"Your name will be Akasha."
Lucien thought it was a good name. It suited her well. Still, he wanted to hear her opinion.
[...]
"Hello? You there?"
[Huh—ah, yes. It is a good name.]
Her reply came after a brief pause, hesitant, almost shy.
Did she just… stammer? Lucien wondered. Is she really an AI?
[Akasha.. Akasha..]
She repeated the name softly, as if testing how it felt to say it.
"Are you rea—"
"Who are you talking to?"
A sudden voice from the door nearly made his heart leap.
Turning, he saw Lia standing there, looking at him strangely.
"Nothing," he said quickly. "Just… talking to myself."
She gave him a skeptical look but didn't comment. Instead, she walked over with a tray in her hands.
"Eat first," she said gently. "You need strength to recover."
She helped him sit up as best she could and started feeding me slow spoonfuls of porridge.
It was warm and simple, but after everything, it felt almost comforting.
"You should rest," she added after a while. "I have to go to work soon."
"Work? Your part-time job?" he asked, frowning.
"Yes. Did you forget?" Lia tilted her head, puzzled.
"Are you sure you're fine? I can stay if you want."
Her face leaned closer to his, worry written all over her eyes.
"Ah– no, it's fine. Just take care," he said, managing a small smile.
"Okay."
With that, she picked up the tray and quietly left.
The room fell silent again.
The sound of the door closing lingered far longer than it should have.
Lucien's eyes followed it for a moment.
"She's doing so much… and I'm here, lying useless again."
[Are you just going to drown in self-pity?]
Akasha's teasing voice echoed in his head, light but sharp enough to pull him out of his thoughts.
He exhaled slowly. "No. I have things to do. First… standing up."
He focused on my body, on every faint spark of movement he could feel.
His shoulders twitched—barely. Pain flared down his spine, and his breathing turned shallow.
He tried again, bit by bit, forcing his arms to push against the bed.
Minutes passed. Sweat gathered on his forehead. His arms trembled violently, the effort burning through him.
Slowly. Painfully. He lifted his upper body, enough to sit, his back still leaning against the headboard.
"Ha…" His breath came out ragged.
"Sitting… finally."
His whole body shook, but he didn't fall back this time.
It wasn't much. Not yet.
But it was the first real step.