I’m Hungry…

Chapter 10

Nalani’s lifeless body lay on a grand bed, the soft, silk sheets contrasted starkly with the cold stillness of her.

Mita sat nearby, her eyes were red-rimmed and swollen from crying, her muted lips forming silent prayers.

The room was dimly lit, the shadows played tricks on the ornate walls and the candles, casting a glow over the scene.

A royal healer, an elderly man with a stooped back and trembling hands, stood at the foot of the bed. His face was drawn and solemn as he completed his examination.

He turned to face Mita, his eyebrows were lowered and lips formed like a half apple.

Before he could speak, the door creaked open, and Karyan entered, his presence seemed commanding and intense.

Karyan’s eyes locked onto the healer. “What is the update on Nalani?” he demanded, his voice a low growl that barely concealed his simmering rage.

The healer swallowed hard, his eyes darting nervously between Karyan and Nalani’s still form. “My lord, I... I've done everything within my power. There is nothing more I can do. She... she is gone.”
“Nothing?” Karyan’s voice rose, the room seeming to tremble with the force of his fury. “You mean to tell me I am to lose my bride without any recourse?”

The healer flinched under Karyan’s wrath. “My lord, I—“

“Get out!” Karyan roared, his patience snapping. “Out of my sight before I have you executed for incompetence!”
The healer fled, his footsteps echoed down the corridor as he hurried away.

Karyan’s chest heaved with barely contained anger, his fists clenched and unclenched at his sides.

He turned his eyes to Nalani, the fire in his eyes dimming into a flicker of deep, concealed sorrow.

He approached the bed, each step heavy with grief and frustration. “Mita,” he commanded, “stay with her. Do not leave her side until I give further orders.”
Mita nodded silently, her eyes wide and fearful. She watched as Karyan leaned over Nalani.

He reached out, his hand trembled as he brushed a strand of hair from her pale forehead.
“How can this be?” he murmured, his voice cracked. “How Can I lose her now?”
Without waiting for an answer, he straightened and turned sharply on his heel, striding out of the room. The door slammed shut behind him, the sound reverberating through the empty halls like the final toll of a funeral bell.
Mita, left alone with Nalani’s body, bowed her head.

She placed a gentle hand on Nalani’s cold one, her silent tears falling onto the silken sheets.

Unfulfilled.

Karyan’s footsteps were heard at the end of the corridor, his mind filled with rage and regret.

He had to find a way, any way, to bring Nalani back. He would not rest until he had explored every possibility, no matter how dark or dangerous.
***
Bertold, the royal healer, made his way back to his secluded abode-a stone building separated from the grand palace, nestled in the midst of his own planted and tended herb garden.

Unlike most healers, Bertold's lineage can be traced back to the famous healer Baldoric, and that's why The Mond kidnapped him in his youth.

Embracing his destiny, Bertold Dedicated himself to his craft, striving to match the greatness of his ancestors.

Inside his laboratory, filled with the scent of various herbs, Bertold contemplated the girl's lifeless body. Her skin was cold, her limbs stiff.

However, although there were no signs of life, there was something inside her. He had witnessed a faint, almost invisible light emanating from the girl's chest. It Was an anomaly that could easily be dismissed as a trick of the eye, but Bertold's keen senses told him otherwise.

The light was so subtle that only someone with his talent could see it. He did not tell Karyan about this, for fear that he would be seen as making it up to avoid punishment.

Nevertheless, his instincts urged him to go back and confirm what he had seen.

Making sure no one noticed his departure, he slipped quietly back into the room where Nalani's body lay.

The corridor he walked through was dimly lit by moonlight.

His heart raced with anticipation.

When he reached the door, he paused, catching his breath.

He pushed it open gently, the hinges creaking softly in the silence. Mita, sat on guard beside the body, her eyes swollen with tears.

She looked up, startled, as Bertold entered.
"Mita," he whispered, his voice barely audible. "I need to check something."

Mita nodded.

Bertold approached Nalani's still body. He extended his slightly trembling hand, and placed it gently on top of Nalani's Chest.

For a moment, nothing happened. He was about to withdraw his hand, dismissing his earlier observation as a mistake when he felt it-a faint, rhythmic throb beneath his fingers.

His breath caught in his throat. The light he had glimpsed earlier reappeared, faint but undeniable.

The light pulsed softly, along with the weak beats he felt under his hands.

Bertold's mind was racing. This was beyond his comprehension, something he had never encountered before.

He moved closer, focusing all his senses on the faint light. It Was as if there were tiny flickering embers inside Nalani, struggling to ignite.

He turned to Mita, his voice seemed urgent but low. "There is something here, Mita. Something I need to understand. Don’t tell anyone yet, especially Alpha."

Mita nodded again, her eyes wide with hope. Bertold knew he had to act fast. Whatever it was, it was fragile, and he had to be careful.

He gently lifted Nalani's body, cradling her in his arms.

Mita rose to follow, comforting.

Bertold carried Nalani back to his laboratory, the dim light guiding me through the darkened hallways.

He laid Nalani down on the wooden table in the center of his laboratory.

Bertold's hands moved quickly, gathering materials and equipment.

He had no experience for what he was trying, buthe could not ignore the flash of life he felt. He concocted potions, whispered incantations passed down through the generations, and applied ointments to Nalani's still body.

Hours passed, the room filled with the soft murmur of Bertold’s incantations.

Mita watched silently, her eyes were focusing on Nalani's face. Bertold's exhaustion grew, but he kept trying, driven by the faint hope that he could revive the spark of life within Nalani.

As the first light of dawn shone through the window, Bertold Felt a change.

The light grew stronger, the rhythmic pulsations more steady. He stepped back, almost gasping with anticipation. Mita gasped, her hand covered her mouth.

Bertold's heart was racing. In his eighty years of life, he had never seen anything like this.

He moved closer to Nalani's body, touching her warm skin. The girl's eyes slowly opened. The first words she uttered were , "I'm hungry..."

***