The sunlight coming through the window curtains slowly woke Celine's consciousness. Her eyelids moved slowly before finally opening. Her vision blurred for a moment, but then caught the shadow of Nico sitting beside her bed.

"Celine?" Nico called out softly, noticing the change on her face. "You're awake?"

Celine blinked a few times, adjusting her gaze. The first look she gave Nico was neither grateful nor relieved, but cold and full of tension.

"What are you doing here?" her voice was hoarse, almost a whisper.

Nico was silent for a moment, trying to swallow the pain that came with the question. "I... I just wanted to make sure you were...