Wait... I died?

Vastarael's eyes fluttered open, the bright light of the room blinding him for a moment as his senses scrambled to catch up with his surroundings.

His head felt heavy and his body ached as if every inch of him had been burned. The last thing he remembered was the crushing pain from the solar eclipse, the agony of his very body breaking apart under some invisible force.

Then he remembered meeting Thyrexxa and the important advice of getting a... Orchestral Vialex?

But now he was… alive?

The sterile scent of a hospital ward filled his nose and as his vision cleared, he could see the soft white walls and mystic circles around him. He was lying in a bed, his body hooked up to a machine, its faint beeps and hums signaling the life that still flowed through him.

Before he could fully comprehend what was happening, the room's door opened and suddenly, there was a blur of movement beside him.

"Vastarael! You're awake!"

Milliania's voice was trembling with emotion. She was at his side in an instant, her arms wrapping around him in a desperate, tight hug. Leones followed close behind, his eyes wide in relief and lingering fear. The weight of the moment hit him as both of them squeezed him, their bodies shaking with sobs.

"We thought… we thought we lost you!" Milliania's voice cracked as she spoke, her face pressed against his chest, warm tears staining his hospital shirt.

Vastarael, still groggy, tried to process the flood of emotions coming from his siblings. It was a shock, to say the least. But something about the way they held him was like a punch to the gut.

"Eleven hours… you were gone for eleven hours," Leones whispered, her voice barely audible. "You... you died. And then... then you just came back thirty minutes ago."

Vastarael's heart sank at the realization. He had been dead for eleven hours? The weight of that hit him like a stone in his chest. He opened his mouth to speak but his throat felt dry, and no words came out.

"You're back now," Milliania said softly, pulling back slightly to look at him, though she didn't let go of his hand. "But, what... what happened? You were—"

Before she could say anything, the sound of quiet footsteps echoed across the room, and Lysameria, his mother, appeared in his line of sight.

She looked shattered.

Her face, usually so composed and regal, was drawn with worry and exhaustion, her normally elegant posture crumbled under the weight of the grief she'd carried these past hours.

"Vastarael…" Lysameria's voice trembled as she approached him.

Without hesitation, she dropped to her knees beside the bed and for a moment, just stared at her son, the one she'd nearly lost. Then, unable to hold back the flood of emotion, she reached forward and embraced him, pulling him into a tight, protective hug, just as Milliania and Leones had.

For a long moment, they were all quiet, clinging to him as if afraid he might vanish again. Lysameria's tears soaked into his shoulder, her grip impossibly tight.

"I—I couldn't lose you again," she whispered, her voice thick with sorrow. "I... I thought you were gone. I don't know what I would've done. I thought I would never see you again..."

Vastarael, still in shock, felt the weight of their embrace, but he also felt an overwhelming surge of guilt. The intense pain he had felt earlier now seemed distant, almost like a memory he couldn't fully grasp. But the faces of his family, their tear-streaked eyes and trembling forms, made it all too real.

Seeing his mother cry for the first time in his life shattered him. A famous Nexus, known to be one of the most powerful beings in the world, crying...

If she cried then how was he supposed to feel?

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to scare you," Vastarael whispered hoarsely, his voice raw with the weight of emotions he hadn't known he was carrying. "I didn't... I didn't expect this either."

Lysameria pulled back just enough to look into his eyes, her expression a mix of relief and exhaustion.

"What happened? Why did you... why did you die?"

The question was heavy and for a moment, Vastarael hesitated. He wasn't sure how to explain what had happened, the eclipse, the unbearable pain. But something told him that even if he told them, it would be beyond their understanding...

'Wait. I died?'

But... they wouldn't know what he had felt. The pain, the sensation of his very essence being torn apart, was something that didn't belong in this world. Something only he could truly grasp.

"I don't know… something happened, something... unnatural. It felt like I was being torn apart from the inside."

His voice faltered as he spoke, still too shaken by the experience to describe it fully.

"But it's alright. I'm here now."

Lysameria, though clearly shaken, managed a faint smile. She stroked his white curly hair gently, her hands warm against his skin.

"We're so glad you're back. We almost... we almost lost you, but you're here now. We'll figure this out together. I... I have to go to a Nexus meeting happening in the academy. It seems that Axia has the answer as to why all ten of you died for ten to eleven hours."

"Wha..."

"Adelasta is still... dead. Princess Farrynelle and Narisva too. Princess Elyonari woke up an hour ago."

Vastarael's mind reeled as Lysameria spoke. The moment she mentioned the names of Adelasta, Farrynelle, and Narisva, his heart dropped into his stomach. His breath caught as his mind raced through the implications.

"What?! Adelasta... and the others? Still dead? What do you..."

Lysameria's gaze softened, her lips pressed into a thin line, clearly struggling with the weight of the news.

"Yes. They were all gone, just like you were. But… you're back now, and that means there's hope. If you've resurrected, then they will too. But we don't know why or how it's happening."

Vastarael felt a sickening twist in his gut. Adelasta, the only person in his life who ever truly understood his pain, was still gone. Farrynelle and Narisva, too? He couldn't shake the image of them. Had they suffered the same fate? Were they in pain like he was?

The quiet of the room seemed to press down on him. He blinked, trying to focus, trying to make sense of it all. But it was too much. It felt impossible. It didn't make sense.

Lysameria stood up then, her expression hardening with determination.

"We need to act quickly. You'll have time to process this, but right now, I need to handle the Nexus meeting. I'll be back as soon as I can."

Vastarael opened his mouth to protest, but she held up a hand, silencing him.

"You need to rest, and so do they. The healers are on their way and I will make sure the others are revived. But for now, you need to stay strong."

Turning toward Milliania and Leones, who still stood by his bed, Lysameria's voice became stern.

"Milliania, Leones, follow me. Let the healers do their work here. You'll be with me once I've taken care of the meeting."

Milliania hesitated, glancing back at Vastarael with concern.

"But—"

"You're needed outside. It's important. Don't make me repeat myself."

Milliania bit her lip, clearly torn, but she gave a small nod, accepting her mother's words. Leones, who had been silently observing, stepped forward.

"We'll be okay, Vass," he said quietly. "We'll go with mother."

Lysameria's sharp gaze swept over them one last time before she turned to leave. The sisters followed closely behind, their eyes lingering on Vastarael as if to reassure him, even as the anxiety etched on their faces betrayed the storm of emotions they were still fighting.

As they exited, the door closed softly behind them, leaving Vastarael in the company of the healers who had just entered. He barely registered their presence as they began to assess him, checking his vitals and ensuring that his revival process had been completed correctly.

Vastarael's mind, however, remained focused on the one thought that haunted him: Adelasta. Would she really come back? How long would it take?

And how would he be able to deal with the weight of it all, knowing she had been gone for hours before they could return?

What if she never resurrected?

It was almost too much for him to bear, but for the moment, he let the healers work, trusting that everything would somehow fall into place.