Beep— Beep—

The steady rhythm of the heart monitor.

The sharp scent of disinfectant and sterile air.

In the isolated hospital room, Seren's hair had lost its color from years of medication treatments, and her body was mapped with surgical scars and puncture wounds.

This room had been Seren's entire universe since childhood. She had gazed out at the world beyond that window for so long, but had never once crossed that threshold.

She endured each day balanced on the knife's edge between life and death.

Her condition would show signs of improvement only to crash again, and through countless cycles of cutting and stitching her body back together, pain had become her constant companion.

She always survived, but she couldn't tell if that was a blessing or a curse.

How wonderful it would be if humans could adapt to pain. Instead, her senses had grown even sharper.

To the point where even a single needle would make her pupils dilate with terror.

Her mother died bringing Seren into this world, and her father, worn down by endless caregiving, eventually turned his back on them both.

All Seren had left was an isolation room tucked away in a corner of the hospital, her dwindling 'lifespan,' and one person who stayed by her side... Guest.