Chapter 177: Nothing Happened

Aisha slowly opened her eyes.

For several seconds, she couldn’t remember where she was.

The ceiling above her was unfamiliar, though not entirely so. A faint medicinal scent lingered in the air, mixed with the cleaner smell of whatever material had been used to keep the room sterile. Her body felt heavy, almost as if she had slept for far too long, and there was an uncomfortable dullness spreading through her limbs whenever she tried to move.

She blinked several times, allowing her vision to clear.

Then she noticed someone sitting beside the bed.

Nykos had pulled a chair close to her. One arm rested against the side of the chair while his other hand supported his chin, his silver hair falling loosely over his forehead as his eyes remained closed. From the slight angle of his neck and the awkward position of his body, it was obvious that he had fallen asleep there rather than intentionally chosen to rest.

Aisha stared at him for a while.

She couldn’t understand why he was still here.

The last thing she remembered was the room tilting beneath her feet and blood running down from her nose and the corner of her eye. After that, everything had disappeared.

Apparently, Nykos hadn’t left.

A faint feeling of gratitude settled inside her chest, followed closely by pity when she looked at the way he was sleeping. Even if he could probably sleep in almost any position without complaining, that posture couldn’t possibly be comfortable.

Aisha slowly pushed herself up.

The movement made her head ache faintly, and she paused until the sensation passed. She looked toward the bed beside her, then at Nykos again.

Since she was already awake, she could tell him to sleep properly on the bed.

She reached out, intending to wake him.

Before her fingers could touch his shoulder, the door opened.

Amar walked through the already opened doorway and immediately stopped when he saw her sitting upright.

For the briefest moment, surprise crossed his face.

Then his expression settled into its usual calmness as he approached. "You’re awake." He looked her over briefly before asking, "How are you feeling?"

Aisha lowered her hand and looked at him. Her throat felt terribly dry, making her voice rough when she answered, "I’m fine."

She swallowed, but it did little to ease the dryness.

Noticing this, Amar reached for the glass of water sitting on the nearby table and handed it to her. "Here."

Aisha accepted it with both hands and slowly drank, allowing the cool water to soothe her throat.

Only after finishing half of it did she lower the glass.

"How long was I asleep?"

"Only half a day has passed since we arrived here." Amar pulled the chair beside the wall and sat down. "You haven’t been unconscious for as long as you probably think."

Aisha’s brows furrowed slightly.

She thought it would take longer for her to wake up.

Fortunately, it was only half a day.

The words were enough to bring the memories she had been trying to grasp back into focus. She remembered the doctor, Zenick, and the overwhelming anger that had surged through her when she thought about Holden. Then came the dizziness, followed by the strange sensation of blood running from her nose and the corner of her eye.

Her fingers instinctively touched beneath her nose, as though checking whether there was still any trace of it. There was none, thankfully.

"What happened after I passed out?"

Amar’s expression changed.

It was subtle enough that someone unfamiliar with him might not have noticed. His eyes shifted for a moment, and his gaze briefly moved toward Nykos, who remained asleep beside the bed.

Aisha followed his gaze.

Nykos hadn’t moved.

Amar cleared his throat quietly before looking back at her. "Nothing happened."

Aisha’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Amar continued before she could question him. "You simply lost consciousness after overusing your ability. The doctor examined you, and fortunately, there was nothing immediately life-threatening."

He spoke calmly, but there was something strangely deliberate about the way he chose his words.

Aisha studied him for another moment.

Then she asked, "That’s all?"

"That’s all you need to worry about." Amar maintained his calm expression, though his gaze briefly flickered toward Nykos again.

There was a brief silence.

Amar’s expression remained composed, but inwardly, he couldn’t help remembering what had actually happened.

The moment Aisha’s knees gave out, Nykos moved.

He caught her before she could hit the floor, one arm locking around her waist while his other hand steadied her head. The sudden movement startled Amar and Vince, who had been standing nearby, but neither of them said anything when they saw the look on Nykos’s face.

Nykos lowered Aisha carefully into his arms, his expression changing completely as he looked down at her pale face.

"Aisha." Nykos’s voice was low as his fingers touched the side of her face.

She didn’t respond.

Her skin was cold to his touch.

Nykos’s expression darkened.

The doctor was already beside them, but Nykos barely spared him a glance before ordering, "Check everything."

The doctor immediately got to work.

Scanners were placed over Aisha’s body while medical equipment was connected to the monitor. Her pulse, psychic energy, blood pressure, and mental fluctuations were all checked one after another.

Nykos stood beside the bed without moving.

His gaze never left her.

When the doctor frowned at one of the readings, Nykos’s eyes narrowed.

"What is it?"

The doctor swallowed.

"I need to examine her properly first."

"Then do it faster." Nykos’s voice remained quiet, but the warning behind it was impossible to miss.

The doctor hurried, sweat gradually forming along his forehead as he continued checking the readings.

Amar stood nearby, watching the scene unfold in silence. Vince had also gone unusually quiet, clearly unwilling to draw attention to himself while their Commander was in this mood.

After several minutes, the doctor finally stepped back.

"She’s stable."

Nykos’s gaze remained fixed on him.

"Then why isn’t she awake?"

"Because she overused her Guide abilities."

The doctor’s answer seemed to ease some of the tension in the room, though Nykos’s expression remained cold.

The doctor continued, "Her body suffered a severe backlash. It seems her psychic energy was pushed beyond what her body could safely handle. Fortunately, the damage doesn’t appear to be permanent."

Nykos’s eyes narrowed.

"How long?"

"She should wake within several hours."

The room became quiet.

The doctor hesitated before adding, "But you shouldn’t allow her to use her abilities so recklessly again."

Nykos’s gaze hardened.

"Explain."

The doctor looked uncomfortable. "Her powers don’t seem to be properly suited to her body."

That sentence made everyone in the room pause.

Amar frowned.

"What does that mean?"

"I don’t know yet." The doctor looked down at the readings again. "I’ve never seen anything quite like this. A Guide’s psychic abilities should develop alongside their body. There can be differences in strength, compatibility, and control, but they shouldn’t react this way."

He tapped the display.

"Her body is struggling to keep up with the power she’s using. It’s almost as if the ability itself is developing faster than her body can adapt to it."

Amar frowned deeper.

"Is that dangerous?"

"It can be."

The doctor’s answer made Nykos’s expression turn even colder.

The doctor quickly continued, "But right now, she’s out of immediate danger. She needs rest. If she continues pushing herself like this, however, the backlash could become worse next time."

Nykos stared at him for several seconds.

Then his voice dropped.

"If she doesn’t wake up like you said, I’ll throw you into the mouth of a high-level contaminated beast myself."

The doctor visibly paled and looked at the other two men in the room.

Amar looked away.

Vince suddenly became very interested in the wall.

No one questioned whether Nykos was serious, and neither Amar nor Vince had any intention of stepping in to defend the doctor.

The doctor helplessly nodded and returned his attention to Aisha, checking her condition once more before assuring them that she would recover.

It was fortunate that the problem was only the result of overusing her powers.

But none of them truly understood what the doctor meant when he said that Aisha’s abilities weren’t suited to her body.

Even the doctor himself couldn’t explain her strange condition.

Back in the room, Amar looked at Aisha and gave her a calm expression.

"Nothing much happened after you passed out. The doctor examined you and said you only needed to rest."

Aisha remained quiet.

Her gaze moved toward Nykos again.

He was still sleeping in the chair, apparently unaware that she had awakened.

She looked at his uncomfortable posture for a few seconds before sighing softly.

"He’s been sitting there the whole time?"

Amar’s eyes flickered, then he nodded. "He refused to leave."

Aisha’s expression softened slightly.

She looked at Nykos again, then reached toward him.

"I’ll wake him."

Amar immediately watched her with a complicated expression.

He didn’t stop her.

There was little point in explaining what had happened while she was unconscious.

Aisha had already woken up safely.

That was what mattered.

Besides, there was no need to tell her that while she had been unconscious, their Commander had nearly threatened to burn half the city down over her.

Amar glanced at Nykos.

He still remembered the doctor’s terrified expression.

Then he looked back at Aisha.

Perhaps it was better if she never found out.

For now, at least.