Path of the Unmentioned: The Missing Piece-Chapter 113: Fragile Strength [3]

The hospital room was quiet. Filled only with the soft hum of the mana-powered lights above.

The walls were smooth and pale. Giving the space a clean, almost too sterile feel.

Sunlight filtered in through the tall windows. But it couldn’t quite chase away the weight of everything that had happened.

Princess Eleanora sat upright in the hospital bed. Her back straight even though her shoulders were wrapped tightly in bandages.

She looked calm, composed. Every inch the royal she was, even in recovery.

A silver tray rested on the small bedside table, carefully arranged with sliced apples, pears, and grapes.

The fruit glistened, freshly peeled and cut with such care that it was clear her attendants had prepared them with the utmost precision.

With a small wave of her hand. Eleanora turned to the two maids standing silently near the door. Her voice was quiet, but firm."Leave us."

The maids bowed deeply. Their movements practiced and graceful, and left without saying a word. The door shut behind them with a soft click.

The moment they were gone. A thin shimmer lit up the air in front of her, and a holographic screen appeared.

The image of a man filled the space. Tall, broad-shouldered, dressed in black robes trimmed with silver.

His black hair was streaked with gray at the temples, and his eyes were sharp, dark, and intense. A golden crown rested on his head.

King Sylas D’Argent. Her father. One of the few Grade 3 Divine Rankers alive, and right now. He looked more like a worried parent than a powerful king.

As soon as he saw her. His expression cracked.

"Ellie," he said. His voice low and filled with emotion. "You’re awake."

She gave him a small smile, tired but sincere. "Yes, Dad. I’m okay."

He frowned immediately. His eyes narrowing as he looked her over. "You don’t look okay," he muttered.

"The healers said your shoulder bones were fractured. That your mana core was pushed to its limit. Okay isn’t the word I’d use."

Eleanora let out a soft sigh. "I’ve had worse."

"That’s not comforting," he snapped. His voice sharper now, though his worry still shone through. He ran a hand down his face, his fingers trembling slightly.

"Gods, Eleanora. When I got the report about the train—" He paused, struggling to keep his voice steady.

"Do you have any idea how scared I was?"

Her gaze dropped to her lap for a moment. "I know," she said quietly.

He leaned forward. Gripping the arms of his throne so tightly his knuckles turned white. "You should come home. Immediately."

"I can’t."

"You can," he said quickly. "I’ll send a detachment of royal guards. You don’t need to stay there—"

"Dad," she interrupted gently. Her tone calm but firm. "I’m not leaving."

He clenched his jaw. For a moment. It looked like he might argue, like he might pull rank. Not as a father, but as a king.

But then he stopped, and his shoulders sagged as the fight drained out of him.

He ran his fingers through his hair. Messing up the careful way it had been styled.

"...At least let me come to you," he said softly. "I’ll rearrange my schedule—"

"You can’t," she said, not harshly. "The summit with the Noctis Empire is in three days. That meeting can’t be pushed back."

He groaned, clearly torn. "Damn the summit. You matter more."

Warmth filled her chest at his words. "I’ll be fine. The academy’s healers are good. And Vice Principal Seris already handled the worst injuries."

His face darkened at the name. "That woman..."

"She saved my life," Eleanora said, her voice firm.

He muttered something under his breath, but didn’t argue. Instead, he looked at her again. Closer this time. His expression full of pride and fear all at once.

"...You’re really not coming back?"

"Not yet."

He sighed, long and deep. "Stubborn," he said. Shaking his head. "Just like your mother."

A small smile pulled at her lips. "I’ll take that as a compliment."

He gave a quiet huff, not quite a laugh, but close. Then his tone softened again. "I’m sorry I can’t be there."

Eleanora shook her head. "You don’t have to apologize. I understand."

He didn’t look completely satisfied. But he nodded. "If anything happens, even the smallest thing. You call me. Right away. Understand?"

"Understood."

"Good." He straightened in his seat. The weight of the crown seeming heavier again.

The presence of the king returned to his face. But the father was still there too, just beneath the surface.

"Rest. Heal. And please... for the love of the gods... be careful."

She smiled. "I will."

The hologram flickered once and then disappeared. Leaving the room dim and quiet.

Eleanora sat still. Her smile fading the moment her father’s image vanished.

The strength she had shown in front of him melted away. Replaced by something sharper, colder.

Her shoulders dropped as she let out a long breath. One hand slowly reaching for a slice of apple from the silver tray.

She turned it in her fingers, watching the light reflect off the pale fruit, but she didn’t eat it. After a moment. She placed it back down, untouched.

The crisp sheets under her felt rough against her skin, and when she shifted.

The bandages wrapped tight around her shoulder and ribs reminded her of every wound. Every failure.

’Useless.’

The word echoed in her chest like a cruel whisper, digging into her deeper than any blade.

She had survived. She had been given another chance. And still, it didn’t feel like enough.

What use was this second life if she couldn’t even change something as simple as this?

The train attack hadn’t happened like this before. Not in her previous life. Not this early.

The demons had been dangerous, yes. But not so bold. Not so prepared.

Her fingers curled into a fist, nails biting into her palm until she felt the sting of pain.

’Wrong.’

Everything about this was wrong.

And then there was Kyle.

Her breath caught for a second.

She could still see it. His body hitting the ground, blood pouring from wounds that should have killed him.

And yet, he stood back up. He always stood up. Even when his legs were scorched. Even when his ribs cracked with every breath.

He kept going.

Fighting.

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And not just with lightning.

She had seen it. Ice. Water. Even wind. Element after element. All reacting to his will as if they belonged to him. As if he owned them.

It was impossible.

In the old timeline. Kyle had only ever shown lightning affinity. It was his only affinity.

The one thing that had set him apart. He had mastered it, turned it into a weapon, into a legend.

But now?

Now he was different. Changed. As if fate itself had decided to give him more.

The memory surfaced sharp and clear. Seris standing by the hospital window. Golden eyes unreadable as she spoke.

"Four affinities."

Eleanora had stiffened.

"You saw?"

A slow nod. "And so did you."

The silence that followed was heavy. Then Seris turned, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"Keep it secret. For his sake...And yours too."

That was all. No explanation. No debate.

Eleanora’s fingers curled into the sheets.

She would.

No matter what.

Eleanora had known that even before Seris said it.

The world wasn’t kind to people who broke the rules, especially not someone like Kyle.

If anyone found out he could control four elements. It wouldn’t be awe or praise that followed.

It would be chains. Or worse.

She let out a breathless, bitter laugh. Maybe this change would give him the strength he needed.

Maybe, this time. He would survive everything the world threw at him.

But that didn’t ease the pressure building inside her chest. The frustration. The helplessness.

She had done everything she could to make things different this time. She had changed her path, made new choices. Tried to stay ahead of the events she knew were coming.

And still. It hadn’t been enough.

Kyle had almost died. Again.

She dragged a shaky hand through her pale blonde hair. The silky strands slipping between her fingers.

The steady beep of the heart monitor beside her filled the silence, too calm. Too normal for what she was feeling inside.

Her eyes moved to the door.

"I want to see Kyle," she said softly.

She didn’t even mean to say it out loud. It just slipped out, barely more than a whisper.

But the need behind the words was real. She had to see him. Had to know he was alive with her own eyes. Had to know she hadn’t lost him.

Not again.

Not this time.

The room didn’t answer. There was only silence, and the muffled sounds of footsteps and voices beyond the walls.

Nurses walking by. A distant chime from some artifact down the hall.

But in the space where she sat, there was only stillness.

And the weight of everything she had yet to face.

———