The Above

-Fifteen-

I woke up in a room covered in crimson. Contrary to what I had been seeing lately, it wasn't blood. Instead, a lush red made up the walls, engravings written in gold displayed from wall to wall. Meticulous obsidian pillars supported the painted ceiling that I stared at, drooping eyes scanning portraits of people reaching out for each other.

My body ached as I felt every muscle strain to make the slightest motion, groaning and letting myself be engulfed in the lavish satin sheets that lined the comfortable bed I rested upon. I recognized where I was from a few nights previous, ignoring the strange feeling in my stomach from the notion that I was in Calyx's bed.

"Morning, the light of my life," a voice called, and I jumped at the sight of the shadow user that appeared at my side. Sudden movement was not what I needed, as immediate pain shot through seemingly every fiber. "Oh, sorry sunshine, I forgot you aren't in the best shape."

"What's with that nickname?" I moaned, not bothering to look at the bloke I sensed beside me.

"Nothing, I'm just glad you're awake. You were scaring me for a bit there, I missed a lot of training waiting for you."

"You missed..." I muttered, processing his words, "How long was I out?"

"Only like... four days?" he shrugged as if it were nothing.

"Four days?" I exclaimed. The Shadow King only gave off an aura, and I was knocked unconscious for four days! "Was I always this weak?"

"You were never weak, Pylia," he assured me, standing up and leaning on the wooden bedframe. I turned my head to face him regardless of the screaming ache in my neck, looking into his dark eyes that swirled with unreadable emotions, his black hair draped over his refined features. I felt a strange flutter in my chest as he spoke, leaning down closer to me to emphasize his words, "You were always strong. Just because someone had more time to grow their ability doesn't make you feeble. You're inexperienced, but talented. That's not the same as being weak."

Typically, I would've protested. I would've fought against his words because I didn't believe them. But something about the way he spoke and the way I felt when the sentences fell from his lips made me think that maybe, just maybe, he really thought that way about me; that maybe I could be more than just a frail, helpless girl.

"Thanks..." I was slow to speak, forcing out my gratitude for his affirmation while attempting to process the many ways I felt.

"Yeah," he smiled gently, his gaze resting firmly on me. Silence enveloped the room in suffocating tension, as both of us were too stubborn to look away. That, and the fact that there was just something entrancing about the way he looked at me, as if he had accounted for everything there was to observe about me. I wondered if—on the unlikely chance it was true—he really did care.

"Oh, I forgot! We have to be at the cafeteria for training!"

"Wait, what?" Even the thought of exercising while this out of shape was horrendous, but part of me still wanted to. I had, after all, missed four days I could've spent working.

"Yeah... Shadow King's orders," he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, sympathy laced in his voice, "But I'm sure I can excuse us from it! He'll understand, I think."

"No, it's fine," I told him, the screaming pain in my body begging to differ, but I simply ignored it. "I need the practice regardless."

"Are you sure, or are you just saying that?" he questioned, quirking an eyebrow as if he could sense my pain. I nodded and gave him a small smile, and he shrugged, not bothering to start an argument with me. "Alright, but if you feel bad in the slightest, tell me."