Under the soft sound of the crackling fire, he slowly opened his eyes to welcome its radiant light in the room. He was struggling to lie on a thin mattress on a neatly arranged wooden floor.
When he awoke, he felt a damp cloth on his forehead, which he removed despite sensing his high fever. He tried to rise slowly to his feet, his body weakened by the journey, letting out a faint moan that hinted at his pain. At first, all he could see was a fog of brown and yellow, shaped by the wood and the burning fire in a stone corner.
In his weakened state, just as he stumbled, a smooth and gentle hand, emitting a pleasant scent like a fragrant red flower, lifted him. At that moment, as he was raised, his vision gradually began to return. When he lifted his head, he turned to see a woman whose wide black eyes, accentuated by thick lashes, were staring at him with a smile etched on her twisted lips. Among her beautiful features, the most prominent was an old scar on her right cheek, resembling a jagged line that reached near her eyes.
Although her build was somewhat average, he felt a growing strength within him, allowing her to support him, despite his weakened and heavy body.
Still, thoughts of his sister lingered in his mind as he whispered, letting out burning air from his parched lips: "Sister..." The woman did not hear him as she leaned closer, lifting her soft black hair away from her ear with her right hand. He repeated his words: "My sister..."
The woman hurried to respond, guiding him back to his place: "Oh my God..." She continued, placing her hands on her lips: "You're definitely looking for her; she's at the door with Hana." As she adjusted his massive form back onto the mattress, covering him again, she added: "I will call for her now, but you need to rest first." She called out for her to come from outside the wooden house: "Hana!... Hana!..."
When the door opened, the woman readjusted the cloth on his forehead, and Hannah entered, holding a child who appeared calm with a cheerful face. Hana was surprised by his condition and exclaimed: "He's awake!" She hurried to approach with that woman, who knelt down to observe his state. As Hana approached, the woman said: "You should place his sister near him; he has missed her." Hana nodded, her short hair moving as she sat beside the woman and began to position the girl next to him.
They sat there for a while as the boy lay, his long golden hair cascading over the pillow. He moved his hands, gripped by pain, and tried to play with her, prompting the girl to lick his finger, which appeared to be the size of her head, engaging in hugs. She felt from his aura that he was her brother who had faced hardships for her safety. The woman and the girl gazed in admiration at the scene, and Hana spoke with a tone of reassurance: "Thank God, I thought he would never wake up."
- "After such high fever, I've never seen anything like it."
The woman answered, looking at him with a smile alongside his sister, despite his distress: "Yes..."
- "No wonder; he has a strong build."
Then she stood up and told Hana to rise after their sitting, allowing the boy to rest. Hana complied with her request and straightened up to follow the woman, but they paused when they heard the boy say with difficulty: "Don't worry, stay seated..."
- "I want..."
- "I want to know desperately about the people who saved my life."