As soon as they saw the worried look in Rona's eyes, Esmeralda, Lyrica, and the others immediately rush to the second-floor corridor and Nela's room.
Lyrica slams the door open, allowing the old lady and Nela's younger brothers to get to her and check her up.
"I was about to go down to the living room after fixing the beds when I noticed ate Nela's door was still closed."
"Rona?" Lyrica uttered as she looks down at the little girl standing beside her.
"I thought it was strange because ate Nela would always leave her door open in the morning, so I went to check it out."
Despite the blank expression on her face, tears are starting to pool from the corner of her eyes.
"I wanted to apologize to her for what I did yesterday. But when I entered the room, ate Nela is..."
"That's enough, Rona." Lyrica lifts the little girl with her gentle hands.
Rona asks Lyrica if Nela would be all right, but the girl did not say a word and instead tightened her embrace to the little girl.
'Damn it, I knew this would happen.'
When Lyrica saw Nela spacing out in the rain yesterday, as well as witnessing her sudden outburst towards Rona, Lyrica already knew what was going on. It's the same thing that happened to her 6 years ago.
"Nela is making shallow breaths, she's sweating excessively, and her chest seems to be in pain," Esmeralda uttered.
"Do you have any medicine here?" Lyrica asked the old lady.
"Medicine? Maybe... There has to be."
Esmeralda urged Nilo and Robert to help her find medicine in the house. As the three exits the room to find one, Lyrica puts Rona back down and went closer to the bedridden Nela.
'It has to be the result of her doing almost all the work every day. Lyrica mumbled to herself. 'She's pushing herself to the point that she's barely getting enough rest.'
Lyrica realized what was going on. That is why she tried to help lessen the work for Nela last night as well as give her something that could help her get better.
'It was naive of me to think that things will get any better by just doing a few things.' Lyrica pursed her lips before she starts gritting her teeth in frustration. 'No, I realized what was going on but it was already too late.'
It's the same thing right as the jeepney was about to hit her back then. She realized that she no longer hated her parents. She also realized that her parents couldn't have gone down the wrong path if she did things differently. However, she realized all of them when it was already too late.
Thinking about it makes Lyrica hate herself more than anything she has ever hated in the world.
"Ina...!"
Nela's suddenly speaking with her frail voice followed by a cough alerted Rona and Lyrica.
"ate Nela, you should rest."
"Do not push yourself."
"I'm sorry..." She continued to speak despite the two telling her to just rest. "I-I didn't want Robert, and Nilo, and Rona to come l-looking for Ina... That's why I-I did everything I could for them... S-So that if they need anything, they only need to look for m-me."
Lyrica gently holds Nela's hand and the girl started crying.
'I know. The old lady told me.' Said Lyrica to herself inside her thoughts. 'You did it so that your siblings would never have to go looking for someone who will never come back. You wanted to move on along with your siblings, but the one who couldn't forget her mother is you.'
Lyrica let out a short sigh before she begins to speak to Nela.
"You know, not forgetting things doesn't necessarily mean we can't move on from our past, from our mistakes." She told Nela as she tightens her grasp. "Sometimes, those memories are what helping us move on with our lives. To avoid doing the same mistakes again. To start over. That's why..."
Nela paused for a moment before shifting her half-open eyes towards Lyrica.
"You don't have to force yourself anymore."
The words that spilled out of Lyrica's mouth made Nela cry once more. However, it was no longer a cry of sadness, nor pain. It was the cry of realization.
Thanks to Lyrica, Nela realized she didn't have to forget her mother. She realized it is not the only way. The memories she had with her mother will instead give her the strength to move forward along with her siblings.
"Ate Nela..."
Right at that moment, Lyrica and Rona could hear the distant footsteps of Esmeralda and the two young boys coming closer. They all appeared before the open door but they got no medicine in hand.
"There's nothing left."
"I found a small bottle of healing potion but..." Robert shows the small bottle containing red liquid inside. "...Healing potions like these are only meant to heal wounds and bruises. We will need someone who can use healing magic or a potion that's made to cure illnesses."
"Well, do we have someone in this town that can use healing magic? Or perhaps a store to buy a potion that we need?"
As the old lady shakes her head in response to Lyrica, Esmeralda states that healing magic is such a rare ability that not even a single person in Kruule possesses it. Not only that, there are no stores in Takkot where they can buy a healing potion that can cure illnesses.
When Lyrica asked where they can buy healing potions, Robert stated that the nearest town where they can buy healing potions is in the town of Kabba. However, Esmeralda added that the town is now gone.
"What do you mean gone?"
When Lyrica said those words, she recalled hearing a group of people talking about a town that got annihilated for some unknown reason.
'Is that town they're talking about the one called Kabba? No!' Lyrica immediately shook her head. 'We don't have time to think about that now!'
As the anxiousness is beginning to envelop the whole room, Lyrica asks Esmeralda and Robert one more time:
"Is there any other place where we can get something to help Nela?"
Roberto and Esmeralda continue to think. With the town of Kabba that mysteriously disappeared now out of option, they now consider going into two other towns or towards the capital. But seeing Nela who's body is continuously burning up intensely, they can't afford to take travels for more than an hour.
It almost seems like there are no more options out there. But Lyrica thinks otherwise.
"It's not all too late." Lyrica declared. "There's gotta be someplace nearby where we can get some medicine. Maybe some medicinal herbs? Anything."
"Ah!"
Rona who shouted out of nowhere got everyone's attention. She uses the moment to tell everyone about a beehive located in a mountain on the east side of the town. It is said that the mother bee's honey can cure almost anything, including illnesses just by taking a sip.
"Is that true?"
Esmeralda interjected between Lyrica and Rona's conversation, confirming what the little girl said to be true. However, the creatures Esmeralda called the Wither Bees are powerful and dangerous. A mere slime or a goblin is nothing compared to it.
"So they're dangerous, huh? That's all I need to know."
Lyrica lets go of Nela's frail hand and walks over to the door.
"I'm heading out quick."
"Wait, you're going to that beehive? It's dangerous!"
The old lady warns Lyrica that she could get killed by the Wither Bees, but the girl would only look back. Her face showing no fear nor hesitation but the sheer will to get what Nela needed.
"I'll be all right."
The girl leaves, leaving behind everyone in Nela's room. As she walks down the stairs, her red headphones materialize overhead.
'It's not too late. It will never be too late. Because I'm here.'
She then confidently walk across the living room towards the door. She opens the door, ready to go forth towards the mountains.
"Ah?"
"Ah."
However, she was stopped by the sight of Riko standing right outside the door.
"Riko?"
"Lyrica?"