to come to see how Darien was doing. We couldn't feel at ease until we saw him now..." Raiden explained, sounding nervous but with a genuinely worried look.

"Yes, and besides, it was my fault that I almost made your brother lose his life, Eirian... Please forgive me," Lirael said, looking like she was about to cry as she bowed so low to Eirian.

Meanwhile, Eirian was stunned by their confession. He knew Raiden genuinely cared about Darien, but Lirael had never been seen talking to his brother, yet he knew Lirael had been watching Darien from afar all this time and would always ask about his brother's condition when they ran into each other.

"Lirael... It's not your fault... Darien's body has been weak since birth. Besides, what happened today affected his body, but it's not your fault that it happened to him just now. You also helped give Darien time to hold on until the time ran out and asked people for help to treat my brother.

Darien... would surely say the same thing. You don't have to blame yourself anymore," Eirian said with a gentle smile and a look in his eyes as he looked at Darien.

'I don't know why I said that when I don't know anything about the person in my brother's body, but...'

Several images flashed through his mind like a video clip, showing his smile, his actions, his words, and everything. Eirian smiled again, but his eyes held a sad and angry glint, not angry at Darien but at himself.

'He's a kind person, too... Just like Darien... Thinking back, they almost act like the same person, but they're still not the same person... Others might not be able to catch it except me.'

Lirael, touched by Eirian's words, let a tear fall, but she gave a relieved and warm smile. Raiden also smiled, feeling relieved that everything had ended well.

"Yes, I know Darien would say the same thing. He really is a little angel, Eirian. You're lucky to have a brother like him. If it wasn't for him coming to help me just now, I might be dead... Thank you!"

Eirian gave a small giggle, making the two of them wonder why he was giggling. "You can just say thank you to Darien when he wakes up," Eirian said. Lirael immediately blushed in embarrassment while Raiden tried to hold back his laughter.

"Well... about that, I hope I get the chance, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to tell him later," Lirael, who was just blushing, now looked sad. Raiden just gave a sad, understanding smile, while Eirian looked confused for a moment until he understood what Lirael meant.

"Oh... You're going to your relatives' house?"

"Yes, they were supposed to come to get me next week, but after finding out what happened today, they might come tomorrow..."

"Don't worry, we can still meet, can't we? I'm sure you'll get to talk properly with Darien later," Eirian said, trying to comfort the girl. Lirael nodded, understanding, with a small smile.

"Will Darien not wake up tomorrow?" Raiden asked, looking genuinely curious. Eirian gave them a wistful smile before turning to look at his brother again.

"... His condition was quite bad earlier, and the doctor said if it wasn't for Lirael trying to stabilize Darien's condition, he might...," Eirian didn't finish what he was saying, but the two of them knew what he meant.

"Darien is a strong person; he managed to survive death before, and he did again today. He'll surely wake up earlier than before," Raiden said, trying to comfort Eirian, who only felt bittersweet as he remembered the incident a month ago.

Darien never survived; he was already gone because of the incident a month ago, and the Darien in front of them now was not the real Darien. 

"... Yes...," he said, smiling to hide the pain and bittersweetness he was feeling now.

DING!

All of them flinched hard when a similar sound, 'Ding', suddenly appeared, and the same screen showed in front of their faces.

"Not again..."