Episode 2 — The Boy in Silence

The entire cafeteria stared at us.

Or more specifically—

they stared at Kael standing in front of me while I looked seconds away from collapsing.

Whispers spread through the room instantly.

“That’s Kael…”

“Didn’t he hate physical contact?”

“Why is Eli so pale?”

I could hear every single thought clearly.

Too clearly.

This is awkward.

Kael looks scary up close.

Did Eli just cry?

I wanted to disappear.

But the moment I stepped slightly away from Kael—

the noise slammed back into my head violently.

My vision blurred.

A sharp pain stabbed behind my eyes.

I nearly lost my balance again.

Then suddenly—

a hand wrapped around my wrist.

Silence.

The relief hit me so fast it almost hurt.

I inhaled shakily while staring down at Kael’s hand holding mine firmly.

Warm.

Steady.

Quiet.

No voices.

No chaos.

Nothing.

For the first time in days, my head stopped hurting.

The cafeteria, however, became even louder around us.

HE TOUCHED HIM.

Wait, Kael is helping someone?

I thought he hated everyone.

My ears burned from embarrassment.

Kael looked completely unaffected by everyone staring at him.

Instead, his attention stayed on me.

“You look sick,” he said calmly.

His actual voice surprised me.

It was lower than I expected.

Quiet.

Not cold or threatening like the rumors described.

Just… calm.

I stared at him blankly.

No thoughts echoed from him.

Nothing.

That terrified me almost as much as the silence itself.

Because every other person around me was painfully loud.

But Kael?

It was like standing beside an empty room.

“…What’s your name?” I blurted out before thinking.

Several nearby students gasped dramatically.

Kael blinked once.

“…Kael.”

Right.

Of course I already knew that.

Still, hearing him say it himself felt strangely different.

Mina suddenly rushed toward us looking horrified.

“Eli,” she whispered urgently, “why are you talking to the human red flag?!”

Please don’t let him die today.

“I’m not going to die!”

Mina froze.

“You did it again.”

Crap.

I slapped both hands over my mouth immediately.

Too late.

Kael’s sharp eyes narrowed slightly.

“…Did what?”

My brain stopped functioning.

Think.

Think quickly.

“I just meant—uh—I’m not dying from embarrassment?”

Terrible save.

Absolutely terrible.

Mina looked like she wanted to abandon me permanently.

Kael stared at me for a long moment.

Then his gaze shifted toward my trembling hands.

“…You’re shaking.”

I quickly pulled my sleeves lower to hide it.

“I’m fine.”

Lie.

A complete lie.

The moment Kael loosened his grip slightly, noise immediately rushed back into my skull.

I’m hungry.

This is so dramatic.

Kael’s surprisingly handsome.

I flinched hard.

Kael noticed instantly.

Without saying anything, he tightened his hold around my wrist again.

Silence returned.

Warmth spread through my chest so suddenly it scared me.

My body relaxed automatically before I could stop it.

Unfortunately…

Kael noticed that too.

Something unreadable flickered across his expression.

Not annoyance.

Not pity.

Something softer.

That strange broken whisper brushed faintly against my mind again.

…cute.

I choked on air.

Kael blinked calmly.

“…Why are you turning red?”

“I’M NOT RED!”

Now the cafeteria was openly watching us like a live romance drama.

I wanted to transfer schools immediately.

Mina looked seconds away from screaming.

Meanwhile Kael still hadn’t let go of my wrist.

Not that I wanted him to.

Which was honestly becoming its own problem.

Because my body was already starting to memorize the feeling of silence around him.

And I wasn’t sure I could survive losing it again.

Kael glanced at the untouched lunch scattered across the floor before looking back at me.

“You should go to the nurse’s office.”

“I’m okay.”

“You almost collapsed.”

“…Still okay.”

For the first time, Kael sighed softly.

Like I was exhausting him already.

Then—

before I could react—

he stepped closer.

Way too close.

Close enough for me to notice the faint scar near his jaw.

Close enough to smell rain on his uniform.

My heartbeat became dangerously unstable.

And then I heard it again.

That broken whisper inside my mind.

Clearer this time.

…don’t break again.

My breath caught.

Break again?

What did that even mean?

Before I could ask—

Kael’s fingers tightened around my wrist gently.

And for one impossible second…

his expression looked afraid.

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