Chapter 66: The Long Sleep

Later, when they got home, Tatia was waiting.

She took one look at their faces and smiled.

"Good day?"

"The best," Isolde said.

"We stayed longer than I intended."

Emeric said, realizing they were supposed to be back later that afternoon.

"Oh it’s fine Lord Halden. No fuss. Then I’ll leave you to it."

She gathered her things and paused at the door.

"Tomorrow."

"I’ll be here," Isolde said.

Tatia left.

Emeric helped Isolde to bed.

He tucked the blankets around her. Kissed her forehead.

"Sleep."

"You too."

He lay down beside her. She curled into him. Her head on his chest. Her hand over his heart.

He held her.

And for the first time in weeks, he was not worried.

Tomorrow would come with its own worries.

He just held her.

That was enough.

---

[DEVOTION LOGGED: QUALITY TIME — INVESTING IN TARGET’S HAPPINESS]

[NATURE OF DEVOTION: PRIORITIZING JOY OVER PRODUCTIVITY. PROVIDING NORMALCY. LOVING WITHOUT AGENDA.]

[DP AWARDED: +8]

[BOND METER: 90 → 92]

---

He didn’t read the notification but he knew it had something to do with rewarding him for the date.

He didn’t care for it. He didn’t do it for the reward. He was genuinely in love with her and nothing was more worth it.

—

One Day Until Raid

Nyxie had been sluggish for days.

Emeric noticed it first. She slept more. Ate less. Her movements, usually quick and curious, had slowed to a crawl. She no longer perched on his shoulder during breakfast. She no longer chased dust motes in the afternoon light. She just slept—curled in a tight ball on the pillow beside Isolde’s chair, her small body barely rising and falling with each breath.

Isolde noticed too.

"She’s not herself," she said the morning before the raid as she watched the small creature from across the room. "Is she sick?"

"I don’t know."

"You should check."

She probably meant to physically examine her or try and sense something in the soul bond. But he had a different idea.

Well, it was sort of the same thing.

He reached for the system. Focused on Nyxie.

---

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

[SUMMONED CREATURE — NYXIE]

[STATUS: PRE-HIBERNATION]

[VOIDLING (JUVENILE) — EVOLUTION PATH UNLOCKED]

[EVOLUTION REQUIREMENTS: MET]

[EVOLUTION DURATION: INDEFINITE]

[EVOLUTION OUTCOME: UNKNOWN — PATH UNIQUE TO INDIVIDUAL]

[DESCRIPTION: Voidlings enter a state of dormancy when they are ready to evolve. This process cannot be rushed or interrupted. The creature will remain in hibernation until its body has completed the necessary changes. Duration varies. Some awaken within weeks. Others within months. A rare few remain dormant for years.]

[WARNING: DO NOT DISTURB THE PROCESS. DO NOT FORCE AWAKENING. THE CREATURE WILL AWAKEN WHEN IT IS READY.]

[SYSTEM NOTE: VOIDLINGS ARE EXTREMELY RARE. THEIR EVOLUTION PATH IS UNIQUE TO EACH INDIVIDUAL. TREAT IT WELL.]

—

Emeric read the notification twice, trying to capture every piece of the information.

She could wake in weeks or even years to wake up.

He didn’t know when he would see her again.

He looked at the small creature curled on the pillow. Her dark eyes were closed. Her tiny wings were folded against her back. Her tail was wrapped around her body like a blanket.

She looked peaceful.

He sat beside her. Touched her back. Felt the faint pulse of life beneath his fingers.

"You’re going to sleep for a while," he said quietly. "I don’t know how long. But I’ll be here when you wake up."

She didn’t respond.

He didn’t expect her to.

He built her a bed. He needed to make her comfortable.

A small wooden box lined with soft blankets. He placed it in the corner of the bedroom, near the window, where the morning light would fall across it. He set Nyxie inside. Tucked the blankets around her.

She curled into a tighter ball. Her breathing slowed. Her body grew still.

He watched her for a long time.

Then he closed the lid. Not all the way. Just enough to keep her warm. Just enough to let her breathe.

He stepped back.

The room felt emptier.

---

Isolde was watching from her chair.

"She’s not gone you know," she said quietly. "She’s just... sleeping."

"I know."

"She’ll wake up."

"I know."

She reached for his hand. He took it.

They stayed there together. Looking at the small wooden box. Thinking about the creature inside.

"What if she changes?" Isolde asked.

"She will."

"You don’t know that."

"I know she’s strong. Stronger than she looks." He squeezed her hand. "She’ll wake up when she’s ready."

Isolde was quiet for a moment.

"And when she does," she said, "she’ll be different."

"Yes."

"Do you know what she will look like?"

He thought about it.

"I don’t know," he admitted. "But I’m sure she won’t change that much ."

---

That night, Emeric lay in bed.

Isolde was asleep beside him. Her breath was slow and even. Her hand rested on his chest.

He stared at the ceiling.

The house felt quieter. The room felt emptier. Even the air felt stiller.

Nyxie had been with him for weeks. The small chaos she created in her presence was very noticeable now.

She had chased shadows in the candlelight. She had become part of his life. Their life.

And now she was hibernating.

He closed his eyes.

He needed to sleep. Tomorrow, he had to get a party and start getting stronger than he currently was.

His mind went through all the things he had to do to save his wife.

It would not be easy. But it was something he had to do.

He stared at Isolde. Everything he did was for her.

This had to work.

---

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]

[SUMMONED CREATURE — NYXIE]

[STATUS: HIBERNATION — INDEFINITE]**

[DEVOTION LOGGED: CARING FOR A COMPANION — SACRIFICE WITHOUT REWARD]

[NATURE OF DEVOTION: PROVIDING A PATH TO EVOLUTION FOR YOUR BOND.]

[DP AWARDED: +3]

[BOND METER: 92 → 93]

---

He closed his eyes and easily drifted into sleep.

For the first time in a while, his dreams were nothing. Today had been a good day and it reflected in his mental state.

If only everyday would be this way.