Chapter 22: What I Owe You
I was awakened by the warmth of the first rays of sunlight caressing my face. It was a soft, soothing sensation... How long had it been since I'd felt that?
I had managed to rest my mind for an entire night. A night without tension, without waking up with a start, without that crushing weight on my shoulders. For the first time in what felt like forever, I felt a burden lift.
I gently turned toward Cassandre. She, on the other hand, had stayed awake all night, keeping watch with her eternal vigilance. Her face, bathed in the golden morning light, seemed peaceful.
I didn't need to question the herbal tea she'd made me drink the night before. I already knew the answer—I felt it deep within me.
Once again, that benevolent warmth filled me.
She had done so much for me... even though we barely knew each other. Without expecting anything in return.
But after walking together, talking, staying silent, observing one another... that "short time" had come to mean months. In this world, closeness is born in survival, not in calendars.
She was, undeniably, a goddess in human form.
I didn't need unnecessary words. Just one sentence, carried by absolute sincerity, by a raw feeling that consumed me entirely.
— "Thank you... truly, thank you so much..."
She didn't reply.