Pushing his chair aside, Helios hooked the IV line onto the stand before nudging a pair of slippers toward Poseidon, "Come on."
Poseidon hesitated before carefully stepping down from the bed, "A-are you sure? I might get you in trouble..."
Helios grinned, shaking his head, "Silly. If it's with you, I don't mind a little trouble."
Poseidon stared at him, momentarily speechless. Was it recklessness? Foolishness? Or just pure, unwavering bravery? Whatever it was, he followed. "Yeah," he murmured as they walked down the corridor, "We'll go through it together."
As they stepped into the hospital garden, Poseidon inhaled deeply, relishing the fresh air after being limited indoors for two long weeks. Helios stretched as he took a seat on a nearby bench, but before he could say anything, Poseidon pulled a tape ball from his pocket and tossed it at him, "Catch!"
Helios caught it effortlessly, raising an eyebrow in amusement, "So… turns out you were the one looking for trouble before me, huh?"
Poseidon giggled as Helios threw the ball back, and the two played catch for a while.
Then, all of a sudden, Poseidon stopped mid-throw, "Did you bring your bat?"
Helios narrowed his eyes, trying to recall. "Yeah, I brought my gear. It's in your room. Why—?" He trailed off, realization dawning upon him as he met Poseidon's expectant gaze. The anticipation in his Poseidon's sparkling eyes was undeniable.
Helios sighed, shaking his head in disbelief, "You're impossible." But, as always, he gave in, "Alright, wait here. I'll be right back."
Poseidon nodded, watching him go with a warm, grateful smile. "Thanks, Heli... for everything," he murmured softly.
When Helios returned with the bat, Poseidon was already standing beneath the tree's shade, waiting. "Alright, listen up," Helios warned, crossing his arms. "No. Using. Any. Of. Your. Abilities. Got it?" He narrowed his eyes for emphasis, "Especially that Charm of paralysis and Gravity suppression."
Poseidon waved him off with a carefree nod, "Yeah, yeah, I know." He dashed toward the other end of their makeshift pitch, preparing himself.
"I won't use mine either," Helios called out.
Poseidon turned back with a wink, "I wouldn't mind, though. I'm going to beat you anyway."
Helios blinked before his brow twitched, "Oh yeah? Then you're on!"
Poseidon burst into laughter, spinning the ball between his fingers, "Be careful, Heli. I never lose a challenge."
Helios smirked, tapping his bat against the ground, "Yeah, yeah, just go easy on both of us, alright? We still have to attend the academy tomorrow."
With that, the friendly match began.
…
Meanwhile, on the second floor, Layla sighed as she watched the two boys from the window. "Those two…" she murmured.
"Let them be," Sahil replied, taking a slow sip of his coffee.
Layla exhaled, shaking her head, "I want to let them be, dear. But this time, Poseidon's seizure was much worse than before. He could barely move both of his legs for a week. I don't understand it. He was improving so much, and suddenly…?" She sank into a chair, a deep worry clouding her face, "It terrifies me to watch him play like this."
Sahil followed her gaze, his expression thoughtful and troubled.
"Helios has seen him in pain so many times," Layla continued, her voice soft, "And yet, look at him. He still pushes forward, pretending as if nothing happened. How many times has Poseidon collapsed in his arms? How many times has he been too afraid to even speak?" She smiled wistfully, running her fingers over Poseidon's medical report, "But he won't give up. Not on Poseidon. Not on hope."
Sahil nodded, his eyes dark with contemplation, "Helios is strong, Layla. Maybe even stronger than all of us, who are trying to save Poseidon. And in his own way, he's making us braver, too. That's why we can't give up. We need to find out what changed. What could have caused this?"
Layla nodded, "I will. I will" Then, she let out a small chuckle, "You know, Helios keeps calling him ' littler brother, little brother' despite being the younger one. But the truth is, I've caught onto his innocence, too. I too… see myself as Poseidon's second mother now. I won't let those two fight this alone."
"Yeah," Sahil smiled at her words, but his eyes remained fixated on the boys outside, determination settling in his gaze.
[(Eight Generation Academy)]
"Oh! You're back!"
"Poseidon is back!"
"It's been so long!"
"Yeah, 14 days and two months already if we include summer break,"
A chorus of excited voices rang out as Poseidon stepped into the classroom. He blinked in surprise, taking in the sight of his classmates clapping for him. "Thank you, everyone," he replied warmly, a gentle smile gracing his face. He had grown into a fine young man and had now become a well-known figure at the Eight Generation Academy. The Vice-captain of The Cricket Society.
"Best of luck for this year too, Vice-Captain Poseidon!" A boy called out, raising a hand for a high-five, which Poseidon met before making his way to his seat. Before he could settle in, a group of girls surrounded him, while some of the boys pulled their chairs closer.
"You're feeling okay, right? You didn't force yourself to come today, did you?" one of the girls asked, concern evident in her voice.
Poseidon shook his head, his answer sincere, "I'm feeling much better. I promise I didn't push myself."
"That's a relief," another girl said, passing him a stack of notes and assignments, "Here's everything from the past two weeks. Make sure you catch up, genius. Though, I bet Helios already made sure you were ahead of the game days ago."
Poseidon chuckled but accepted them with a nod, "Thank you."
"Don't thank us, silly. Do you have any idea how much we suffered during the marked tests without you? No one was there to explain the hard stuff!" a boy sighed dramatically, "Honestly, marked tests after a week of the new semester?! That's unbearable!"
"Exactly! We girls struggled the most!" another girl chimed in, "So take care of yourself and don't skip school again. We lose our free professor."
Poseidon chuckled, raising his hands in mock surrender, "Alright, alright. I'll be more careful." Then, looking at the notes in his hands, he added, "If any of you need help, feel free to ask me now. I'll see if I can explain."
"Really?!" they exclaimed, springing up.
"Oh, you're a lifesaver, pretty boy," one of them sighed in relief.
"Yeah, honestly, we're blessed to have you in this class," another added with a playful wink.
Before Poseidon could respond, the boys called out from behind, "Hey, Poseidon!"
Poseidon turned around, "Yeah?"
"Study ground resumes after recess, deal?" one of them grinned, "And don't forget about the Cricket Society! The new freshmen are eager to meet you."
Poseidon's face lit up, "Yeah!"
As the girls excitedly fired off their questions, Poseidon listened attentively, answering with ease. The conversations, the laughter, the warm-heartedness of his classmates, all of it helped push aside the memory of the hospital stay, the two weeks of battling his worsening health.
At that moment, the door swung open, and Helios walked in, composed and calm as ever. He exuded an effortless air of authority and grace.
"Oh look, if it isn't our very own Student Council Logistics Manager and the Captain of two-time Inter-academy national champion of the Cricket Society!" one of the boys declared dramatically.
Helios sighed, shaking his head as his coat draped neatly behind him, "Must you exaggerate everything?"
"Not exaggerating if it's true," another boy teased.
Mirza followed in behind Helios, letting out a sigh, "Yeah, but it does sound like a ridiculously long title."
The boys laughed, "Come on, embarrassed already? Haha, we haven't even started yet."
"Anyway, welcome to our third year," another classmate said, stretching, "We're officially grown-ups now."
"Agh~ time flies too fast! I wish we were kids again," another whined.
Helios shook his head with a quiet chuckle. "Silly," he muttered under his breath.
As he moved to place his files on the teacher's desk, his eyes instinctively met Poseidon's. Poseidon smiled, and Helios, with a quiet understanding, gave him a light nod in return.
"So, what's the plan this time, Captain? Are we going for a third consecutive Inter-Academy National victory?" a boy asked Helios.
"Of course. Do you even need to ask?" Claude interjected, leaning against the corridor window.
"Oh? You're here too?" one of the boys remarked.
"Yeah, I came to see Poseidon," Claude waved at him, and Poseidon returned the gesture with a small smile. "Honestly, the last two years have been a whirlwind. They passed in the blink of an eye," he said.
"Right? We've done so much," another voice chimed in, startling Claude.
"Oh my god! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Claude gasped, stepping back dramatically.
"You're exaggerating," Haadi rolled his eyes.
"And what brings you here, best off-spinner of the Cricket Society?" a boy in the classroom asked, smirking.
"What else? Vice-captain Poseidon, of course." Haadi grinned, waving at Poseidon, who once again waved back, this time a little awkwardly.
"You sure are popular everywhere, Poseidon," a girl teased.
Poseidon lowered his head slightly, clearly embarrassed.