The X Guide

Ayen nodded at him without forcing himself to open his eyes. He let the warmth envelop him again. He relaxed once more and drifted to sleep.

This time, while he was still in a dreamless state and everything was vivid, it was not as painful as earlier. There was an aching surge from his core, but he could endure it.

Ayen let his subconscious drift somewhere deep within him. There was no anxiety and fear, though it was lonely... He knew he was not alone anymore, and everything would pass.

He knew that once he woke up, someone was waiting for him. They were there waiting for him to wake up and take care of him.

Khal and Devion did not disappoint him.

When he woke up a bit later, Ayen still did not know how many hours he had been unconscious, but he vaguely knew that it was more than his first unconscious state.

His eyelids were still heavy, and he remained feeling weak, but he managed to open his eyes slightly. Ayen was often in this state, though. His half-lidded eyes were something the two were accustomed to.

However, it felt different. If they found such Ayen adorable and mostly indulged his desire to sleep in, the two only felt distress while looking at him at this moment.

Ayen’s complexion had always been pale, but he did not look as fragile as he was now. He looked so weak that both Khal and Devion took a deep breath to suppress their emotions once they met Ayen’s eyes.

They could not get emotional, especially as Ayen needed their support and care, not their complaints.

"Are you hungry?"

"Do you want anything?"

Their two questions almost overlapped. Ayen blinked his eyes slowly and swallowed, but found his mouth was too dry. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Ayen was just too weak to even make a sound. This wave of weakness was a significant side effect of the procedure. Since his wavelengths were unstable at the moment, most of his body functions were also impacted.

"Wa...ter..." Ayen forced himself to utter those words, and yet it already took most of his available strength.

"Okay, okay..." Devion stood up and went to the table by the side.

Khal watched him and could not help but remind him.

"Careful."

Devion merely nodded at him. Khal observed him for a moment before he returned his gaze to Ayen, who closed his eyes again. Khal sighed and brushed Ayen’s soft hair.

"Do you want to eat?" Khal held Ayen’s hand.

Ayen did not have any appetite. He was thirsty, but he was not hungry. Or he was hungry, but he could not feel it at all. Not hearing an answer from him, Khal did not ask again.

Soon, Devion returned with the glass of warm water. Ayen was then helped get up by Khal as Devion put the glass in his mouth. Slowly, Ayen moistened his lips and drank a mouthful, but he was forced to stop.

"Is it hurt?" Devion asked. He was familiar with it, and so he knew. Khal looked at Ayen and wiped the corner of his lips.

Ayen nodded. He was so thirsty, but there was an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach as he drank the water. He could not continue anymore.

"It’s fine," Khal assured. "We’ll administer fluids and nourishment again."

Ayen was currently under IV fluids, and vital detectors were also connected to him. Other than physical sustenance, they needed to administer a mana stabilizer.

Khal’s jar only helped the physical wounds; it was not about the wavelength, and so he could not help Ayen’s situation. This was frustrating for all of them.

Ayen glanced at them, his eyes conveying many questions that his mouth was unable to voice in his condition. Fortunately, there were only a few possible questions he could ask the two.

Once Ayen was settled again in the bed.

"You’ve been asleep for five hours," Devion informed him, sitting beside Khal.

Five hours? It was not as long as he thought. It was also to be expected. Deep sleep would not occur to him, and he might have fragmented sleep for a few days until things stabilized.

There was not much that happened during that time frame, and so Ayen did not miss anything.

"The test didn’t have results yet. Mikhael said it’s possible to get it in a week." He continued.

Khal let Devion speak to also alleviate his anxiety. Between them all, Devion had the weakest mental state, and also, what Ayen was experiencing was something he also went through.

While Khal experienced the same, it was as long as Devion’s.

This was also to distract his mind. Ayen might also be thinking the same thing as he listened intently. Despite how heavy his eyelids were, he did not close them fully.

There was not much to talk about, but Devion continued even if they were already off-topic. Until Ayen closed his eyes and his breathing became even again.

Once Devion saw Ayen drifting to sleep again, the expression he was suppressing appeared on his face, and he leaned weakly in his seat.

"Is it worth it?" Devion whispered after a while.

Khal sucked a breath and let Devion lean into his shoulder, their gazes watching Ayen sleep. Obviously, it was not a peaceful one. Yet, they could not do anything about that.

"I don’t know," Khal honestly answered. While he wanted to ease Devion’s mind, he did not want to lie to him either.

There were some occasions when he lied to him, that everything would be alright even if he was not sure himself. Those were the circumstances that both of them needed.

Khal was not just lying for Devion’s sake, but even more so for himself. If he fell apart, who could Devion hold onto to stabilize his emotions?

This was not the same situation. The uncertainty seemed to have passed, but it only greatly entangled them.

"But we’ll figure it out. We always do." Khal turned and kissed Devion’s head deeply, closing his eyes.

Devion leaned into him and gradually nodded.