Aria
The room did not feel like her room anymore.
The walls seemed smaller, the air denser. Shadows clung to the corners like they were watching. Every light felt dim no matter how bright Rosetta made it. The faint scent of antiseptic from the doctor's equipment made Aria's stomach tighten.
She held Luca's hand, gripping it as though it were the only solid thing left in the world.
"He will die trying," Luca had said.
She clung to those words, but the trembling in her hands would not stop.
Rosetta stepped away to fetch more water, leaving them momentarily alone. The doctor prepared another round of checks, but Luca waved him back with the flick of his fingers.
Not now.
Not while she was shaking.
"Look at me," Luca murmured, lifting her chin.
Aria forced her eyes up to his. The warmth she usually found there was overshadowed by something cold and sharp. Something violent. Something ancient inside him had awakened too.
