RISE OF THE WARRIOR QUEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN-2

I sat on the edge of the bed, elbows on my knees, staring at the floor. My bare feet pressed into the carpet, and even that felt wrong in a way. Almost like I was doing something I shouldn’t be doing. I can't really explain it, but that feeling was just there. Nothing about this place matched the broken pieces I kept finding inside me.

What kind of life did I have before this?

I just wanted to know.

I closed my eyes and tried to picture something—anything. But all that came was a sharp pain in the back of my head, and I hissed, grabbing the sides of my skull.

"Come on…" I whispered to myself. "Just one thing… anything… please."

But nothing came.

Nothing but the pain.

I stayed like that for a while, breathing slowly, waiting for the ache to fade. When it finally did, I leaned back against the headboard and let my eyes wander to the window.

The curtain moved slightly with the breeze. Outside, I could see the faint glow of streetlights. I wondered what time it was. Probably past midnight.

Everyone else was asleep.

Everyone but me.

My fingers picked at the blanket without thinking. I couldn't help but feel lonely with all the silence, but now something else was creeping into my chest too.

A thought.

Or rather… a face.

Kaia.

The girl who not only saved me but also gave me a name.

I didn’t know much about her, but somehow, her face was clearer in my mind than anything else. I could still see the way she looked at me when I first opened my eyes. Her voice had been strong and steady, even though I must’ve looked like a dying animal.

She didn’t flinch.

She didn’t step away.

She stayed.

I didn’t understand why, but I remembered how it made me feel. Like I wasn’t completely alone. Like maybe I was in safe hands, even if I didn’t exactly feel safe at the time.

There was something about her. I noticed it the moment I saw her. Not in the way people notice beauty—though she was undeniably beautiful. It was something else. It was the light in her eyes. The strength in her presence. She was confident—not in a loud way, but in the way she moved and spoke. The way she carried herself. Like someone who knew what they were doing.

I admired that.

Even now, thinking about her made the tightness in my chest ease a little. My lips twitched, almost forming a smile before I caught myself.

What am I doing?

Why do I keep thinking about her?

Is this even normal?

She didn’t know me. I didn’t know her either. She was just a female with a good heart trying to help a stranger. There was nothing else to it.

But still… I remembered her voice. Her eyes. The way she gently reached out to touch me, even though I must’ve looked terrifying. And then she helped me put on my shirt when I couldn't get it on by myself because of the bandage.

She wasn’t afraid of me.

That meant something.

Didn’t it?

I sighed and looked down at my hands. The cuts were mostly healed now. Dr. Grayson said I had a fast recovery rate—faster than normal. I didn’t know what that meant or if it was something to be worried about. All I knew was that Kaia had helped me when she didn’t have to.

That… stayed with me.

It stuck even in the middle of the chaos in my head. She didn’t feel like a stranger. Not completely. And every time I thought about her, the pain in my head didn’t get worse. If anything, it got quieter. And that feeling... it was a strange one.

I didn’t understand it.

But I didn’t want it to go away.