Chapter 279: Projecting Pain

At the Same Time, In Sophia’s Room

Orion had gone to the training grounds with Garron, and Garrett had gone to use the toilet, so Lysander was the only one left in the storm with Sophia.

Lysander sat at the long wooden table by the window, the one cluttered with jars of roots, dried leaves, crushed powders, and glass vials. All used in treatment for Sophia.

The snow outside pressed against the glass in faint streaks as the wind dragged it sideways. The sky was still bright, with birds flying about. The pack was as busy as ever.

He hadn’t realized how long he’d been sitting there until his neck began to ache. He and Orion had been going over and over and over again through the book Tobias had brought him, but there was still nothing that he found out that he didn’t already know. Nothing that could actually help with Sophia’s condition, especially when it was mixed with a high fever.

Nothing that he could work with that could result in a cure for her condition. There was nothing at all.

His fingers curled around the edge of the page.

"This is just so fucking useless," he muttered under his breath.

He rubbed a hand over his face, tired lines etching around his eyes. Since Sophia had fallen unconscious, nothing had been predictable. It didn’t follow the normal signs of a high fever, and he was sure it was because of whatever she was seeing in her head. Lysander hated that he had no idea how to even resolve this issue.

Every day, Brynhild asked him about Sophia, and he always told her the same thing — that Sophia wasn’t conscious yet, that she was still battling with whatever memory she was seeing in her head. And it was a battle she had to fight alone.

Every day he’d watch as Brynhild’s face would fall with worry for Sophia, and he’d watch as she’d pray to the Moon Goddess to watch over Sophia. Just that fact alone was enough to make Lysander try his possible best to ensure that Sophia got better.

The issue now was that his best wasn’t enough, and it wasn’t doing anything, not really.

His best was as limited as his knowledge about her condition. Why couldn’t it have been something easier? Or maybe something technical, but something he could cure? Why did it have to be something beyond his knowledge and capacity?

Lysander exhaled sharply and closed the book.

The sound of leather against paper was louder than he intended.

He pressed his palm to the cover as if that might drain answers from it.

But that did nothing, and he wasn’t surprised that it did nothing.

"How is it that we still have nothing at all? Nothing that could even throw more light on the condition and help us resolve it?" He asked no one in particular.

His gaze drifted to the bed where Sophia lay quietly.

A thin blanket over her, one shoulder rising faintly with each breath. Her face was damp with sweat, lashes resting heavily on her cheeks. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

At least she was calm, Lysander thought to himself. He had no idea what he would do if something like the last time happened again, where she hit herself and they had to wait until Orion came before she calmed down. Even in her fever-induced state, Lysander was sure of one thing — Sophia recognized Orion.

Not in the way that she knew exactly who he was, but in the way that her body responded to his when he was near. In the way that his presence calmed her down. He was sure it was because of the bond and the trust both of them had built with each other.

Lysander smiled as he turned back, staring outside the window. He shook his head as he remembered that he had been a fool all along and should have known that Orion and Sophia were together.

He had even entered Sophia’s room and didn’t take note of the scent. Well, they did say that the best way to hide was in plain sight.

Lysander wondered if he should go back to Brynhild since Sophia was still stable. There was a herb he was working on, but it was very potent. He had not finished working on it, but in the event that Sophia had a fit like before, he could use it. But he would have to finish the preparation.

He would wait until Garrett came before leaving. And besides, he had told Orion he would look after Sophia after all.

Lysander sighed and was about to relax a bit when he heard a sound. It was skin meeting skin, and he knew that he wasn’t going to get any rest at that point.

The sound wasn’t exactly loud. It was thin and a bit quiet, but it was enough for Lysander to be on alert. His head snapped towards Sophia immediately.

"Sophia?" he called out gently, but he was met with silence.

Lysander approached the bed slowly, and then he heard a soft murmur that obviously came from her. And then she raised her hand again and slapped herself.

"Sophia," he said again, firmer now, as he approached her.

Her eyes were open, but her gaze was unfocused and clouded. Her brows were furrowed as if she was in pain, and her lips parted.

A sob broke past her as she begged someone Lysander could not see, but he knew she could see.

"No... please... don’t..."

Lysander immediately made his way back to the table to gather herbs. He recognized the mood immediately. This was the same way she had been during the last hallucination she had. He had thought she was calmer now, that she wouldn’t have something like this — but he should have known. She had only been calm because Orion had been present.

"Fuck."

He pivoted, reaching for the small tray of calming herbs — dreamroot, crushed valerian, diluted nightleaf. The mixture did little when it came to Sophia, but it was something. It could help calm her down, albeit a little, before she started hurting herself and would help to reduce the fever spike too.