Ch. 7 - Blind

Eira was at her limit. She was in such excruciating pain in her throat and chest that all she could do was roll back and forth in that dark warehouse. There was no sign that Kael was going to open the door.

In addition to the smell of dust, her nose now detected the faint, metallic scent of her own blood mixed with the scent of cherry blossoms, which only made Eira feel nauseous.

“Eira? Where are you?!”

Eira’s eyes flew open, even though she knew she couldn’t see a thing in such complete darkness.

It wasn’t Kael’s voice, but she felt a slight sense of relief in her chest upon hearing someone call her name.

Eira began crawling toward the door with what little strength she had left and tapped on it repeatedly. Her voice was gone. It was too painful to force herself to scream for help.

“Eira? Hey, is anyone in here?”

The voice sounded clearer and clearer. Eira tapped on the wooden door again, as if to let them know she was there.

She heard the doorknob turn several times as someone tried to open the door. But it didn’t work—until a moment later, the sound of the lock clicking open gave Eira renewed hope that she would soon be out of that dark place.

“Eira?”

Eira was trying to adjust to the light streaming in. And when she opened them, she saw Lucas standing before her, his face frozen in shock.

A small, relieved smile spread across Eira’s face.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” Lucas asked frantically.

Too weak to answer Lucas’s question, Eira shook her head in an uncertain response. She was already extremely weak from coughing nonstop and having to cough up so many cherry blossom petals.

Lucas immediately helped Eira get up and out of the shed—leading her to the front room and quickly fetching her a drink.

Eira was a complete mess and covered in dirt.

“Did Kael do this?” Lucas guessed, to which Eira merely nodded.

Lucas handed her some painkillers he’d taken from the first-aid kit.

“Take the medicine. After this, we’re going to the hospital,” Lucas said.

Eira took the medicine without saying much because she needed something to at least ease her pain a little. Lucas’s curse was having a massive effect on her body, which was already bound by that soul pact.

“Change your clothes, Eira. I’ll wait here.” Lucas couldn’t bear to take Eira to the hospital in such a filthy, blood-soaked state.

“It’s no use, Lucas…” Eira’s hoarse voice came out. It sounded so strained.

“What’s no use?”

“You know yourself that my illness can’t be diagnosed with medical equipment, don’t you?”

Lucas took a deep breath. “Ah, I'm sorry. It's not about you, Eira. But Kael. He was in an accident.”

Eira’s face went pale. Her mind refused to accept the information she had just heard, so she was torn between believing it and not believing it.

“Kael was in an accident three hours ago. I’ve tried calling you over and over, but I couldn’t get through. So I just came straight here.” Lucas emphasized his words so they would sink in quickly.

“T—then… what? I mean… how is Kael… how is he?” Eira could barely get the words out; she was so shocked.

“I don’t know yet. Change your clothes and let’s go to the hospital.”

“No—no. We have to go now, Lucas. I need to know what happened to him; I can’t live without him.”

Eira began to panic. She stood up and staggered toward the exit. She nearly lost her balance, overwhelmed by so much pain all at once.

Lucas immediately stopped Eira. “You can’t go in this condition, Eira,” he warned.

“But, Kael…”

“There’s a doctor taking care of Kael. But you—if you don’t take care of yourself, then who will?”

Eira’s breathing grew shallower. Her mind was in such a jumble worrying about Kael’s condition that she’d forgotten what he’d done to her—how he’d even left her for dead, which was why she was in such a terrible state now.

With great care, Lucas guided Eira to her room so she could clean up and change her clothes, while he waited outside to make sure nothing happened to her.

“Come on, Lucas!” Eira emerged wearing her clean clothes.

Lucas nodded, and they immediately headed to the hospital where Kael was being treated. Eira looked extremely anxious during the trip.

Upon arriving at the hospital, Eira and Lucas headed straight to Kael’s hospital room. But what they found was Kael causing a commotion—he was in a rage and being restrained by several nurses.

“Please calm down, sir,” said the doctor.

“No! I can’t possibly lose my sight! That’s impossible!” Kael shouted, struggling.

Eira slowed her pace as she approached her husband. She saw that both of Kael’s eyes were covered with gauze wrapped around his head. He looked a complete mess from his violent outburst.

“Doctor,” Lucas called softly, “What happened?”

“Mr. Valerius has lost his sight due to glass shards that injured his optic nerves,” the doctor explained.

“Both—both of them?” Eira added, and the doctor responded with a despairing nod.

Kael’s rage suddenly stopped. His breathing was ragged, the muscles in his jaw tensed, and his hands clenched tightly—although a large male nurse was already holding his wrists.

“Eira, is that you?” Kael asked coldly.

“Y-yes, Kael. It’s me,” Eira replied frantically.

“Come here. I need someone to lean on.”

Lucas shook his head, signaling Eira not to approach. But seeing how distressing Kael’s condition was, Eira ignored Lucas’s signal.

She stepped closer and reached out to touch Kael’s face with a sorrowful gaze. Eira had never imagined that Kael would end up in such a terrible state. She hated seeing Kael struggle to get through life, regardless of her own difficulties.

“I’m here, Kael,” Eira said.

When Kael appeared to calm down, the nurses began to loosen their grip on his body. They thought Kael would be calm if he were with his wife.

“YOU DAMN WOMAN! YOU’RE THE ONE WHO MADE ME LIKE THIS!” Kael immediately yanked Eira’s hair so hard. His legs also kicked erratically, searching for Eira so he could kick her.

Everyone panicked at Kael’s outburst. They rushed to restrain him again, while Lucas pulled Eira away from him.

“YOU HAVE TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY, EIRA!” Kael wouldn’t stop ranting.

Reluctantly, the doctor finally injected Kael with a sedative, and his body slowly began to weaken.

“I hate you, Eira! You have to die! I’ll kill you myself…” his voice grew faint before he finally lost consciousness