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"...This..."
Kael opened his mouth to say sothing, but swallowed the words back down.
He shook his head lightly and sat again.
Through his heightened senses, he could feel it this Ralts had no malice.
In fact...
Kael's eyes swept over its frail body in the corner.
"[Life Force: Very Weak]."
Normally, even Ghost-types brimd with vitality far beyond humans.
But this little Ralts seed deathly ill.
Its breathing was faint, its life-force flickering as though a re breeze could snuff it out.
That, combined with its tiny body, explained why Kael hadn't noticed it at first.
Its white skin was mottled with black patches, its crimson horn cracked, half missing.
Kael's mind flashed back to the cold surgical table.
A grim thought stirred within him— Could this Ralts be another experint, just like ?
"...Sigh."
He lowered his head.
Speculating wouldn't help.
He couldn't even escape his own prison, let alone worry about another.
---
In the damp, cold cell, Kael sat cross-legged against the wall, his gray-blue arms resting on his knees.
He closed his eyes, sinking into himself.
Now was the ti to study his body, strengthen his control.
He was weak.
His situation is uncertain and likely deadly.
All he could do was wait.
Wait for a chance.
Dim light filtered through the bars, casting long strips across the concrete floor.
In the corner, Ralts remained curled up.
From ti to ti, it peeked at him.
Its dull crimson eyes glimred faintly with curiosity.
Like a timid rabbit, it only dared to steal a glance before snapping its gaze away.
Minutes turned to hours.
Kael didn't move.
At last, perhaps sensing he ant no harm, Ralts stopped hiding its gaze.
Instead, it stared wide-eyed, shy, and curious.
Then, unable to resist, a faint glow shimred in its lone horn.
A fragile strand of psychic energy reached out...
...and brushed against Kael's arm.
It recoiled imdiately, like a child touching fire.
---
Kael's eyes opened.
He had been aware the whole ti.
He knew Ralts wasn't hostile, so he hadn't acted.
But this... this was crossing a line.
His gaze hardened, and he rose.
But before he could step forward, Ralts shrank back—
Trembling, huddled like a helpless chick.
Kael froze.
Then exhaled softly.
"...Forget it. Let it be."
He sat back down.
Silence filled the cell.
Ralts peeked again, saw no retaliation, and relaxed.
Its little chest rose and fell as it patted itself in relief.
A mischievous glimr flickered in its eyes.
It tried again.
This ti, the faint thread of psychic energy lingered around Kael.
Kael frowned but didn't react. It wasn't harmful, and he had bigger problems.
Maybe just maybe he pitied it.
After all, Ralts' fragile, childlike form tugged at anyone's heart.
Its psychic touch danced like a curious goldfish in water, circling him with cautious curiosity.
And then sothing shifted.
Ralts' aura shimred, sensing a faint warmth buried deep in Kael's heart.
Its eyes widened with a soft glow.
For a mont, it simply stared then, with sudden resolve, its horn pulsed brighter.
Their minds brushed.
An invisible bridge ford, a fragile link weaving between them.
Kael stiffened, ready to repel—
But then, a soft voice blood inside his thoughts:
"...Hello."
Shy. Nervous. Expectant.
Kael blinked.
For a Psychic-type to intrude into another's consciousness was a grave violation.
It risked exposing his deepest thoughts, even his will.
Normally, he would've lashed out without hesitation.
But sothing was different.
This Ralts was inexperienced so inexperienced that it hadn't even hidden its own emotions.
Kael could feel its mind, raw and unguarded.
Like a blank sheet of paper.
Pure. Untouched.
It wasn't prying.
It wasn't scheming.
It was simply curious.
Warmth and innocence radiated from it, like a newborn's first gaze upon the world.
Kael's hardened expression softened.
For the first ti since his capture, he felt sothing other than anger.
"...A blank page," he murmured inwardly.
And sohow, it made the dark cell feel a little less cold.
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