Phayu stared out of the window in despair, not really seeing anything. It had been five days since the horrific incidents in the clearing in the forest, and nothing had been the same. Rain had fainted, probably hit by some part of the lightning, or maybe hurt by the debris falling around him. They had rushed him to the hospital, and though they had been injured themselves, they had insisted that Rain be taken care of first. The prognosis had not been good. Rain had a concussion, and combined with some kind of shock to his already compromised system, had slipped into coma. Phayu had kept a steady vigil by Rain's bedside, praying to all the deities he didn't believe in, to bring his love back.

While Rain's involvement in the whole drama that had gone on had been played down, thanks to the reach and contacts Pai's family had, speculation had been rife, especially since blood that was not his had been found on him. Since Phayu had not left the hospital since Rain had been admitted, all his news came from Pai and Sky, who told him that the town was recovering from everything that had taken place. Phayu was now beyond grief too. He knew that there was a chance that people would ostracise Rain, and as such, he was hardening himself against anything that could harm him. He believed Rain completely. He knew Rain didn't have it in him to even hurt anyone, let alone kill. But he had gotten the blood from somewhere, and that had to be proved. "How is he?" Phayu turned around at Sky's soft whisper. 'No change," Phayu said, feeling numb.

He felt Pai's arm around his shoulder as his friend moved in to stand next to him. "Yu, Rain withstood things lot worse than this. He is much, much stronger than we all give him credit for. You will see, he will wake up just fine," he said, and Phayu nodded, trying to look convinced. "Did you hear anything from the cops?" he asked. "Not yet. They are still looking for clues. But from everything that they have, they are starting to push Rainy way down the list of suspects," Pai said. "Why?" Phayu asked, suddenly coming to life. "The cop my dad knows? He said that there was a witness for one of the murders. And the description was nothing close to our Rain. Plus, she was shown some photographs. Didn't even glance at his before she put it aside. Cops were very keen she pick him, so that they could close the who shebang, but not gonna happen," Pai said, shaking his head in grim determination.

Phayu nodded, grateful that Pai's family had enough money to keep the wolves at bay. He knew they would descend on Rain, the moment he woke up, but this little respite was welcome. "Phayu, no one is going to believe that about Rain. He was but a child when he was brainwashed," Sky said, and Phayu nodded. "It's all pretty believable in theory Sky. But I know that even you both doubt him somewhere," Phayu said, a small amount of bitterness eking through. "Yes, you are right. But we also understand that the person we saw that day at the cabin was not Rain. Or at least not the Rain we know and love, the Rain that only knows how to smile, the Rain that only knows how to love, the Rain that only knows how to give. And we are not foolish to club the two Rains together," Sky said, honest to a fault. Phayu turned away. All of this hurt too much, and he knew only seeing Rain open his eyes would let him heal.

Later that night, Phayu read one of Rain's favourite manga out loud to him from a tab. His one hand was as usual curled around Rain's and he used his other to scroll up. A small night lamp was burning, and the rest of the room was plunged into darkness. "P.. P.. Pha.." Phayu shot up from his seat just in time to see Rain's eyes flutter close. He immediately rang the bell for the nurse, who came at a run, along with the doctor. They gave him a thorough check-up and deemed him 'on the mend', although he would have to stay in the hospital a little longer, so that he could be closely monitored. Phayu could feel his knees tremble, just wanting to collapse at the doctor's words. But he held himself steady until the doctor left.

"What happened? Why am I here? Did the ritual work?" Rain asked, his voice hoarse. Phayu immediately poured some water in a glass and made Rain have it. After he laid back, Phayu told him everything that had happened that fateful day. Rain was drowning in his tears, unable to believe how gullible he had been. His naiveté could have gotten people killed, and he would have never been able to live with the consequences of his actions. But even now, his future was more than uncertain and there he was, being a burden on Phayu, who had had the misfortune of being Rain's pick. "You know love, you need to stop thinking too much about whatever it is you are thinking. I am right here, and I am not going anywhere," Phayu said gently, carding his hand through Rain's hair, his fingers creating a soothing motion.

"Phayu, I..," Rain trailed off as Phayu put a finger to his lips. "You saved everyone baby, at a great cost to you. We helped, yes, but you did it. We didn't know what had to be done, but you did," Phayu said, reiterating what Rain had done. While it did give Rain some semblance of relief, he knew he was not completely okay yet. "Sky and Pai?" he asked. "I messaged them. They should be here any time n..," Phayu was cut off when the hospital door was flung open and Sky and Pai ran in, panting loudly, startling both Rain and Phayu. "Did you both what, run all the way from your house?" Phayu asked, trying to control his laughter at how bedraggled the two looked. "From.. from.. from the.. main door.." Pai wheezed, and Sky nodded frantically, holding his sides and he caught his breath.

"How are you babe?" Sky asked, once he was more in control. Rain nodded. "Okay Rainy, I am sure Phayu told you what all happened that day, and what has happened since then. Lots of questions will come your way, and before you answer them, you need to know that you did nothing wrong. So stop making that guilty face. They will arrest you without asking anything," Pai admonished. Rain nodded again, smiling. Whatever happened to him in the future, he would keep this memory on the top of his head and heart, this one moment of shared camaraderie, the one reason he was willing to give up everything.

The next few days passed in a blur, an eternal revolving door of doctors and cops, one prodding and poking his body, the other prodding and poking his mind. But despite everything that went down, Phayu, Pai and Sky didn't leave his side. They stood like silent sentinels between him and the world, guarding him like treasure. Pai knew very well that the police had no grounds to arrest Rain, he had done nothing. So he had ensured that he spoke to a few reporters quietly, anonymously, under strict instructions not to reveal his name, or else face consequences. Their articles had focused more on the cult aspect, making Rain look like a victim, and police constantly pressing him, instead of finding the real culprit. Since they had said it was a source from the hospital who gave them the news at great risk of being discovered, they refused to state their source.

About a week after Rain woke up, there was a knock on the hospital door, that was opened by Sky. "Sig?" he said, making Phayu and Pai look up sharply towards the door, and then at each other. "What do you want?" Sky asked, sounding a tad bit belligerent, much to the delight of Phayu and Pai, who now stood at the foot of Rain's bed, hiding him from view. "May I come in? Then we can talk. I am here to help Rain," Sig said. "Well forgive us, if don't believe you," Pai spoke up. "Look, I know I wasn't much help the last time, but this time, I have brought reinforcements," Sig said, trying to convince the three lionesses that their cub would be fine. "Let him come in Sky," Rain's quiet voice came from the bed, making the three of them turn. They nodded reluctantly and allowed Sig entry.

Sig entered the room, followed by a lady who clearly screamed 'lawyer'. She sat next to Rain and pulled out a sheaf of papers. "My name is Hong Cha-Young. I am the appointed lawyer for the Korean branch of the organisation that works to rehabilitate children, as well as adults who have been, in a way, rescued from different cults all over the world. Rain, I am here to tell you that there is nothing you need to worry about, especially not your future. Any and all charges against you will be dropped. All that you have to do is identify the cult members and agree to mandatory therapy," Cha-Young said. "That easy? What is the catch?" Sky asked suspiciously. "There is no catch.. Sky, isn't it? We have all been there and done that. I was myself a rescue, and let me tell you, the fact that Rain is in front of you, is a miracle in and of itself," Cha-Young said. "But I killed..," Rain began, but the lawyer cut him off with a gesture.

"Rain, you did nothing except knock them out a bit and take their blood. Your uncle had people in place, setting up the way for your downfall either ways. If, by some miracle, you escaped the resurrection of the antichrist, you would be arrested for 12 murders that you hadn't even committed. Your uncle has been arrested, charged with conspiracy to murder, inflict bodily harm, torture, abetting the sexual abuse of minors and various other crimes. And the men responsible were arrested late last night and they gave the cops chapter and verse. The days of the murders, the water served to you was drugged. One of the guys was your neighbour, using your window to climb in and medicate the water on your bedside. After getting the miniscule amount of blood, you did nothing to them. You have a ritual of drinking water just before going to bed, and they took advantage of that. Their phones had the pictures, recordings, timings, everything. The whole schedule," Cha-Young said.

"Then if you have them in custody, why do you need Rain?" Phayu asked, his upset at all these revelations crystal clear. "Because these men said they are working alone. No mention of the cult. But we found the symbol etched on their arm. They will not speak, that's why we need Rain. Also, his uncle is trying to get Rain declared mentally incompetent. It will not hold up," Sig said, at the glares from the other three. "However, precautions need to be taken. Rain is fine now, and we will need his help to ensure that his uncle stays in prison, where he is meant to be. Although we have other witnesses, Rain is going to be the key," Cha-Young said. "I will do it," Rain said, before Phayu, Pai and Sky could speak up on his behalf. "I will do both the things you said I must," he added, and smiled. It was finally coming to an end, and it was such a relief. "Is that what you want Rainy?" Pai asked. Rain nodded. "Okay then. Rain will sign and all documents, but not before it is read and approved by his own. Leave the papers with us, and our lawyer will get in touch with you in case we want to change anything," Pai said, looking at Sig and Cha-Young. They nodded, and handing the papers to Pai, they left. "I have a lawyer?" Rain asked, sounding adorably perplexed, and the other three men nodded, smiling.

"This has been a hard few months, but with the capture of the culprits behind the gruesome murders, our little world is safe again. However, we request you to continue with utmost caution for the next foreseeable future. Also, certain buildings of the University will be closed for repair, and you are requested not to venture into those areas that have cordoned off," the Dean's announcement was clearly heard by everyone in the hall. Phayu, Pai and Sky had come to Uni that day to collect some stuff, and to get some news back to Rain, who was still recuperating from his physical injuries. As they were leaving, they were surrounded by quite a few classmates who wished to know how Rain was, and when they could possibly visit him. It was wonderfully heart-warming to see the loyalty and love Rain inspired, despite his really short tenure at the campus.

Days passed, and by tacit consent, Phayu, Pai and Sky took some decisions for Rain. One, he would move in with Phayu, something he agreed to immediately, knowing that the trauma that was associated with his grandparents' house was something that would never go away. In fact, he fully planned to dispose of the property, and Pai's family was already looking for potential buyers. Two, the three of them had decided to go into therapy with Rain, wanting it to be a group thing. At first, Rain had balked. "Rain, what you went through, we can't even imagine how you lived through so many years of whatever it was. But, what happened in the woods that day, we went through something traumatic as well. So we would like to be a part of your treatment. We will be able to help each other heal faster than we would heal individually," Sky said. "And then ice-cream after. We will always have each other's back Rainy," Pai said, as they all clasped each other's hand. Rain nodded, smiling at these wonderful people who had become his core strength.

With slow and steady steps, Rain started to come back to the land of the living. His welcome back into the Uni surprised and touched him, making him realise how many lives he had touched. Between Uni, therapy and homework, Rain found his new normal, which included dates with Phayu, cooking together and the pleasures of coming together. Rain recorded each and every event in his memory, making a commitment to himself to find more such moments to treasure and cherish. As they slowly left behind that last cruel summer, stepping up into the adult world, the bonds between them, forged in hellfire, were more honed and stronger than ever, and the dragons on their back could finally rest peacefully!