Sera sat on the floor, arms crossed, staring at Elias’ unconscious form like he had personally offended her.

  This was not supposed to be her problem.

  Taking care of people wasn’t something she was used to. She barely interacted with humans anymore.

  And now she had to figure out how to keep one alive?

  She sighed, rubbing her temples. How hard could it be?

  —

  The first thing she tried was food.

  Because that’s what people did, right? Humans needed food.

  She had heard that somewhere.

  So she rummaged through Elias’ apartment and immediately regretted it.

  The fridge was an atrocity.

  There were things in there that defied explanation—half-empty takeout containers, a single bottle of expired milk, and something in the back she was pretty sure had gained sentience.

  "Okay." She shut the fridge carefully. "Not that, then."

  She squinted at the pantry.

  There was coffee.

  Instant noodles.

  An unopened bottle of whiskey.

  That was it.

  Sera stared.

  “How have you not died already?” she muttered.

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  —

  The next attempt was water.

  Which should have been simple.

  Except she might have overestimated how much humans needed, because in her uncertainty, she ended up spilling half a glass on his face.

  Elias didn’t wake up.

  He just twitched, brow furrowing, before turning away like an irritated cat.

  Sera groaned, pressing her palms into her face.

  “I swear if you die on me, I’ll kill you.”

  —

  She tried adjusting his position next.

  Which resulted in him slipping off the couch entirely.

  There was a loud thud.

  Elias groaned weakly. Didn’t wake up.

  Sera stared at him.

  Then at the couch.

  Then back at him.

  "You're doing this on purpose."

  Silence.

  “Fine. Sleep on the floor, then.”

  —

  By the time she attempted to find actual medical supplies, she was ready to throw him out the window.

  There was no first-aid kit.

  No medicine.

  Just an old pack of bandages, an empty bottle of aspirin, and a piece of paper that just said "Don’t trust Richard."

  Sera blinked at it.

  Slowly put it down.

  “Okay.”

  That was a later problem.

  —

  By the time midnight hit, she had tried everything she could think of.

  Which, unfortunately, wasn’t much.

  She had never needed to take care of anyone before. Not really.

  Most of the souls she guided were already lost beyond repair.

  And she… she wasn’t even sure if she remembered how to be human herself.

  She hadn’t been around normal people in so long.

  Maybe that was why she hadn’t noticed right away how bad Elias’ condition was.

  Maybe that was why she had assumed he’d be fine.

  Because she forgot how fragile humans actually were.

  And the worst part?

  None of her efforts had worked.

  Elias was still out cold.

  And Sera was completely out of ideas.

  —

  She stared down at her hand.

  The only thing she hadn’t tried yet—

  Was something unnatural.

  Something that shouldn’t work.

  But maybe—

  Maybe it would.

  She took a slow breath.

  And reached into him.

  —

  Reality lurched.

  It wasn’t healing.

  Not exactly.

  It was rewinding.

  She wasn’t fixing him—she was undoing the damage. Returning his body to its state from a day ago.

  She wasn’t sure if it would work.

  But when she opened her eyes—

  Elias stirred.

  His breath evened out.

  And finally, finally—

  His body stopped looking like it was going to fall apart completely.

  Sera sagged, relieved.

  Then realized—

  She had no idea if this would have side effects.

  …Oops.

  —

  By the time Elias woke up the next day, he felt awful.

  His body ached like he had been hit by a truck.

  His mouth was dry.

  And his apartment—

  His apartment was even more of a mess than usual.

  What the hell happened?

  —

  Sera was sitting in his chair, arms crossed, watching him way too intently.

  Elias blinked blearily.

  Then frowned.

  “…Did you do something to me?”

  Sera hesitated.

  Then—

  “…No.”

  Elias squinted.

  Sera looked very guilty.

  “…That’s exactly what someone who did something would say.”

  Sera scoffed. “You’re alive, aren’t you?”

  Elias narrowed his eyes. "You're not answering the question."

  Sera raised an eyebrow. "Does it matter?"

  Elias groaned, rubbing his face.

  Then a thought hit him.

  A terrible thought.

  He peeked one eye open, lips curling into a smirk.

  "Wait... you didn't do anything weird while I was unconscious, did you?"

  Sera blinked.

  Then frowned. “Define weird.”

  Elias' smirk vanished instantly.

  "Nope. Not asking. Never mind."

  Sera tilted her head. "Oh? You were so curious just now."

  Elias pulled the blanket over his face. "Nope. I'm done. I refuse to be unconscious again."

  Sera leaned back in the chair, feeling smug while not quite sure of what he meant.

  "That's what I thought."