7. Snake

Riven continued smiling, as though everything he had just said were perfectly ordinary.

Fiora, however, couldn't respond.

Her thoughts had fallen into complete disarray.

This island...

These men...

Their abilities...

None of it made any sense.

Without realizing it, she tightened her grip around the bouquet in her hands.

"Relax," Riven said casually. "As long as you don't try to run away, life on this island is actually quite--"

His sentence was abruptly cut short.

A faint rustling sound came from the bushes near Fiora's feet.

She instinctively turned toward it, her eyes widening as a small dark-colored snake shot out of the undergrowth.

Fiora tried to step back.

Too late.

In one swift movement, the snake sank its fangs into her ankle.

"Ah--!"

A sharp sting shot through her body, quickly followed by an intense, terrifying heat.

The flowers slipped from her hands and scattered across the ground.

For the first time since they'd met, Riven's smile disappeared.

He slowly stood, his expression unreadable.

"Interesting..." he murmured.

"It's been a long time since any animal dared come this close."

"I-Is it... poisonous?" Fiora asked, her voice trembling with shock.

Her foot was already going numb. Her vision slowly began to blur.

Riven crouched before her and calmly examined the bite.

"Mmm... enough to knock you unconscious. Or kill you, if it's left untreated."

Fiora froze. "Kill... me?"

"Relax." Riven spoke as casually as ever. "Elyon will be able to heal you."

"P-Please..." Fiora whispered weakly. Black spots danced before her eyes. Her stomach churned with nausea.

"Step away from her, Riven." A cold voice suddenly echoed through the garden.

It came from nowhere.

Riven looked up. A faint smile returned to his face. "Ah. You're earlier than usual."

Without a single footstep announcing his arrival, Vael was already standing there.

His mismatched eyes were fixed entirely on Fiora. In the blink of an eye, he was kneeling beside her.

His hand gently touched her injured ankle.

For a brief moment... something dark flickered across his gaze.

Without saying another word, Vael scooped Fiora effortlessly into a bridal carry, as though carrying her weighed nothing at all.

"We need to get to Elyon." His voice was short and decisive.

The next moment, he was already running.

The wind rushed against Fiora's face. Although her vision continued to fade, she could still make out Vael's sharp profile.

Focused, and calm.

"Vael..." she whispered, drifting in and out of consciousness.

He glanced down at her. "Hm?"

Fiora swallowed weakly. Her head felt strangely light against his chest. "Is it true..."

"...that you were the one... who built the swing?"

Vael's pace never slowed. Yet for the briefest moment... He fell silent.

"...Did you like it?" Instead of answering, he asked her a question.

Fiora's lips had already begun to feel numb. She couldn't speak.

So she simply gave him a weak nod.

For one fleeting second, Vael's eyes softened. Then the warmth vanished.

"Don't die." His low voice sounded less like concern, and more like a command.

"It's not time for you to forget again."

At that moment, darkness swallowed Fiora whole.

The last thing echoing inside her mind was Vael's mysterious words.

***

Fiora felt incredibly light, almost as if she were floating.

Was this... heaven?

As consciousness slowly returned, the first thing she felt was a warm sensation around her ankle.

Gentle... yet strangely intense.

She frowned and forced her eyes open. Everything was blurry at first.

A ceiling. Dim light. A faint, unfamiliar scent that somehow felt calming.

Then her breathing caught. Her vision finally focused.

A dark-haired man with curly hair was kneeling beside the bed.

His head was lowered, right beside her injured foot.

His lips were pressed against the bite mark... as though he were drawing something out.

"Ah!" Startled, Fiora instinctively pulled her leg away.

The man stopped immediately before slowly lifting his head.

It was... Elyon. His expression remained calm, almost indifferent.

"You're awake," he said flatly.

Fiora stared at him for several seconds, struggling to process what she had just seen.

"W-What... were you doing?"

Elyon didn't answer right away.

He simply picked up a clean cloth from the bedside table, and carefully wiped away the faint bluish residue left around the wound.

"Removing the poison." His tone was matter-of-fact.

As though it were the most ordinary thing in the world.

Across the room, Riven leaned lazily against the wall with his arms crossed, wearing a faint smile.

Meanwhile, Vael stood quietly near the bed. Watching. His heterochromatic gaze never left Fiora.

"Is it completely gone?" Vael asked.

Elyon gave a small nod. "Yes. The poison didn't spread very far."

Then he glanced briefly toward Fiora. "You're not going to die. So relax."

Although his words sounded cold... Fiora felt herself breathing easier.

The pain in her ankle had disappeared. Her body no longer felt weak. She slowly exhaled, trying to steady her racing heartbeat.

Before she could thank Elyon--

Bang!

The bedroom door flew open and heavy footsteps stormed inside.

Darius.

His glowing crimson eyes locked immediately onto Fiora lying in bed... then to the wound on her ankle.

The atmosphere in the room changed instantly.

"Riven." His voice was low, filled with dangerous fury.

Without another word--he charged.

BAM!

His fist slammed hard into Riven's face, sending the blond man stumbling backward.

Riven simply smirked, almost as though he had expected it.

"I thought you'd get here sooner," he said casually while wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.

"You were supposed to protect Fiora!" Darius roared.

"I did protect her." Riven shrugged lightly. "She's still alive, isn't she?"

Those words only fueled Darius' rage. He lunged again.

This time, Riven stepped forward as well, ready to return the punch.

"Enough." Vael's calm voice cut cleanly through the tension. It wasn't loud, yet it was enough.

Darius stopped, so did Riven.

Vael stepped between them, his expression icy. "This isn't the time to fight."

The two men exchanged hostile glares before Darius finally looked toward Fiora. The fury in his eyes shifted into something else.

"She will never be alone with Riven again." His voice allowed no room for argument.

Riven chuckled. "You don't get to decide that yourself."

"Yes." Darius answered immediately. "I do." Without hesitation, he strode toward the bed.

Fiora instinctively tensed as he approached. His crimson eyes settled on hers.

"From now on... You'll stay with me."

"Darius..." Vael finally spoke.

But Darius cut him off. "I don't care about your schedules or your rules, Vael!"

Before anyone could stop him, he lifted Fiora effortlessly from the bed and slung her over his shoulder.

Caught completely off guard, Fiora let out a startled cry.

"D-Darius!"

"Quiet." His voice wasn't harsh. But it left no room for refusal.

Carrying Fiora over his shoulder, Darius turned toward the door.

"I'm done waiting. I won't wait any longer to be with Fiora." That sentences said everything.

"I'm taking her to my room. Right now."

***