The following day, it was announced to the civilians of Moniyan, who'd thankfully managed to remain safe throughout the war, that the victory had been Moniyan's. Although the front of the Imperial Palace was all but ruins, there was a certain air of relief that surrounded everyone the following morning, the light of dawn warm and calming, almost as if signifying the beginning of a new, peaceful era.
They'd managed to retrieve Prince Aurelius, formerly addressed as the Prince of the Abyss, who'd been kidnapped and turned into a demon when he was only a baby. Now, he had reverted back into a human, and all was well again. He would be crowned Prince of Moniyan as soon as his condition was stable again, and his sister Silvanna, the Imperial Knightess, would no longer have to endure the pain she'd felt deep inside her since the day the demons had taken her brother from her.
Although there had been many casualties on Moniyan's side, the amount only exceeded the previous war's casualties by less than a hundred, and many more demons had fallen during the battle. The Abyss hadn't fully lost its power yet, for many demons had instantly escaped the very moment they'd seen their Prince fall, but the civilians of Moniyan could rest assured that the demons wouldn't launch an attack on any other lands for a long time.
Overall, the war had had a good outcome, better than anyone could've asked for. However, things were different for Ruby.
---
Ruby woke with a start.
There were thin rays of soft golden light spilling through the half-transparent pink curtains, painting the white walls of the room she was in a slight yellow. Ruby rubbed her eyes and blinked the sleep from them, letting out a yawn.
Then looked around her.
Wait, where am I?
That was when she attempted to sit up, and was rewarded with an unbearable, agonizing pain in her waist.
Ruby let out a cry and immediately fell back down onto the fluffy pillow behind her. Just then, she remembered, reminded by the newly discovered wound in her gut, where probably was.
Slowly, she observed her surroundings once more, and it became clear to her that she was lying in a hospital. What had happened...? Was the war over yet?
That was when she remembered. Oh.
She'd had a spear thrown at her, and had nearly bled to death trying to...do what? Defend Dyrroth from her own allies? If she had, that most definitely meant she was deemed a traitor by them now.
Ruby let out a sigh, covering her eyes with her forearm. She didn't know what she was going to tell them to convince them she wasn't secretly on the Abyss' side. The truth, perhaps. She doubted someone like Silvanna wouldn't believe her if she told them the truth. That she'd fallen in love, both willingly and unwillingly, with Dyrroth.
Just then, the door opened with the creak, and although Ruby was startled, she stopped herself from instinctively trying to sit upright this time. A nurse with beautiful blonde curls, who looked distinctly familiar, stepped into the room. Ruby recognized her to be Rafaela, the nurse she'd heard could heal in the blink of an eye.
'Oh, you're awake?' she asked, her voice gentle, a soft smile gracing her lips.
'Um...' said Ruby, immensely awkward. 'Yeah.'
'That's good to know.' Rafaela walked over to where she was resting, seemingly checking her condition.
'Uh...actually, can I ask you a question? How long have I been unconscious?' Ruby couldn't help being worried.
'Oh, not too long,' said the nurse with a reassuring smile. 'Only a day or so. Don't worry, you didn't miss out on anything important.'
Ruby was relieved. 'Alright. Thanks for letting me know.'
'No problem.'
Though, honestly, she wasn't that relieved. Who knew what could've been done to Dyrroth when she was out cold. 'Um, Rafaela, I know this isn't any of my business, but has anything happened to the Prince of the Abyss- uh, I mean, Prince Aurelius? Has he reverted back to a human, or...?'
Rafaela smiled gently at her again, as if reading her thoughts, but didn't remark on Ruby's worry for Dyrroth's wellbeing. 'Indeed, the prince has reverted back to a human. He's currently unconscious, if I'm not wrong, but I'll allow you to see him once you're fully healed.'
Ruby paused, then glanced down at her wound certainly. '...Isn't it going to take a really long time to recover from a wound like this?'
'Depends on who your nurse is.' Rafaela grinned and winked.
Ruby laughed, already liking her. Then, suddenly, her smile faded when more memories of the war came back to her.
She'd taken such a ginormous risk because she'd thought she would die in the war. But now, here she was, alive and having to bear the consequences of everything she'd done. If she remembered correctly, she hadn't given Alucard an explanation about her fight with Selena, either. Ruby randomly let out an incoherent groan, startling Rafaela a little.
'What's wrong?' the nurse asked.
'Nothing. It's just that life sucks' was all Ruby replied with, as she laid back onto her pillows and shut her eyes again.
---
Later in the day, Ruby could walk fine again. Thanks to Rafaela, she'd recovered ten times faster than she'd initially thought she would, which was great. Even the wounds she'd gotten during the war were all gone, leaving nothing but the faintest scars. Rafaela's abilities were truly stunning. Before Ruby was even out of the door, however, it swung open, nearly knocking right into her, and several familiar people walked in. Startled, she leaped backwards.
Ruby swallowed hard when their eyes all swiveled towards her, taking in her surprised state.
'I see you've fully recovered,' said a cold voice, and Ruby warily laid her eyes on Silvanna, the Imperial Knightess, who looked fully recovered as well and had her spear in hand. 'Well, prepare yourself, Ruby. You've got lots of questions to answer.'
'...Yeah, I probably do,' said Ruby slowly, steeling herself both on the inside and outside. Her heart was beating rapidly. Gods, she hadn't experienced this kind of thing before. Having the people you had always relied on turn against you. 'Um...actually, can I ask a question?'
'What?'
'Am I...going to die?' Because if she was, that would suck. That would absolutely, absolutely suck. It meant she'd lived through a war just to die at the hands of her own allies.
'We'll see about that,' answered Silvanna matter-of-factly. 'If it's decided that you can be forgiven, and trusted once more, then you won't. But if it's the other way round...'
She didn't finish her sentence. 'Enough talking,' she said loudly, and her voice had the strength and authority of a true knightess. She jerked her head towards Granger, several guards and, much to Ruby's embarrassment, Alucard. 'Bring her to the hall. We'll interrogate her there.'
Ruby stiffened, and all she could do was stand completely still as she felt Granger carefully hold up a gun to the side of her head. 'Put a toe out of line and I'll shoot,' he said softly. His voice was almost gentle, but Ruby could sense the steel hidden underneath it. And, just from that, she knew he meant it. If she did anything that couldn't be done, at all...
She would die.
Stiffly, Ruby half-smiled at him. 'I know,' she answered with equal calmness.
He smiled back at her serenely, but it didn't meet his eyes.
A while later, Ruby was brought to what looked like a large, majestic hall which she had never known existed in the Imperial Palace. The doors and walls were all lined with golden and silver, and there was a strange magical aura to it all.
Much to her surprise, Silvanna suddenly spoke to the others, 'Leave us. I'll interrogate her myself.' She turned her head towards Ruby with an ice-cold look. 'That way it's less likely she'll be lying through her teeth.'
Ruby itched to come back with something insulting, but she kept her teeth clenched and forced the words down.
Once everyone had left, leaving Silvanna and Ruby alone, the Imperial Knightess turned to face Ruby, her face impassive. 'It's time for you to explain yourself,' she said hollowly. 'Whatever you've been hiding from your own allies, Ruby. I can't believe I trusted you so much.'
'Um...it's pretty simple, actually.' Ruby could feel cold sweat on her palms. Where to start? Where to freaking start?
Silvanna gave her a sharp look. 'What is?' she asked.
'The...reason why I tried to help Dyrroth. Uh, I mean...' Ruby stammered, fumbling for the right words. Was she supposed to address him as Prince Aurelius, or what? She decided that didn't matter and hastily tried to carry on explaining. 'It's because...I was in love with him.'
Shit.
She hadn't intended to say it out loud so straightforwardly. Ruby felt immense heat rise to her cheeks. Shit. Shit!
Biting her lip nervously, Ruby clenched her fists and awaited Silvanna's response. Much to her utmost dread, the young woman was merely staring at her with a blank look of disbelief, seemingly unable to process what Ruby had just said. 'Uh, come again?'
I am so dead. 'Basically,' Ruby stuttered, her cheeks beetroot, 'I kind of fell in love with him during the time I was imprisoned in the Abyss. Really, it's simple as that.' Well, it sounded simple. But in reality, it was nowhere as simple as that.
'You fell in love with him...?' echoed Silvanna, still sounding completely blank.
Ruby groaned. She was in trouble.
However, to her surprise, Silvanna slowly stepped forward, looking bewildered. And, Ruby was sure, somewhere in her expression, she could see a hint of suspicion. 'Ruby,' Silvanna said carefully, 'what exactly happened while you were in the Abyss?'
'It's that simple,' blurted Ruby, getting desperate. She couldn't just spew whatever nonsense that came into her mind right now. Judging by the look of bewilderment and frustration on Silvanna's face, one wrong word, and she was dead for sure. 'Believe me. Please. I'm not lying or anything. I fell in love with him while I was imprisoned, and when I finally escaped, I was so torn between the Abyss and Moniyan, because I didn't want anybody to get hurt, not Dyrroth nor my friends. And when I saw him in danger during the war, I just couldn't control myself and tried to help him. I did it because I thought that if I were going to die anyway, I might as well die trying to save him.' She swallowed, her face burning. 'And, also, Silvanna, I don't think I've told you this, but he trusted me to keep the date of when they would invade Moniyan a secret. And I betrayed him in order to keep all of you safe.' Ruby paused for a moment, then went on desperately, 'Please, Silvanna, I haven't caused anyone to get hurt except for Dyrroth's own people, so please-'
'Okay, okay!' said Silvanna exasperatedly, waving an irritable hand in the air to shut Ruby up. Ruby trailed off abruptly and then silently asked herself to calm down. Silvanna would probably understand. Probably.
The Imperial Knightess said nothing for half a minute, letting silence stretch thin between both of them. Then, she said, 'You don't seem to be lying.'
'I'm not,' said Ruby pointedly.
For a moment, Silvanna merely gazed at her, as if contemplating something. Then she crossed her arms and let out a sigh.
'Fine,' she told Ruby. 'I'll let you go.'
Hardly able to believe it, Ruby let out a tremendous sigh of relief. For a moment, she merely stayed awkwardly silent, then realised it would probably be a good idea to thank Silvanna or something. 'Um, thanks. For understanding.'
'I don't really understand, actually.' Oops. 'But I genuinely don't believe you're lying. So I'll let you off the hook just this once. Also, you haven't caused anyone to get hurt this time, which is good.' Just then, her slight smile wilted. 'Right, so since Prince Dyrroth is a human now, you shouldn't have any more reasons to help out the Abyss, right?'
Ruby swallowed. 'Nope.' She was sure about that.
'Alright then. I guess this means, if you do happen to betray us and help them again, the punishment is immediate execution. Immediate. Do you understand?'
She nodded uneasily.
'Then you're free to go.' Silvanna turned away from her momentarily.
For a few seconds, Ruby just stood there awkwardly in silence, unsure of whether she should say anything else or not. In the end, she sheepishly decided on a 'thanks, Silvanna' that came out sounding like an unintelligible croak.
Fortunately, Silvanna understood what she'd said. Somehow. 'No problem.'
And, without another word, Ruby fled the hall, more to escape the unbearable awkwardness than because she'd finally regained her freedom. She hadn't said goodbye to Silvanna or anything, but honestly? She didn't regret it.
---
The first thing that came to Ruby's mind, as she dashed cluelessly through the majestic hallways of the Imperial Palace, was visiting Dyrroth. Now that she thought about it, she had no idea where he was.
Luckily though, after exploring aimlessly and perfecting the act of wasting time and energy for around fifteen minutes, she ran into Rafaela. 'Hey!' she called loudly, seemingly startling the nurse a little. 'Um, sorry, can I know where Dy- um, I mean, Prince Aurelius is?'
Rafaela smiled gently, and although Ruby could tell she was wondering why she cared so much about him, the kind nurse didn't question her intentions. 'Do you know your way back to your room? The one you woke up in?'
'Uh....' Ruby racked her brain wildly. 'Um...no-?'
The nurse laughed lightly, then began to give her directions to go back to her room from where they were. Afterwards, she added, 'So, the room where the Prince is staying is only four rooms to the left of yours, if you're looking from the outside of the room, not the inside.'
Ruby merely stayed silently, shrouded in thought for a moment, then nodded determinedly when she'd finally processed it all. 'Alright. Got it. Thanks, by the way!'
'You're welcome!' Rafaela answered with a dazzling smile.
After running what felt like several more miles, Ruby finally arrived at the place she'd been looking for, skidding to a halt in front of the door lined with golden paint, located three rooms to the left of hers. Her heart was hammering so loudly, she felt like even the person on the other side of the door could hear it.
Was this the correct one? Because the last thing she wanted was to get it wrong and embarrass herself majestically. That would be just fantastic.
Taking a deep breath, Ruby carefully gathered up all the courage she had, squaring her shoulders, and knocked on the door three times. And waited ten seconds. There was no response whatsoever.
So she slowly, quietly turned the doorknob with a soft click and entered the room.
Inside, all was silent and still, and if Ruby didn't know better, she would've assumed at first sight that nobody was there. However, as she took several tentative steps further into the surprisingly bright room, she noticed a figure lying unconscious on the bed.
Ruby's breath hitched in her throat, and before she knew it, she was running towards the unconscious figure, nearly knocking into a table in her desperation. 'Dyrroth!' she cried.
She immediately rushed to his side, and when her eyes landed on his face, she froze.
For a moment, looking directly at him didn't stir even the faintest feeling of recognition in Ruby, and it took her a while to realise why. The person in front of her wasn't Dyrroth. This was Prince Aurelius.
He'd truly reverted back to a human.
For a very, very long time, Ruby merely stared at the young man before her, completely still, not moving a limb. That was when she heard a voice calling her name from outside the open door.
Startled, Ruby snapped back to her senses with a jolt and quickly ran outside. 'Ruby!' the person called again just as they reached the door, and Ruby found herself nearly colliding with Rafaela, whom she'd just seen a few minutes ago.
When Rafaela saw her, she let out a huge sigh of relief. 'Ah, Ruby,' she said, 'I forgot to tell you that visiting Prince Aurelius without supervision is forbidden at the moment. Silvanna's rules. She's protective, as you can tell.'
Ruby relaxed a little. 'Oh. I see.'
'So, as long as you're with him, I'm going to have to stay with you.' Rafaela didn't exactly sound bothered, but not particularly pleased, either. Not that Ruby was there would be someone interrupting her alone time with Dyrroth, but for some reason, knowing Rafaela would be there was strangely comforting. That way it would all seem less...bizarre.
As Rafaela walked back into the room in a half-hearted manner, Ruby asked tentatively, 'Um...so when's he gonna wake up?'
Rafaela smiled reassuringly at her. 'Don't worry, if my predictions are accurate, he'll be up and about in around two days.'
Her words certainly didn't do much to reassure Ruby. Two days? Two days?
'And, Ruby...' The nurse looked a little hesitant at first, but then let out a sigh and met Ruby's gaze with a heavy look in her hazel brown eyes. 'I'm not supposed to tell you this, but since you care so much for Prince Aurelius, I personally think... you deserve to know. Though, of course, I'd appreciate it if you kept it a secret that I told you.'
Ruby swallowed stiffly. She could already tell from Rafaela's tone that what she was about to say was very, very bad news. 'Sure, I will,' she answered, an increasing feeling of dread inside her. 'What is it?'
Rafaela didn't say anything for a moment, carefully rearranging her face into an impassive mask, then said, 'When he wakes up, there's a big possibility he won't be able to recall anything that happened to him during his time in the Abyss. Maybe bits here and there, or the big picture, but not the little details. Which is why, I'm afraid, when he wakes up...he might not remember who you are.'
In that short moment, was as if Ruby's world, that had been revolving wildly around her for the past several months, had screeched to a sudden, horrifying stop. Her heart felt as though it were no longer beating, her world crumbling to pieces around her.
The world truly was cruel. Just when Ruby thought she'd found the person dearest to her, she'd had him snatched away from her, although physically he was right by her side. This couldn't be true. Why did this have to happen?
'But don't worry,' said Rafaela quickly, seeming sensing Ruby's distress. 'There's a chance he'll remember you, albeit a really small one. Still, Ruby, you've got to have hope. You hear me?'
Ruby's head was spinning wildly, but somehow, just somehow, she managed a nod. 'Um,' she said uncertainly, praying that her next words didn't come out as complete gibberish, 'I...I'm gonna go for a walk. I need some air.'
Rafaela glanced at her, looking worried, but didn't object, so Ruby fled the room before she could say a word in response.
Once Ruby had gotten a fairly long distance away from Dyrroth, she leaned against the wall of an empty hallway and slid to the ground, burying her face in her hands. She could already feel the tears rising to her face.
Why did things have to turn out like this? Why?
'Ruby?' said a voice from not so far away, but she blocked it out instinctively, not wanting to talk to them. She didn't notice how familiar, how frantic the voice sounded till the person had called her name countless times, and was standing right in front of her.
'Ruby!' exclaimed Lesley, throwing her arms around Ruby before she could even raise her head. She didn't have to look at the person to be completely sure of who it was, though. She would recognize that voice anywhere.
'Where have you been? Why didn't you come see us or anything? I've been so worried!' said Lesley, sounding both worried and frustrated with her at the same time. She firmly grabbed hold of Ruby's shoulders and stared her down threateningly. 'And why the hell are you crying? Explain. Now!'
'H-Huh...?' Ruby said, confused for a moment, then suddenly realised which corridor she'd come to. One of the main ones nearest to the entrance, where many people would pass. Man, she was stupid. 'Um...it's a long story.'
Lesley paused, seemingly even more worried about Ruby now. 'What?'
Ruby hastily wiped her tears away, then met her friend's gaze once more, forcing a smile that was almost genuine. 'Lesley,' she said, 'I'm glad to see you. You're fine, right? What about Kagura? Where is she?'
'Um...she isn't in the best condition right now. I'll explain later.' Ruby immediately began to protest, panic welling inside of her at the thought of Kagura injured, but Lesley silenced her instantly by saying, 'Don't worry. She'll be alright.' Then, a fraction of a second later, she said as if nothing had happened, 'Alright, Ruby, you have a lot of explaining to do. Don't you dare say 'it's a long story'. As if that's gonna stop me from asking.'
Ruby hesitated, still a little unsure about what Lesley had said about Kagura, but she decided to just ask later. 'Okay, okay,' she said, feeling exasperated but lighthearted enough. 'So, what happened was...' All trace of happiness she'd felt from reuniting with her close friend immediately fled when she recalled her near-death experience during the war. Grimly, Ruby cleared her throat and told Lesley everything that had happened, including her suicidal attempt at helping Dyrroth right in front of the Lightborn Squad. When she was three quarters done, Ruby gradually began to realise how the look in Lesley's eyes became more and more infuriated the more she spoke. Whoops, I'm in trouble.
Then, at last, Ruby had said all there was to say. She braced herself sheepishly when Lesley's fist lifted into the air above her head, as if threatening to hit her.
'Ruby! How stupid can you get? Not only was that incredibly dumb, that was also seriously reckless, even for someone like you! What were you thinking?'
'Lesley, it's fine now. I'm serious,' Ruby said quickly. 'The Lightborn Squad already interrogated me, so I'm clear for now. And Rafaela's the best nurse I've met in my life, so right now, things are actually going pretty well for me.' That was when her smile faded away abruptly. 'Except...' The mere thought of what Rafaela had said to her regarding Dyrroth just about completely wiped her heart of all joy.
Lesley looked at her carefully, her face showing nothing but a hint of worry. 'Except what?' she asked softly.
'...It's nothing.' Ruby didn't know why felt the need to hide this from her friends. Maybe it was only because the last thing she wanted to do was talk about it. After all...even thinking about it hurt way too much.
Her friend didn't seem to believe her, but thankfully, she dropped the subject, seemingly sensing that Ruby didn't want to talk about it. 'Alright, then.' She briefly glanced down the corridor which she'd come from. 'So...you wanna visit Kagura?'
Ruby's eyes lit up. 'Of course,' she said immediately, finally managing to set aside all her thoughts of Dyrroth for a while. She hastily got to her feet, feeling a little worried. 'Earlier, you said she wasn't in the best condition. Why's that?'
'You'll see for yourself,' answered Lesley with a grim look. 'Follow me. The room she's in isn't that far from here, so we'll be there in no time.'
Ruby swallowed, steeling herself uneasily.
'Okay.'
---
When Lesley had said Kagura wasn't in the best condition at the moment, she'd clearly been lying just so Ruby wouldn't stress herself out worrying about her friend. Because not in the best condition was a HUGE understatement.
Ruby stepped into the room and was immediately met by the sight of Kagura lying unconscious on the hospital bed, a huge white bandage taped over a severe wound in her waist. However, what truly freaked Ruby out was the faint purple veins branching out from the edges of the wound, just unable to be covered by the bandage.
What in the world was that?
Ruby swore under her breath, rushing to her friend's side. 'Kagura!' she said worriedly, but of course, her unconscious friend didn't move a limb. Ruby turned to Lesley, panicking. 'What happened to her?'
Lesley pursed her lips grimly. 'According to Rafaela, she must've gotten stabbed by a demon with a cursed weapon. It's not that uncommon. Don't worry though, she'll be perfectly fine after a week. The curse will be gone too.'
Ruby let out a sigh of relief. 'Wow, Rafaela really is the best nurse,' she said.
'Indeed she is.'
Ruby turned her head look at her unconscious friend once more, wishing silently that she'd get better soon, and that Rafaela would be able to get rid of the curse soon enough. Not knowing what to do now, she got to her feet. 'Hey, Lesley,' she said, suddenly remembering the existence of a certain amber-haired troublemaker, 'Where's Harley?'
A distinct look of irritation flitted over Lesley's face. 'I asked some friends of mine to make sure he didn't leave the house at all during the day of the war. Surprisingly, they succeeded, although I didn't have much hope in them. As you can clearly guess, he's been sulking since yesterday and hasn't spoken a word to me since. But don't worry,' she added, waving an unbothered hand in the air, a wry, confident half-smile on her face when she saw the concerned look on Ruby's face. 'He'll get over it in no time.'
'Uh...hasn't he already been like that for a whole day, though?'
'Like I said, he'll get over it. In no time.' Lesley blatantly avoided Ruby's question.
Ruby gave Lesley a lopsided smile that practically shouted are you serious? and decided to change the topic. 'So, um...' she said, suddenly having thought of something she hadn't needed to worry about till right now. 'Wait. If Dyrroth's the Prince of Moniyan now...does that mean he'll...' Ruby's jaw dropped.
Lesley stared at her. 'What? You look like your brain just stopped.'
Not having heard what Lesley had said at all, Ruby slowly continued, gazing blankly at somewhere in the distance, 'does that mean...he's going to have to marry someone with royal blood?'
There was only silence in the room for a very, very long time, and when Ruby's brain had finally continued functioning at last, she suddenly gave a start and looked at Lesley to see her staring speechlessly at Ruby, an incredulous smile ever so slightly tugging at her lips.
'Ah, I've got no hope in you, Ruby,' she said flatly, and pointedly began to make her way towards the exit of the room.
Ruby started to protest, 'Wait, Lesley! I meant that as a genuine question!' But Lesley had already disappeared, seemingly having moved a lot faster than she'd appeared to.
Seriously though. Was Dyrroth going to marry someone? Because if he was, then that was just one more major problem Ruby had to add to her entire list of them.
---
Later in the day, Ruby found herself inexplicably visiting Dyrroth again, compelled by the tight knot she felt in her heart whenever she thought of him. Of course, she'd asked for Rafaela's permission first, but the nurse had waved her off and said that as long as she didn't do anything dangerous, being alone in there was fine.
Although Ruby wanted to see the prince, at the same time, she didn't want to. It seriously hurt, gazing into his beautiful, ever so familiar face and knowing he might not recognize hers.
She thought about the question that had crossed her mind earlier. If Dyrroth was the Prince of Moniyan, did that mean he had to marry someone with royal blood from another land or something? Ruby had never been interested in what went on with royal families, so she had no idea. Obviously though, in the end, it would just be up to the King and Queen. She hoped they would be fine with him staying single for the rest of his life.
Because in reality, he wasn't. Ruby almost had to fight a smile.
Seriously though. If he was ordered to marry another woman, Ruby would be very damn pissed. When he was the Prince of the Abyss, she'd had to put up with Selena. And now, possibly, she would have to put up with another girl who wasn't her.
'First Selena, then now probably someone else, huh,' she muttered under her breath, looking at Dyrroth under half-closed lids. 'You really are popular.'
Maybe she was thinking too far. Honestly, knowing Dyrroth was alive and well was already good enough for Ruby, but...some part of her couldn't help wishing. That he wasn't a prince, and that she was more than just a meagre human. That way, perhaps the distance she felt between them would lessen a little. But she knew that would forever remain nothing more than a dream.
Gently, Ruby reached out and covered his left hand with both of hers, naturally feeling shocked at how...human his hands felt compared to before. She stared at his face again, almost wishing he would wake up but afraid to see how he would react when he saw her.
Although he'd turned into a human, he really didn't look all that different to Ruby. She could tell his facial features were still exactly the same as before. Though perhaps...when he woke up, he would be an entirely different person on the inside.
Ruby didn't want to think about that happening. A bitter feeling in her gut, she pushed herself to her feet and took several steps towards the exit of the room, wondering what she could do next to distract herself from the pain.
That was when she heard the sheets ruffle behind her.
Ruby felt as though her heart had stopped. Nearly thinking she'd only imagined it for a second, she slowly, slowly turned to look over her shoulder.
And saw Dyrroth gingerly attempting to push himself upright, rubbing his eyes in a half-awake manner.
Ruby's heart had definitely stopped beating.
'Dyrroth!' she blurted, turning around and running back towards him faster than she ever had. 'I-I- Are you- Um...'
He didn't question her jittery, jumping state of panic as he groggily rubbed his eyes some more and then blinked up at Ruby, looking dazed and confused. Ruby abruptly went still, remembering what Rafaela had told her.
There was something that felt like dread but ten times worse plummeting in Ruby's stomach. 'D-Dyrroth...' she stammered. 'Do you...um...' Remember me?
Ruby watched, frozen to the spot, as his purplish-pink eyes refocused at last, fixing onto her face.
And there wasn't a single hint of recognition in them.