Two Suns Within

Two Suns Within

The darkness was no longer empty.

A faint glow from an oil lamp slowly seeped into Zio's vision. Shadows swayed gently across the wooden walls, dancing with the small flame flickering in the corner of the room.

Zio drew a slow breath and tried to open his eyes. He attempted to move his fingers.

His body didn't respond at once. It was as though it still needed time before it would obey him again. Without realizing it, he inhaled too deeply, then let the breath escape in a slow exhale. Even the sound of his own breathing felt unfamiliar.

The silence within him was strange, yet not frightening. It only left him wondering whether he had truly awakened, or if he had merely drifted from one dream into another.

His chest pulsed again.

Not fast. Not painful.

Before his vision fully cleared, his sense of smell returned first. A sharp herbal scent lingered in the air, mixed with the fragrance of old pinewood. The smell was unfamiliar.

Then he heard Martha breathing.

It came unevenly, as though she were struggling to hold back tears. As his vision gradually sharpened, he saw her still sitting beside the bed. One hand covered her mouth while her chest rose and fell in slow, uneven breaths.

She didn't say a word.

She only drew in a deep breath, then slowly let it out.

Again. And again.

Zio blinked several times, his vision still blurred as he tried to make out the shapes around him.

“Where are we?”

“We've arrived in Elen'shade,” Martha replied. Her voice nearly broke at the end of the sentence.

Several seconds passed before Zio spoke again.

“...I blacked out.”

His gaze remained fixed on the wooden ceiling.

“How long?” he asked quietly.

Martha lowered her head. Her fingers absently smoothed the folds of his blanket before she answered.

“Not long.” Her voice was still hoarse.

A slight frown formed on Zio's face.

“Is it... night or morning?”

“It's still night... but morning's almost here.”

Zio fell silent. His gaze drifted toward the oil lamp glowing in the corner before returning to the ceiling.

He swallowed.

“...The bandits?”

Martha took a deep breath.

“We're safe. An elf patrol arrived not long afterward and dealt with them.”

The tension slowly left Zio's shoulders as he released a long breath.

“That's enough, Zio. Don't think about it anymore. The important thing is... you're awake.”

Zio turned his head slightly toward her.

“I'm sorry... I caused you so much trouble.”

Martha bit her lip. The tears she had been holding back finally slipped down her cheeks.

“No, Zio.”

Her voice trembled.

“I was the one who put us in danger... but you... you were the one who saved me.”

Her hand tightened around his.

Zio couldn't return the grip. His arm still felt too heavy to move.

Instead, he simply let his hand remain in hers.

Silence settled over the room once more.

Within that silence, the only sound that remained was Martha's breathing, still trembling every so often.

***

Martha rose from her chair and walked to the table in the corner of the room. She poured a cup of water before returning to Zio's bedside.

“Here, have some water first.”

Zio gave a faint nod. Martha helped him sit up before offering him the cup. He drank in small, careful sips.

She then picked up a bowl of porridge that had been prepared earlier.

“Eat something first. It's gone a little cold.”

“No, Aunt.”

“Just a little. You haven't eaten since you passed out.”

After a brief hesitation, Zio nodded. He accepted the bowl from her hands.

His first spoonful was painfully slow. Even wrapping his fingers around the spoon still felt unfamiliar.

Martha said nothing. She simply watched him in silence, a faint smile slowly returning to her face.

Zio answered it with a small smile of his own.

Silence settled over the room once more.

A few moments later, footsteps echoed through the clinic hallway.

Martha was the first to look toward the door as it slowly opened.

Trod stepped inside with his usual calm demeanor. Behind him stood a tall man with light-colored hair, silent and unmoving.

Zio's eyes were drawn to him at once.

For some reason, his chest began to pound again.

Almost instinctively, he raised a hand and pressed it against his chest.

Trod let out a quiet breath.

“I thought you'd still be asleep.”

“Uncle...”

“Finish your meal first.”

A faint smile returned to Zio's face.

But a moment later, his gaze drifted back to the man standing behind Trod.

The pounding in his chest refused to fade. Instead, a strange warmth slowly spread through him.

Heavy... yet somehow familiar.

The man remained silent. His eyes never left Zio.

Martha looked at him as well. Not out of suspicion.

There was simply something about his face that felt strangely familiar.

She stepped a little closer to Trod.

“Who is he?” she whispered.

“Later,” Trod replied shortly.

“Not here.”

***

A few minutes passed.

The man stepped closer to Zio's bedside. He raised a hand and lightly touched the pendant resting against Zio's chest.

“I expected this,” he said quietly. “It's reached its limit.”

Silence fell over the room.

Zio had no idea what the man meant. Before he could ask, another pulse throbbed through his chest.

Almost instinctively, he pressed a hand against it.

“What are you feeling right now?” the man asked.

Zio hesitated before swallowing.

“My body feels... strange.”

Trod's expression immediately hardened.

Beside the bed, Martha held her breath.

The man gave a slow nod.

“We have to act immediately. But not here.”

“What?!” Martha exclaimed.

“He just woke up! He hasn't even fully recovered yet!”

“We can take him to the Capital City Hospital,” she said quickly. “That way, whatever this is won't happen again.”

Trod gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Martha.”

The man spoke again.

“Taking him there will only create far greater problems.”

“What do you mean?” Martha asked, staring at him.

The man remained silent. Martha opened her mouth as if to argue, but no words came.

After a long moment, she let out a slow breath.

“...Alright.”

“But not tonight. He needs to rest.”

She looked at Zio.

“We'll leave tomorrow.”

“For now, we'll take him to my relative's house nearby.”

Not long afterward, a healer and a nurse entered the room.

After examining Zio for several minutes, the healer gave a small nod.

“His condition is stable for now. Even so, I'd recommend taking him to the Capital City Hospital tomorrow for a thorough examination.”

“That won't be necessary,” Martha replied firmly. “We're taking him home.”

“Are you certain?” the healer asked, frowning.

Martha answered with a quiet nod.

The healer let out a resigned sigh.

“Very well. But if his condition changes, bring him back immediately.”

***

Trod carried Zio out of the clinic.

The cool night air greeted them the moment they stepped outside. They walked along the quiet streets until they reached a two-story house.

The house was still brightly lit. Warm light spilled from the windows, casting a welcoming glow into the darkness.

The front door opened before Martha even had the chance to knock.

An elven woman stood in the doorway and looked at Martha.

“You're here awfully late. It's almost dawn.”

Her gaze shifted to the group gathered outside.

“If I'd known you were bringing this many people, I would've prepared more food.”

Martha offered a tired smile.

“Sorry.”

The woman's eyes then fell on Zio, who was still resting in Trod's arms.

“What happened to him?”

“Just a minor accident,” Martha replied shortly.

They stepped inside.

Zio opened his eyes slightly. The light inside the house was far brighter than the dim oil lamp back at the clinic.

For the first time that night, the tightness in his chest eased, if only a little.

“There's only one vacant room upstairs,” the woman said.

“That'll be enough,” Trod replied.

Still carrying Zio, Trod followed the woman up the stairs while Martha walked behind them.

When they reached the room, Trod carefully lowered Zio onto the bed.

Martha quietly took a seat beside him.

Trod turned to the light-haired man standing nearby.

“We'll be outside for a while,” he said.

***

Trod and the man stood beneath the sprawling branches of a massive tree.

The sounds drifting from the house had long since faded, replaced by the soft whisper of the night wind.

Trod uncapped a small metal flask, took a sip, then held it out.

The man shook his head without taking his eyes off the upstairs window.

“That was close,” Trod muttered. “I was worried she'd insist on taking Zio to the hospital.”

The man narrowed his eyes. Moonlight stretched across the grass, casting long, sharp shadows over his face.

“If that had happened...” he said quietly, “everything we've protected for the past twelve years would have been destroyed.”

Trod swallowed. “They would have seen something that should never exist.”

The man gave a slow nod.

“Two Mana Cores. Two magical hearts within a single human body.”

He fell silent for a moment before continuing.

“The mana scanner at the Capital City Hospital would detect it immediately.”

“He would no longer be treated as a patient.”

Trod let out a slow breath.

“The seal is starting to crack?”

“Yes. His dual cores have begun reacting to one another.”

“I have to begin his training immediately... before it's too late.”

His gaze remained fixed on the window of Zio's room.

A moment later, he lifted his eyes toward the dark northern sky.

“I have to take him to the foothills of the Northern Mountains.”

Trod said nothing.

His gaze drifted into the darkness beyond the village, where the night swallowed everything in silence.