As night deepened, only Kael and Sirin were left in the apartment.
After expressing her strong dissatisfaction and announcing, "I'll settle the score with you tomorrow," Kiana huffily returned to her room, slamming the door shut and leaving the space to the long-separated "siblings."
Kael looked at the undisguised exhaustion on Sirin's face and said softly, "It's late, Sirin, you should go wash up and rest. I've already prepared the guest room."
He pointed to an empty bedroom next to him.
Sirin didn't speak, only looked at him quietly with those golden eyes, which seemed to hold a thousand words, or perhaps she just wanted to greedily look at him for a while longer.
She nodded lightly, took the new towel and toiletries Kael handed her, and silently walked towards the bathroom.
Kael watched her back, a sense of relief washing over him, along with an indescribable ache.
He walked to the window in the living room, looking at the still-bright lights of Changkong City below, his thoughts in turmoil.
Otto, Fusion Warrior, the thirteen years of blankness, Sirin's changes, Kiana's identity... countless clues and pieces of information intertwined in his mind, unable to sort them out.
He didn't know how long had passed when he heard slight footsteps behind him.
Kael turned around and saw that Sirin had finished washing up and changed into a slightly oversized, clean T-shirt that he had found. Her long purple hair was damp and draped over her shoulders, exuding a fresh, watery scent.
Having washed away the dust and tear stains, she looked even more pure and refined, but those golden eyes still carried a hint of imperceptible unease, like a frightened little animal, under the light.
"Brother."
She called out softly, walking to his side.
"All done washing up? Then get some rest early."
Kael tried to make his tone sound as natural as possible.
But Sirin didn't move. She looked down at her toes, silent for a few seconds.
Then, as if she had made some kind of decision, she suddenly reached out and gently tugged at the corner of Kael's clothes, raised her head, her eyes filled with a kind of almost humble plea, her voice as thin as a mosquito's buzz:
"Brother... tonight... can I... sleep with you?"
Kael was stunned.
Sleep together?
This request instantly pulled him back to the distant past.
Back then, Sirin, who had just been rescued from the laboratory, needed him to stay by her side almost every night due to extreme fear and anxiety, and even needed to hold his hand to fall asleep.
He remembered those nights, the girl curled up beside him like a kitten seeking warmth, and only by listening to his steady breathing would her tightly furrowed brow slightly relax.
But... Kael looked at the slender girl in front of him.
Thirteen years had passed, and she was no longer the little girl who could be easily held in his arms and coaxed to sleep.
She was tall, beautiful, and a veritable S-Rank Valkyrie.
Although the dependence in her eyes was still familiar, some things were, after all, different.
He sighed softly, raised his hand and rubbed her hair, his movements still gentle, but his tone carried an undeniable gentleness and firmness: "Sirin, you've grown up, you're not a child anymore. Grown-up girls can't just sleep with their brothers anymore, understand?"
Sirin's body stiffened slightly, the fingers pulling on the corner of Kael's clothes tightened a little, and a layer of lost moisture quickly covered her golden eyes. She whispered in defense, with a bit of grievance: "But... I could before..."
"That was before."
Kael explained patiently, like teaching her when she was a child, "Now Sirin is a big girl, a famous S-Rank Valkyrie, and she needs to learn to be independent. Besides, Brother is here, I won't disappear, I promise."
He tried to pull the corner of his clothes from her hand, but Sirin gripped it even tighter.
She looked up at him stubbornly, her eyes starting to turn red again, her voice trembling: "Just tonight... okay? Just one night... I promise to be good and won't disturb Brother... I'm just... just scared..."
Afraid that this was another dream, afraid that when she woke up, everything in front of her would disappear, and she would turn back into the Sirin who woke up alone in a cold room.
Kael looked at the fear and unease in her eyes that were almost overflowing, and his heart felt like it had been hit hard by something, so sore and weak.
How could he not know her fear? The trauma brought to her by thirteen years of "death" was far deeper than he had imagined.
His heart struggled.
Reason told him that he must establish boundaries and not indulge her like he did when she was a child.
But emotionally, looking at this child whom he had once devoted so much effort to caring for, now looking at him with such vulnerable eyes, he really couldn't harden his heart to completely refuse.
In the end, he softened.
He took Sirin's cool hand in his, led her to his bedroom, and said with helpless indulgence, "Okay, just tonight. You sleep on the bed, and I'll sleep on the floor."
Sirin's eyes lit up instantly, like the most brilliant stars in the night sky.
She shook her head vigorously, hugging his arm tightly: "No floor! The bed is big... we can be like before... I promise not to move!"
Kael looked at her as if she was afraid of being "returned," and felt amused and distressed at the same time.
He finally compromised and nodded: "...Alright. But it's settled, go to sleep obediently, no making a fuss."
"Mmm!"
Sirin nodded vigorously, and finally a truly radiant smile with tear stains appeared on her face, as if she had received the most precious permission in the world.
Kael's bed wasn't very big, but it was more than enough for two people to sleep on.
He tried to lie on the edge, leaving enough space for Sirin.
Sirin, on the other hand, was like a little bird that had finally found its nest, lying down carefully beside him, turning to face him, and then... very naturally, like countless times when she was a child, she reached out and gently grabbed a corner of his pajamas, as if only in this way could she gain the ultimate sense of security.
Only a dim bedside lamp was on in the room, and the soft light outlined the quiet contours of the two.
"Brother..."
In the darkness, Sirin's voice sounded softly.
"Hmm?"
"Will you really... not leave again?"
Her voice carried a hint of imperceptible tremor.
Kael was silent for a few seconds, then turned around, and in the dim light met her pair of golden eyes that were still bright in the night, and solemnly promised, word by word: "No more. Sirin, Brother promises, I won't leave you alone again."
These words seemed to have magic, and Sirin's tense body finally completely relaxed.
She sighed contentedly, quietly moved a little closer to him, closed her eyes, and her long eyelashes, like two small fans, cast faint shadows under her eyes.
The hand holding the corner of Kael's clothes was finally not so forceful, just gently resting there.
Listening to the gradually even and long breathing of the girl beside him, and feeling the familiar aura emanating from her body, Kael's heart was filled with complex emotions.
He sighed softly and closed his eyes as well.
In any case, he was back.
That night, Sirin slept exceptionally soundly, the first night in thirteen years without nightmares.
And Kael, in the midst of confused thoughts and the steady breathing of the person beside him, also gradually fell into a dream. At least for now, they were relying on each other.
(When the rating of this book reaches 8.0, I will post my cross-dressing photos awa)