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Novel Catalog
Chapter_231
Skadi lay on the bed, her face a shade of pale that seemed unnatural, her eyes dull and distant as they stared at the ceiling. The air in the room felt heavy with the weight of unspoken fears.
Bianca rushed forward, crouching beside the bed, her heart aching as she took Skadi’s hand. “Skadi, how are you feeling?” she asked, her voice laced with concern.
Hera, with practiced care, placed the bowl of medicine down on the bedside table before gently helping Skadi sit up. She propped her against the headboard, making sure the frail woman was as comfortable as possible.
Skadi’s gaze shifted weakly between them, and there were tears in her eyes. “I thought I would never see you again…” Her voice barely registered as more than a whisper, fragile and tired.
Bianca’s grip tightened on Skadi’s hand as she tried to keep the panic at bay. The last few hours had felt like a blur of confusion and fear. Skadi had been struck with a force that nearly shattered her inside, and at that moment, Bianca had feared the worst.
Skadi, still reeling from the impact of the attack, felt her internal organs rupture in an instant. It was as though a truck had hit her, crushing everything in its path. The darkness that followed had consumed her. She had lost consciousness, and for a long moment, she had truly believed that death was inevitable. But Nash had saved her, and that simple fact filled her with gratitude, though it came with a heavy cost.
Hera, her voice catching with emotion, quickly snapped, “Dummy, don’t talk nonsense. We still have to reach a hundred years old!”
She picked up a spoonful of the warm medicine, blowing on it gently before bringing it to Skadi’s lips. But Skadi wasn’t interested in the medicine just yet.
“Is Father Cillian here?” Skadi’s voice was faint, but her words were clear. There was an urgent yearning in her eyes as she looked at the others, her face a mixture of pain and longing.
Bianca, though slightly taken aback by the question, nodded quickly. “Yes, he is. He’s downstairs!”
Skadi’s eyes fluttered shut as a small sigh escaped her lips. “I can’t hold on anymore. I want to meet Father Cillian…” she whispered, as if the mention of his name brought her some form of comfort amidst her suffering.
Hera, visibly frustrated, put the medicine bowl back down with a clink. “You’re still thinking about men? At a time like this?” She scoffed. “Besides, he’s a priest. He’s not easily swayed by earthly desires.”
But Skadi was not so easily deterred. She pouted and whined, “I don’t care. If I can’t see Cillian, then I won’t drink the medicine.”
“Boo-hoo…” Skadi’s tears fell freely as she pulled the blanket over her face in frustration.
Hera, now exasperated, threw her hands up in defeat. “You guys are fake besties. I don’t need fake besties like you.” Her words were sharp, though they were underlined by her genuine care for Skadi’s well-being.
After a long, frustrated sigh, Hera stood up. “Okay, okay. I’ll go down and get him,” she said, shaking her head helplessly.
Downstairs, Cillian sat calmly on the sofa as Nash and Brian chatted. Zakariah, the head of the Jonford Martial Arts Association, had just received the news that Skadi’s condition had stabilized, and for a moment, there was a glimmer of hope.
But when Hera appeared in the doorway, her face pale and her eyes red from crying, the room’s atmosphere shifted.
Zakariah stood up abruptly, panic overtaking him. “Hera, w-what’s wrong?” His voice cracked with distress.
Hera wiped her tears, her voice shaky as she choked out, “Skadi, s-she’s dying…”
A cold wave of shock swept over Zakariah. His face turned a ghostly shade of white, and he seemed to lose all strength in his legs. He staggered, looking as if the floor had been ripped out from under him.
The news hit them all like a heavy blow. But Nash, ever perceptive, noticed that Hera’s gaze lingered on Father Cillian, who had been silently observing the exchange. Nash, ever the observer, knew exactly what was going through Hera’s mind. Even in the face of death, Skadi’s thoughts remained stubbornly on the man she had always admired—the ethereal Father Cillian.
Hera, choked with emotion, spoke again, her voice barely audible. “All her life, Skadi has admired Father Cillian. So… so…” Her words trailed off, and she couldn’t continue for the sobs wracking her chest.
Father Cillian slowly turned his gaze to Hera. His sharp, blade-like eyebrows furrowed slightly in confusion. “Master Calcraft said Miss Zabel’s injuries had already stabilized just now.” His voice was calm, but there was a note of concern underlying it.
Hera’s face flushed with embarrassment, but before she could respond, Nash spoke, his tone serious and even. “Skadi’s internal organs are all damaged. I only used Divine Needles to keep her alive. As for whether or not she can make her way out of the woods, that’s entirely up to her luck.”
The room fell silent as the weight of Nash’s words settled over them all. Zakariah, now looking even more defeated, turned to Father Cillian with a desperate, heartbroken expression. “Father Cillian, please allow my granddaughter to see you.”
Father Cillian looked at Zakariah, then shifted his gaze to Nash. A strange feeling gnawed at him—something wasn’t quite right, but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was. His instincts told him that this situation required a delicate touch, but there was something deeper at play.
After a long moment of silence, Father Cillian finally stood. He adjusted his robes and, with a slight nod, said, “I will go upstairs.”
As Father Cillian made his way up the stairs, Bianca came rushing down, her eyes red from crying. Her face was strained, her voice breaking as she spoke. “Skadi is dying. S-She said she wants to meet the Smiling Grim Reaper.”
The mention of Father Cillian’s nickname, the Smiling Grim Reaper, hung in the air, a stark reminder of the strange mix of reverence and awe he inspired in others.
The tension in the room was palpable, and it seemed like the story was only beginning to unfold in ways none of them could have anticipated.
Would you like to explore Father Cillian’s interaction with Skadi next, or delve further into the mystery behind her condition?