The rain came without warning.Soft at first, then steady — a low hum against the roof that filled Velithra's small room with rhythm.
She sat at her desk, a half-eaten slice of toast beside her, staring at the raindrops sliding down the glass. The world outside looked washed out — like it was holding its breath.
Her phone buzzed. A text from Kai.
Kai:You walking to school?
She hesitated before typing back.
Yeah. It's raining though.
Kai:I know.Kai:I'll bring an umbrella.
Her chest tightened — not because of what he said, but because it was him saying it.It was so casual, so normal.And yet, from Kai, it felt like a small act of care carried the weight of something else — something quiet and deliberate.
When she met him at the corner near the bus stop, he was already waiting.His black hair was damp, clinging slightly to his forehead, and the gray hoodie he wore looked a shade darker from the rain.He held the umbrella loosely in one hand, the other buried in his pocket.
"Morning," he said, eyes meeting hers through the mist.
Velithra nodded. "You didn't have to—"
"I wanted to."
That stopped her.The words hung between them, simple but heavy.
They walked in silence. The umbrella wasn't big enough for two, so Kai tilted it slightly toward her, letting his shoulder take most of the rain. When she noticed, she frowned.
"You're getting wet."
He shrugged. "Doesn't matter."
"You'll get sick."
"Wouldn't be the first time."He said it so easily that it almost sounded like a joke, but something in his tone cracked just a little.
Velithra looked at him — at the faint shadows under his eyes, at the way his jaw tightened when he thought she wasn't looking.Something about him felt off today. Quieter, even for him.
When they reached the school gate, he stopped and handed her the umbrella."Keep it," he said.
"What about you?"
He smirked faintly, though it didn't reach his eyes. "I'll manage."
Velithra hesitated. The part of her that had always stayed silent wanted to say thank you — but another part, the one that had started to trust him, wanted to say don't go.
Instead, she just said softly, "You're strange."
Kai's voice lowered, almost a whisper. "You say that like it's a bad thing."
Then he walked off before she could reply, his hoodie darkening with every step under the rain.
She stood there for a moment, watching his figure fade into the gray.Something about the way he moved — steady, but heavy — felt wrong.Like he was carrying something invisible, something that might finally be slipping.
Velithra didn't know it yet,but that morning would be the last time she saw Kai look untouched by the weight of his past.