Chapter 157. A Still Heart Waits for Spring
The room was silent.
Not the kind of silence that comes from peace or sleep — but the kind that follows a storm. The kind that hums with what cannot be said, with everything already said, and with the truth too heavy to be spoken again.
Adrian lay on the platform at the center of the cryo-lab, white sheets tucked neatly over his body, sensors trailing over his pulse points like the roots of something still alive, still refusing to let go.
Yuin stood on one side, trembling fingers adjusting the final calibrations. Lucas stood opposite, jaw clenched, eyes wet. The chamber around them thrummed with energy — the hum of technology both ancient and ahead of its time, a miracle and a farewell rolled into one.
And standing at the edge of the platform...
Ethan.
His hands were clenched into fists, though his voice had long gone quiet. No more shouting, no more begging. His world — the only person who ever made him feel vulnerable, brave, and alive — was lying there, eyes closed, trusting them all.
Trusting him.
"Is there no other way?" Seraphina’s voice broke through the thick silence.
She was nineteen now, bold and tall like her father, but her words were small.
"No," Yuin said gently, not looking up. "We’ve exhausted every protocol. His brain activity is stable, but the condition is... dormant. Unpredictable. The only way we can keep him safe, without risking full neural decay, is cryostasis."
Eira clung to Aurelius, her face buried in her brother’s chest. Her quiet sobs were like raindrops in a sacred hall.