001

Inside the ICU, the room was quiet save for the soft hum of machines and the steady beeping that marked each heartbeat. Lucas Williams sat beside the hospital bed, his hand gently holding the delicate fingers of his five-year-old daughter, Ella.

“Daddy…” Her voice was a mere whisper, weak but filled with a maturity no child should have to bear. “Can… can you stop this? It hurts so much.”

Lucas’s chest tightened. “Sweetheart, don’t say that. I’ll do everything I can to help you feel better. Just hold on a bit longer, okay?”

Her tiny fingers trembled in his grasp, but she managed a small, tired smile. “But… it’s so expensive, Daddy. And… I don’t want to make things harder for you. Maybe… maybe it’s time.”

“No, Ella,” he said firmly, his voice wavering. “No, you’re my baby girl. I won’t let you go through this alone. I’m going to get you the best treatment. I promise. Soon, we’ll be back home, and I’ll make you all the fried chicken you can eat. Just hang on.”

Her gaze softened, almost pitying him. “You always say that.” She coughed softly, her frail body shaking. “But… I don’t want to see you sad anymore, Daddy. I know… it’s bad.”

Lucas bit his lip, forcing back tears. “Stop talking like that, Ella. You’re going to be fine. I’ll find a way… somehow.”

Silently, she reached under her pillow and brought out a jade pendant, shaped like a dragon, its gleam almost dulled from years of wear.

“This is for you, Daddy.” She pressed it into his palm with all the strength she could muster. “Maybe… it’ll help you.”

Lucas stared at the pendant, its smooth surface cool against his skin. “Ella… this is your pendant. Your grandma gave it to you… it’s supposed to protect you.”

She shook her head weakly. “It’s okay… maybe it’s supposed to protect you too. Keep it safe, okay?”

The door creaked open, and Dr. John Stevens entered, clipboard in hand, his expression neutral.

“Mr. Williams, we need to discuss your daughter’s medication.” His tone was clinical, his eyes devoid of sympathy. “The hospital policy requires an upfront payment for the specialized treatment.”

Lucas stood up, his fists clenched. “Doctor, please… can’t you… give me a little more time? I’m doing everything I can. She just needs a little more time until we find a donor.”

Dr. Stevens’s expression remained cold. “I understand this is difficult, but rules are rules. Without immediate payment, we can’t proceed. There’s only so much we can do without the necessary funds.”

“But she’s just a little girl! There must be something else—some assistance program?”

“We’ve exhausted all the avenues, Mr. Williams,” Dr. Stevens replied curtly. “You have until tomorrow to make arrangements.”

Lucas’s shoulders slumped, and he looked back at Ella, who watched the exchange with tired, understanding eyes. “I’m sorry, baby girl… I’ll find a way. I promise.”

Once Dr. Stevens left, Lucas took a deep breath and reached for his phone. He hesitated but then dialed Ashley’s number. After a few rings, her voice crackled on the other end, sharp and irritated.

“What do you want, Lucas?”

“Ashley, please… it’s Ella. She’s—she’s not doing well. I need help covering the cost of her treatment.”

A pause, and then a huff. “You’re still wasting money on that? Lucas, she’s not getting better. Why don’t you just let this go? She’s… beyond saving.”

He gritted his teeth. “Ashley, she’s your daughter. How can you say that?”

“She’s barely mine, Lucas,” she snapped. “And besides, I’ve moved on. I’m not about to throw my money away on some lost cause. Goodbye.”

The line went dead. Lucas stared at the phone in shock, his mind reeling, heart hollow. The world felt like it was closing in, shadows creeping in from all sides.

He stumbled out of the hospital, his hand clenching Ella’s pendant tightly. He didn’t see the car until it was too late.

A sharp impact threw him to the ground, pain flaring through his body as darkness crept in at the edges of his vision. He heard faint voices, worried murmurs, but they seemed distant, almost unreal.

“Is he okay?” a woman’s voice asked, laced with both concern and suspicion. “Call for an ambulance, but stay with him… he may be trying something.”

As Lucas drifted in and out of consciousness, he felt the pendant grow warmer in his grip. A deep voice echoed within him, dark and powerful.

“So weak… and yet you hold my gift. Foolish human… you will rise, for I will give you strength.”

Lucas’s heart pounded as the voice continued, a chill spreading through him.

“Your loss shall become your gain. Fear not, for I will replace what has been taken.”

He felt a strange sensation—a power, something ancient, reaching into him.