Kai's first sensation was weight.
Not physical weight no, his body was too light, too disconnected. But emotional weight.
Loneliness. Grief.
Distrust, bitterness, quiet envy, cold, sharp-edged anger
It was like waking up beneath an ocean of feelings, waves pressing down on him, filling every part of his chest, his throat, his mind.
He wanted to breathe, but the feelings choked him.
His fingers twitched faintly. His breath hitched.
And then…
Softness
His cheek brushed against something warm, something firm yet pillowy, something that sent a completely different jolt through his half-dazed brain.
Kai's eyes cracked open.
Above him, a halo of golden light filtered past a familiar face, flushed pink, framed by a long braid.
Kathlyn.
Not only Kathlyn
Kathlyn, looking down at him, cheeks warm, eyes flicking nervously to the side, her fingers hesitating in his hair.
And he… was on her lap.
Lap pillow.
His face was resting squarely against her thighs, angled just so, cradled carefully, like she'd deliberately placed him there.
Kai's brain screeched into a crashing halt.
System error. Please reboot.
For several seconds, the only sound was the faint rustle of fabric, the gentle stir of Kathlyn's breath, the small, shaky exhale Kai let out as his senses slowly came back online.
He became aware of little details.
The faint scent of flowers clinging to her clothes.
The way her fingers twitched nervously before she smoothed his hair again.
The warmth of her legs beneath his cheek firm with muscle, yes, but still soft, somehow, against his skin.
He tried to sit up, panic and confusion bubbling up all at once
But Kathlyn's hand lightly pressed against his forehead, keeping him down.
"Stay still, idiot," she murmured, voice low. "You're pale as a ghost."
Kai's throat worked. He wanted to say something maybe a joke, maybe a protest but the words caught in his chest.
Because underneath the panic, the spinning confusion, the overwhelming flood of emotions still echoing from the river
He realized something.
She was trembling slightly.
Kathlyn, the hot-headed, sharp-tongued, endlessly determined tsundere who had bulldozed through monsters and trials without blinking was shaking.
Not because she was angry.
Because she was scared.
For him.
Kai swallowed hard, the weight in his chest tightening not from grief, but from something else, understanding?
Meanwhile, Kathlyn was frantically trying to keep her own storm under control.
Okay, she thought wildly, he's fine. He's awake. He's just… recovering. That's why I'm doing this.
She had to tell herself that.
Because if she thought too hard about the fact that Kai's head was resting in her lap, his hair brushing lightly against her skin, his breath fanning faintly across her legs
She was going to pass out.
And besides the Prism memories had clearly been tampered with.
Right?
No way Kai was actually carrying around all that grief, all that isolation, all that self-hatred.
No way he was really that lonely.
No way he'd ever she flushed hotter need something like a body pillow, right? That had to be Prism distortion he was perverted but a body pillow Obviously fake.
Yet Outside of all those strange things in his memories regarding his emotions she had a feeling those were real
Kathlyn let out a shaky breath, forcing herself to look down at him again.
His eyes were half-lidded, a faint, wobbly smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
"Y'know," Kai rasped hoarsely, voice thin but still teasing, "if this is the afterlife, it's better than advertised."
Kathlyn immediately smacked his forehead gently, but firmly.
"Shut up, idiot."
Kai wheezed softly, but didn't pull away.
She huffed, crossing her arms except one hand still hovered awkwardly over his hair, as if she didn't quite want to stop touching him yet.
"You scared me," Kathlyn muttered under her breath, barely loud enough to hear.
Kai's heart skipped a beat.
For a second, neither of them said anything.
Then, very softly, Kai whispered, "Sorry."
Kathlyn froze
Then, before she could think too hard, she leaned forward just slightly and wrapped her arms carefully around his shoulders, squeezing him lightly where he lay.
"Just… don't do it again, okay?" she mumbled, voice tight.
Kai's breath hitched.
Slowly, shakily, he lifted a hand resting it lightly over hers.
"Promise," he murmured, smiling faintly, even as exhaustion threatened to drag him under again.
And Kathlyn, despite everything, despite the heat in her cheeks, despite the chaos in her chest, smiled too small, reluctant, but Still she smiled
Kai blinked up at her, still pale, still breathless, but with that dumb little grin pulling at his lips.
"Okay… so… wanna tell me what's going on, or am I just gonna assume I died and this is heaven?"
Kathlyn huffed, rolling her eyes. She was not going to let him play the "poor weak patient" card for long.
"You didn't die," she muttered, brushing a bit of hair off his forehead and blushing immediately when she realized she was doing it automatically. "And no, you're not in heaven. You're at the checkpoint."
Kai frowned faintly. "Checkpoint?"
"Yeah." She shifted a little, trying not to squirm as his head stayed warm and solid in her lap. "The fairies… they, um, gave us a checkpoint after you passed out. They called you a friend and said we can come back here if we ever need to leave the trial and return safely."
Kai blinked, then grinned wider. "They called me a friend?"
Kathlyn snorted despite herself. "Yeah, yeah, you're practically royalty now."
Kai chuckled softly, eyes closing again. "Friend of the fairies… winner of hearts… lap pillow champion…"
"Lap pillow what?!"
He cracked one eye open, grinning up at her slyly. "I mean, it's very supportive Five stars."
Kathlyn smacked his shoulder not hard, but enough to make him wheeze a little.
"Shut up!" she hissed, face burning.
Kai, naturally, laughed even harder, despite the fact that he could barely sit up.
"Ow—ow—okay, okay, I'll behave," he gasped, wiping at his eyes. "Man, you're cute when you're mad."
That earned him another light shove, followed by Kathlyn groaning into her hands.
"Why did I save you again?" she muttered under her breath.
Kai tilted his head slightly — still on her lap and smiled softer this time.
"Because you're good," he murmured. "Better than you think you are."
Kathlyn froze. Her breath caught, her cheeks flushed deeper.
"Idiot," she whispered, barely audible.
But her hands didn't push him away.
Instead, they smoothed his hair again, fingers a little shaky, a little uncertain but there.
Kai closed his eyes, letting himself drift, his smile lingering faint and peaceful.
And Kathlyn? She sat there, holding him quietly, heart pounding wildly, mind racing in all directions, trying very hard not to think about how she'd never live this down.