The pungent scent of antiseptic mixed with the slightly smoky smell of disinfectant was not the reason why I woke up from my deep slumber, dragging me out from my nightmares, but the hushed murmurs behind the white curtains, surrounding the bed where I rested, mingling with the subtle whirring of the AC."I don't get why she fainted." Keiran uttered, a mix of confusion and worry is laced on his voice. "She looked fine just moments before.""What did you talk about before she fainted?" My brows furrowed upon hearing Kairos' voice.I slowly sit up, resting my back at the steel headboard of the bed, listening closely to their conversation. The bonds in this world are quite different from mine, the shock from Keiran and Achilles' relationship in this world hasn't fully sunk in to me, but strangely as it sounds, the affiliation of these two men behind the curtains doesn't truly surprise me. I wasn't sure how, but at the night of Keiran's death, is when I found out that he's friends with the Duke of the North, and that the duke was more than willing to set the Capital into flames if something bad would happen to me or my family. Unfortunately, it was too late for him to get into the Capital in time, I never had a chance to see him even before my death."Nothing serious, I just introduced myself, then she asked what's my relationship with Achilles, I told her that I'm his twin, and then she started hyperventilating." Keiran explained.Kairos sighed, "No wonder." He exhaled once more before I heard the chair move as he walked towards my bed and drew aside the curtain to check on me. He gave me a weary smile upon meeting my gaze. "Are you feeling better now?""Rin!" Keiran rushed beside me, reminding me once again how cruel this world can be, for robbing me of the privilege to be his sister. He was meant to be my twin, -my only ally -and not by that heartless man."Are you fine now?" he asked after settling himself in a chair beside my bed, while Keiran remained standing at the foot of the bed, looking at us with amused expression, with his hands in his pocket.I forced a smile at him, gently brushing aside the loose strands of his crimson hair on his face, revealing the Orion's belt moles above his right eyebrow. The sight of it stirred something in me, and I felt a lump rise in my throat. I swallowed hard and coughed lightly to steady my voice, "I'm fine, now. Don't worry." I replied to Kairos' question as I pulled my hand away from Keiran."Are you sure? You're not hurt anywhere?" Keiran pressed for answers, like a doting older brother, -worry etched on his face while checking on me, not even noticing the gesture I did just now. My heart aches as I fought the swell of emotions threatening to break free. I shouldn't confuse myself -the person in front of me was no longer my brother. He wasn't the twin I lost back in my world. In this cruel reality that I now have, my twin brother, Keiran, was merely a fictional character who had a strong influence on my life.I took a deep breath, pulled away my hands, and nodded at him, a reassuring smile plastered on my lips. "I just...freaked out a little when I learned that you are related with his-" I paused when I almost said the word his highness, and swallowed hard, correcting how I address that person in this world, "I mean Achilles Dimitri."The way that name curled into my tongue feels like venom slowly spreading in my body, paralyzing my senses from the pain, numbing the little emotion left in my heart. My eyes flickered down for a moment before meeting Keiran's confused gaze, hoping he wouldn't notice the façade of calmness that I was trying to maintain."Why? Did my twin do something to you?" he asked, a mix of confusion and worry etched on his face.I shook my head, "Let's just say that I had a complicated relationship with your brother, so hearing his name, kind of freaked me out." I told him a white lie, hoping to stop him from digging for further information."Is it hard to tell me?" Keiran asked, his brows furrowed with concern, "I know we just met but since it involves my twin-"Kairos cleared his throat, cutting him off, as he rested his palm on Keiran's shoulder, "Quin..." He intervened which is what I needed the most at the moment. I turned to Kairos, feeling a surge of gratitude towards him, so I offered him a thankful smile.The warmth of Keiran's gaze felt comforting, and I could hear the sincerity in his voice, making it for me to struggle even more trying to remain calm in front of him. Even my hands clutched tightly on my lap were trembling, as I hold back from telling him an unspoken reality for me, yet a mere fantasy for them.Keiran sighed in defeat, his shoulders slumping slightly, forcing himself to not probe further, "I understand." I can't help but smile. His unwavering principles mirrored his character from Karina's book, leaving a deep sense of pride to me. It reassured me that even if we're not related, he was still the same Keiran -the one who always stood up for what was right, comforting and courageous, -reminding me of the happy memories I had with my twin.I took a deep breath and turned to Keiran, "I apologize for my disgraceful behavior in your clubroom, but may I still join the Artisan's Den?"For the first time, after all the chaos I caused, Keiran finally gave me a worry-free smile again, and started jubilantly stomping his feet, his arms folded under his chin. Anyone else might find a fully-grown man with bright red hair acting this way, unappealing, but to me, he was simply adorable."Of course! I would love to have you in my club." His excitement surged in an instant, totally forgetting the chaotic events we had just experienced.My lips parted with glee to his reaction, he was over the moon, and him, getting all excited like a child is truly infectious. The heavy feeling in my chest disappeared in an instant while watching his carefree attitude. The only solace I got after facing a harsh reality was seeing my twin counterpart, happy and safe in this world. Even though I still find it unacceptable that he is related to Achilles, I'm simply happy that in this world, he's healthy and well."Do you know that I've been wanting to meet you ever since I read your column in our university newspaper?"I nod, chuckling as Keiran starts prattling away happily, "Yes, the twin told me." I answered simply which made him keep going on his story on how he began following my column, he even mentions the event that I don't remember, -the plagiarism issue involving the original Karina and her former club vice president – in a nutshell, considerate enough to spare me from a painful memory that I wasn't really involved with in the first place."...and then I saw you in the gym, having a fencing match with Kai. Even the twins won't take their eyes off of you and kept asking everyone they knew about you."All I could do was listen and occasionally nod as Keiran kept on with his charming chatter, blessing the small clinic room with his positivity. Just then, I caught a glimpse of Kairos, now sitting at the empty bed beside mine with an enigmatic smile on his lips that made it seem like he was savoring a moment that only he could understand. And when he noticed my gaze fixed on him with quiet intensity, he reverted back to his calm demeanor."He's a chatterbox, right?" Kairos chuckled, interrupting Keiran midway, from his endless storytelling. He stood up, acting cool despite the color of his ear almost having the same hue as Keiran's hair. "We should go back to your clubroom. The twin is probably getting impatient to know Karina's situation." He pointed at Keiran's phone which kept on lighting up in his hand."Oh! Yeah, you're right. I totally forgot." Keiran said before checking the contents of the twin's messages. "Dang! They really bombarded me with calls and texts. It's a good thing I silent my phone after coming here." Kairos and I laughed at his lack of guilt and even turned off his phone so the twin couldn't bother him anymore.As if on cue, the door swung open, revealing Lila with a furious expression, "Quin! I told you to call us when- Rin!!!" Her anger subsides upon seeing me awake and rushed on my side, even pushing Keiran to the side. "Are you okay now?"Jaxon followed behind her, "Quin won't answer our texts and calls so we thought that we should check on you ourselves."I smiled at them, gently ruffled Lila's hair, "Forgive me for worrying you. But I'm fine now."Lila placed her head on my lap, like a cat wanted to be pet, so I pet her head again. "I won't probe for answers why you fainted, but you really had us worried.""Yeah," I replied, feeling grateful for their consideration. "Honestly, I'm good now. In fact, we were just about to go back in the clubroom."Lila exchanged glances with Keiran, then smiled at me. "Then we can go all together."With a sense of companionship blooming on my chest, I nodded with a smile. "I'd love that."As we made our way out of the clinic, I couldn't help but observe quietly these people around me, - Keiran's compassion, Lila's patience, Jaxon's level-headedness, and Kairos' honest yet enigmatic behavior -they reminded me of the people I had cherished in my world. As if it was their fate to meet me instead of the original Karina, -a fated proximity designed only for me.The smile on my lips remained as I watched the Keiran and the twin's playful banter. Their laughter echoed down the hallway, reminding me of Keiran, Luca, and Yuna's mischievousness. My heart still aches whenever I think of them, but seeing these three soothes me from the pain weighing on my chest. Because of them, the loneliness and guilt I felt after coming into this world subtly subsides, and my shattered self was restoring, piece by piece.I glanced at Kairos, adjusting his stride, slightly aligning his rhythm with mine, reminding me once again of that person who suddenly disappeared from my life, leaving no traces behind him, just like how he appeared. know that he's doing it purposely, as if waiting for my curiosity, -his closeness with Keiran, what he knows about the original Karina's relationship with Achilles, his reason for quitting the Fencing club, his reason for holding back in our fencing match -to slip in.I admit that I have a lot of things that I wanted to ask him, but in a few encounters, I had with him, added with the unexpected connections of this world and twisted possibilities, I made a decision."I'll take my time fitting each puzzle pieces you were throwing at me." Kairos only chuckled at my declaration.I faced him with a genuine smile, "So, stay interesting."