Souls Online: Mythic Ascension
Chapter 152: Quiet Comfort

Chapter 152: Quiet Comfort

Chirp Chirp

It was the sound of birds that caused Luna to wake up just as the sun was beginning to rise. Her mouth opened wide in a quiet yawn as she sat up from her position on the couch. There she saw Aria still curled up on the couch fast asleep with Lily sprawled out in a nearby chair, drooling a little as she slept.

Crystal was also still asleep but she still looked elegant and serene like a princess awaiting a kiss from her Prince Charming. Not wanting to wake anyone, Luna slowly stood up and made her way to the kitchen, planning to make use of the ingredients Rachel had procured from a nearby grocery store the day before.

"Oh? Good Morning Sis. I didn’t wake you, did I?"

To her surprise, she found Leo already in the kitchen wearing an apron as he bustled about making breakfast himself. Luna rubbed her eyes as she couldn’t help but think she was dreaming. Yet nothing changed.

"If you are still tired, go back to sleep. I will wake you and the others up when breakfast is ready."

Her nose twitched to the sound of something sizzling. The scent of warm butter and sugar drifted through the air, soft and sweet, like a memory. Still caught between sleep and wakefulness, Luna blinked drowsily and rubbed her eyes again. Leo in an apron. Pancakes. Sunshine?

Definitely a dream.

She leaned against the doorframe, still swaying a little, watching her blonde haired brother flip a pancake with gentle ease. There was a calm to him, a quiet confidence in the way he moved. No wounds. No pain. Just Leo, humming softly to himself like nothing had happened.

If not for the cat ears atop his head or the kitten-like tail that swayed with a gentle rhythmic motion, it would look completely and utterly...normal. Something that she hadnt had in years.

"...If this is a dream, I don’t want to wake up"

she mumbled, half to herself. Leo turned at her voice and smiled, the kind smile that had a hint of mischief.

"This is no dream Sis. You’re not imagining any of this."

Luna stood there a second longer, staring at him as though afraid he might vanish if she blinked too hard. She didn’t speak. Didn’t move. Just watched him.

He turned back to the stove, flipping another pancake with the same easy rhythm.

"There’s coffee in the pot, if you want it but leave some for the others. I don’t know how anybody could love that disgusting drink."

That was the final straw.

She stepped forward, silent and slow, afraid that one wrong move and everything would disappear like a puff of smoke. Then with some hesitation, she wrapped her arms around him from behind, gripping him as carefully as she could, her cheek resting against his back, tears streaming down her face as she quietly cried into his back.

"I’m so glad...I don’t know what I would have done if I lost you..."

Leo said nothing as he continued to make breakfast while standing still, allowing Luna to vent her emotions for as long as she needed. After all, him standing where he was now was already a miracle in itself and he totally understood how reality seemed like a dream right now.

Leo didn’t say anything right away. He simply kept working, spatula in hand, flipping another golden pancake onto a growing stack on a nearby plate. His ears gave the faintest twitch at her words, and the tip of his tail curled slightly, betraying the emotions he was otherwise keeping to himself.

The warmth of the kitchen wrapped around them like a blanket. The air was thick with the rich aroma of cinnamon and browned butter, the soft crackle of batter on the stove, and Luna’s quiet sniffling as she held him tighter. Her grip shifted for a moment, clinging to the fabric of his apron like she needed proof that he was really standing there.

Eventually, he spoke again. His voice was quiet this time, softer than before.

"I’m not going anywhere, Luna. I promise."

She didn’t answer. Not with words. But the way she pressed into his back, the way her arms stayed wrapped around him, said more than enough.

And still, he cooked. He didn’t move away or try to comfort her with more words. He just let her stay there, because he knew. He knew Luna didn’t need anything fancy or loud. Sometimes comfort came in the simplest forms. In pancakes. In aprons. In the sound of birds and the golden light pouring in through the windows.

In being alive. In being home.

Once the stack of pancakes grew too much for a single plate, Leo finally spoke again.

"Hey Sis. Could you do two things for me?"

Luna let go of her brother and immediately replied with a bright smile

"Absolutely. What do you need Leo~!"

Leo had a wry smile on his face when he saw her cheerful demeanor.

"First, can you grab me another plate while I start cooking some bacon?"

"Sure thing!"

Luna opened the cupboard and reached for a plate and passed it over.

"Thanks. Secondly, can you tell me why Rachel is sleeping outside?"

Luna froze for a brief moment before she ever so slowly looked out the window into the backyard. True enough, covered in a copious amount of dirt was Rachel, completely passed out as if she was a corpse that had been dumped atop fresh soil.

If not for the clear rise and fall of her chest to show that she was breathing, Luna would truly have believed that she was dead.

Luna’s eyes widened as she recalled their ’conversation’ from the night before.

"I told her she had to fill that hole if she wanted to come back inside,"

Luna said quietly, glancing back toward the window.

Leo nodded, a small smile tugging at his lips despite the situation.

"Yeah, she managed to finish it. Must have been completely wiped out afterward."

Luna bit her lip, picturing Rachel collapsing from sheer exhaustion right after finishing the task.

"She didn’t even make it back to the door. Just gave out right there."

Leo shook his head softly and resumed cooking.

"How about you go get her and have her go take a shower. Breakfast will be ready by the time she is done. I hope"

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