Yuna Wakes.

Ugh… my head… it's going to explode.

A searing pain split through my skull, sharp and relentless. It was as if someone had driven a thousand needles through my mind. My entire body felt like it had been shattered and reassembled with trembling hands. Every limb was weak, like my bones were made of wet paper. I couldn't move, couldn't think.

My eyelids fluttered open—just barely—and all I could see were blurred shadows. The world around me looked like a haze of fog and light. A figure stood nearby, but I couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman. Was that… Liora? I couldn't make sense of anything. The pain throbbed again, stronger this time. I groaned softly.

I closed my eyes again, the pressure in my head unbearable. Maybe if I just slept a little more… maybe the pain would fade. Maybe this nightmare would disappear when I woke up again.

But then—

Noise.

Too many voices. Echoes. Chaos.

A girl was sobbing beside me, her voice cracked and desperate. "My lady… my lady…!"

Men's voices followed—bored, indifferent.

"She's alive?" one muttered, almost annoyed.

"Did she really wake up?" another asked as if confirming a rumor.

Footsteps thudded across the floor. A door creaked open. The girl shouted again, "My lady has awakened!"

And then I heard a man groan: "Tch. What a headache…"

What the hell…? They sounded like they were discussing some stranger in a meeting room—not someone who had just come back from the edge of death.

Their voices drilled into my skull, ringing like cymbals. I clutched my head with my right hand, gritting my teeth. "Please… just keep quiet…" I muttered under my breath.

The room fell silent.

Too silent.

Then—

"What did you just say?" one of the boys demanded from my left.

His voice was sharp, suspicious.

The other boy spoke dismissively, "Leave it. She's not in her right mind."

Anger flared in my chest, burning hotter than the pain in my body.

What kind of people talk like this in front of someone who's suffering?!

I didn't care about the weakness anymore. I forced myself upright, wincing as every muscle protested. My voice, though slightly hoarse, came out firm and clear:

"Hey! I said… keep quiet!"

The room froze.

I blinked a few times as my vision sharpened—and finally, I saw where I was.

A grand bedroom, far too elegant for a hospital. The bed beneath me was soft like a cloud, covered in rich silks. The air smelled faintly of medicine and incense. Thick curtains draped over tall windows, blocking out any sunlight. Around my bed hung sheer white veils, like the canopy of a royal cradle.

Two young men stood to my left , both dressed in fine suits. Their expressions were frozen in a mixture of shock and disbelief.

Strangers.

"Who… are you?" I asked, my voice wary, like I'd just walked into the wrong house.

That's when I heard soft sobbing again.

I turned to my right—and saw her.

A girl with dark brown hair braided loosely down her shoulder. Some strands had fallen free, framing her tear-streaked cheeks. Her face was round and gentle, and her figure was average—neither thin nor curvy, just… human. Real. She wore a simple maid's uniform: a high-neck dark dress with a slightly faded white apron, though it was impeccably neat.

"Hey… you," I said, still unsure of where I was. "Why are you crying?"

She gasped and looked up at me, blinking rapidly through her tears. Her eyes… muted moss green—deep, calm, and expressive. There was something deeply grounded about her gaze, but also… a haunting sadness.

"M-My lady…" she whispered.

I reached out instinctively, brushing the tears off her cheeks.

"Why are you crying? What's going on?"

Just then, a man seated on my left leaned forward. He was older, with a physician's calm air. He looked at me closely and asked, "Lady Liora… do you know who you are?"

I blinked.

Lady… Liora?

"What?" I breathed.

I lifted my hand. It looked smaller—paler—than I remembered. These weren't my hands. My skin had always had a healthy tone. This was… fragile. Almost ghostly.

Then I touched my hair. Silky strands slid through my fingers.

Blue. Pale blue.

"I'm… Liora?" I whispered.

The physician leaned in again. "Do you know where you are, my lady?"

I couldn't answer. My mouth opened, but nothing came out.

Then a boy stepped forward from behind the physician. His hair was a stunning mix of yellow-blond with silver undertones, tousled just enough to look effortlessly perfect. His silver-gray eyes—just like mine now—watched me carefully. There was intelligence in them, but not warmth.

He wore a formal navy-blue jacket, paired with a cream-white cravat fastened by a small brooch. Everything about him was clean, sharp, and composed.

He tilted his head slightly.

"Liora… don't you know who we are? Don't you recognize your own brothers?"

I opened my mouth. "Ha…?"

I shut my eyes tight, pressing my palm to my forehead.

Who are they…?

Then—

A flash of memory.

The white space. The robed man. The glowing images he showed us.

The boys in those visions—

I gasped and looked up at them. "Brothers…?"

The other boy, standing behind the physician's right, scoffed.

"Brother?" he repeated with a sneer.

His hair was pitch-black and silky, his bangs longer and framing his emerald green eyes. Those eyes were narrow and sharp—cutting. His face was handsome in a cold, regal way, but there was no affection in his gaze. Just irritation.

His voice was low, laced with annoyance. "Who's your brother?"

The other brother—blond and calmer—blinked. His expression softened ever so slightly.

But before I could say anything more, another wave of pain exploded through my skull.

"Ugh—my head!" I gasped, clutching my temples.

The physician immediately stepped in. "Don't overexert yourself. Don't try to remember everything at once."

He handed me a small vial of medicine, and the maid gently poured it into water. She lifted the glass to my lips and helped me drink. Her hands were trembling.

"Please rest, my lady," she said softly. "When you wake again, I'll tell you everything."

I could barely keep my eyes open. The medicine was already working. My body sagged into the mattress.

Her voice was the last thing I heard.

"…Now you should—"

CREAK.

The door opened.

And the entire room went silent.

Footsteps.

Someone entered.

And everyone else… held their breath.