The sky was adorned with tiny stars, twinkling gently as if whispering untouchable secrets from the heavens. A soft night breeze brushed against Raeya's face, carrying the faint scent of rain that had fallen earlier at dusk. The girl sat alone on the balcony chair, wearing a light jacket and hugging her knees as she stared up at the sky.
For her, the night always felt calming.
There was peace in the silence, in the vastness of the sky—like the world was giving her space to breathe, to feel, without needing to say a single word.
"I like the night…" she whispered softly, her voice barely louder than the wind, remembering her late mother who used to sit beside her, stargazing. "If Mom were still here, we'd be sitting together right now, talking about silly things…"
But that peace was suddenly shattered.
A flash of bright blue light—elegant and mysterious—rippled through the air.
As if something had torn through the sky and sent a fragment down to earth.
The light wasn't blinding, in fact, it was mesmerizing… yet it made Raeya's skin crawl.
Fwuush—THUD!
Raeya jumped at the sudden sound of something heavy hitting the balcony floor.
Her eyes widened.
A child—around eight years old—was lying on the floor, covered in wounds. His small body was scratched and torn, deep and violent as if clawed by something that wasn't human.
Blood soaked the tiles.
Raeya froze for a few seconds, unable to move.
"W-Wait, is that a person? Is he… dead?" she stammered, her voice trembling.
Her heart pounded wildly in her chest.
Slowly, Raeya moved closer, holding her breath, her knees barely able to support her.
The boy groaned weakly, his eyes cracking open just a little. With a voice hoarse and filled with pain, he slapped her hand away with what little strength he had left.
"Don't touch me…!"
Then he passed out.
"O-oh my God…" Raeya panicked, frantically checking his body. "Hey! Hey, wake up! Please don't die, don't die…"
She collapsed to the floor beside him, touching his small, cold body that barely moved. Cold sweat trickled down her face. Her heartbeat was rapid and uneven. Her fingers trembled as she dialed the emergency number on her phone. She could hardly form words when the operator answered.
"Th-there's a child… on my balcony… he's hurt, I-I don't know what to do!"
Her voice cracked and faltered, like something was caught in her throat. She stammered through her address, then hung up with a violently shaking hand.
Her body tensed.
Her breathing was shallow.
The apartment felt like it was spinning slowly around her.
It felt like a nightmare—too real to be just a dream. Raeya clutched at her own hair, her face pale with panic.
"How did a child even get on my balcony? Where did he come from? What could've done this to him?"
Questions flooded her mind, colliding and overwhelming her until she could barely breathe.
It wasn't just panic. It was chaos.
A storm of confusion crashing into someone far too young to handle it.
She looked at the boy again.
He was still breathing—barely. And in the midst of that storm, the strongest feeling wasn't confusion or panic. It was fear. The fear that this boy… might die in her arms.
Moments later, she heard hurried footsteps inside the apartment.
Raeya quickly stood and rushed to the front door, her hands still shaking. Emergency medics entered with a large bag and a foldable stretcher. They followed her to the balcony.
The moment they saw the small body on the ground, they sprang into action.
One checked his pulse and breathing while the other prepared oxygen.
"There are multiple lacerations on his back and legs… some fresh, some partially healed," one medic muttered, frowning as he examined the wounds. He touched them gently, his face calm—not shocked, but focused and concerned.
"Do you know who he is? A neighbor's kid, maybe?" the other asked Raeya.
She shook her head weakly. "I… I don't know. He just appeared on my balcony…"
The medic nodded without pressing her. They seemed used to strange situations, or maybe they were just trying to keep a young girl from falling into further panic.
As one of them gently touched the boy's wrist, his eyes fluttered open.
Just for a second, Raeya saw them—deep blue, like the night sky without stars. But it wasn't just the color that made her shiver. The way he looked around—his eyes narrowing, breath held, body tensing—it was like watching a wild animal suddenly awake in an unfamiliar place.
He didn't panic like a normal child.
He didn't cry.
He assessed.
Calculated.
Watched.
Raeya stood frozen. She could feel his gaze sweeping over her, the medics, the room—judging, analyzing. Not fear… but alertness.
The boy shifted slightly, trying to sit up. One of the medics gently stopped him.
"You're safe now. It's okay. We're here to help," he said softly.
But the boy's gaze didn't soften.
Even as he closed his eyes again, his body didn't relax.
Raeya kept staring.
There was something strange about him.
Very strange.
But she didn't know what to call it.
Once the boy's condition stabilized, the medics carefully lifted him onto the stretcher.
Raeya followed numbly, her steps unsteady like her entire world had tilted. The apartment door stood wide open, revealing a living room that had been perfectly ordinary that morning—and was now the scene of something she still couldn't grasp.
One of the medics looked back at her. "Are you coming with us? Or should we contact your parents?"
Raeya hesitated.
Her body wanted to collapse, but her mind was spinning.
"I'm coming," she whispered at last—softly, but just enough to be heard.
The medic nodded and helped her into the ambulance. Inside, Raeya sat in a corner, rigid, watching the boy. He was wearing an oxygen mask now, a small IV needle in his arm. His body looked calm, but his face still held tension. Even in this half-conscious state… he looked ready to run.
Raeya couldn't take her eyes off him.
Who are you, really?
.・゜゜・
At the hospital, the medics quickly wheeled the boy into the emergency room.
Raeya sat outside, alone on a cold plastic chair, her hands gripping the phone she had just used to call Auntie Lily. Her body trembled, her thoughts a mess, her brain still trying to catch up with what had just happened.
A moment later, hurried footsteps echoed through the hallway.
"Raeya!" Auntie Lily called out as she rushed over. She immediately wrapped the girl in a hug, checking her face and arms. "Are you okay? Oh my god, you scared me half to death!"
Raeya nodded weakly. "I'm fine, Auntie… But that boy… he…"
Before she could finish, a female doctor approached.
She wore a white coat with a name tag: Dr. Avelyn Moresca.
"Are you the one who found the boy?" she asked.
"I'm her aunt," Auntie Lily replied while still holding Raeya protectively. "Raeya found him on the balcony of our apartment."
Dr. Avelyn nodded gently. "He's stable for now. He has moderate dehydration, multiple scrapes and bruises, and signs of malnutrition. But he's also suffered internal trauma, and his body's extremely weak. We've placed him in the children's observation ward for further monitoring."
Auntie Lily's eyes widened. "Oh my god, those wounds…"
"The way his body reacts shows heightened alertness. Even when he's half-unconscious, he tenses up whenever someone approaches. He doesn't cry or scream, but he's clearly on edge. It might be trauma—or pure survival instinct," the doctor explained calmly.
Raeya remained silent, replaying the sharp, guarded look on the boy's face. That wasn't how children usually looked at the world.
"Would you like to wait until he wakes up?" the doctor asked.
Before Raeya could respond, Auntie Lily gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Doctor, Raeya's exhausted. She nearly fainted from the panic. I think it's better if we go home so she can rest."
"That's perfectly fine," Dr. Avelyn said kindly. "If no information comes up about his identity within 24 hours, we'll contact social services."
Raeya hesitated. "If he wakes up… can I know how he's doing?"
"We can call you if he regains consciousness and says anything," the doctor replied. "Just make sure to leave your contact number at the front desk."
Raeya nodded slowly.
Auntie Lily took her hand gently. "Come on, sweetheart. If he wakes up and you still want to see him, we'll come back. But for now, you need to rest."
Raeya glanced one last time down the corridor that led to the treatment rooms.
There was a strong pull in her chest, something telling her to stay.
But her body was too drained.
If he wakes up… I'll come back.
She whispered it quietly, more to herself than anyone else.