Yura found herself basking in the gentle warmth of the sunlight as it shone through the arched window beside the bed, with the pleasant scent of cedarwood and amber nudging her awake. She rolled over to her side, stretching her limbs one by one as she prepared to ready herself for a brand new day. However, she wasn’t prepared to open her eyes to the obscure sight of a golden head of hair right in front of her, slowly processing Elais’ chiseled face so close to hers as he laid shirtless beside her, the morning light emphasising the length of his eyelashes.

She noted that he was a lot more muscular than she anticipated, eyeing his toned arms and chest as he slept on his side beside her. His double breasted coat generally covered most of his skin and he had a tendency to wear clothes that fit rather loosely when he was in the comfort of his home, so it was the first time she had seen his actual physique. He lacked any scars that she thought he’d have from his past, slowly eyeing down his defined abs before stopping herself from going down any further. She felt heat rise quickly to her face, unaware that she was capable of thinking such impure thoughts. She leapt right off his bed before slamming through his bedroom door and ran down the hallway at lightspeed, and made her way into her room out of pure embarrassment, not wanting him to somehow expose her for her indecency. 

The commotion left Elais confused as he woke, the slamming of his own door and sudden thuds of the footsteps that followed had him immediately noticing Yura’s absence. He leapt out of bed without a thought, and rushed down the corridor, sweat running down his forehead as he ran. He couldn’t lose her again, especially during their time of vulnerability. He should’ve been more careful, had it not been for the damn wound. Please, be safe, he thought to himself, a scene that he had not seen in a while running through his eyes as he sprinted down the dimly lit hallway.

He escaped to the stone fortress with his newly developed wings that wore him down, finding that the once lively and bustling home was suspiciously quiet as the heavy doors drew to nothing but silence. No one greeted him by the door, as he usually anticipated. 

He stumbled his way down the corridor, removing the needles one by one. He smelt the faint scent of blood lingering from afar, following its trail that led up to the main music room. The overwhelming smell of rust and death hit him, the unforgettable sight drilled into his mind. 

The white grand piano had now been stained a wine red, the natural furnishings carrying the corpses of his family as they laid lifeless in pools of blood. 

He was now alone, with the terror of his own demons haunting him for eternity.

The bloodied hallway reached to an end as he arrived at Yura’s bedroom door, the lack of noise surging anxiety in his chest. Elais forced Yura’s door open with a loud thud, frantically scanning the room as he sweat bullets down his body. He immediately noticed a lump in her bed under the blanket, extremely relieved to see the bob of mauve hair sticking out of it. She was safe, and it was all that mattered right now. He exhaled in relief, and threw himself beside the blanket bump.
“My goodness. I thought something happened to you again,” Elais said, leaning against her as he wiped sweat from his forehead. He felt incredibly silly for panicking over a trivial matter. “Have you eaten yet?”

Yura shook her head, refusing to turn to face him. She was still red as a cherry and had no courage to face him after her recent impropriety. 

“Is something the matter?” he inquired, leaning over her blanket-bound body as he tried to have a peek at her face.  

“No, your bed.. Was just humid,” she replied gently, attempting to hide her reddened face beneath the blanket. 

Elais believed it was understandable that she still felt fearful from the recent incident, and that she was processing a lot right now and needed some alone time. He recalled her sobbing as he ran to her in his shifted form, which he considered to be an objectively hideous and revolting form to look at. His heart sank for a moment, believing that he may have caused more suffering for her. For her to possibly fear him as the horrifying monster he was, hurt him in an unfamiliar way. He then felt a heavy thump against his heart once again as he recalled her tender and reassuring words of care from the night prior, consoling and easing his current feelings of anxiety. Her words felt like a gentle heartfelt embrace that made him feel warm inside. 

“I’ll bring your breakfast to you in bed since you need to recover,” he said, propping himself off her bed as he made his way to her door.

“Oh, it should be fine-” Yura hastily replied, immediately groaning as she attempted to lift herself from her bed. She curled herself into a ball, holding onto her waist.

Elais facepalmed and shook his head, and left to the kitchen to prepare them with some morning tea.

He arrived moments later with a platter consisting of a delectable cheesy egg breakfast bowl  and a glass of freshly squeezed juice, the savory aroma enticing Yura’s appetite as her stomach grumbled. 

“Try to minimise your movement,” Elais voiced as he brought over the platter to her bedside table. “Allow me to feed you.”

He sat on the edge of the bed as he lightly stirred the bowl, scooping a light serving of the fluffy egg and meat. He brought the spoon in front of her mouth as she took a bite, the contents having no trouble melting in her mouth with each succulent bite of the tender meat leaving her wanting more. The fluffiness of the eggs felt as if she were eating a cloud, with the cheesiness adding extra buttery goodness to it that she could never get enough of.

She could feel her face gradually matching her scarlet eyes, with each bite he fed her providing them with more direct eye contact. As his face drew closer each time, she would notice how alluring his violet eyes sparkled as brilliantly as a flawless diamond under the veil of the sunlight, despite the evident heaviness under them. She had also noted his angular jawline and cheekbones were more prominent than she remembered, the gentle waviness and length of his light hair complimenting his sculpted facial features. At the very least, he returned with a shirt on this time.

“Yura.” Elais held out the spoon, awaiting for her to take the bite.
She snapped out of her daze immediately, unknowing that she had zoned out as she had stared at him and felt more flustered than she already was.

“Yura, I’m going to use some holy arts on you to ensure a smoother recovery,” Elais said as he placed the empty bowl and glass aside onto the platter. He moved his hands in a graceful motion as a variety of runes glowed in the air before her in a magical circle as they appeared then disintegrated. Despite his rather large hands, his fingers were rather lean and slender, making his spell casting appear more mesmerising as they delicately cut through the air with each motion they made. “Rest and take it easy for the day. I’ve already cancelled your lessons for the day until you fully recover. Don’t be afraid to call me if you need anything. I’ll be in the library until then.”

Yura nodded in response, sinking her head into the pillow as the thunderous beating of her heart resonated in her ear drums.