On the way to the School Hospital, Cypher happily lost consciousness.
By the time Cypher regained his senses,
the sky was already bright.
With difficulty, Cypher opened his eyes and struggled to slowly sit up.
Squinting through his dry eyes, he looked around at his surroundings.
Suddenly, his narrowed eyes flew wide open.
He spotted a familiar girl lying in another bed beside his.
He was just about to get up and check on Luna's condition.
But halfway through rising, he seemed to remember something.
He lay back down again.
Normally, since Luna had been placed in the same room as him, her condition should not have been much different from his.
His injuries had been worse than hers, yet he had awakened before her. It was probably because his soul had lived two lives.
It would not be appropriate to rashly climb out of bed, either.
Cypher carefully sensed the state of his body.
Other than some numbness and a pent-up feeling from lying down too long, he did not seem to feel any other discomfort.
He lifted the blanket and inspected himself. Mm—spotless white hospital clothes, and every body part was intact.
Only then did Cypher gently rise, stretching hard to loosen his muscles and joints.
Letting out a long breath, Cypher walked toward Luna's bed.
At that moment, a ray of sunlight happened to fall across her profile.
The beautiful girl's crystal-clear, snow-white skin reflected an ivory glow.
She resembled either a lotus emerging from water beneath the sunlight or a snow lotus sculpted from congealed cream.
In short, Luna, restored to full vitality, was breathtakingly beautiful.
Her enchanting blue eyes were tightly closed, while the long, thick lashes concealing those limpid eyes trembled faintly, as though she would awaken the next second.
Below her fair, lovely, slender neck, her delicate, softly rounded shoulders were exposed by her women's hospital gown, like polished jade that made one want to stroke them carefully.
I really want to touch them...
Touch them?!
Cypher abruptly came to his senses.
What was going on?!
Cypher hurriedly turned away to face the empty bed.
Why had he felt that strange pull in his bloodline?
Was Luna his long-lost younger sister?...
Cypher's mind was in turmoil.
Just as Cypher was locked in an internal struggle,
a door connecting to the neighboring ward opened from the other side.
Cypher suppressed his thoughts and looked toward the sound.
The newcomer was a middle-aged man dressed in a school healer's uniform.
"Hello! Thank you!"
Cypher hurriedly bowed in greeting to the doctor before him.
He had heard that the school healer was a male wizard. This had to be the man in front of him.
"Mm—hello, young Mr. Corvin. Just call me Doctor Bohan."
Healers in the wizarding world did not have the habit of wearing masks.
Cypher could clearly see the school healer Bohan's gentle, professional smile.
His tone was equally professional, with no intention of making friendly small talk.
Probably because he did not want to receive them here too often, either.
"Alright, Doctor Bohan. May I be discharged now?"
Cypher asked politely.
"Any time. Aren't you going to wait here for your little girlfriend to wake up?"
Cypher was speechless, unsure how to respond.
Seeing Cypher's wandering gaze, Doctor Bohan casually added that remark. He had not intended to wait for Cypher's answer anyway.
As soon as he finished speaking, he hurried toward his office.
"Your wands and belongings are in the wardrobe over there. This door is the exit."
Before Cypher could thank him, the office door slammed shut with a bang...
Cypher swore that unless absolutely necessary, he would never set foot in this place again!
Just as Cypher continued imagining things and venting the frustration in his heart,
a soft moan caught his attention.
Cypher quickly turned around.
The girl in bed looked like a princess awakened by noise. Irritably, she tugged her blanket down to her waist, then lazily wriggled beneath it.
The moment Cypher saw this, the stifling frustration he had felt vanished instantly.
He walked up to Luna and gently rubbed the tip of her fair, delicate nose.
Feeling something invading her space, the half-asleep girl struggled to part her long lashes.
It had been a long time since she had seen sunlight.
Luna's sky-blue eyes were slightly unfocused.
But soon, she turned her gaze toward the grinning Cypher before her.
A galaxy instantly filled her vacant pupils, blooming with blazing radiance.
"Cypher..."
No words were needed. She rose and leaped into Cypher's arms.
"Keep it down. We're in the school infirmary..."
Though his words somewhat spoiled the mood, Luna shyly lowered her head.
Yet her arms only tightened further around Cypher.
After leaving the school infirmary,
the two had originally planned to go to Professor Dumbledore's office and ask about what had happened afterward in Hogsmeade.
As expected, Professor Dumbledore was not in his office. They guessed that he was either teaching or out on business.
So, dressed in white hospital clothes, the two wandered around the castle until they finally encountered a kind little lion.
After asking around,
they discovered that two days had passed since Sunday. Today was Tuesday.
As they parted, the kind little lion also told them that today was Halloween.
Everyone was in the Great Hall...
After thanking the kind little lion,
the two exchanged looks and silently decided to find Professor Dumbledore tomorrow instead.
There was no need to trouble the professor during such a cheerful holiday...
Finding an unoccupied corner, the two cast the Disillusionment Charm and headed straight to the Room of Requirement.
Although they had not encountered anyone along the way, anyone who saw them would surely have been deeply impressed by the sight of two people in hospital clothes.
Inside the Room of Requirement,
the two had already changed clothes.
Cypher chose a loose, casual outfit.
Luna, however, unusually chose a fitted white-and-blue dress.
The instant Cypher emerged from the changing room and saw Luna, he nearly failed to keep his gaze clear.
"Cypher, I think there are some things I can confess to you..."
Luna bit her lip and lowered her head, her hands tucked behind her waist as the toe of her white leather boot lightly tapped the floor.
"If you think you can, then I'll listen seriously right here."
Cypher stepped forward and gently stroked Luna's golden hair.
Encouraged, Luna lifted her head and looked at Cypher with her watery eyes.
Through Cypher's dark, profound eyes, Luna saw understanding and concern.
She steeled herself and gathered the courage to speak.
"Do you know why I knew Iris considered you her boyfriend, yet I was still ambiguous with you?"
"Because... Iris and I both wanted you to marry into our family. After all, we are the last members of our clan..."
Luna spoke haltingly.
But Cypher generally understood.
He was an orphan, and his talent was not bad.
The wizarding world did not seem to have the same rules as the Muggle world.
They had probably made this decision long ago, finding an "unlucky fellow" like him.
Luna was still hiding something, but it no longer mattered.
"This kind of thing... I really can't accept it right away... How about we bring it up again in a few years, once we're adults?"
Although Cypher's response did carry some suspicion of avoiding responsibility, he wanted even more to hear Iris's attitude.
If the two of them had been here together today, he probably would have had no choice but to nod in agreement before being allowed to leave this room.
Seeing Cypher evade the matter, Luna opened her mouth.
In the end, she swallowed the words that had been about to leave her lips.
"By the time we become adults, there may be only me left..."
Before you continue