Online Game: Starting With SSS-Ranked Summons-Chapter 574: Charlotte is awake [2]

Arthur held her through it all, his own eyes burning with tears he refused to let fall. He'd stayed strong for so long, maintained iron control while hunting for solutions and fighting impossible battles. But holding his sister—feeling her breathe, hearing her voice, knowing she would live—threatened to shatter the composure he'd maintained through everything.

"I'm sorry," Arthur whispered, his voice breaking despite his best efforts. "I'm so sorry it took so long. I should have found a cure faster. Should have protected you better. Should have—"

"Stop," Charlotte interrupted weakly, her voice gaining strength even through her tears. "Stop apologising, you idiot. You saved me. You actually... You actually saved me. I knew you would."

She pulled back again, her hands moving to cup Arthur's face. Her thin fingers trembled, but her grip was firm as she forced him to meet her eyes.

"I heard you," Charlotte said softly, tears still streaming down her face. "Sometimes, when the pain got really bad, I could hear you talking to me. Telling me to hold on. Promising you'd find a way. I didn't always understand, but I heard you."

Arthur's carefully maintained composure cracked.

A single tear escaped, running down his cheek before he could stop it. "I wasn't going to let anything happen to you. I couldn't. You're all I have, Charlotte."

"And you're all I have," Charlotte whispered back, her own tears falling freely. "So we're even, okay? We both refused to give up. We both held on."

She pulled him close again, and Arthur surrendered completely to the embrace. His arms wrapped around her carefully but firmly, holding his sister like she might disappear if he let go. Charlotte clung to him just as tightly, both of them shaking with emotions too big to contain.

Around them, Neko's domain continued pulsing gently, the golden motes of her domain drifting through the air like silent witnesses to the reunion. The bells chimed softly, their sound somehow appropriate for the moment—not intrusive, but acknowledging that something significant had just occurred.

Jasmine watched from a respectful distance, her exhausted smile growing warmer as she witnessed the fruits of her extended labor. This was why she'd become a healer—not for glory or recognition, but for moments exactly like this. For the impossible joy that came when death was cheated and families were reunited.

Neko remained curled on her cushion, golden eyes half-lidded as she observed the emotional scene. Her tail swished once with what might have been satisfaction, and the domain's beneficial effects intensified slightly around Charlotte, ensuring her continued recovery and comfort.

Arthur didn't know how long they stayed like that; time lost all meaning as he held his sister and felt the terrible weight of months of fear finally lifting from his shoulders. Charlotte's sobs gradually subsided into occasional hiccups, her grip on him remaining constant even as exhaustion began pulling at her recovering body.

Then a thought suddenly struck him like lightning, making Arthur's eyes widen.

He pulled back slightly, staring at Charlotte with dawning realization. "Charlotte... you're speaking?"

Charlotte's eyes widened in mirror shock, her mouth opening and closing as understanding crashed through her. Her hand flew to her throat, fingers pressing against the vocal cords that had been damaged and silent for so long.

"I... I am," she whispered, tears springing fresh to her eyes. "I'm actually speaking. My voice—it's back. How...?"

Both of them turned simultaneously toward Jasmine, questions written across their faces.

The healer's exhausted smile took on a hint of amusement at their delayed realization. "It's about time both of you noticed. Your vocal cords were the easiest thing to fix, Charlotte. Since I was already healing the catastrophic damage throughout your body, naturally I had to address that relatively minor injury as well."

"Thank you." Both siblings said simultaneously, their voices overlapping with identical gratitude.

Arthur felt another wave of emotion threaten to overwhelm him. Charlotte wasn't just alive—she was healed. The old injury that had stolen her voice had been repaired. She could speak again, could express herself without relying on writing or gestures.

His sister was truly whole for the first time in years.

Charlotte's fingers remained at her throat, touching the skin there with wonder as if confirming the miracle. Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks, but these carried pure joy rather than the overwhelming relief from moments before.

"I can talk to you," she whispered, her voice still hoarse from disuse but growing stronger with each word. "Actually talk. Not just write things down or gesture. I can tell you things with my own voice."

Arthur pulled her into another embrace, holding her carefully but firmly. "Yes, you can. Everything is going to be different now, Charlotte. Better. I promise."

They stayed like that for another long moment, but Arthur's mind was already reasserting itself despite the emotional intensity. He could feel the pull of responsibilities waiting beyond this room—demons attacking Earth, his allies fighting battles, strategic decisions that needed making.

But more immediately, Charlotte needed information. She'd been unconscious during the apocalypse's beginning, missed the fundamental transformation of reality that had reshaped both worlds. The confusion in her eyes when she'd first woken spoke to how disoriented she must feel.

Despite feeling overwhelmingly happy about everything—Charlotte alive, healed, able to speak—Arthur knew he couldn't waste too much time on pure emotion. His sister was weak, still recovering, but she was also intelligent and deserved to understand what had happened to the world while she'd been fighting for survival.

"Charlotte," Arthur said gently, pulling back to meet her eyes. "There's a lot you need to know. About what's happened to Earth, to Armageddon, to... everything. Can you listen? I know you're tired, but this is important."

Charlotte nodded immediately, her brown eyes sharpening with focus despite her obvious exhaustion. "Tell me. Please. I remember... fragments. " 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Arthur took a breath and began explaining everything from the beginning, keeping his voice calm and informative despite the weight of what he was describing.